I love getting ready photos.😭
There’s something so special about the hours before the ceremony—the quiet anticipation, the excited nerves, the laughter and little rituals shared with your favorite people. And yes, the messiness too. The half-zipped bags, makeup scattered everywhere, and jackets draped over chairs—it’s all part of the story.
It’s not just about getting dressed. It’s about capturing the emotions and connections that set the tone for your entire day.
These photos are the kind of magic that you’ll feel all over again every time you look back.❤️
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Rachel File is a documentary wedding and elopement photographer based in Dallas-Fort Worth for couples who want to ditch performative expectations and have a wedding day focused on intention and authenticity.
#gettingreadyphotos #weddingday #dfwweddingphotographer #documentaryweddingphotographer #dallasweddingphotographer #fortworthweddingphotographer #documentyourlove #reportageweddingphotographers #reportageweddingphotography #bridesofnorthtexas #dfwweddings #dallasbride #elopementphotography #elopementphotographer #elopementinspo #microwedding #microweddings #loveauthentic #lifeofaphotographer #storytellingphotography #lovestories
Understanding wedding gown bustles: what are the two most common types and how do you know which one to get?
The two most common bustle styles I see are the French Bustle and American Bustle.
French Bustle uses a system of ties under your wedding dress to secure your train in a soft drape. You won’t see any of the ties from the outside of the gown. I personally see this the most on modern satin gowns.
American Bustle secures your train on the outside of the gown, often with multiple points, depending on the weight of and length of the train. Lighter weight wedding dresses will sometimes only have one point in the middle, though I strongly suggest multiple points. I’ve had to sew bride’s dresses back together because their bustle only had one thin thread holding it up and the dress was too heavy.
When you finally find THE dress, ask your bridal stylist to clip the gown in the different bustle styles so you can see what they will look like. Your alterations person will add the bustle for you, but it’s nice to see beforehand what it will look like.
Want amazing photos without it taking over your wedding day? You can experience the unabridged story of your day- the chaos, the tears, the joy, the unexpected- without staging the scene or posing for pictures all day. Because your wedding is not a photoshoot.
Visit my website at the link in my bio weddingswithrae.com for more information and book your wedding photography consultation!
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Rachel File is a documentary wedding and elopement photographer based in Dallas-Fort Worth for couples who want to ditch performative expectations and have a wedding day focused on intention and authenticity.
Had a great time tonight at The Mix with fellow women entrepreneurs learning all about financial foundations and how to apply it to real life with @ritaalleen!
3 THINGS YOU NEED TO ASK BEFORE YOU HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER
𝟭. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱?
I started my photography business in 2012 and shot my first wedding in 2013. I’ve been a professional photographer for 11 years now and went full-time in 2020. I’ve shot over 50 weddings as the lead, and countless others as the second, assisting photographer. This is important because every photographer’s business will look different. It’s not the number of years that matter, but the number of weddings as the lead.
𝟮. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀?
What happens if my camera breaks or a memory card corrupts or my car gets broken into on the way home from the wedding? Its important that your photographer is prepared for the worst.
My fail safes:
• having a second, assisting photographer and a backup associate photographer in case I fall ill
• shooting on 2 camera bodies so equipment failure is never an issue
• saving each photo on two memory cards per camera in case of card corruption
• backing up photos to two external hard drives AND the cloud to protect against theft and data corruption
• keeping one memory card in a separate location separate from my gear in case of equipment theft
• my “in case i die” binder that gives explicit instructions on what to do, who to contact and my trusted associate photographers to ensure my couples have coverage on their wedding day and get their photos.
𝟯. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲
🎤 How to get your guests engaged! 🎶
Incorporate karaoke into your reception! Not only does it get funnier as the night goes on (aka: everyone gets drunker), but it’s a great way to get your guests engaged! Whether they decide to go up and sing or just laugh at whoever’s up there, it’s always a memorable experience.
Karaoke works great if you’re hiring a live band or singer as it can be incorporated into the band’s singing breaks. Would you have karaoke at your wedding?
It’s super easy to have a wedding day that speaks to your soul and embraces all your eccentricities. So what are you waiting for? DM me or visit the link in my bio to get started!
@meredithkirkphotography and I had a blast at this wedding. Always so grateful for my community 🫶🏼
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Rachel File is a Dallas-Fort Worth wedding photographer for couples who want to ditch meaningless traditions and craft a day that’s truly unique to them. Your wedding is not a photo shoot. Let’s stop recreating fake moments off Pinterest and start having quality time with the people we love.
A little bit documentary, a little bit fine art and a whole lot of ugly crying, snort laughter and sick dance moves.
I can’t believe other photographers aren’t doing this 🤯 This Camelbak hack will CHANGE YOUR LIFE as a wedding photographer!
When photographing adventure elopements, I always had my @camelbak on me. Once I started doing more of the everyday weddings, it blew my mind at how many people commented on it. We run around so much for 8-16 hours or more and it’s so hard to stop and find water and then you can’t hold it because you need to hold your camera.
Literally go buy a Camelbak and make sure you’re hydrated this summer! It was so easy to detach the strap from my @holdfastgear MoneyMaker harness and attach it to my little pack. I go back and forth between this and my @spiderholster depending on the type of wedding I’m shooting.
#texasweddingphotographer #photographyhacks #adventurephotographer #camelbak #holdfastgear #spiderholster
My jobs as a wedding photographer is ruined 😭😭
LOL sike 😆 I know a lot of people are worried about AI but guys, we’re not going anywhere. AI simply can’t do our job. It’s a tool. And when we use the tool to work with US (instead of what I did here), it’s an invaluable way to further our clients’ experience. Couples don’t need to worry about fake photos on photographer’s websites either. I mean… this is just some crazy ish right here 😅 What do you think? Pro or against AI?
𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗥𝗔𝗘
