We are stacked out. Stacked out with wedding enquiries that is – which is great and long may it continue. But this year is different from any other year we’ve seen for a long time.
Firstly couples we find are contacting far more wedding photographers for a quote than they ever have. Not only are they contacting them but they are also going to meet with far more. The choice today is massive – but how do you know if you have found a “good buy” or an “expensive mistake”? Of course I am going to look at it with the photographers skilled eye of knowing what is a good picture and what is simply a collection of snapshots no better than any guest at your wedding could have taken – so for me it’s easy to tell. For you however by the time you find out it could be too late and your wedding photos which are the ones classed as “an expensive mistake”.
Don’t be under any illusion though – there are far more inexperienced amateur photographers who have jumped on the “I can take a decent picture and have a good camera so I can photograph weddings” than you are ever likely to realise. They are probably uninsured for either Public Liability or Professional Indemnity (because if they were they’d have to pass on some of this cost to you….) – so who pays out if something gets damaged at the hotel, one of your guests falls over their bags or they don’t make it to the wedding because their car won’t start or any other different eventualities that can and do happen every week across the UK? Not them – that’s for sure. They probably carry only one main camera and possibly a couple of lenses. They may, if you are lucky, have a flash gun to hand. You are luckier still if they actually know how to use it properly and effectively. You may have to wait weeks for your photographic proofs after the wedding as they juggle their day job with their weekend moonlighting. If the taxman catches up with them you may not get your photos at all as they struggle to pay a huge fine for unpaid taxes. Oh and did I mention the British weather? God help you if it’s either full sun or it rains – because they may not have a clue how to effectively deal with either – and either could ruin your photos.
Don’t get me wrong – there are some halfway decent photographers out there at around £1000 for a full day from getting ready through to first dance – but not that many. We do recommend a couple of them if we are already booked or simply beyond your budget. I’m not going to ramble on about everything you should or could do to ensure decent wedding photography as I’ve done it in previous posts but here’s a couple of things you should do as a minimum:
- DO NOT go and see a million and one photographers. Shortlist 3 maximum to visit and make your choice.
- Ask a friend who they used, look at their album/photos and find out what they were happy with and what, if anything they were not so happy with then try to avoid the same pitfalls.
- ALWAYS make sure your photographer is fully insured for Professional Liability and Public Indemnity.
- ALWAYS ask about what back-up contingencies are in place – not just equipment but what if your chosen photographer is taken ill or similar – who will take his or her place?
- DO NOT simply purchase on price. Your photography should have an emotional connection too. Sometimes the difference may only be £200 – which is usually the cost of around 2 guests (who may drop out anyway) or what less than £20/month for a year – you can’t even go to the cinema for that!
DO NOT dismiss a photographer simply because they have not photographed your chosen venue before. All this “We must go and have a look at it first to find the best spots to take photos…” and “It’s really important that your photographer has photographed the venue before…” is total rubbish. I can show you lots of different galleries of amazing photos from venues we have never stepped foot in prior to the wedding day. Any halfway decent photographer should be able to create good pictures with whatever they are faced with and if they go to the same venue and do the same things in the same spots then where is the creativity? Add to this the fact that a venue is not the same each time and where does that leave you? Take Hazlewood Castle for instance – a venue where we have photographed too many weddings to recount now. The steps at the side where most couples like to have a large group photograph are at sometimes of the year in full sun – so if you pose everyone on them they will be squinting into the sunlight and the shadows on your pictures will be awful. An experienced photographer will see this and move your group accordingly. The novice however will pose people in the same place whatever – because that is the easiest option for him or her and all they know – they can fit a large group on those steps.
So there it is folks – in a nutshell “You pays your price you take your chance…” Just for the record – no – we can’t “fix” the photos after in photoshop either – you should have booked someone who could do it right in the first place!
