Choosing Your Photographer

Sam’s Top 5 Tips/Advice For Choosing Your Photographer


1. Don’t Bother With Yellow Pages
One of the biggest mistake people make is to look in the yellow pages! Photography is visual, so you must see their work before you even consider a photographer.
By looking only in yellow pages (or Thomson Local, etc) you’re not going to see their work unless you make loads of appointments. And you don’t really want to do this because you have so many other things to arrange and other people to see.

So, the very first place to start looking is the internet. Most good photographers will have a website. Looking online will give you a chance to look at their work and judge if it’s a fit for the type of imagery you want for your day before worrying about making appointments.


2. Price vs “Value”; Booking Purely On Price.
Most of the time it’s true what they say, “You get what you pay for”.

If you see a photographer that’s really cheap then alarm bells should be ringing.

Professional equipment and quality albums are not cheap for the photographer to buy. A lot of hours go in to producing quality images and then you have to consider all the insurances; Equipment, Public Liability, Professional Indemnity … all this and more before a photographer considers a profit for himself.

So when you see a so called professional photographer offering complete weddings, with albums, for anything less than say £500, you really need to question the quality of their finished products, their abilities and if they’re really “professionals”.

Remember, “Value for money” and “Cheap” are two very different things.

Ideally you should choose your photographer based on their work and style and, most importantly, whether you get on with them as a person. This is so important because you will be spending a lot of time with them and if you don’t get along it will show in your pictures.
Think about how much you’re spending on your cake (it will just get eaten), on your cars (the most expensive taxi’s you’ll ever hire) and even on your dress (you’ll only ever wear it once!).

Only after that should you now consider your budget for photography. How much value will you put on the one investment for your wedding that will produce the only true lasting memories of your day for generations to come?


3. Whether A Photographer Has Photographed At Your Venues Before.
One of the oldest sales pitches in the history of photography – and it honestly doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference!

If a photographer tries to sell you his services based on the fact that he’s done so many weddings at your venue he knows exactly how to do it there … walk away.
Any quality photographer will tell you that not only are every couple different to photograph, but every day is different! Take the same couple to a venue on 10 different days and the pictures will be different every time because the light will be completely different. Now take 10 different couples to the same venue on 10 different days! Not one picture will be the same, because not only will the light be different every time, but each couple will stand and pose completely differently from the others.

Besides, where we are in Essex there are hundreds of different venues. We could spend our entire careers here and not shoot at all of them!

Any good photographer will check out your venues before your wedding day. Many, like Campbell Photographic, now include a Pre-Wedding Shoot in their packages. These usually take place at your chosen venues. This is not only a chance for you to see your photographer working, but it also gives the photographer the chance to look round the venues with you and discuss the shots you want.


4. 5 Or 30 Years
While the argument holds some weight, don’t let how long your photographer has been in the business effect your decision.
Bottom line, if you like their work, you like them and they offer what you want, then whether they’ve been in the business for 5 or 30 years hardly matters.


5. Make A Shortlist, Visit Each One, THEN Make A Decision
My last tip. You’ve done your searching on the internet, now make a shortlist of the photographers whose work you liked and who offer what you want.
Keep the list to about 5. Make appointments with each of them and make sure you visit all 5. Some photographers are very good at “the sales pitch”. But it’s important not to be wowed by the first great deal you’re offered.

Once you’ve seen them all, cut your list down to your favourite 2. Compare what they can offer you and, most importantly, which out of the 2 you would want at your wedding. Remember they’ll be with you for a long time and will also be mixing with your guests, so make sure you’ll all get along.

Once you’ve decided get on the phone and make a second appointment and book them. Don’t leave it too late; quality photographers get booked 12-24 months in advance!

What Are Bridal Preps?

What Are Bridal Prep Photos?
Yes, it sounds like a silly question, but many people are confused as to what “Bridal Preps” actually are!

Bridal Prep photo’s are shots taken while the bride is getting ready! These shots are usually photographed in a reportage style, with perhaps just one or two set up shots. However, these set up shots will be made to look “spur of the moment”.
The photos are usually of the bride getting her hair and make-up done, being helped in to her wedding dress, plus shots of the hustle & bustle and fun that goes on while everyone is getting ready.
The whole point of these shots is to complete the story. A good wedding album, such as a Jorgensen Album, or Graphi Studio Wedding Book, should be a story of the whole wedding day. And like any good story it should have a beginning, middle and an end.

Photos of the bride with the bridesmaids or her father standing next to the fireplace are NOT bridal prep shots. Photos of the bride posing in her dress are NOT bridal prep shots either.

These are portrait shots!

Yes, they are usually taken before the wedding, but only because there’s a bit of time and those people are on hand. These shots could be taken during the main photo shoot or any other time during the wedding day.

At Campbell Photographic you choose when we start. So if you choose to have bridal preps we don’t charge you any extra.


These images ARE Bridal Prep Shots:-

These images are NOT Bridal Prep shots:-

Pre Wedding Shoot

Pre-Wedding Shoot: The Real Secret to Being Relaxed In Front of The Camera On Your Wedding Day!

It’s your wedding day! It’s time for your wedding photography and you’re asked to stand here, stand there, twist, tilt your head this way, now that way, lift your chin, drop your chin, smile, don’t smile, look sexy ……

When you first booked your wedding photographer he/she assured you that they know what they’re doing – they’ve photographed hundreds of weddings and know exactly how to pose people. They have THEIR ideas of what pictures to take and they’ve been to your wedding venues before.

Great! That’s all well and good for them to say, BUT like most people in this country your wedding day is likely to be the first (and possibly the last) time you’ll be photographed by a Professional Photographer. And unless you’re a model YOU don’t know how to stand, where to put your hands … “tilt your head”? Great. Erm …how much?

From experience we can tell you that when you ask someone to turn their head slightly to the side, in general you get a massive move and the shoulders tend to go with it!

Then there are those special shots. The tog asks you to climb on the bed, or the wall, or lie on the floor. All a bit of a surprise … and to find out on your wedding day that you’re not actually very comfortable doing that …

As any good wedding photographer will tell you, great wedding photography doesn’t just happen. Great wedding photography is as much reliant on the subjects as the photographer and requires effort, input, trust and inspiration (and sometimes perspiration) from BOTH SIDES of the lens!
Which ever wedding photographers you choose you must be 110% comfortable with them. If you don’t get along, it doesn’t matter how much you love their work – don’t book them! Why? Because it will show in your photos!

So, what is the solution?


A Pre-Wedding Shoot
At Campbell Photographic we include a free Pre-Wedding Shoot for all our couples. A pre-wedding shoot is a photo shoot that happens before your wedding day and it’s just with you (the Bride and Groom). It’s just like a portrait session, except instead of being done in a studio, it’s done at your chosen wedding venues and they usually last a couple of hours.


Why Have a Pre-Wedding Shoot?
A pre-wedding shoot is a great opportunity for you and us to look around your wedding venues together, to discuss ideas for shots on wedding day and to generally catch up with you. Perhaps you’ve seen some pictures in your favourite wedding magazine and would like us to try and recreate them. Maybe some detail of the wedding day has changed, like some of the timings, etc.
It’s your chance to confirm details with us or to ask us any questions you’ve thought of since our initial meeting.

But most of all, it’s your chance to get in front of the lens and get used to being directed/posed by me and Samantha. To see how we work and to understand what we mean when we say “be 10% more sexy”!

It will give us the chance to see what your comfortable doing in front of the camera and how you move/hold yourselves. This is very useful as it will give us an idea of how best to pose you, what you will be willing to do on your wedding day and how far you’re willing to push the limits to get that outstanding photo.

It’s also a chance for you to practice those shots, like dips, which everyone THINKS they can do, only to discover how bad they look when it’s done wrong and how heavy your partner actually is when you’re only using one arm to support them!

It’s also a great time to discover how comfortable and relaxed you’ll be with us!

You’ll know how relaxed and how much fun we are from your initial meeting. But this will be your opportunity to see how we manage to work professionally, yet keep the atmosphere relaxed, fun and friendly.
We meet so many couples where one or both of them say they’re so nervous about having their picture taken, or don’t like the way they look in pictures.
Well the pre-wedding shoot will help you to lose the insecurities and nervousness of being in front of the camera and help you to be a bit more confident and relaxed on your actual wedding day.

By the end of every pre-wedding shoot each one of our couples are laughing and smiling and offering up their own ideas and poses for shots!

We have received nothing but positive feedback from all our clients about their pre-wedding shoot. They have all thanked us, said how much fun they had and, most importantly, have said that having the pre-wedding shoot has put them at their ease and boosted their confidence about being photographed by us on their wedding day.

For us the biggest complement is that they have also all said that it re-confirmed to them that choosing Campbell Photographic to photograph their wedding day was definitely the right choice.

A pre-wedding shoot is the perfect opportunity to discover all these things. PLUS you get some great portrait shots out of it!


How Much Will It Cost?
At Campbell Photographic we’re truly proud of the relationships we build with our clients – many of whom have become true friends. We understand the importance of building a trust between us and making sure we’re all relaxed with each other. Therefore we now include a pre-wedding shoot with every package for FREE.

Yes, for FREE! That’s how important we think they are. They’re just as important to us as they are to you and it really is a must for any professional photographer.

You WILL benefit from the experience.


What Do I Get?
At Campbell Photographic not only is the pre-wedding shoot free, but you also get an A3, framed copy of your favourite picture no extra cost – this is our gift to you!
PLUS, all the pictures from the shoot will be included on your e-shop, so friends and family can purchase their favourite prints as well.

The only problem you’ll have is choosing which one of all your great shots to have in your free frame!


Here is a small selection of photos from some recent pre-wedding shoots. To see more of our work visit one of our galleries at:-

Campbell Photographic
Facebook
Flickr

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