Tag: wedding photography

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOU

Posted on by Jenny in Blog

One of the biggest challenges when sourcing a photographer is how on earth you know if they are the right person for YOU. Not your sister, not that other couple that got married at the same venue or even that GORGEOUS shoot you saw on insta. I’m gonna take a punt here and guess that you’ve probably never booked a wedding photographer before. Google says there are 24,500,000 results for the search term ‘wedding photographer London’ so don’t worry, that sense of deep overwhelm creeping up the back of your neck is totally appropriate given the circumstances!

Here’s the good news, I’ve been doing this a while now (ahem, over ten years!) and after many, MANY shoots, worked out a pretty simple formula to know if you have found the right one for you. Perhaps shockingly it might not be me! I want you to find the photographer you like as much as I want to find the client I want so read on and let’s see if it’s a match!

THREE GOLDEN RULES

1. STYLE


Do you like their photos? Sounds obvious but there’s a lot of styles out there so if you’re not sure yet try googling ‘dark and moody’ ‘light and airy’ ‘documentary’ etc. Add your area to find local photographers and make sure their portfolio is right up your street before you book because that is what you will get. Gone are the days of hiring a photographer and sending them a list of every single shot you absolutely must have (thank god!) Nowadays we are entrusted to deliver a set of images that show your day, with your friends and your family however that unfolds. Most of us have spent many years honing our style – both in terms of shooting and editing – and that is what we will deliver. After all – you wouldn’t hire a cartoonist to paint the Sistene chapel would you!

2. BUDGET

    Again it sounds obvious but for the love of god please don’t pay someone more than you can afford. There really are photographers out there for all budgets. I’m always happy to offer bespoke quotes based on ALL your needs including budget. I also offer payment plans so it’s always worth asking, if you really love someone’s work, be open about what you want and what you have and they will offer you what they can within those parameters. Every wedding is different and – full disclosure – I kinda hate that I have to offer ‘packages’, I’d much rather hear what YOU want/need and find an amount that works for us both.

    3. PESONALITY

    Would you have at least two pints (glasses of wine, cups of coffee, shots of tequila – whatever your poison) with your photographer? If not, I’m sorry to say they are not the one. Getting married is a big deal, you spent a lot of time and energy planning this day – the last thing you want is for some weirdo photographer to start singing the virtues of Brexit over group photos! Check the vibes before the day.

    PHOTOGRAPHY PAYMENT PLANS – 2023

    Posted on by Jenny in Blog

    Ok so I’ve been wracking my brains over the last few months, thinking how I can help keep my work accessible during the current cost of living crisis here in the UK.

    I firmly believe that everyone deserves amazing photos of their wedding day and the investment is worth every penny – after all, what else will you have to look back on decades from now. However, we’ve all been hit by these price hikes and are all looking at ways to save, or spread costs wherever possible. With this in mind I’ve decided to offer Payment Plans to anyone who might need it this year.

    Here’s the deal;

    • Interest Free – my aim is to help, not get people into debt so costs will remain the same whether you choose to pay it all upfront or split the cost.
    • Deposit required – in order to secure your date you will still need to pay an initial deposit this is due to the fact I will be turning away other enquiries based on your booking.
    • Minimum Booking of 6 hours – this is simply to ensure my costs are covered with the split payments.
    • Monthly payments based on 30% of balance owed after deposit are standard, however I am open to other plans where needed.

    For more info drop me an email and I’d be happy to discuss options openly and honestly.

    2022 Round-UP

    Posted on by Jenny in Blog

    Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! What a year that was – the first ‘proper’ year of weddings without Covid restrictions and you guys were REALLY ready to party. I’ve fallen in love with Reception party photography all over again thanks to my amazing couples and their families (keep an eye on insta for the upcoming reel!) and hope to be shooting a lot longer into the night in 2023.

    This year I managed to photograph not one, not two, but three old friend’s weddings and each was an absolute blast. From stetsons to drag queens, smoke bombs to tube trains and THAT black velvet dress, I left every single party beaming from ear to ear and desperate to get those shots off my camera and onto my laptop to take a look at what we captured.

    On a personal note this will forever be the year I lost my beloved cat Cotton, which I still find hard to believe happened at times, but wanted to thank everyone who was kind enough to allow me some space to grieve before jumping back into shoots and emails, truly you’ve no idea how much that meant to me. As you will know if you follow me on insta we now have a new member of the family; Spider who is currently working on his harness training skills – this time next year I’ll be that crazy lady walking my cat down the street on a lead :)

    After a long hiatus I also managed a couple of styled shoots this year, something I love and miss doing from my days as a producer with Guinness World Records but, as I learned to my detriment this year, really need to be all done and dusted by Spring before wedding season really kicks off so yet another huge thank you to all the lovely models and suppliers who waited so patiently whilst I juggled our collabs with client bookings.

    2022 led me to a ton of awesome venues too; Gods Own Junkyard in Walthamstow has been on my list longer than I can remember, also St Dunstans in The East and the brilliant Battersea Park Bandstand. Some of my favourite suppliers of the year have to be Petal & Metal who designs incredible bridal ‘adornments’, Orhan London Tailoring who made and designed Nathan’s incredible velvet dress, Dance Floor Fillers achieved the impossible and got me up and dancing after 9 hours on my feet! (SO much better than that name suggests, promise).

    Thanks to Kate and Rich this year I managed to offer something I’ve never seen before; an on the day social media image that you can share however you wish before you even cut that cake if you want!

    Looking forward to 2023 now I’m starting early at the fabulous Quirky Wedding Fair on January 28th (3 days before my birthday so feel free to come say Hi and happy almost birthday). I’m hoping to get shooting more dancing and parties so if you’ve got an engagement party coming up get in touch – kinda like a try before you buy! I’ve just confirmed a stunning styled shoot at Proud Brighton with some incredible suppliers and of course I have heaps of incredible wedding bookings tantalisingly close. If you are interested in booking this year drop me a line, I still have a few spaces left and would love to hear more about you and your plans.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!

    Have you shot at our venue before?

    Posted on by Jenny in Blog

    Something that comes up fairly often when speaking with people planning their wedding is the age old question ‘Have you shot at this venue before?’ I’m fairly sure it’s a staple on any ‘10 things you should ask your wedding photographer’ style lead magnets put out by all the big-wig wedding industry people at least once a year. Needless to say the short answer is pretty simple – but the long answer is probably more valid when looking at who you want to photograph your wedding. If this has come up in your planning read on to find out more about my take on why this does, and perhaps more importantly does NOT, matter as much as you may think.

    It all starts with style – I always advise to aim for three things when choosing a photographer; style, budget and personality – there are SO many types of wedding photography and in case you’ve stumbled across this blog without seeing my work somehow, I mainly shoot documentary – this means unposed, undirected simply capturing the day as it unfolds. My clients want personal, relaxed and unique shots that tell the story of their day. I shoot in all different types of venues from dimly lit underground bars in Soho to great big festival style weddings in the glaring sunshine. I LOVE the diversity of the weddings I shoot and familiarity with a location doesn’t even cross my mind when I’m prepping for a shoot. Personal preference aside there is another reason that prior experience at a venue matters less than you might think – weather! As all Londoners know, the weather – and therefore light – can turn in a second here, it could be overcast and grey one minute then blazing sun the next. Sunset ranges from around 4pm in winter through to 9pm in summer – this changes the position of the sun at certain times as well as what time and where you need to rely on additional lighting. 

    This is where being a documentary photographer really pays off. So with all that experience from all different venues in all different weathers at all different times of year we can really make the most of YOUR wedding day, how it looked on that exact day in that exact place at that exact time. Sure there’s a market for identikit wedding photos where you are guaranteed the same shots as everyone else who got married at your venue but if you’re after something unique this question is really not one you should be too worried about.

    Top Image – Waltham Forest Town Hall

    Middle Image – Battersea Park Bandstand

    Bottom Image