Today I'm sharing with you 5 reasons why you don't want to leave your Wedding Day Photo and Video Taking to the Guests on your wedding day ~ the day that you only get one-shot at

With everyone taking snapshots all day long with their mobile devices these days - you may think "why not just let our guests take the photos at our wedding?". Well, I'm here with 5 reasons why you do not want your wedding guests taking the photos and videos of your wedding. And, I have to give a big thank you shout-out to Focus Productions for letting me showcase their photos {and the most amazing video} in this article. {Focus Productions is a VIP Wedding Member in my wedding directory}

1. Photo Memories

When you have a pro photographer capturing your wedding day, you don't have to think twice about the moments that are so special not being photographed. And, if you have particular photos you want taken - simply let your photographer know. Having the perfect moments captured at just the right time is what the professional photographer is there for. Having gorgeous photos of your special day, makes it easy to relive your wedding again and again.

2. Live Motion Memories

Having photos in an album is wonderful to look back on your day - but having a video is just as special. I mean, just look at this video below - it's absolutely outstanding and certainly not a video that can be put together by a wedding guest. This type of video creation takes professional skill to put together and is such a beautiful keepsake of all the wedding day highlights.

3. Equipment + Lighting

Whether your marrying in a church {where some don't even allow flash} or outside in the bright sun on a beach - the professionals will know the exact equipment and settings for the lighting current lighting situation. I'm almost certain you wouldn't want all dark photos from the church or all washed out photos because of the sun's glare if you let your guests take the photos. The professionals will always know the right equipment for the light that is happening at the current time of photo taking. And, as the lighting situations change as the wedding progresses - the pros are ready for anything and everything.

4. Unobtrusive

You've seen those photos where the photographer is taking a photo and you see all the wedding guests with their iPhones {and iPads sometimes - yikes!} being held in the air to capture the moment too, right? Well, the professionals know the tricks and will be unobtrusive when photographing or videotaping your wedding moments.

5. Unplugged

This last one goes along with number 4, as you don't want your own hired professionals being blocked by a wedding guest trying to jockey for the same photo, do you? The easiest was to avoid this happening is to have an unplugged wedding. Let your guests be want they were invited for - a guest at your wedding. And, of course you can give them access to the wedding gallery after so they can select their own photos that they love - the ones taken from a professionals point of view. Maybe you even gift your wedding guests with photo credit as the wedding favor so they can have the keepsake photos they love.

I'd love to hear from you - whether you're planning a wedding or you are a professional - are there any other reasons to share why you want to hire a professional wedding photographer and videographer?

Thank you again Focus Productions for providing the photos and video to include in this wedding article

It's time for another giveaway! Maybe you still don't have a wedding album {sadly, I'm included and it's been 12 1/2 years since my wedding} or maybe you're getting married soon. Either way, today's giveaway is one you do not want to miss entering. Star Wedding Albums knows how hard it is to get a quality made album after your wedding day. They have a skilled team of album designers ready to design your wedding album from start to finish. You simply send them your photos and they take care of the rest. Their high quality albums are available in Genuine Leather, Hardcover or Metal album covers and are made with thick lay-flat pages and backed with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. And, guess what? Star Wedding Albums is awarding one Grand Prize Winner a $600 Wedding Album and 10 other lucky winners will receive a $300 coupon towards their very own album.

Giveaway - Star Wedding Albums

If you are looking for the perfect photographer for your engagement or wedding {or any other special event}, you will definitely want to take a look at Photographer Central. This comprehensive online directory of professional photographers provides a resource tool for both brides and photographers. For brides it simplifies the process by providing them with the complete visual profile that is needed to make a decision. For photographers, it provides the marketing support so they can focus on the art of photography.

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At Photographer Central, you can quickly find the photographers you want to consider according to their location, budget and preferred style with the clean and informative interface along with their portfolio. Want to save your "possible" photographers? This is easy because you can save your "Favorites" into a group that can be easily accessed at a later time. From there, you can compare, contrast and immediately contact the photographer that's right for you.

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Using Photographer Central's search is totally free and doesn't even require registration. Head on over to www.photographercentral.com and you can start finding the photographer for your next special occasion today.

I have something totally unexpected to share with you today. Brazilian wedding photographers Grasi Favoreto and Dani Correa recently moved to the US and are creating wedding images that move. This technique is so amazing and gives couples a dream come true . . . the sensation of having a special piece of a moment alive and moving in a never ending way. It's fun . . . creative . . . and artistic. Below are just two examples of their photo creations in motion . . . you can see more at Love + Gifology from Rocker in Love.

These moving photos are created by mixing photo and film in one image, isolating static and moving elements before mending them smoothly together with a loop. These images can be used by couples on their personal wedding blogs and even shared on social media like Twitter, Instagram, G+, Pinterest and Tumblr. They're also the perfect photos for digital save the dates and they can even be used in digital portrait displays at home.

this post contains several affiliate links to companies I am proud to partner with

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I'm so thrilled to have G.E. Masana with me today. He's an amazing wedding photographer who I'm sure you might recognize as I've featured several of his gorgeous weddings and engagement shoots on the blog.

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Breaking News: There's a new definition for "unique": Now it means "Cookie Cutter" and "Copy Cat" - when it comes to your wedding photos.

A popular wedding website recently interviewed a wedding photographer asking how a bride can get "unique" wedding photos from her photographer. The professional's answer may actually shock you. A "must have" shot, she advised, would be to find a "really cool graffiti wall" to "stand in front of".

Really? Isn't this graffiti wall thing a bit overdone by now? Search Google Images for "wedding photos graffiti wall" and it returns 6,940,000 results. That's right - almost seven million of those puppies.

Considering that there are only about two million marriages a year in the U.S. that's a heck of a lot of graffiti themed wedding photos! Not anything I'd remotely call "unique". Would you?

Part of the problem for populating newlyweds’ love nests en masse with these types of wedding pictures is the well-intended but "follow-the-herd" thinking of many wedding photographers today. They're lovely people I'm sure, but maybe they haven't yet come to appreciate what really makes any bride's wedding photography truly unique.

Because if some "trend-of-the-moment" type shot is what they think does it... if that's their best idea, then they're thinking mere "snapshots". It's true that many brides don't particularly care one way or the other beyond that. After all, brides are people too... and people do things like, copy what the next person's doing. Do whatever's "hot" today. That's why back in the 80's lots of brides had the big hair and poofy wedding sleeves. They just followed the trend.

But there are (and have always been) brides (and grooms!) who stand apart and care more about acquiring something far more meaningful for themselves... something truly unique... in their wedding photography.  

For sure, more special than any graffiti wall.  

Which is why I wrote down my 10 essential tips that actually will make your wedding photos unique. I couldn’t stay silent any longer.  

Working with hundreds of brides and grooms as a NYC wedding photographer and seeing first hand what *does* mean something to them has given me insights. True, I also have the advantage of brides writing me on their anniversaries because they wanted to thank me again and tell me how their wedding photos have become ever more significant to them with time - and why that's so. In other words, these insights are time tested and proven.

So I've gleaned tons of aha! moments out of all my experience. And I'm going to share some of those light bulb moments with you.

This is obviously not for everybody. It's insight for discerning couples who seek something more desirable and personalized out of their wedding photos. These tips are anything but routine. You won't see them all mentioned in any wedding magazine... evidently. But they will make a significant difference in your resulting wedding photos - plus they even have a side effect of making your wedding day experience more enjoyable as well! And who wouldn't want that?  

If you're a bride or groom you can grab your personal copy right now. For free. I don't know how long I'll be giving away this information but if you'd like to achieve better, more meaningful unique wedding photography - get your copy now in time to easily put these tips in motion for your wedding.

Enjoy! Click Here For "10 Essential Tips For The Best Wedding Photos Ever"

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New York City Wedding Photographer

G.E. Masana is a nationally published, NYC wedding photographer. Clients have included Vanessa Penna (ELLE), Gaines Peyton (Sears-Peyton Gallery), among many others. His photography has been featured in ELEGANT BRIDE, BRIDAL GUIDE, BRIDE'S and MARTHA STEWART WEDDINGS as well as several international professional photography journals. You can check out his NYC wedding photography blog here.