I missed the Luminaria last year but this year I was intent on making it to the Fredericksburg National Cemetery. And I wasn't disappointed.

The Boyscouts put out thousands of candles in bags beside each grave at the cemetery in a massive effort which truly pays off. It's very humbling to see the flickering light over so many final resting places.

Don't let your friends be the DJ. Rule 1.

Second, I don't just mean a DJ who has a vast library of songs to choose from, although that shouldn't be overlooked either. No, a good DJ will help you keep things on track and keep the mood of the wedding flowing smoothly. A good DJ will keep the music playing so that no one type of song gets played too much. But then that's what you expect in a DJ right? A side benefit of hiring a DJ who is on the ball is that he will act as a coordinator.

A good DJ will keep an eye on the clock while you are out on the dance floor. He or she will get everyones attention for the various events that should happen at specific times. They will also remind people what is happening and what they should be doing.

A photographer works with a DJ knowing that he will put the bride and groom in specific spots. From the first dance to the cake cutting, the photographer needs to be ready and he is able to get there by having a DJ to consult with.

You will be tempted

Introduction

You get a lot of advice leading up to, during and even after your wedding. Some of it is heartfelt and worthwhile while other pieces are nerve wracking and useless. From your mother-in-law to TheKnot.com to the mailman, they all know the way you should plan your wedding. You should take this wisdom in stride, letting it help shape your plans rather than throwing a monkey wrench into them.

However, there is someone with invaluable advice for your wedding who you'll never ask and will never give it. They've been to hundreds of weddings, seen disasters you could only cross your fingers at and do their best to capture the memories of your special day. Who are they?

Your wedding photographer.

His or her job is to make the best pictures of your wedding that they know how to. They work around you, perhaps pulling or pushing you here or there to get a picture but for the most part they work with what you have set up. They ask questions about what formal pictures you want, what group shots you'd like to see and what style of photography you can expect. But they rarely offer any advice.

Now if you took that same photographer, sat them down after the wedding with a beer and asked "What would you have done differently?" you may hear some things that would taint those fond memories. They're not trying to be cruel though. For a wedding photographer, it's all about capturing and creating the scene. They're not photojournalists. They don't play by those ethic rules. They want to make you happy with the images they create even if involves some pixel pushing. And if you could do a few things differently it would go a long way towards making their lives easier.

So with that in mind, I'm starting a series of friendly wedding photographer advice. They may apply, they may not. Their intent is give you a different perspective on your wedding. The perspective of your photographer who wants to make images for you.

Advice #1 - Make Time For Portraits

This dovetails with a future tip of "Add 15% time to all activities." but is a good way to start.

We, as photographers, understand. We know your guests are waiting inside. We know the D.J. is tapping his watch, waiting to introduce you. All the planning is suddenly flying by and your photographer wants you to do the last thing on your mind.

Stand still.

But consider. You've spent days and hours preparing for this day. Your dress and hair are beautiful, the weather has cooperated and the venue you picked out is stunning. It all cost a pretty penny so it would be a shame not to take advantage of it right? Right. Bear with the photographer as he positions you, moves you to a new location and forces you to hold that smile for just one more second. This will pay off in a big way.

And enjoy this time. Relax and take a deep breath. Soon you will be in the kaleidescope of family and friends, pinballing from one to the next. It is true what they say. It goes by very quickly. But for the portraits, relax. You'll look better, feel better and it will be one of the least stressful times of the evening. Minus, of course, rounding up wayward relatives for the group shots.

Bonus Advice For The Photographer: Suggest to the photographer that they visit the event location prior to wedding. Most photographers show up early to scout by rote and for some venues it may be too difficult to get their in advance but it doesn't hurt to ask the photographer to do this. If the photographer has a chance, have them take a walk through of the venue, so they can make a list of spots to take the portraits which you can then go over. This way, the dreaded question "So where do you want to do this?" doesn't come up.

In an e-mail conversation with Aaron (gotta help that SEO rank), we talked about a fellow photographer Ryan Brenizer's pledge to blog for 100 days straight.

While I'm sure Ryan (who Aaron and I have each met on separate occasions although neither of us would he call a friend) has good intentions, his idea does irk me. My response to Aaron follows as such:

See I don't see blogging every day as something that's good. If you have interesting content post about it. But if you force yourself to blog you end up posting bullshit that no one cares about like Jeff Revell or Scott Bourne. You end up making tip lists or speed links that are at best worth a cursory glance. Ugh and don't get me started on Kelby posting about not having time to post. WTF. Yeah, who gives a fuck. I can tell you couldn't post anything because nothing was posted!

I think blogging is helpful and interesting at times but like anything most people who do it seem to take it too seriously or mistake it for what it is. A successful blog is one that posts consistently, sure. But one that posts consistently interesting work. That is more important than every day.

So say I, Geoff "The Blog King" Greene.

Yes, I did sign it "The Blog King". Since it's on a blog, it must be true.

While rereading what I said pretty succinctly sums up my thoughts, I guess I should expand.

Jeff, Scott and Kelby are all great photographers and post interesting things. My issue is to me they feel compelled to post things just because it's there at times. Reblogging or creating lists of blog posts on other sites. This is helpful in it's own right sure but on the whole it's largely useless. I'm reminded of this quote from Merlin Mann:

Some days, the web feels like 5 people trying to make something; 5k people turning it into a list; and 500MM people saying, "FAIL."

Blogging, which begat Twitter/Facebook/everything, is about giving volume to your voice. Some of those out there have larger speakers than the majority but we all have a set of speakers just the same. Theirs just go to 11. Treat your blog as you would treat your own voice. Say what you mean to those who want to hear it. Say what you are thinking because others may be thinking it as well. You are not a 24/7 radio. You do not need to be constantly broadcasting.

I guarantee suspect that you will be happier, your readers will enjoy your work more and your SEO rank won't drop a bit.

Now, I'm going to have the affront to post this on both my main and photography blog. zOMG, the SEO horror!

This year, Jenn and I have been doing mini vacations instead of a long vacation. The economy and all. Actually that's not the entire reason. Some of the places we've been or are going to go to, you only really need a few days there. Such as our recent trip to Asheville. We visited the Biltmore, Chimney Rock and cruised along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a nice getaway and I got some pretty good pictures. Here are a few of my favorites: