Check out Rebecca Green Bridal and her blog which features some of my photos. Rebecca is a bridal makeup artist and hair stylist operating in Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire. We met at Natasha and Ed's Salisbury wedding where I captured her at work. Very calm, professional and friendly. Take a look!
Those Frequently Asked Questions...
When I meet prespective clients they usually haven't been married before. They are full of enthusiasm and probably have plenty of ideas from weddings they may have attended. So, it's easy to forget that in actual fact they have never organised a wedding before. Here are a few subjects/issues that come up time and again from the photography point of view.
"What if a wasp wants to join the photo shoot?"
Q - "Do we need to practice for the photos?"
A - My initial response is, well everyone is different. I for one hate having my photo taken (Why do you think I'm behind the camera! Unfortunately that's not an option for you on this occasion!). So I do have sympathy and am always mindful of how the Bride and Groom feel. Particularly as how they feel often shows through in the photograph, so you will understand that this is very important.
When I'm capturing your day I always try to keep things as natural as possible... so just being yourself (and relaxed!) is key. I find that the best moments come when couples are at ease. Obviously, I will help you on the day. But I am not bossy nor do I go for an over posed look. I'm most likely to ask for simple things like "can you move your left foot forward", "just place your right hand on his left shoulder", "Go on, kiss again!" etc. The more I interfere the less spontaneous things will look, which (for what I'm trying to achieve) is bad! Some people are more extrovert than others and that needs to come through in the pictures. It is important that the images are true of you. It would be wrong to expect a reserved character to "put on a show", and equally it would be wrong to stifle an extrovert. So I suppose the bottom line is be yourself!
As far as practicing goes, well yes go for it if you feel it will make you more confident or happier on the day. You will not be able replicate the wedding day atmosphere and how you feel, but you will be able tell yourself "there's a bloomin' great lens stuck in my face but who cares?". Couples use my Engagement Shoot option (see Additional Items) as a way of getting that practice.
Whatever you think, please don't worry! Regardless of how hesitant a Bride or Groom have been (and some have been really worried), every single one has come through having had a positive experience.
Q - "How many photos will we get?"
A - I normally expect to deliver 350 - 450 pictures. But of course it all depends on how long I'm working for and what happens at the wedding (some situations demand more coverage than others). And just so you know, you'll probably need to choose about 90 for an album (if you want one).
Q - "Do we get black and white images too?"
A - Yes. I provide a black and white (or monochrome) set too. I also can provide other requests such as sepia or vintage if you require.
Q - "How long will the group photos take?"
A - Well, this all depends on how many groups you want me to photograph. With the help of a Best Man/Usher/Bridesmaid/family member/loud person to round people up a group will take about 3 - 5 minutes. I suppose something in the region of 12 - 16 group is normal.
But let's rewind a bit here. There are some important consideration.... It is your day and your party. How much of it do you want to be in front of the camera? How quickly do you want to mingle and kick back with your guests? And how quickly do you want to start drinking (sorry, but a factor for some)? Also remember, you'll want some Bride and Groom couple shots and these are likely to take place at the same sort of time. I always suggest we put aside 20 minutes for that...... and then think about groups...
And who is in the groups? Now that's a subject for my next blog coming up soon!
Internet Advertising For Photographers. Does It Work? Just Ask!
After constantly being harangued by telesales for internet marketing my experience over the last few years had left me rather cold to the whole thing. Basically I'd found the results never worth the expenditure and I had pretty much given up on this form of advertising. But then a UK bridal directory tweaked my interest.......
The site is very organised and has a 'Photographer Quote' service available to registered Brides. And with 100's of 1000's of Brides impressively registered to date, this I thought had potential! The cost to me would be £100's, but if it works...?
But hold on! Past experience.. surely that counts for something? But there again I didn't want to miss a trick here....
So, it was obvious. Why not ask those who are using the site, those paying photographers. After drafting up a brief questionnaire I e-mailed 12 paying photographers using this UK bridal directory. They all worked a different area to me, so no conflict of interest there. 8 replied. And here's what they said:
Many of the photographers were new to the site. (Where were all the renewing photographers?). Several responders noticed that their competitors had not renewed.
The "quote" service does appear to drive traffic to websites but very rarely materialises in a booking. Most photographers are doing 4 or 5 quotes a day without having achieved any bookings!
Approaching potential clients from 'Lists of Brides' provided by the site gave no positive results when it came to bookings.
One responder received a booking just by being listed (lucky sod!).
One responder recorded only 4 website clicks via the directory website in one year.
General consensus was that internet advertising (i.e. paying) is largely a waste of time and money. Several had tried everything out there and with no reward whatsoever! It appeared that this sites professional look, organised sales pitch and constant telesales (and claims of Bride numbers) hooked photographers.
There was also a theme that ran through most replies to do with cost. Interest from the Brides seemed to be concentrated at the lower end of the wedding photography market, with most Brides looking for all day attendance at +/- £500. Remembering of course that the site encourages the photographer to offer a free engagement shoot too! My conclusion is that a majority of the Brides registered are not of the (spending) quality required by a professional photographer. Let's face it, a photographer charging £500 for a wedding and all it involves (before, during, after, insurance, equipment, marketing etc) does not have a sustainable business.
I concluded that this site is excellent......... for the part time photographer, although question whether they would actually want to pay the annual subscriptions required. Infact, the site is positively helping the non professional and encouraging the Brides to believe a cheap alternative service is out there. Of course, in life, there is always a reason why cheap is cheap and it's always up to the purchaser to decide what is best for them. However, what worries me as much as anything is that the site must know that they are really ripping off a lot of genuine hard working full time photographers.
So my suspicions have been confirmed! If/when you get that marketing call please don't do it. Or at the very least, BEWARE!
Another "Unforgettable" Baby
Congratulations to Ashlee and Stephen who are now proud parents to a beautiful baby girl. I was the photographer for their wedding three years ago and so was delighted when they approached me to do a pregnancy shoot. It is such a privilege to share in peoples special times, so thank you again!
Due to our recent inclement weather the shoot had to be put back several times and there was the possibility of a missed opportunity! But just in the nick of time (the weekend before the birth) we met up for a couple of hours, and these are some of the results. Ashlee was determined to get that ring in as many shots as possible (well done). Let's hope she got it off afterwards!!
I have no doubt they will be excellent parents, a role I know they are very much looking forward to. Good luck!!!!
On Your Marks. Get Set...
As you might expect the life of a wedding photographer is pretty seasonal. Basically the winter is time for marketing (sigh), websites (grumble), accounting (yawn), meeting clients (yes!) and the odd wedding (Yeh!). It's also an opportunity to do portraits and some off the wall assignments. But above all it's a bit of a breather before the summer madness.
So it's been a busy start to my year with plenty of enquiries to deal with and meetings to attend. This year I'm looking forward to many weddings further a field, but locally at Aldermaston Mill, Basingstoke, Bearwood College, Burghfield, Caversham, Henley, Herons Barn, Maidenhead, Monkey Island, Newbury, Overton, Reading, Sonning, Trunkwell Mansion, Winnersh, Wokefield Park, Wokingham and Woodley. There are so many couples out there busily planning/putting off/delegating their wedding plans. Good luck to them all! It WILL all come together, and you WILL have a brilliant time! Me? Well I can't wait. I've got some exciting, some fun, and some beautiful weddings to shoot!
If you want to save on your wedding expenses don't forget to tell your guests about the gift vouchers I offer. They can spend what they like and it's so easy to do, just click vouchers.
The Loyal Royal way to get married!
Bridport couple Dan and Christie (childhood sweethearts originally from Woodley, Reading) knew I was the photographer for them when during our first meeting I let slip my allegiance to Reading Football Club. By chance Dan is a 'Royals' nut despite their move to Dorset.
They had a lovely ceremony at Burton Bradstock church, and we dropped in at the beach there and West Bay for photos. The reception was held at the Bull Hotel in Bridport where we were wonderfully entertained by a ukulele band. A big surprise for me was to be introduced to one of the evening guests (associated with the Bride). It was no other than Reading goalscoring legend "(Oh Trevor, Trevor. Trevor, Trevor, Trevor) Trevor Se-nior" who is currently Manager of Bridport FC. Trevor kindly agreed to pose with the happy couple (below right). In starstruck fashion I mentioned that I had seen him play many times at Elm Park, to which his reply was that he had unfortunately got no quicker with age!
I know Dan & Christie, and all their guests, had a super time. I'm sure they will be very happy together. They are (excuse the terrible pun) a great match. Check out the Groom's tie!
Italian wedding
This was my first Italian wedding. I'm proud to be British, but boy they know how to do things. Their churches are glorious, gold and red everywhere. Their wedding breakfasts are huge... no wonder seeing as eating and socialising is so part of their way of life. I'm sure I was Italian in a past life (maybe that's my stomach talking) or so I wish! This particular wedding was between Neil (an ex Burghfield footballing colleague) and Orsola (and there's the Italian connection!). The Church was in Farringdon and the reception at Hampton Court.... House (Don't scoff! OK so it wasn't The Palace, but The Hous opposite was mighty fine all the same). It was a great day, for a great couple. My very best wishes go to the Bride and Groom!! Bellissimo!
ee the Italian wedding pictures here.
The Barn at the Grange
AS FAR AS I KNOW THIS VENUE NO LONGER OPERATES.
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT ME REGARDING THIS, I KNOW NOTHING MORE.
We all like a bit of good weather, and Saturday 26th May was a scorcher! And what better time for my first wedding at the stunning Barn at the Grange in the pretty Wiltshire village of Winterbourne Dauntsey. What a lovely venue, and the super hosts (and owners) Mr & Mrs Rebdi were a delight to deal with. So well done to Charlotte and Nick for finding this gem, and for using Bird & Carter catering (thanks for the excellent dinner!). A great start to wedded life... best wishes to you both!
Google + or minus?
Does anybody (who's not actually a techie) understand Googles fb competitor Google Plus? We keep getting told they're recruiting members left, right and centre- which I'm sure is true. But are those reruits using it in numbers, I don't think so judging by a few simple on site searches. It strikes me as being all a bit complicated. Or is it simpler than the fb way of doing things and I'm just too used to that??
Anyway, I've gone and set mine up. "Why?" you might ask. Well to be honest fb is more than enough for me (and not that I really use it). However.. I have no doubt Google+ will be huge, and I'm even more sure that my (business) involvement will sooner or later enhance my websites Google page ranking. So there we are, I suppose I'm a hostage to a corporate yet again! Happy days.....
In a vain attempt to cheer me up here are pics of our dogs, Isla & Max.....
Retro Wedding - It's the 1960's!
Trish & Adam wanted something different for their wedding. As great Beatles fans they chose that era. the 1960's. Family and friends rallied around for the big day. The result was stunning, a transportation back in time.
