Just received our copy of Celebrate In Essex for 2011 and great to see that we have now had the cover image on consecutive years!! Picture is of Vicky & Ian who were married at the Fennes in August 2010.
Celebrate In Essex is issued by the Essex County Council Registration Service for all civil ceremonies.
Throughout the remainder of the magazine we have another 15 pictures – ok one is in our paid advert but that looks good also!
It may seem obvious to some but it’s always worth considering what is not included in your selected photographers offerings. Here is a generally lighthearted look at some examples of things we have seen recently:-
Them – ‘ We give you the disc so you don’t have to pay a photographers inflated prices (but you have to do all the work!). Us – ‘we sell you carefully inspected prints which are of a very high quality on Fuji Pearl paper and reprinted if necessary’. Yes our prints are more expensive but then quality workmanship generally is.
Them – ‘full day coverage…to the start of the wedding Breakfast’. Us – ‘when you book one of our package with full day coverage we’ll be there past the First Dance, later if necessary’
Them – ‘you just order a photobook online’ (as we can not be bothered!!). Us – ‘we provide a high quality professionally finished book or album with finish retouching to the pictures as necessary. We want you to show your family and friends and for them to say WOW!’
Them – ‘We have a great camera and have photographed at least 10 weddings’. Us – ‘We have great Professional grade cameras with back up equipment. With 1600 wedding experience we know how to handle almost any situation……almost!’
Them – ‘ We never pose people as we want a natural look’. Us – ‘we want people to look natural but not like they do in Uncle Bob’s snaps’!! Getting people to look their best requires skills of posing, posture, lighting and making the subject feel comfortable. Skills learnt over many years’.
Them – ‘we have two photographers’. Us – ‘we have two photographers who are both fully Professionally Qualified to Associatship level with B.I.P.P’.
Them – ‘insurance?‘ Us –‘we have proper Public Liability and Professional Indemity insurance’
End of the process; Us – ‘goodbye you we hope to see you again’. Them – ‘We have your money – good riddance!!!!’
OK there are some fantastic photographers out there and some really bad ones – make sure you know what you are getting, if in doubt BIPP and MPA are a great starting point.
Today I had the pleasure of the company of fellow professional photographers Kevin Pengelly & David Court on a visit to the Secret Nuclear Bunker
at Kelvedon Hatch, followed by a visit to Greenstead church which was altogether more beautiful!
Dear David & Sandra
We would like to thank you for the wonderful job you did, you made us feel so relaxed and the resulting photos are great. Would definately recommend you to any of our friends getting hitched.
Thanks again, kind regards
Charlotte & Rob
The weather for Kate and Jonathan’s Wedding Day was lovely sunshine, despite a cooling wind at times. Kate got ready at Channels Lodge and everything was running smoothly. As Kate was ready in good time, she was able to take advantage of our skills to produce natural lit portraits of her, which we enjoyed doing and achieved some lovely results. The Civil Ceremony was followed by a few essential family group combinations in front of the fountain. Whilst the Guests were having their Drinks, we took Kate and Jonathan for a few fun and relaxed pictures of themselves. After the Wedding Breakfast we took a couple of night shots and finished our coverage of their Wedding with the First Dance and pictures of their Evening Guests.
A beautiful springtime day greeted us on arrival at Leez Priory, Chelmsford, for the Wedding of Lauren and Stuart. We started by photographing the pre-wedding finishing touches for Lauren in the Main House and Stuart in the Granary, followed by capturing some images of their Guests making their way to the Great Tower for the Civil Ceremony. Lauren and Stuart enjoyed socialising with their Guests in the warm sunshine in between a few family group shots. Whilst their Guests enjoyed the Drinks Reception we took Lauren and Stuart for a walk around the wonderful grounds for their pictures. Following an excellent meal provided by Leez Priory our day ended with pictures of the First Dance and a few shots of the happy couple with the nighttime illuminations outside the Priory.
While looking for some pictures for a client, I have just realised that we have been digital photographers for 10 years – where did that go!!
Our first camera was the Nikon D1x which we bought for £3500 in 2001, although it had been ordered in 2000 when it was first announced. Not an insignificant sum of money and quite a gamble on what was a relatively new technology. We used the camera for portraits and wedding candids in the first year, the full digital conversion would not be until September 2002.
There was a huge learning curve not only for the photographic side but also for the computer work afterwards and we are still learning!!
I remember thinking how we would save a fortune in film and processing costs not realising that we would use a significant amount more of our time and a huge investment in computing and ancillary equipment and of course camera upgrades! So why did we continue if we were not saving money? Control is the answer, everything is now controlled in house and is printed just as we want it, the improvement in quality for our clients has been fantastic. The thought of trying to use film again brings me out in a cold sweat!!
Some days we reflect on the importance of what we do and how important a simple portrait can be and what happy memories it can generate.
Sandra and I are looking forward to attending a ‘self-help’, wedding and portrait photographyWorkshop at Roaches Hall near Buxton for a couple of days, with around 20 other photographers some from Essex and others around the country, together with four models. Should be a great learning experience.
Sam and Paul are getting married later this year and it was a pleasure to meet with them beforehand and take some relaxed pictures and have a chat. We find it beneficial both for ourselves and our clients to have this pre-wedding meeting to further create a relaxed time on their Wedding Day.