After Wedding Photo Session on Anna Maria Island

Franzi and Andreas eloped with their two girls to Anna Maria Island, Florida. Franzi contacted me with the wish for professional photos at their elopement wedding. She wanted a German-speaking photographer mainly for her daughters, to make them feel more comfortable and understand the suggestions given.

After Wedding Session

Elopment Photography - Anna Maria Island

Well, Bingo! As a native German speaker, I was a great fit for them. While it is usually unnecessary for photography, we communicate quite some during the shoot, and for some couples, it feels just right to be with somebody who understands them.

After our initial talk over the phone, Franzi told me the ceremony was scheduled for 11 am. I was a bit concerned. Why? Florida’s sun can be extreme, even in Winter and Spring. Florida is hot most months of the year. The sun is standing so high that harsh shadows and washed-out skin tones make it necessary to use reflectors and fill flash. On top of all that, we have to overshoot because of the many photos with twitched eyes. It is by far not a favorable time to take photos on the beach in Florida.

I told her we could make it work but also wanted her to know the challenges of photographing during that time of the day. Unfortunately, she was unable to schedule the ceremony at a later time. Because elopements without guests are often under two hours of photography, it was either doing traditional ceremony and post-ceremony photos or scheduling an “After Wedding” photo session. Photos were so important to her that she decided on a same-day photo shoot during the magic hour about 1-2 hours before sunset.

But what about the ceremony photos you may ask. For her, they were not that important to be professionally photographed, and decided on amateur photos organized by her wedding planner. In a traditional wedding photo shoot, with all-day coverage, there is usually a window to take pictures during the magic hour. With elopements and limited photo time, it is best to schedule the ceremony shortly before that to have the best light for photos.

I met with Franzi, Andreas, and the girls at the beach entrance to Bean Point Beach. The first thing after saying hello was: “We were so careful all the days before the wedding to not get sunburned.” But at their 11 am ceremony, it was so blazing hot that even with sunscreen on, they both got burned. This is another reason why to avoid late-morning and midday weddings in Florida.

The early evening was perfect, not too hot and we did have overcast which is always great for photos. Everybody had so much fun during the After Wedding photo session. Franzi and Andreas felt so relaxed and the kids had a ball playing in the sand. Franzi told me this was the best decision of the day. They both were so thankful for my advice and for making this decision. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart.

After Wedding Photo Location: Bean Point Anna Maria Island