Advice for finding a Wedding Photographer in Essex,

February 7th, 2009

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Your wedding should be the most memorable event in your lives. No other occasion demands so much expenditure of both time and effort as the organization of your essex wedding. The bride’s dress is chosen only after viewing and rejecting numerous creations, the reception venue is booked after visiting many hotels, the vehicles are selected after viewing many cars from vintage to modern. You will both look a picture and your families will be so proud of you! It is important that you have a really good photographic record because when the cake has been eaten, the wine has been drunk, and the flowers have gone, only the photographs will remain to remind you of your wonderful day.

Some essex wedding photographers work from shops, others from their homes. Some undertake all types of photography, others specialize in weddings and portraits. Some businesses photograph hundreds of weddings a year, others perhaps only twenty or thirty. Some do a lot of advertising, others very little. Some are members of professional associations, others are not. How can you be sure that you are engaging a photographer who will do justice to all that preparation, who will capture forever those precious moments, and who will keep alive for all time the delighted faces of your families and friends? One who will make not only a record of the occasion, but who will keep alive the emotions you felt at the time?

Wedding photography in Essex is one of the most demanding areas of professional photography. The essex wedding photographer has to turn non-professional models into stars, using whatever locations are presented to him in any prevailing weather conditions and do all this in minimum time. At the same time he/she should be the sort of person you would choose to invite to this, your most joyous day. Take your time, research diligently and you will be well rewarded.

Here are some ways to distinguish between a good and a not-so-good photographer.

Look out for the logo of The Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers SWPP UK.

Examine the photographer’s work carefully. Here are some things to look for:

Are the specimen albums all of a single wedding and not just a selection of “best pictures”?

Has he a recent actual wedding to show you?

Does the album tell the story of the wedding day fully and not just contain a series of similar pictures?

Is there a good mix of portraits, groups and story-telling pictures?

Are the groups tidy with everybody looking happily at the camera?

Examine the facial expressions the photographer has captured.

Do the prints show detail in the faces and dresses and avoid distracting detail in the backgrounds?

Ask the photographer these questions:

Will you be the photographer covering our essex wedding? If not, we would like to see the work of the actual photographer and meet him before the day.

Are you a member of a professional association?

Are you professionally qualified and if so in which type of photography was that achieved?

You will find prices vary considerably and generally speaking you get what you pay for. The more experienced the photographer the more he will charge. The price will also vary depending upon the total time he expects to spend at your wedding, the approximate number of photographs taken, the number included in any package (not necessarily the same), and the type and quality of the album.

Wedding Photographer Essex

Wedding Confetti Photography and Traditions…

January 14th, 2009

A brief excerpt from the Essex Weddng Photographer Bespoke Photogrpahy’s website.

Many of our clients would like a Confetti Shot for their Wedding Album.

 

Most Brides view this as one of the must have images for their Wedding Photo collection.
Throwing confetti over a Bride and Groom is one of the most well-known of wedding traditons - this custom however has seen a decline in recent years, some would say because modern Bridal couples have a tendancy to lean away from the usual traditions however we find its largely because many churches and other Wedding Venues don’t allow the throwing of confetti on their premises. Some Wedding Venues will allow the use of bio-degradable confetti or flower petals. Flower petals look beautiful in Wedding Photo’s due to the size of the petals and the lovely colours available. Be sure to check with your Wedding Venue if this will be allowed!

Come on over to Bespoke Photography for further information.

So what is a Wedding Photography Commission then?

January 13th, 2009

 

This Is an article taken form the Bespoke Photography Website.

If you are working on a tight budget, a very short commission of simply the ceremony may be required.

However a typical Wedding Photography Commission usually starts with Bridal Preparations at either home or a hotel location, this is a nice time to capture a Bride as she will normally be very excited about her big day and the emotions, fun and laughter at this time are such a nice addition to the Wedding Album that virtually all Brides go for this option.
Wedding Preparations
After the Bridal Preparations we usually try and find time to visit the Groom at his location on our way to the ceremony location. During this time the Groom will usually be finishing his preparations with his best man or “best men” (as is becoming more popular today) as well as his Ushers or Groomsmen.

The time in the run up to the Wedding Ceremony for the Groom is often full of banter and joking around which also produces images that will compliment any Wedding Photography Album.

Wedding Photography Grooms Banter...

We then get to the Wedding Ceremony location in time with the Groom to capture shots of the Groom greeting Wedding Guests and the arrival of the Bride.

We then photograph the Bride walking down the aisle towards her husband (To Be) and the emotions and facial expressions at this moment are key to any Wedding Photography picture set.

From here it is a collection of images throughout the wedding vows and the all important first kiss of marriage then on to signing the register.

We will position ourselves in a good spot to capture the new Mr and Mrs walking back down the aisle to their waiting family and friends.

Once outside there are usually some great opportunities to take a few formal, traditional wedding photographs as well as the Confetti Shot. Nearly all Brides we meet want a confetti shot in their album so we always check this before the event.

We will then have usually arranged for some time out of the Wedding Schedule for some Photographs of the Bride and Groom together alone.

Then its on to the Wedding Reception where the party really begins! We love to take informal and unobtrusive photography during this stage of the Wedding.
We will stand in the crowd taking pictures of your family and friends laughing and drinking Champagne without them even knowing, this Candid style of photography makes for beautiful, natural images.

After this usually comes the Wedding Breakfast, during this time Gary will be taking photo’s of the venue and will then sit down to have something to eat too.

Once all of your Wedding Guests have been fed and watered the Wedding Speeches will usually begin. This is a great Photography opportunity as most of the guests will have had a glass or three of wine and tend not to mind having a camera poiting in their direction.
The moments when the Brides Father, the Groom and the Best Man are making speeches that the Bride, family and friends are totally oblivious to the Photographer, and this is when some lovely natural photography occurs.

Most Wedding Photography Commissions finish with the Cutting of the Wedding Cake at the end of the Speeches.
 
Gary as a Photographer like to stay in to the later stages of the Wedding reception to capture the First Dance and the evening antics of the bridal couple and guests. Photography during this time is always unobtrusive and candid, this reportage or photojournalistic style lends itself well to this type of scenario where the photographer does not need to interact with his subjects as there is a usually so much going on you do just need to be a “fly on the wall”…

This ensures the story of your big day is told from start to finish, all of the memories, emotions and details of the entire day are captured forever.

The majority of clients employ the services of a Wedding Photographer to ensure that all of their special day has been captured. After spending vast sums of money on Weddng Venue’s, Wedding Dresses, Flowers, Catering, Cakes etc etc…

Our clients are only too please to use at least 10% of their Wedding Budget for Photography. After all, 1 year or 10 years after your wedding day is over how much Wedding cake, Champagne or flowers will you have left over?

Photography is an investment in memories that will last your lifetime as well the generations that come after you…

Wedding Photographers in Essex Bespoke Photography

January 9th, 2009

Welcome to the Bespoke Photography Blog Pages… In this area you can talk about any subject as long as it is relevant to Weddings or Photography. Bespoke Photography are a specialist Wedding Photography company based in Essex which is owned and run by Gary Ridgewell. Gary is predominantly an Essex Wedding Photographer but is very keen to broaden his scope and offers Wedding Photography services Nationwide.