You’ve booked the venue, you’ve invited the guests. The clothes and flowers are all chosen and the table plans have been pored over. All in all, you’ve made every arrangement to ensure that the day goes well not just for you but for all your friends and family. But what about the photos?These top tips will help you to get the photos of your dreams from the day of your life.1. Don’t rule out doing it yourself. Surprised? You probably don’t expect to feed the guests yourself and few people these days make their own outfits, so why wouldn’t you hire a professional photographer to take the photos or film the whole event?For starters, nobody knows your friends and family like you do, except for them themselves. Many professional photographers stipulate that no one else is allowed to take pictures at your wedding – after all they want you to buy as many pictures from them as you can. But professional photographers tend to concentrate on posed pictures of the ‘wedding party’ post-vows and whilst we may want a record of how fine we looked, those stiff group shots never sum up the feel of a day like a picture of a loved one laughing or revellers on a dance floor. By allowing your friends and family to take their own shots, you can get those candid shots that a professional would never think to take.2. Appoint two family members to be head photographers. Why two? Unless your families know each other very well, the chances are that each photographer will show a bias towards the people they know. So whilst the groom’s family are in every shot, the bride’s might be neglected. Most families have at least one person with a photography hobby that they’d love an opportunity to practice. You might think the day is all about you, but a wedding is a huge celebration of your commitment and in years to come you’ll enjoy looking at the pictures of your friends and family enjoying themselves. Yes, you want some great shots of you and your spouse looking your very best, but don’t neglect the guests!3. Put a disposable camera on every table at the reception and offer a prize for the best photos. Sounds unconventional? Well, you may find a few unwanted snaps come development time, but this ups the chance that the cameras will be filled. Quite often people forget about the cameras after the first bottle of wine is opened and at the end of the event only a few pictures may have been taken. By offering a token gift for each filled camera brought to you at the end of the night you’ll be sure of having photos that show what happened after the vows have been said and the posed shots are over.4. Encourage your friends to bring their cameras and get them to email digital shots to you afterwards or forward their pictures by post. Once the wedding is over you’ll realise just how little time you got to spend with each guest and it’s far better to have as many pictures to choose from as possible of your big day, particularly if you plan to print them for an album later. Don’t forget to ask when you write your thank yous.5. Remember that even the best laid plans can go awry. Having a photo of that ripped veil or Uncle Bob drunk (again) under a table or the pageboy picking his nose at the critical moment will one day be something you can laugh about when the photos come out. If you do decide to go the ‘unprofessional’ route of wedding photos, the good thing about using amateurs is that you won’t be relying on just one person to produce the goods. Because even professionals can get it wrong and if that happens, the chances could be that you’ll have no record at all. Abbi Rouse is Head of Marketing at www.7dayshop.com, the UK’s cheapest source of camera memory, digital cameras, film and peripheralshazardous

For the majority of us, taking photographs is a rather “informal” event. We spend minimal time posing our subjects, setting up the shot, adjusting the lighting, and so forth. However, understanding some of the basics of digital photography and taking just a bit of time prior to pressing the button can greatly improve the quality of the pictures we create.

Digital cameras introduced two great features into our world. One is the ability to delete pictures and try again. Beginning photographers need to experiment and practice. Digital cameras allow us to do this inexpensively. The second great feature is the ability to edit after the fact. However, the editing function is not unlimited and should not be used as a crutch; getting the shot right in the first place is still much more effective in creating quality images.

Most of the traditional rules for creating pictures still apply with digital photography. What makes a good photograph is the same. Good photography is a topic of considerable study but for now a brief discussion about just a handful of tips that will make the most immediate improvement for the true novice is sufficient.

Avoid blurry pictures by keeping a steady camera. Tripods are of course excellent for this purpose but aren’t always handy or available. Without a tripod, you can grasp the camera in a manner that is comfortable for you; using two hands offers the best stability. Steady the camera by holding your arms next to your body with your elbows in close to your chest or stomach. You can brace yourself by keeping your feet apart or leaning against a wall, tree, or other object when possible.

Don’t be afraid to set up the shot. When working with people as subjects, it is easy to direct them for a better picture. When looking at the LCD you can see basically how the shot is set up. Would the shot be better if the subjects in a group stepped in closer together, if they removed their sunglasses, if they turned slightly, or looked over your shoulder versus straight into the camera? You are the director and can make alterations at that point.

Another element of setting up the shot is to use an uncluttered background. If a person is the subject of your picture you want to eliminate all the other “distractions” in the surrounding area. A lot of background activity and other objects can take away from your intended subject. Sometimes just repositioning a bit and stepping in closer can help achieve a better background as well.

Another general rule is to take pictures at the eye level of the subject. In other words, your view angle should not be from above or below. This allows much more detail, the ability to see expression, emotion, personality, and so forth. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the subject must look directly into the camera however.

When shooting people, animals, and wildlife it is usually best to move in close. Closer shots can dramatically improve your results. In some instances stepping in closer is not an option but in these instances you can use zoom to come in closer to the subject. Too close is 3 feet or less, this kind of proximity can result in blurry pictures. Special lenses are used for ultra up close photography.

Lighting is probably the most critical factor in image quality and it will be discussed in greater detail in a later article. For now it will suffice to say that mid-day often does not produce the best pictures. The lighting is harsh, it creates shadows, and it can alter the colors you are trying to capture. In general, you want the sun behind you but you need to be sure your shadow is not in the picture! When shooting people you also need to be sure that the sun is not forcing them to squint.

These are just a few of the most basic tips for creating the kind of images you want. To master these concepts practice is critical but the happy news is that they don’t really require a great deal of time or require any additional equipment and expense. Christine Peppler shares information on home electronics and home entertainment on her website at: http://www.homemedias.infoanti-virus