A Useful Guide to Wedding Photography
Your photographs are really important. They will always be available to remind you of the wonderful experiences of your Wedding Day, so they need to be good. They need to be fun to look at and they need to be of good quality. Why should you settle for less! You want to be able to share them with family and friends, especially with colleagues who were unable to attend.
In addition (if done correctly) you will be able to see aspects of the Wedding that it was not possible for you to experience on the day. The Groom before hand with his family and friends. The Bride getting ready with her bridesmaids.
Can you honestly say that the capture of such important images should be left to the inexperienced efforts of an amateur – no matter how well meaning. The risk is enormous!
We know from personal experiences over the years that many couples have been bitterly disappointed at the well-intended efforts of a relative or friend - doing their best - but being totally overcome by the size and pace of the wedding and thereby not being able to get the shots they had hoped to achieve. Disappointing to say the least !
There is so much more to capturing great images than you might at first think. A professional photographer’s ability to organise the important elements of the day is vital. For example they must have a good rapport with the Minister or the Registrar if they are to secure the permissions needed to obtain a good angle to properly record the Wedding Ceremony.
The professional also needs to have the experience to appreciate what ought to happen next and to know what to do if things don’t go entirely according to plan. A good photographer should be aiming to tell the story of the day in pictures and to know how to capture those spontaneous moments that often occur during an emotionally charged day.
He/she should be thinking ahead – anticipating what might happen next – then having the technical and artistic skills to secure the shots. Make sure you see plenty of evidence within the sample images he/she can offer to reflect this aspect. Check for sharpness and a good colour balance. Check for originality, you want your Wedding to be that little bit different from the rest
We have been Professional Wedding Photographers for over fifteen years and we have literally photographed hundreds of weddings. This is where sound knowledge - good anticipation - and lightening speed of reaction - comes from.
There are no substitutes for putting in the time !
We would suggest that you check to see if the Photographer you are considering is fully covered by Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance. Establish what would happen in the event of illness on the day of the wedding. Do they have access to proper cover, such as another professional photographer stepping in to fill the breach, should the need arise.
We are able to cover each other in the event of illness (though wedding photographers are renowned for not giving way to illness) We can also call upon other professionals should the need arise. We take our Weddings seriously. We also make sure that we are not out of the country within 48 hours of the start of a wedding.
It is very important in this day and age that you, and your family and friends are able to view your Wedding Photos as soon as possible after the big day (no longer than 7 to 10 days) and that the viewing can be achieved easily and conveniently anywhere in the world (as you may be on honeymoon and are anxious to see the images as soon as possible.) Your photographer should have an easily accessible website that will facilitate the viewing.
It is not always appreciated how much time goes into processing a Wedding by a good professional photographer once the images have been captured on the day. To achieve professional results we always colour match, crop, eliminate unforseen distractions, open eyes and improve lighting etc.
We pride ourselves on being able to prepare your Wedding Images ready for viewing within one week of the big day. We provide you with a website address, an access code, and password on the day of the wedding in order that you are fully prepared to view your photos as soon as they become available - even if your on holiday - as long as the accomodation has WiFi.
On the day of the Wedding the photographer should always be aware of the important times of events – including travelling distances, local parking arrangements, liaison with official vehicle drivers, florists, musicians and hotel wedding planners.
He/she must be punctual and “streetwise” in order to anticipated hold ups in traffic or other services. They need to systematically check all their camera equipment and ensure they are carrying sufficient back up cameras, lenses and flash guns etc. All of which must be of the highest quality to ensure that set targets can be achieved.
A good photographer should be well organised and knowledgeable about the venues he/she are attending in the event of say, wet weather, high winds, extreme heat or a runaway horse and carriage.
They should be good with people and able to cajole parties into situations to photograph them with the couple using friendly banter and an unlimited amount of patience. They should not be inclined to panic if things do not go according to plan – they must be flexible.
We have an excellent local knowledge of all the popular Wedding Venues but in the event we don’t know a place we will always check it out prior to the wedding and liaise with key members of staff. We keep a close eye on weather reports and over the years we have built up some excellent contacts who can do this for us locally.
Similarly, it is second nature for us to be aware of any major road works in the area or where serious accidents may have occurred or anything that might affect the couple’s attendance at the venue -including ours or any of
their guests. We make sure that we have mobile numbers of all the key players.
We also pride ourselves on the quality of our camera equipment and back up facilities and we use a tried and tested checking procedure.Over the years we have been truly tested by incidents of extreme weather of all kinds and we know we have the skills to deal with such unexpected events (including the runaway horse and carriage) in a calm and professional manner.
Finally - Weddings have to be fun that’s how the best shots are acheived !
So tell your guests to be ready - to have some FUN !