Suggest now or forever hold your peace

August 7, 2007 8:23 AM

We're taking pre-wedding, formal wedding photos; but are tired of the clichéd locations (i.e., gardens and the like). What are some more interesting type of locations to have photos taken?

Later this week, we're having our wedding photographer take photos of mutandiscette and I in our formal attire (i.e., tuxedos and wedding dresses). In addition to these photos, we will have the usual studio and day-of pictures; so we're looking for ideas of fun and interesting places or types of locations where other couples have had their photos done. This is not on the day of the wedding so we will have time (about 2 hours) and flexibility.

For example, some possibilities I thought of were a children's playground or in the woods. Any other ideas?

The photography session will (must) take place during the afternoon (1-4PM) and we're located in NE Toronto (Markham, Scarborough).

Thanks!

posted by mutantdisco! to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (28 answers total)

For some reason a bowling alley popped into my head.
posted by Shecky at 8:28 AM on August 7, 2007

The last couple of weddings that I have been involved some shots that featured photo taken in: an old art deco hotel lobby & lounge, on and around an old stone masonry bridge, along the river with big bridges in the background, city overlooks with skyscrapers in the background and a few with department store Santa. Not sure how they match up to the seasonality and topography of Toronto but hopefully this jogs some thoughts.

Oh and congrats.
posted by mmascolino at 8:35 AM on August 7, 2007

Best answer: I don't know what's near you but I'm thinking zoo, amusement park, sidewalk cafe, video arcade, school, abandoned building, park, museum, flower shop, garden, disco, riding on things such as bikes or horses (if you could avoid getting dirty), a toy store. A cemetary could be interesting, or not. And don't overlook the possible charm and hokiness of local landmarks.
posted by iconomy at 8:38 AM on August 7, 2007

If you're looking to avoid trite, stay away from the woods. I can't tell you how many wedding pictures I've seen taken in the woods. (Minnesota, USA)

Since you live in Toronto, how about some urban shots? I think...

* Street shot with long exposure. You'll get the 'moving traffic' effect behind you.
* Rogers Centre? If you could get access to the field, I think you'd have some great sight lines.
* An up/down of the CN tower? Have a shot of the bride from the top of the CN and the groom at the bottom. Show bride throwing penny over the side at groom, etc.
* (Getting stupid) Bride in tux, groom in dress?
* Recreate a famous art piece using the bride and groom, posed as if in the picture.
posted by unixrat at 8:44 AM on August 7, 2007

In a extremely run down or industrial location - stark contrast to your clean/dressed up look. Find an area with lots of rust.
posted by JibberJabber at 8:48 AM on August 7, 2007

Where did you meet? Can you go there in your attire?

Also: a disco! Perhaps one that caters to mutants?
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 8:49 AM on August 7, 2007

rooftop in a city
on a bridge
on bicycles
farm (with old equipment, in front of a farmhouse or barn)
posted by letahl at 8:51 AM on August 7, 2007

Best answer: What about taking pictures in your wedding clothes doing the mundane/everyday things that all married couples do? So, the theme would still be marriage, but about the way you actually live your life together.

Pushing a cart through the aisles of a grocery store
On your morning commute to work (subway? train? bus? car?)
Walking the dog
Going out to dinner with friends
Doing recreational activities (playing softball? golf? going dancing? bowling?)
Playing a board game
Out at the movies or the theater
posted by B-squared at 9:07 AM on August 7, 2007 [9 favorites]

Having just seen the traveling Hopper exhibit, I recommend in a diner, looking very haggard at the bar. Sit next to, but do not look at, each other.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:14 AM on August 7, 2007

Distillery District!
All the fabulous buildings and the old brewery look. I'm also thinking black-and-white in one of the warehouses.

When my brother got married, he and his wife had pictures taken in a children's playground and it was beautiful because they were both all in white and the bright primary colors of the playground contrasted nicely.

Congrats!
posted by alon at 9:16 AM on August 7, 2007

I love B-squared's ideas. Mundane settings + fancy dress = awesome. Also, maybe some cool macro shots: up close details of the dress, the shoes, the rings, etc.
posted by kidsleepy at 9:17 AM on August 7, 2007

not a suggestion, but hopefully just a passing fad as a point of interest
posted by seawallrunner at 9:18 AM on August 7, 2007

How about an art museum?
posted by hsoltz at 9:23 AM on August 7, 2007

busy downtown street corner. think lots of pedestrians bustling by. i had some friends do this in nyc and it worked like a charm, pictures of them both leaning out of the back window of a cab, pictures of them straphanging on the subway, etc. the pictures of them looking into each other's eyes while the entire world rushes around them are pretty cool.
posted by allkindsoftime at 9:33 AM on August 7, 2007

I like hsoltz's idea of the art museum - you could totally go to the AGO, or maybe even the ROM.

I'd also like to add that King west (specifically around Spadina and Bathurst) has many beautiful old buildings, you could be photographed sitting on their steps or leaning out of a first-floor window (if you can get into one of the places).

Kensington Market is beautiful and you *would* look just a tad out of place in formal attire, which would make the photo that much more interesting.

What about photos of you two sprawled on the see-through floor of the CN tower? The idea is kinda crazy and you have to be gutsy enough to go into the CN tower when it's full of tourists and lie down on the floor in your wedding clothes, but IMHO it could be awesome.

I think something cute could be taking pictures of you two in your wedding attire but in 50's-style poses [ie man sitting, reading paper and smoking cigar as wife hands him something/whatever (I'm no chauvinist, i just think the pictures could turn out great like that) or having you two eat dinner at a remarkably 50's-like diner].

I like the bike idea, how about you two riding a tandem bike? Except I'm not sure how that would work out with the wedding dress.

And I just have to repeat the Distillery District suggestion because I think it would make a beautiful setting for wedding photos.
posted by alon at 9:33 AM on August 7, 2007

Find a horse farm or a field of flowers somewhere. Or you could go to a petting zoo and do the Beach Boys' thing.
posted by mds35 at 9:39 AM on August 7, 2007

Where did you meet? That might be a fun photo. Is there a diner in your town, preferably with a bar & stools. Pool hall?

If the photographer has a blue or green seamless, you could get a shot that would be easy to photoshop, and you could be anywhere, like this guy.

Anyplace too adventurous will require getting the dress cleaned, so be careful.
posted by theora55 at 9:40 AM on August 7, 2007

Library or bookstore if you are bookish, an ice cream parlour, reptile world in Vaughn? Have you by any chance bought a house to be built in a new subdivision? A photo of the two of you sitting in formal chairs on the empty lot dressed up would look great on the wall of the house. BTW, I like the woods idea, especially if you come over to the other side of the GTA and take photos at the niagara escarpment (you can chose a free public location that would allow you to shoot at the badlands, limestone cliffs, woodsy areas and by a river/waterfall, all within a fifteen minute drive of each other). The Bruce Trail guidebook would have other suggestions you might be interested in. Centre Island also has some great spots for photos ... especially the amusement rides. The Merry-go-round and Ferris wheel with view of the skyline come to mind. Make sure that where ever you want to shoot gives permission first ~ you don't want this to turn into a paparrazi shot of the two of you being thrown out (but then again, with proper lighting, that could be cool too.)

For the day itself, my favourite wedding photo is of EVERYONE that attended my wedding outside the church. I have never seen that at another wedding and I cherish that photo dearly because, you know, weddings aren't about two people getting married, it is about two families and two sets of friends joining too. This may only work with smaller weddings though.
posted by saucysault at 9:41 AM on August 7, 2007

I love 8-squared's idea of pushing a cart through the aisles of a grocery store.

More suggestions:
Sitting side-by-side in a car coming out of a carwash? Or through the soapy sponge things
Standing in the crowd at a concert, looking lovingly into each other's eyes while everyone around you (friends/family) looks up to the stage
Rocking the hell out on-stange, playing air guitar and a sweet set of air-drums
Groom pushing the Bride on a swing-set at playground
If you don't care about your clothes you could always go with something like trash the dress and be playing in a sand box, which would be awesome.
Two of my friends who just got married have one of the most freaking awesome pictures ever - they're just high-fiving. Nothing cheesy, nothing sappy like looking into each other's eyes - nope, just high-fiving like it's going out of style.
posted by banannafish at 9:47 AM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Roller Coaster. Cause that's how big your life change will be. You're now on the 'roller coaster' of marriage.
posted by filmgeek at 10:30 AM on August 7, 2007

If it were me and my husband, it would be at some restaurant, having lunch, each of us reading separate sections of the paper.

Holy christ, that would be the awesomest picture ever, all dressed up for a wedding, someone's reading the funnies and someone's reading the front page.
posted by mckenney at 10:42 AM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Farmers market...that is where I'd go.
posted by melissam at 10:45 AM on August 7, 2007

The alley that runs behind the buildings on Queen Street just east and west of Bathurst (south side) has lots of great graffiti. All the garages and walls were painted over and 'donated' to various artists. Lots of great colour and contrast.
posted by thenormshow at 11:17 AM on August 7, 2007

You already have some awesome suggestions (I particularly love the 'regular activity in a wedding dress' ones.) So here's another kind of suggestion: why don't you do this AFTER the wedding? That way you could swing on the swingsets, lean on rusty cars, etc etc, without having to worry about getting the dress (and tux) dirty. (Yes, inspired by the sensibility of trashthedress.)
posted by Kololo at 11:25 AM on August 7, 2007

Friends of mine had some wedding pictures taken in front of a large graffiti-style mural on the side of a local "urban art" gallery building, and they look awesome.
posted by vytae at 12:51 PM on August 7, 2007

Standing on the greenspace on the west side of Broadview, south of the Danforth -- best skyline of the city.

Something with a street car in the background -- maybe head from there to Gerrard and Broadview and get shots in the Chinatown there as the streetcar goes by.

Ontario Science Centre
posted by girlpublisher at 2:36 PM on August 7, 2007

You might poke around this site (warning: flash) of a photographer here in the Detroit area who promotes herself as "specializing modern, editorial-style wedding and portrait photography." You might be interested in these engagement pictures taken out-on-the-town style: flash slideshow here, non-flash posts here, here, and here
posted by pardonyou? at 2:48 PM on August 7, 2007

For realism, try bungee over punji.

But if you're out for something less thrilling, try photographing, together and singly, every inch of your bodies up close and naked so you know exactly how you were at the time. Teeth, hair, eyes, stomachs, chins, bums, breasts, everything. Do it inside a large clock tower with the mechanism in the shots to, obviously, represent time the giant unstoppable thing, but also to emphasize the delicacy of the human body juxtaposed with the grinding, crunching teeth of time. Don't get any bits caught in the works. Maybe a defunct clock would be best, but your best bet might be Big Ben in Toronto's old city hall -- does it still have the old mechanism?
posted by pracowity at 8:49 AM on August 8, 2007