What's in a Wedding?

I wrote a post a while ago (here) about why photographers charge so much for weddings. It was a bit general and a bit whiney so I thought I'd take you through the whole process.  So... what's involed?

Advertising
I have to let you know I'm there! There's lots of ways to do it. I have a website, a Facebook page and a Twitter feed. All of which take time to update. I also have hundreds of leaflets and flyers in shops and hotels spread around the area. I've talked about it before but I do a lot of networking. That can be quite expensive, both in terms of time and money. And then of course there's the wedding fairs. They can cost up to £120 for a stand and always happen on Sundays!

Consultation
Once you've found me you'll naturally want to meet me, have a chat and see some sample albums. I'll come to your house or you can come to my studio and we'll sit for about an hour and go through any questions you might have. You can look at 3 or 4 sample albums, thank you cards and other photos in my portfolio. We'll go through exactly what you want from me and if you like what you see you'll book me and pay a deposit.

Before the Wedding
A week or so before the wedding I'll get back in touch with you again to finalise the details. What are the timings? What group photos do you want? Is there anyone special I absolutely must get a shot of? Again, I can come to you or you can pop into my studio for a coffee.

On the Morning
I'll be at the bride's house or hotel in time to photograph the girls getting ready. Hair, make-up, getting into the dress, all the important behind-the-scenes stuff! I normally get there about 3 hours before the ceremony itself to make sure I don't miss anything.



The Boys
About 45 minutes before the ceremony I arrive with the boys. I'll get a few shots of them all together, the groom on his own and with the best man. I'll also get shots of the venue itself and the guests arriving.




The Ceremony
If the vicar/registrar allows it I'll be there, out of the way, to capture all the important moments throughout the ceremony itself - the bride's arrival, the exchanging of vows, readings, exchanging the rings, the first kiss and the new Mr and Mrs walking out together.







That's probably enough for now.  Keep an eye out for Part 2 next week!

Merry Christmas!

That's all.  Just Merry Christmas!!!

My First Few Weeks!

So I've been in my new studio for just over a month now and I'm loving it!!!  I've been mega busy with family shoots and also taken a couple of wedding bookings from the extra exposure the shop front has given me!  It makes me smile when py pictures make other people smile!

I've started to quiet down a bit now so it's time to put up a few shots of the new place and a couple of pics from my first few weeks.

Does it Really Cost £250 to Put Some Photos on a Disc?

What I'm referring to here is digital copies of photos from a studio sitting. And no, it doesn't cost £250 to put photos on a disc. So why do I charge £250 for your photos on a disc?

Ultimately, I have to make a profit… Many people think digital copies are a cheap way of getting lots of prints. Get the disc, take it to Tesco and get dozens of prints for all the family for pennies. Well yes. That would be great. But I don't make anything from it. What I really want is for you to buy all those prints from me. And some frames. And maybe a canvass or 2!

But I understand that people might not want to do that. You're likely to get between 30 and 50 photos if you buy a disc. If you bought the prints from me that would cost you at least £450. And that's just for 7x5"! So what I'm basically doing is compensating myself for the prints you don't get from me. For that many photos £250 is a bargain really!

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Please don't nick my pictures!!

This is a very polite plea for you not to use my images on your own websites without my permission or a credit. And that includes Facebook!

Legally, the photos I take belong to me. If I sell you a picture you own that copy of the picture. You aren't (legally) allowed to copy it in any way. Similarly if I put a photo on my website, that picture belongs to me. You are not allowed to copy that picture from my site. You are definitely not allowed to save it, print it or stick it on Facebook as your own! If you do I am within my rights to claim compensation from you.

OK, that's the legal position. I'm not quite that militant in practice. If I really didn't want people to take my photos from my site I could protect them. What I actually do is watermark them in the certain knowledge that some people will put them on Facebook giving me a free advert to all their friends!

So basically what I'm saying is - if you really must pinch my images and put them on Facebook, just tell people who took them!

Ta then!

New Studio - At Last…

So it's finally finished and open! I'm half way through my first week and it's going very well. I had a busy week last week photographing and editing and this week is just the same! The weekends are busy as well…

It's fantastic to be back in the studio at last. It's been 9 months since my last studio shoot! I was a bit worried I would have forgotten how to do it… But they have all gone really well so far. I actually think the shots I've taken this week are some of the best I've ever taken. I think having some time off has given me a chance to come up with new ideas and editing methods. Hopefully some of the parents will let me put a few up on my Facebook page… Have a look and see if they have!

Although I've only just reopened it's nearly time to stop for Christmas! To guarantee Christmas delivery the shoot needs to be done by the end of November. So in a couple of weeks it'll be all about the vouchers!

Thanks to everyone for their support so far. It has really helped get me up and running again. I won't name them - you know who you are!

New Studio - Time to Decorate!

OK.  So I wanted to write an update on this every couple of nights with a progress report.  But I've been so busy I just haven't had time!

Over the last 2 and a half weeks me and my dad have been putting in 8 to 12 hour days 7 days a week to get it all sorted.  And we're finally nearly there!  All the building and joinery work is done and most of the painting.  Just a few bits of skirting board to finish off, a bit of wallpaper then it's just the dressing to do.

That might be the hard bit though...  I think I might rearrange my pictures and furniture a few times before I'm happy but I WILL be ready to open on Monday 7th November.  Although that's my birthday so I might leave it until Tuesday...