What is my advice to couples wanting to get the very best wedding photographs they can? I get asked this all the time.
I have an idealistic vision that every couple would have amazing wedding photographs to look back on for the rest of their lives, but the reality is very different.
Of late there has been a lot of opinions and comments being spouted on so called "super blogs" giving tips on how to ensure you get the very best wedding photographs, how to pose and how to avoid being disappointed with the results.
Unfortunately, while there has been some positive and good posts, as with everything there is an awful lot of nonsense and misinformation being written. The apparent power of some of these "super blogs" means there is a real danger of damage being done to the wedding photography industry and there being some very upset and disappointed couples who may have elected to follow the advice of the misinformed.
Now i am not saying that all these blogs and bloggers are guilty of this and i know that many are a good place for tips and ideas as well as offering good entertainment for brides who have the enormous task of organising their wedding day. However, i have been alerted to posts on a number of these which are plainly more about personal egos and power trips than actually offering well educated advice to brides.
Let's face it, a wedding day is probably the most important day of that couple's lives and with all the planning and expense its only natural that they expect the photographs produced to be way beyond the very best images they have ever seen of themselves.
Even at the cheaper end of the market place, wedding photography is a big investment and as with most things you only get what you pay for. A good wedding photographer with a great reputation is generally in high demand and as such they usually command higher prices. However if great photographs are important, spending good money on photography is a sensible investment.
It still surprises me that some brides are happy to waste a few hundred pounds on inexperienced, poor photography when they wouldn't dream of skimping on unreliable cars, amateur catering and an ill fitting dress!
So, going back to my original question: what is my advice to couples wanting to get the very best wedding photographs they can?
Simply, having a quality photographer and feeling comfortable and relaxed with that photographer is the prime requisite for getting fabulous images.
I am passionate about my work and imagery and put all of my skill, experience together with my heart and soul into producing the very best i can for each and every couple.
You can see my wedding portfolio of images taken at real weddings on my website by clicking here.
Keep up to speed with all my latest work by following this blog.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
100% agree with you, particularly with regard to some of the "super blogs". And of course, the analogy of the unreliable car or ill-fitting dress is a great one - because you are so right - bride's would never dream of risking this - so why risk it with photography?
ReplyDeleteGreat post Peter.
Hi Peter.
ReplyDeleteI hope you know you are the only Wedding Photographer we put forward to our clients. We do so for one very simple reason. We are confident you will capture the magic of the day...for ever. Let us not forget, wedding images are in fact for the bride and groom, but let us not forget they go down through the ages to their children and even their grand children. We all sit there from time to time and look at our parents wedding photographs and indeed grandparent’s photographs. Through the ages, quality and timeless, its all there is to show for the day! They have to be the best we can get. I’m sure you know what I mean.
I find it sad, very sad when from time to time I get a client who says the likes of "My wedding photographs are being done by the same chap who is doing our evening Disco. "Oh, that's interesting (Quietly trying to hide my dismay) say’s me!" So, is he/she a specialist photographer who does a bit of disco, or specialist Disco man who does a bit of photography, how is this working?. The answer to my well-intentioned questions is bewildering.
"Oh no....he's a specialist in both, Disco and Photography!"
Dear, oh dear, oh dear!. That, sadly Peter, is what we are all up against. People who are advised they can equal or better the work of a seasoned professional themselves, when “us professionals” know that's just not going to happen. Despite their good intentions it’s an unrealistic expectation, and frankly those who push this forward should proceed with caution!
What's the answer? We all have to keep pushing our trades, Pushing boundaries, making what we do better and better, and more cutting edge all the time. In short, make sure we lead a way forward that the amateurs simply cannot follow. It’s not difficult, just spend most of the money you ever make on equipment, practice for twenty five/thirty years, update your skills constantly, research equipment and techniques and love the work. I’m guessing in twenty five to say thirty years anyone could do what we do Peter? Not difficult at all really?
Cheers Peter, keep at it!
Regards.
Tony Brewin.
Managing Director.
Super event Limited.
www.superevent.co.uk
So well said. It never ceases to amaze me how some brides won't compromise at all on what they want for their dress and yet when it comes to their photography they seem happy to hire inexperienced photographers forgetting that their photographs will be what helps them remember their special day including how they looked in the stunning dress they will have spent so much on.
ReplyDelete