Nashville weddings

Examples of great natural lighting at Front Porch Farms

What traits do these venues usually possess that make them so photo-friendly?

Venues with areas of natural light (like windows) are great if the wedding or reception is hosted during daylight hours. Venues with focal points or features in decor-- such as exposed brick, different levels, or interesting textures in wall treatments or furnishings, are a great added bonus to providing depth and dimension to your wedding photos. If your venue lacks those characteristics, consider bringing in items to enhance them-- such as event lighting or specialty rentals.

Ashley: What are clear obstacles of some venues?

Donald Yeager Photography: Size - a venue that is too small or too large for your party pose equal obstacles. Too tight a space means that there’s no availability to find fun places to shoot within the venue because there’s literally nowhere to go! Too large and a “cavernous” effect can happen in photos where you have lots of empty, unused and un-utilized space. Also pay attention to ceiling heights-- low ceilings can make a space feel smaller. Read venue contacts about restrictions to decor elements like candles-- several venues limit them and they can bring a lot of ambiance and additional lighting to your event.

Ashley: A lot of the outdoor venues – like Front Porch Farms, Cedarwood, Southall – are obviously beautiful so we see wonderful photos. But, how can a bride make an indoor venue more interesting so that her photos are too?

Donald Yeager Photography: Number one thing - event Lighting! In particular, uplighting, pinspotting, string lights, and gobos. Placing uplights around the room helps to add a pop of color to the walls to make the space more interesting while providing more light. PInspotting allows you to provide focal points to key items-- like your cake. String lighting is a great investment to provide ambient light and adds an interesting background element in room detail and dancing shots. Gobos or go-betweens are usually used to display the couples names and wedding date on a large blank wall, but can also add texture to the walls or ground. This again adds an interesting element to the space. Other considerations: Decor elements, like flowers, custom rentals, and personal touches from the couple make your venue appear more personalized and unique. Don’t discredit the value of well-placed decor.

Ashley: Wow!  I had no clue why some wedding photos (at venues that I love) were unremarkable whereas the photos you have shot above are incredible.   It's amazing how important lighting is.  When you are selecting your Nashville wedding venue, be sure to budget for lighting or you won't get great photos.  I've seen countless weddings in venues without great natural lighting and I struggle to see any of the details that you worked so hard to include.  If photos matter and your venue matters, lighting is imperative.  These venues are obviously dark but with great lighting, a professional photographer like Donald has turned these dark receptions into artistic masterpieces.