Whats it like to shoot Airbnb photos, an experiment. (Article to follow shortly)
How To Choose A Wedding Photographer
How to Choose a Wedding Photographer:
Your wedding photos are something you'll keep forever so you need to make sure you get the perfect photographer. Here's our guide to finding the photographer for you.
Once the confetti has settled and the honeymoon is over comes the exciting time to receive your wedding photos.The walk down the aisle, the proud hug with your Dad, that joke in the best man’s speech: you’ll be able to look back on all those special moments and remember one of the happiest days of your life – not just now, but in years to come. It’s so important then that you’re happy with your wedding photos. It can be one of the biggest wedding regrets for couples that they either didn’t capture all the moments they wanted or they ended up not liking the photographer’s pictures. So how do you go about choosing the right photographer? Firstly, we’re going to explain a little about the different styles of wedding photography and then give you eight easy steps to choosing a wedding photographer.
The Three Main Styles of Wedding Photography
The terminology around wedding photography can be baffling, especially what the different styles of wedding photography mean. Regardless of your budget, you’ll be able to find photographers offering each of the three most common types of wedding photography for every budget.
Reportage photography is also known as photojournalistic or documentary photography. Your photographer will stand among and around you and your guests capturing candid and spontaneous shots. Reportage style is all about reactions and emotions so expect your photos to tell the real story of your day. It can feel like the most authentic form of photography as there’s no posing.
Pros: Captures story and emotions while being relaxed and unobtrusive.
Cons: No posed group photos unless you ask for them.
Traditional or formal wedding photography is the classic posed look you see in conventional group shots of the couple and the wedding party. This used to be the most popular style and involves plenty of direction from the photographer, but it also takes time and you might miss some of the action of the day. Your photos are likely to be a bit formulaic, but will be beautifully shot and well-lit.
Pros: Lasting pictures of family and friends in a timeless, beautiful style.
Cons: Takes time and staging so you can miss the emotion of the day.
Contemporary photography will feel more like fashion or editorial photography combined with reportage. It’s ideal if you want fashion-led couple photos and an artistic approach to other shots. You’ll need to find a photographer with the same creative vision as you, whether that’s street style, portraits, conceptual or nature-focused.
Pros: Dramatic, beautiful, unique shots.
Cons: Sometimes the vision comes ahead of capturing the personality of the couples.
How to Choose Your Wedding Photographer in 3 easy Steps
1. Set a Budget - No point finding a photographer you love and then discovering they’re well beyond your budget. The average is £1,500-£2,000. Your first step is to discuss how much you can legitimately spend and always keep that in mind as you continue your search. Lots of photographers have starting prices on their website or you could ask a few in your area for a quick quote to see what the going rate is. While £1,500 sounds a big chunk of your budget, your photos are one of the most important things to invest in. See if you can shave your budget somewhere else to give yourself as much money as possible for this. You get what you pay for.
2. Find Your Style - Now for the fun part of starting your search! Your preferred photography style really is one of the most important things to consider. Do you want candid, classic, a mix of colour and black-and-white, creative, contemporary? Normally one of the styles above will jump out at your straight away.
3. Research - Ask friends who they used, look at websites, ask venues and then arrange a face to face meeting. Your photographer is going to be spending a whole day with you – you need to make sure you gel! Ask questions, go through their portfolio and see how you feel with them. Do they put you at ease? Do you feel they understand what you want? The more relaxed you are around your photographer, the more natural and at ease your photos will be.
Headshots & Portraits Information
ABCphoto – Portraits For Work
Tips on preparation for your photo shoot:-
I’ve lost count of the number of times I have been asked the same questions - “What should I wear?”, “How should I Look?”, by clients booked for work and professional portrait shoots. I think the list below answers most of the questions but please feel free to contact me for more information
Colours & Clothing
Solid colours photograph best, and most people look good in mid tones (green, blue, brown, etc.). I suggest avoiding extremes - no all-black or all-white ensembles. Deep colours such as navy blue, grey and brown are great jacket choices if applicable. Avoid colours that mimic your flesh tone, shiny fabrics, turtlenecks and low necklines.
For dress shirts avoid bright white if possible, especially if you won’t be wearing a jacket. A little colour or at least an off-white shirt is helpful.
Men, if you'll be wearing a tie it's hard to go wrong with a solid colour or simple striped tie in red or blue. A minimal pattern will always look better than a busy tie.
Patterns Are Bad
Overly busy patters are bad, be it a jacket, shirt or blouse. Bright or busy jackets, shirts or blouses will distract the viewers eye from the face in a finished portrait. Shirts and blouses will sometimes need to be retouched due to a wrinkle in the fabric, and patterns on that fabric will make this next to impossible.
Avoid Short Sleeves
For men and women, it is best not to wear something sleeveless or short sleeves. This may cause you to look heavier, and bright arms will lead the viewer’s eyes to the bottom edges of your image and away from your face.
Fit
Make sure your clothes fit well. This is especially important for men’s collars, sports coats and suit jackets. Men look at your jacket & shirt, watching for gaps at the back of your neck. Conversely, watch that your shirt isn’t too tight, causing your neck to “bulge” over your collar−even a little bulge will look terrible in camera.
Makeup
Wear what you would for a nice evening out. Well done, but not overdone. Avoid glossy or shimmery makeup as it will catch the light and be distracting. If you normally don’t wear makeup, your pictures will look better if you at least wear foundation.
Shaving
Men, if your appointment is in the morning, shave earlier in the day to let any razor burn dissipate and to allow any nicks to heal.
Accessories
Jewellery should not distract from your face. Less is usually more. Necklaces look best when they are shorter and mimic the neckline of your shirt. Think carefully about your choice so that photos do not become dated over time. Eyeglasses and lens glare can be tricky but If you normally wear glasses you can wear them for your picture. If you usually wear eyeglasses but are not wearing them for your photo remember to remove them well before your session so that you do not leave marks on your face/nose that will show up in camera.
Visit the mirror just before you have your photo taken
I’d always advise a quick stop off to check yourself in the mirror before you go to have your head shot done. The chances are I have never met you before, so I don’t know what you look like. So just give yourself the once over to make sure that you’re happy with the way you look. That your hair looks good. Your necklace hasn’t slipped round. Your tie is straight, and the top button isn’t showing. There is no food in your teeth etc.
Favourite Show Pictures from 2020 So Far
With a halt because of Covid in the live performance world I thought I would look back at some of my favourite show and performance photos.
Footloose, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sweeney Todd and Fame.
Corporate Headshot - A S Landscapes
Corporote portraits shoot for A&S Landscapes in, Shrewsbury who manufacturer, supply and install canopies, shades and shelters in schools all over the UK. The brief was to produce photographs of the team for use on the companies website, to use on their “meet the team” page. Lovely, friendly and professional people to work with so thank you for that.
The team were photographed in the companies boardroom using my portable studio lighting against a white portable background. Nikon D850 at full resolution using the 70-200 f2.8 FL. The boardroom had a fantastic picture wall and artificial grass instead of carpet. This worked brilliantly with the companies image and products.
I ended up compositing the portraits against a photograph of the background as the client preferred an on location look which took some time but I am very pleased with the results.
Original against white
Composited with Background
Finished Result