Author: Kenny Casanova

PLANNING A “KEEPER” WEDDING PHOTO THAT IS SPECIAL TO YOU

Here is something to think about, when it comes to customizing your wedding day, specifically when looking at the photos being taken.

The picture to  the left is a picture of a typical wedding. This one, in particular, was shot in the new courtyard at the Terrace banquet hall at The Water’s Edge Lighthouse in Scotia, NY, which is one of my most favorite halls to DJ for.

The setting is nice with green in the back and the blue sky. However, as nice this photo is, there isn’t anything overly special about it. This is okay because there doesn’t have to be. It is a nice picture of the ceremony – a time when things are supposed to be more serious.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FUN PICTURES?

With a little bit of planning, you can get that fun, special picture that stands out – the one people will really talk about that means something to you.

All this bride asked all of her bridal party to wear a garter with The Pittsburgh Steelers logo on it. Though you can’t see it that well, the black and yellow is a dead give-away. She knew she would have them flash the photographer and it would really make for an interesting moment. That it did.

While your wedding photographer will do great work, there was no way this shot could have happened without a little planning. This shot is a riot and one she will cherish for years to come!

-DJ Kenny

WEDDING PICTURES – TIMING IS EVERYTHING

You have seen what people do at weddings. They take a million shots and all of them come out bad. However, with today’s technology, you really can do a lot with a cell phone camera! All you have to do is look at the background and wait for the right moment.

I wasn’t the photographer for a wedding recently at Morningside Camps in Minerva, NY – about a half hour north of Lake George. I was the DJ. They had a friend shooting pictures, but no real photographer on hand. So just like the other guests in attendance, I did have a smart phone on hand and thought I would get a few candids for my blog about candids.

It really is amazing what the right timing and an iPhone can do.

Though these are taken with a just a cellphone, pictures can be great when you look at the background and make sure to include some color. Here are a few shots that I thought I would share when I was at the right place at the right time. Imagine how great they would have been with a decent camera!

NOTE: I asked the bride and groom to go over to this spot, which was only a few yards from the tent. I made sure to get the tree and the tractor in the shot, perfect for the rustic theme:

WHEN IN DOUBT ADD SUNSET AND WAIT: Looking at the background is the first thing you should do before ever snapping a shot. While these pictures aren’t really the greatest they could be seeing as they were taken with a phone, they do illustrate why great photographers will sit for hours for just the right shot. This is especially so when looking for the right moment from the sky. When you can get a sunset picture, always go for it! These three shots were all of maybe 5 minutes apart, total. What a different a minute makes!

USE PHONE PICTURE FILTERS!

One last tip is to see what EDIT – ENHANCE can do for you on your iPhone.It usually bumps up the contrast, lightens the lights and darkens the darks a little, and also deepens the colors all around.

Also, there are apps to do different things like make a picture scratchy, black and white, or polorized. Instagram users also like to to pic different filters to make a picture have even more feel. Dig around and see what you can find!

RUSTIC PICNIC TABLE TOP WEDDING GUEST BOOK IDEA

Lately less is more in the wedding industry. It seems that rustic simple wedding decor is taking off like never before. In the spirit of fun and new twists to wedding guestbooks, here is an original looking one I hadn’t seen before.

This past weekend at Treviso by Mallozzi’s, at 257 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, NY, I had the pleasure of working with a very creative couple as their DJ for the evening.

This couple has a nice rustic theme in their house and had a mini picnic table top made up to frame and put on the wall. All they did was have their initials put on it, and it made for yet another neat guest book idea!

This simple design can be easily made by yourself or commissioned out to altogether rather inexpensively by anyone that knows how to use a hammer and saw.

While many wedding books end up in the attic, this one also makes for a great piece that the bride and groom can share for years to come!

ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE WEDDING GUESTBOOK

Here is an interesting twist on the guestbook I saw two weeks back at when I was the wedding DJ at The Franklin Terrace in Troy, NY.

What the newlyweds did was awesome. After looking around a bit online, what they did was get some custom printing done on a nice cigar box and added some special wedding postcards.

The postcards are super nice because what they do is let you get more than just the typical name you would get form your guests in the traditional guestbook format.

The post cards asked for how the guests met the bride/groom, a favorite memory and also feedback about the special day itself.

HOW TO DISPLAY:
They presented the cigar box with some nice candles and other things to dress it up. Below you can see what the set up looked like with a the uplighting turned on. This put an interesting pink hue on everything for a great added touch!

ALTERNATIVE IDEA TO THE TRADITIONAL GUEST BOOK

These days, nobody wants the traditional guestbook. It seems that once you have it all signed up, it gets thrown into the attic and never gets looked at again. Here is a pretty cool idea, following the trend of signing other things to record the attendees of your guest list. Have your guests sign a decorative bowl!

I was at the Hague Firehouse, just a little away from Lake George this weekend. It was for a pretty nice BBQ picnic-type wedding. There, they had something going on around a table so I took a stroll over to see. They had a  bowl turned over on its side and people were signing it with a special marker made for writing on porcelain.

What a cool idea! This way when the bowl was signed, the couple had something they could actually use and enjoy, that at the same time would remind them of their special day.

SIMPLE RUSTIC DJ SET UP –

I am versatile. I have done a couple of country / rustic weddings over the last few weeks and had NO problem dropping the tech look to make it work. Rather than my regular sweet DJ booth, I went for the barrel look here at a fun wedding at Burlap and Beams of Athol, NY.

This venue had some great old barrels available and we took advantage of it and made it work! A rustic theme can really make your wedding a success.

BARN VENUES – There are a few great “barn” venues in the Albany, NY area to consider, if wanting this rustic feel.  One as we said is Burlap & Beams. ANother is Pat’s Barn in Troy NY , and another is The Pruyn House in Latham, NY.

Here are a few pictures to give you some ideas.

For more ideas including crafty crepe paper flowers and a do-it-yourself rustic photo booth click here -> COUNTRY THEME WEDDING in ALBANY

If you liked this, please consider us to DJ your event! Call Ken at 518-506-3305