Picking a photographer

TamVilla80

Just wondering if anyone else seems to be having as much of a mare as us? We are not one for having photos taken anyway, as I always screw my face up and look like a divy - but we want some nice pictures of us on our special day. My mum and brother will no doubt take loads of pictures as they both enjoy it as a hobby, but I would like a proper photographer, esp for the photos they need to be in!

I can't believe how much some of them charge, if I ever lose my job I might seriously consider it as a career! I know they are offering a service but at the end of the day they are taking pictures, not saving a life! The cost for some prints is so much, its a bit of paper with ink on in, not gold.

We just want nice pictures, not false posed ones, not really trendy arty shots, not wonky black and white photos with coloured bits (nice but in 20 years time they might look a bit daft) - just nice pictures of our happy day at a resonable cost. Having read the board and seeing some of the problems that people have with their photographers too, part of me is wondering whether it is even worth it?!

Saying that, if anyone knows a good resonable photographer in the Lichfield / Tamworth area, please let me know. Tnx

Dizzie77

Don't give up hope...!! there are some really good photographers out there - I hate having my photos taken too, but
there are photographers that can make me look good...!!!

It is a bit out of my area - Horace is a bit closer, she may have some contacts for you.
If not, then my photographer does travel, and he is so cool, he just relaxes you and you just get on with enjoying
yourself while he captures the good bits..!!

katsmasterplan

I hate having my photo taken posed too, that's why we are having reportage style with only a few posed photos.
You will find a photographer with a bit of perseverance!

Tom_Donlan

I know a good photographer in Staffordshire and he does Wedding photography.
Says on his site he does outside the area but you'd need to pay travel expenses.

Have a look at his site - www dot briscoephotography dot co dot uk

Horace

There is a brilliant photographer that I know of, she isnt on my books though and that is Emma Case https://www.emmacasephotographyblogspot.com - e: emma_case82@ yahoo.co.uk

Her photographs are fantastic but I don't know what she charges.

A good photographer will put you at your ease..I loathe having my picture taken and yet one chap who was running the photography course that I was on last weekend took a fab picture of me (the only picture of me that I have ever liked)...https://www.michaelpalmer.com he travels but again I don't know what he charges. If you look at his blog you will see a pic of me - the mad woman in a hat.

bubble96

hi, im really sorry but i just have to jump in and say something, as my heart sank when i read your post. I am a part time photographer, and i have to say, photographers are the most undervalued people on the wedding boards. Often people are shocked by the cost of a photographer, because they think its a days work and a bit of ink and paper, it really really isnt. In terms of time alone a photographer probably spends around 30-40 hours on one wedding, because there is at very least the initial meeting, a meeting at the venue, phonecalls emails etc, the actual wedding day, setting up online purchasing sites for customers, and - editing your photos for you to see, and then in some cases preparing an album, not to mention added extras - for example i give a dvd set to music in all my packages for the couple to choose their prints. Then you also have the just ink and paper bit - its not like the photos you get from asda (sorry, but asda are great for general snaps etc, but paper is flimsy and in 10 years time will be faded if not disintergrated!) it will be high quality papers designed to last, will be the best in colour representation etc etc, and the same for albums, they are a different standard to the ones we print at photobox - often albums photographers include in their packages cost them hundreds, it is not a huge mark up on them, they are expensive because of the quality.

I am not trying to have a go, just pointing out where the value of a good photographer is. Their value also lies in their ability to take good pictures, not arty shots and wonky photos, but pictures taken from angles that will enhance your best bits and avoid others, because they understand what different focal lengths, and shutter speeds and apertures do to a pic - this is how they differ from an ameteur! photos that your average person wont see etc. A good photographer understands light like you wouldnt believe, and can produce stunning pictures indoors without flash. A good photographer has experience in their field, and will be unflustered by the pressure of a wedding day and the responsibility they have.

this is my photographer http://www.amywass.co.uk and she does travel, her price is completely reasonable, though you may think she is expensive at £1100 for her basic package, all her packages include 10 hours photography and a disc with all the photos. Now take off tax on that, and then take off costs for disc, petrol for all their trips, and a contribution towards cost for appropriate insurance, up to date camera equipment, and replacement of equipment that is damaged etc (and bare in mind that the kit of a proffessional photographer will include at least two cameras (back up incase the main brakes) and flashes, and memory cards - a lot of them, and lenses (which if from professional ranges are often £1000 a time) as well as other bits and bobs.) And trsaining to keep up to date within their field of photography. contribution towards website maintenance as this is how you most likely will have found them, and your photos will be on there for your guests to see and the divide it by 30 hours, what rate does a good photographer really end up with, and does it match the salary of say someone who is fully trained proffessional in other fields (not that this is really comparable because running your own buisness is always going to take many more hours and much bigger commitment than a 9-5, and therefor if you can get a decent salary for doing it then fair play to you.)

what im getting at is look at some of the weddings on there - can you find one picture that you would call an arty shot, or wonky, or part coloured, in the way you mean it , there are arty shots on there but they are representative of the wedding. Can u also find any pictures where a bride looks like a divvy, no, and thats not because they never do, we all do from time to time, especially in pictures taken on point and shoots because if the taker doesnt know what they are doing you can get all sorts of distortion from lens angles etc. Every bride on that website looks stunning, and she puts up pictures from every wedding, and they are not all thin 20 somethings, they are old young fat thin, big noses big ears! they look stunning however because she knows how to manipulate the features of her equipment, she knows how to do her job!

now if you are trying to be mse and you are prepared to take a risk then you should look to find someone who is just setting up, or a photography student - or even a couple of them (more protection if one of them fluffs up and deletes all their pics or something equally horrific) it is possible that this way you could get an excellent deal, but if you do this i would suggest still asking to see examples of their work, even though this wont be weddings, if you look at their pics and think wow, or how did they do that? then they probably have good technical capabilities, and they are halfway to becoming a wedding photographer.

one thing i will say though, there is something you have said that tells me if you dont get a proffessional there is a high chance you will be dissapointed and thats

"We just want nice pictures, not false posed ones"

exactly! thats what a photographer will give you, where as an ameture will be concerned with getting pics of all the people so will do lots of group photos. And the nice relaxed pictures that you see of brides chatting to guests and hugging their parents have an awful tendency to look like a random snap of a room full of people if not taken by someone with the appropriate equipment and experience - you are wanting a reportage style photographer and this is by far the hardest part of photographing a wedding.

sorry if this is a rant, but it is meant to help twofold, both to answer your question and to hopefully give you insight into what you would be paying for with a proffessional so you can make an informed choice about whether it is of value, rather than a choice based on a price tag.

Horace

Thanks Bubbles - that's a great insight.

I am believer in that you shouldn't skimp on your wedding photographs, you can cut back elsewhere as these photographs will last you for the rest of your life.

A good photographer will put you at your ease. I usually run in the opposite direction when I see a camera.

bubble96

Horace wrote: »

A good photographer will put you at your ease. I usually run in the opposite direction when I see a camera.

hehe, you see, i do to, because i know what i look like when taken with a typical point and shoot, but i am so looking forward to my wedding photos because i have 100% faith in my photographers ability, and thats what i feel is worth paying for.

Lexxi

I'd suggest looking on gumtree in your area, some photographers have put offers up on there - I was having trouble finding someone who was within budget and could use some of the techniques described by bubbles to get the pics done - I've had a few professional shoots and I know what can be achieved with good lighting and technique as well as effects but I found someone who has a lot of photography experience who has moved into the wedding side because they couldn't get what they wanted when they wanted a wedding photographer, I'm just in the process of arranging the included engagement shoot so I don't know what I'll look like on their pics but I do really like their website and all the pics they have shown me so far.

Bubble, I hope you don't mind me asking but the photographer is going to put our pictures onto a CD and we will get the prints as and when, would you be able to suggest somewhere for us to go for decent, lasting prints?

shellsuit

I HATE the camera (unless I've had a few but I hate the pics afterwards lol!) and I'm dreading having my pics taken on our wedding day.

I wasn't going to bother with a photographer, but I would hate to ask someone I know to take snaps with a normal camera, as it's putting a lot on them and I want all my guests to enjoy themselves.

Plus, there are some guests who are old, or ill, and God knows how long we have left with them so I would love some cracking pics of them enjoying the day.

Plus, if something goes wrong with the pics, at least I have someone to go nuts at ~ which I couldn't do if it was a friend or family member lol x

bubble96

hi lexxi, one of the top rated budget printers is snapfish, they were rated best overall by gadget show (sorry me and OH are also techie geeks!) they have very good colour replication, and a friend has had some portrait photos i did for her printed and im quite impressed with the quality. I find photobox is ok, but asda, and some other supermarkets paper feels really thin and the colour is really bad (and their not that cheap!!). Also ask the guy whos doing your photos as he may know of some local independent places. The place i use doesnt print for general public, only buisnesses and thats generally what you find, but i think you would be happy with the results you get at snapfish - and, you should always judge a company by how they deal with things that go wrong - they screwed up the above friends order getting the colours all off, a quick phonecall and they were all reprinted and free print credits were added to her account, so good customer service too.