THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN CHOOSING A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Choosing your wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you will make concerning your big day. It really doesn't matter if you like having your picture taken or not, your wedding photographs will be there for you to look back on long after the big day & will be looked at by generations to come.


So for many people this will be the first & only time they will hire the services of a professional photographer. I've written this guide to help with making that decision - Which Photographer?

What style of photography do you like?
Before you even embark on the search for a photographer you need to decided on what "look" you would like your photos to have. There are many styles of photography so have a look on the Internet, in magazine & friends pictures. Ask yourself some questions; Do you prefer more natural, photojournalistic style images? Do you want your photographer to direct the day or would you prefer them to work discreetly? Do you like traditional group pictures? Some photographers even offer glamour, fashion style photography too.

How Much?
Once you've decided what style of photographs you like, you need to decide on your budget but be flexible! I truly believe that your wedding photographs are one of the most important elements in you day & it's worth paying for a photographer whose style you love. There is no point in booking a photographer because they are cheap & then hating the images you get back. There are wedding photographers to suit most budgets but it's important that you like their work.   

Are they available on my wedding day?
This is a good starting point once you find the photographer you like!

What's included?
Ok, so once you've found someone you like you need to check exactly what you get included in the price. You need to establish when the photographer will start, is coverage of the bridal preparation covered for instance. Will they stop at the cutting of the cake or stay until the first dance or longer. Check how many photographs you can expect to receive, is an album included or just a disc with the images.

Do you feel comfortable with the photographer?
Apart from loving their style of work, it's really important that you feel comfortable with them as a person. They will be with you all day, especially if you are having photographs of the bridal preparations, they will be there whilst make up is being applied, while you are getting into your dress etc. You will probably be feeling nervous, stressed & maybe a bit tearful. The last thing you need is a photographer that gets on your nerves!   

Ask your friends!
There is nothing like word of mouth as a form of recommendation. As people you know that have recently been married who photographed their wedding. Have a look at their pictures & see what you think, find out if the photographer was a nice person or were they a pain on the day. 

Having said all this I truly believe that finding a wedding photographer is no different to choosing your wedding dress....once you find "THE ONE" you will know!  

Stourbridge Wedding & Portrait Photographer - What's in a name?

Last week I spent 4 days attending the SWPP (Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers) annual convention in Hammersmith, London. I attended some fantastic masterclasses by some wonderful, inspiring speakers & came away feeling motivated.

After much deliberation I have decided to completely re-invent my business & therefore welcome to the newly name "Samantha Jane Photography" I hope you like the new logo, the new website will be going live shortly & I will update you as it happens.

Lets do 52

One of my resolutions this year was to get out more with my camera, just for my own personal pleasure. I think as a photographer this is really important, to keep you inspired & creative. I'm always looking for new motivation & ideas so when I saw this challenge on another photographers blog I decided it was just what I needed.

Basically, the idea is to take a photograph, every week based on a theme. I'm going to be blogging the images that I create because of this challenge. Now, I missed the first week but this week's theme was togetherness, straight away this made me think of my family so I got out my camera & decided to spend some time with my Daughter, Grace. We tickled, tried on Mummy's make up, laughed, giggled but most of all had fun & this is one of the images that came out of that time.

Now to anyone else, it might not look like "togetherness" as she is alone in the image but that's the magic of a photograph...only those present at the time it was created know the real story behind the image. Others who view it at a later date can only imagine & create their own conclusions.

The Difference

As we enter a  New Year, the time for making resolutions I decided it was time to finally get around to sorting out all of my marketing & pricing structure for 2011.  I always find this very difficult as Photography is a little harder than a lot of things to price correctly, yes you do have some physical goods such as prints, albums etc but you also pay for the Photographers time & talent too ....how do you price that?

So, as I was strolling through my local shopping centre the other day I noticed how many portable photo studios are popping up, I counted 4 just in the shops I went into. They varied in price, but were extremely cheap, one even offering a free photoshoot!  I began to wonder how, with this kind of competition, Photographers like myself can ever compete; that was until I stopped & watched one in action. The lady carrying out the photoshoot, although doing her job as trained I'm sure, showed no particular passion, flair or enjoyment in what she was doing, she did not engage with the child & simply went through a range of poses I expect are carried out with every child that is booked.

I'm sure the parents will love the images, as a parent we love all pictures don't we? Even the bad ones, but I wonder how many people are not aware that a Custom Lifestyle Photographer has so much more to offer than production line poses. Yes you will pay more but what you will receive are memories, frozen in time & I believe you can't put a price on that. Custom lifestyle Photography is a luxury, it requires an investment both financially but also in planning & preparation both on the part of the subjects & the photographer but what you are creating are timeless works of art that will be different from anyone elses image because they will capture who you are, right now & the personalities of your family.

I believe that photographs should tell a story & in order to achieve that the photographer has to get to know your family & what makes you tick. They also have to love what they do & shoot from the heart!

This reminded me of a quote I read on www.professionalchildphotographer.com that says;

"Custom photography has been likened to purchasing a fine vehicle.  To get to point B from A let's face it, even a bus ride would suffice.  If you want to luxuriate in a finely appointed vehicle, customizing your own experience by listening to smooth jazz while sitting in a climate controlled setting adjusted purely for your comfort in a body hugging leather interior, perhaps that Lexus you so desire is your cup of tea.  Custom photography is much the same cup of tea.  It is the Lexus of the photography world.  It is where the intangibles make the experience truly wonderful and the images themselves make the investment of money and time truly worthwhile"  

I'm going to be blogging more about this subject in the future because I believe that there really is no comparison in what a Custom Lifestyle Photographer can offer you in terms of capturing those precious moments. Your images should be about you & who you are not just posed, duplicated images created with no thought or emotion.