Recently I have had an increasing amount of couples contact me to "Re-Stage" their wedding photos as they aren't happy with the images that were taken by their wedding photographer.
Why Weren't they happy? Well 9 times out of 10 the answer to that question is they were on a tight budget. They had a friend who said their Uncle's friend Bob would do their wedding photos for £250 or they found a photographer on Facebook offering a full days coverage and all the digital images for £400 and it was too good of a deal to pass up.
Surely if these people can do all this for under £500, all the other photographers are just over charging and lets face it, weddings cost a lot of money so why not go for the cheaper option and splash out a bit more on the room decorations or "that " dress.
Well let me tell you why......
Once your big day is a distant memory and you and your new husband/wife are on the airplane coming home from your amazing honeymoon. The only thing you will both want to do is look at your wedding photos to bring back all the feels of your special day. You drop your photographer a friendly email. "Thank you so much for taking our pictures, I can't wait to see them", which actually translates to "were are you at with our wedding pictures, i'm desperate to see them."
Then the email drops in your inbox, it's the link to your professional photos. Imagine your disappointment when you start scrolling through the digital album and you start desperately looking for a photo that isn't blurred or out of focus, there isn't a photo of you and your mum together, there isn't a picture of your bestman. Basically the photos you were dying to see to help you re-live all the special details of the day you'd been planning for soo long are simply put, not good enough.
As much as I said I have had an increase in couples contacting me to re-stage there wedding photos, it is never the same. You don't have all your guests there, your wedding day feels aren't there, that atmosphere isn't there, you don't feel as relaxed and caught up in the romance because really it's just the two of you at your wedding venue trying to recapture a moment that you simply can't.
If you actually rate the importance of the things you need for your wedding day, write them down, then go back over the list and put a star next to the items you will use/look at again after the day.
Yes, I truly understand the importance of saying yes to the dress, but what good is having the dream dress if the photos you have of you in that dress don't do it any justice? Or what is the point of decorating the room to look absolutely stunning when the photographer you hired who were the cheaper option forgot to photograph all the little details.
The only thing you end up with for years to come after you big day are the photos, these are what you show your children, your grandchildren. Not the table center pieces or the favours, no one will remember if you had the big light up letters on the dance floor or a sweet table. Even if you think to yourself I hate having my photo taken and photos aren't important to me, Say to yourself instead Do I want a long lasting memory of my wedding day?
To save yourself all the upset here are a few things to help you find the right wedding photographer for you.
1. Ask to meet them face to face. You will get a good idea of a person when you meet with them, were they on time, well presented? Did you get on well and have a good rapport? You will be spending all day with this person and they will be present on the biggest day of your lives.
2. Ask to see an example of a full wedding. You will be shown a selection of their best photos, that is great, it will give you an idea of how many weddings they have done from the range of couples in the books, but these are cherry picked. These are their "best" pictures used for marketing. If you ask to see a full set of photos from one wedding this will give you a better idea of their work, their style from the start to finish.
3. Ask what venues they have shot at and then if you want you can contact a venue and ask how they found working with them. Find their google pages and social media pages and see if they have any reviews.
4. Do they come across as professional, do they have albums to show you, a proper business card/brochure, a good website that looks professional. Ask them what equipment they use, do they have insurance? All these questions should help you work out if this person is going to deliver. If they whip out their phone and start showing you some photos taken on their phone run for the hills!
Photos by Madeleine Norman Photography taken at Hendall Manor Barns