I am starting a new series about Maine wedding venues from a photographers point of view. I have found in talking with my brides that I see the world much differently than non-photographers. I want to talk about some of my favorite locations to shoot and explain why! Let’s start with the Barn at Flanagan Farm from a photographers point of view:
Bridal Suite
There are many options for a “getting ready” location on site. Each room with a slightly different look but all with great natural light. Some of them are fairly small but I have seen even large groups squeeze together for a joyful wedding day preparation. I love it because I have beautiful neutral furniture and nicely decorated rooms (clutter free). When I photograph the bride I do not have to be in the mirror, or squished into a corner trying to share space with the hair and makeup artist to get the shot. I like the walls in and the floors in the house and find they make for beautiful backgrounds for these prep pictures.
Options
When you look at photographers work from the Barn at Flanagan Farm it is nice to see it is not all the same. There are plenty of locations on site for photographers to use as they wish in the way of portraits. Each part of the day provides options for the photographer to choose from. In the morning when you are getting ready, there are many nice rooms to get ready in. Each will shape the images from the day slightly differently. In the way of formal portraits, you have many choices. You can use the field, the forest, the orchard, the tractor, the barn doors etc.
Lighting
This is a big one…many photographers look for what is called “open shade” for their family portraits as it will offer the best lighting. Thankfully here at the Barn at Flanagan Farm, there are several places you can find this type of light. It, of course, will depend on the time of day but overall no matter what time of day I generally can find some beautiful lighted areas for my couples. That is a big relief because at many other venues if it is sunny there is no place to go where you can get your clients out of the squinty light.
Blank Canvas
The barn, as well as the ceremony site, are a great blank canvas for you to decorate you wish. There are no ugly carpets, no art on the walls that isn’t your aesthetic, and no choices pre-made for you in the way of colors. This means I don’t have to compete with any pre-existing colors, themes, or feel I can paint your day closer to your vision. It also means you can go crazy with your florals–and I LOVE beautiful florals.
Multiple Locations
Not only are there tons of places for formal portraits throughout the day, there are also options for the ceremony and reception. If it rains you can have your ceremony in the barn, if you want to have your reception in a tent you could, you can split your reception and have some of it in one location and some in the barn. It is really up to you how you want your day to flow with the locations that are onsite.
Guys & Girls
For me, it is really wonderful when the men and the women are getting ready on the same site. This allows me to communicate easier with my second photographer, or just photograph both the men and the women getting ready myself. I also adore the little groom cabin onsite. It is a small space but it is perfect for the groom and maybe the best man to get ready in.
Ceremony Site
I mentioned this under lighting but this ceremony site is almost always in the good light. What does this mean for you?….It means that instead of one of you looking directly into the sun and being blinded and squinty with bags under your eyes for the entire ceremony you two will both be in nice even light.
Access to the Kitchen
It is really wonderful to steal some great “prep” photos of the kitchen getting your feast ready for your guests, it is also wonderful for the guests to have that “open kitchen” feel! I love that there are so many options for caterers at the farm. Which brings me to another point, you will be able to interact with all of your vendors if you want to because everyone is in the same place! It is really cool to be able to look through the windows and watch your visions coming to life on your wedding day. Those are moments I get to try and capture not only with the team building it into the vision of your dreams but also of your reaction as you check in on it throughout the day.
To sum it all up here are the things from my photographer’s point of view that I love about the Barn at Flanagan Farm: neutral palettes, my car is always accessible for gear, rain and shine options for the wedding, great floors and furniture for detail photos, everyone is onsite and accessible, pretty natural light, and lots of options.