Off the Wall by Amy and Jordan

Hello and Welcome to Photographer Week here on JasmineStarBlog.com! I'm excited to collaborate with fellow peers as they shed light and share industry tips. Today the ever lovely photo duo, Amy and Jordan, are sharing their favorite prep tips. I had the chance to meet them recently and I love that they are giving back to the community in fresh ways!
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If you've been following this blog for a while, you know we're passionate about creating clean, timeless images in beautiful light. Images that capture joyful, intimate, emotional moments that take our couples right back to the way they felt on their wedding day.

Our goal is to funnel every decision we make, from where, what and how we shoot on a wedding day, through that lens and today we thought we'd share one of our quick go-to life hacks in getting ready rooms that might be just a little… wait for it… off the wall! Pun absolutely intended.

Most of the time when we walk into a getting ready room, we quickly assess the room and look for the best combination of light and a clean, non-distracting, uncluttered background. Once in a blue moon, we'll walk through the door and immediately feast our eyes on a magically lit, clean, non-distracting space, and we'll rejoice that it exists and our photographer hearts will proceed to do an internal jig for joy. But let's face it, more often than not, we have to create that space.

This means getting a little off the wall. We live in Arizona. The home of hotel lamps shaped like howling coyotes, wall art featuring authentic Native American symbols and pottery in the shape of a cowboy boot. While we love our southwestern home, most of the time our brides have a very different vision for their day. If she's been dreaming of a romantic blush and gold wedding for years, then that turquoise kokopelli (google it) just doesn't quite fit in with her vision. The solution? We remove things from the wall. ALL. THE. TIME.

John Wayne in a frame in the middle of the good light? Take him down! A painting of a field of saguaros at sunset on the cleanest wall in the room? Relocate it to the bathroom! The bed clashing with the bridesmaid dresses? Slide it over! The floor lamp shaped like a rattlesnake? Unplug that puppy and get it outta there! Most of the time, these items aren't completely bolted to the wall and can easily be returned to their original state after the getting ready photos are finished. We aren't afraid to remove things from the wall if it means our bride will get her clean, timeless images that she'll cherish for fifty years. We want her to look at her getting ready photos and remember the way she felt when she put on her grandmother's pearls, and nothing else. The best way for us to achieve this is to clear the wall of distractions. That way, when anyone looks at that image, all the focus goes straight to her and the other women she loves the most in this world. It goes to the laughter, the emotion, the joy. The final moments before she gets to start a whole new chapter.

Have you read…
Monday's post about Sue Bryce's secret to using a white sheet on a photo shoot?
Tuesday's post on how Katelyn James controls her image color by shooting in Kelvin?
Wednesday's post on Melissa Jill's tips to photographing group portraits that are in focus?
Check them out!