Ashley and Courtney, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Although the weather wasn’t ideal, to put it nicely, it was still great day for a wedding all the same.  Ashley and Courtney had a beautiful ceremony, and a killer reception, all hosted by the Embassy Suites hotel, right here in Tuscaloosa.  I’ve said it before, but Tuscaloosa certainly isn’t hurting for some really beautiful wedding venues.  The staff at the Embassy Suites went above and beyond to make sure the day was a complete success, and with no small amount of help from Ashley’s wedding planner, Jamarkis, I’d say they all thoroughly succeeded!! 

-Josh

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/tclrtes-embassy-suites-tuscaloosa-alabama-downtown/meetings-events/

TOP 5 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A MAKEUP ARTIST

As wedding photographers, we may admittedly be just a little bit biased, since the right artist can make us look like absolute rock stars, but we personally feel that one of the most important decisions you can make, when it comes to choosing your wedding day vendors (outside of your photographer of course  😉), is your makeup artist.  The reason is, while I’m sure your Aunt Ruth and every single one of your besties is really really good, hiring a professional makeup artist will take you and your glam squad’s wedding day look to a whole other level!  That said, picking the right artist can be a somewhat daunting prospect, especially here in Tide Country, where we have so many wonderful people and businesses to choose from.    With that in mind, here are 5 things you should keep in mind when looking for a makeup artist in Tuscaloosa:

5. Taking A Closer Look

More and more, brides are finding their vendors through Instagram. If you yourself are a bride scoping out hair and makeup artists on the ‘gram, take an extra moment to fully examine the photos you are looking at. Is there a soft touch filter applied to the face blurring out any imperfections in the makeup application? Are bobby pins visible through the updo? Some of the finer details to pay attention to when zooming in on a photo are the undereye area and the eyeliner. More specifically, check to see that the under eye area looks fresh, youthful, concealed of any dark circles, brightened, and properly set in a way that does not crinkle up or make the area appear dry and aged.

For eyeliner check to see that it is straight, bump-free, and even, for those inevitable looking-down-through-the-lashes shots that we photogs always love to get on your wedding day. If you want to be super picky, zoom into the inner corner of the eyeline, as that area is the most common for skips, bumps, and eyelash glue residue. And while you’re at it, check the outer corner of the crease area to make sure that the shadow is blended to perfection!

4. Setting Up a Trial

This may be difficult for some of you, especially if you’re traveling to Tuscaloosa for your wedding, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to schedule a trial before your wedding day! Even if you have been super diligent about scoping out your desired artist’s work, until you actually sit down with your hair and makeup artist, you won’t truly know what you’re in for. Aside from the obvious things, like the quality of their work, this is also a great way to get to know your artist and their personality. Do you vibe? Do you trust that if you change your mind on the day of your wedding that they can hang and deliver what you want? If you absolutely cannot schedule a trial, be as upfront as possible with your artist about any skin conditions, personal hang-ups, and anything else that might help them.

Pro Tip: A great time to schedule your trial could be for your engagement session. That way you get to kill two birds with one stone.

3. Product, Product, Product

While not every makeup artist will be rocking Tom Ford and Chanel in their kits, and that’s perfectly fine, it’s still important to take note of the types of products they do use, especially if they’re part of the higher-end market. Honestly, with the rise of YouTube and Instagram, the beauty industry has totally leveled up, and even some drugstore products can go toe-to-toe with many high-end brands. That said, take note of the ratio of high-end to drugstore products in your makeup artist’s kit as compared to their price for services: meaning, are you paying a premium price for bargain products? With proper technique and knowledge, great makeup artists can certainly get a beautiful finished result using drugstore makeup, but the price should reflect that.

Pro Tip: Also note that while the initial finished result might be flawless, the longevity of wear might not be.

2. Assessing Hygiene

While this really should be #1 if we’re being perfectly honest, until you’ve actually gone through the search to find a makeup artist and sat down with one, you couldn’t possibly assess their level of cleanliness. Here are some things to look out for when assessing the condition of their kit and practices:

Are their products tidy and not covered in makeup dust and goo?

Are their brushes clean? A minimal amount of staining is normal on brushes that have white fibers, but if the brush LOOKS dirty, it’s probably dirty, and a great vehicle for spreading bacteria. (gross)

Also make sure that your artist is sanitizing brushes between services (yes, that means before every one of your bridesmaids).

This goes for beauty sponges as well.

Your artist should never be working directly from the wand that comes on the mascara they are using unless it is your personal one you are keeping. Disposable wands and mascara brushes (that are cleaned between each client) are a MUST.

The same thing goes for eyeliner, lipliner, and lipstick. Each item should be sprayed with isopropyl alcohol and wiped clean before use on a new client.

1. Your Bridal Style

Finally, and MOST importantly, it is imperative that before even beginning your search for the right makeup artist that you take a moment to reflect on your personal style and how you want to look on your wedding day. Some brides prefer a natural or bohemian look, while others seize their wedding as an opportunity to go “Full Glam”. Either way, when looking for a makeup artist, consider the work in their portfolio as a whole, and look for a theme throughout their clientele.

Most makeup artists are extremely versatile, but they’ll still definitely have a space that they prefer to work in, whether it is retro winged liner and red lips or Full Glam with full coverage, dark smoky eyes, nude lips, and a heavy lash!

Pro Tip: If you are a natural gal in your everyday life, opting for a Full Glam look on your wedding day may feel overwhelming and unnatural. In these cases, it may be best to start off with a “base look” and build the glam from there.

-Katye

Alabama Wedding Photographer, Tuscaloosa Wedding Photographer, Northport Wedding Photographer

How to Choose a Wedding Photographer

As members of the wedding photography community in Tuscaloosa, we feel that one of our biggest responsibilities is to help guide couples along the long and winding path of finding their ideal wedding photographer.  If that happens to be us, that’s fantastic, but if not, that’s perfectly fine too.  At the end of the day, what’s most important is, who are you going to be the happiest with?  It’s not an easy decision, but don’t fret, we’re here to help!

1) STYLE
We’re just going to jump right in, no need to beat around the bush!  Flat out, if you don’t like the look and feel of a prospective photographer’s portfolio pictures, which is the first thing you should be looking at, there’s no need to even consider them.  Regardless of price, personality, personal history, products they offer, etc, if you don’t like the images they create, you’re not going to be happy, I can promise you that.  Every photographer’s style is different, as is every person’s personal taste.  A photographer can take technically correct images, and still have a style that doesn’t suite your particular tastes.  You don’t have to like every single image on their website, but you should legitimately love the vast majority of them.  Ignore this one at your peril!

2)      EXPERIENCE LEVEL
Okay, so you’ve found a photographer(s) whose images you absolutely adore, and better yet, they’re available on your wedding day – awesome!  What now?  Well, as great as they may be, now it’s time to find out if they’ve actually got the chops to photograph a wedding from start to finish.  To be blunt, being a landscape photographer, portrait photographer, newborn photographer, etc. isn’t the same as being a wedding photographer.  How many weddings have they photographed?  How long has it been since the last wedding they shot?  Do they shoot weddings fairly consistently, or is their wedding work more sporadic?  Once you can answer all of these questions, you should be able to decide if they have an experience level that you’re comfortable with.

3) PERSONALITY
Once you’re satisfied that your prospective photographer is as capable as they are artistically inclined, now you need to decide if you can stand to be in the same room with them for an extended amount of time.  Make no mistake about it, if you don’t like your photographer, it’s going to make for a long and frustrating wedding day!  That’s not say you have to be the best of buddies, but you definitely shouldn’t be cringing at the thought of your next face to face meeting either.

4) WEDDING PACKAGES
Okay, you like their work, you’re satisfied they know what they’re doing, and you can even stand to be around them for than five minutes at a time – what’s next?For my money, I’d consider what services and products they’re actually offering in their various wedding packages.Are they so called ‘shoot and burners’ who are just going leave you with a thumb drive and no clue what to do next, or are they full service studio that’s going to help guide you through the process of choosing artwork for your home and helping to prevent costly mistakes?Do they offer albums with their wedding packages, or at all?If so, what are they like?Are you happy with the other products they offer?Do they include an engagement session with their packages, or is that a separate expense?What about bridal sessions?There’s no right or wrong answers here for the most part, but these are things you need to consider to ensure that you have a really great experience from end to end when choosing a wedding photographer.

-Josh

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Alabama Wedding Photographer, Tuscaloosa Wedding Photographer, Northport Wedding Photographer