The choice of a Wedding Photographer is something that should not be taken lightly. To have a lasting memory of your special day with photographs you will love is an important investment and to have something you will be proud to show your friends and family. The information below is a must read, if you are planning your wedding and hopefully shines some light onto what can be a minefield!
In today’s world and with increasing capabilities of digital cameras, it seems everyone either thinks they are or can be a professional wedding photographer.
The photography industry has become a wash with so called Wedding Photographers and it’s hard to know what to look for if you want to avoid your wedding being photographed by someone who calls themselves a photographer, rather than an experienced photographer who does this for a living.
One of the first things to make sure of is that you employ a full time Photographer, not just someone doing weddings at weekends for a bit of extra cash in their back pocket or a family member/friend who is keen on photography.
Ask any Hotel or reception venue, what they think of a keen or part time photographer photographing your wedding and straight away their expression alone will give you your answer. A full time photographer will ensure your day runs to plan as they will have a great knowledge of locations and backgrounds and especially will be able to change their plans at short notice if the weather changes for the worst! A part time or keen photographer will not have such knowledge and can easily ruin a wedding day by the amount of time they take to take your photographs.
Check to see if the Photographer is properly qualified. The Master Photographers Association (MPA) & the British Institute Of Professional Photography (BIPP) are the only two associations with recognised photography qualifications. To be a qualified member of either of these two associations, you have to prove you work to an extremely high standard and you also have to be practicing photography full time. (There are other photographic society’s that award qualifications but the two just mentioned are the only two that require you to be full time) with the MPA, the full time photographer has to provide proof that they have Professional Indemnity Insurance and Public Liability Insurance. If a photographer ruined your wedding photographs and had no insurance, then legally you would have no comeback whatsoever.
Once you have a short list of photographers, go and meet with them. A full time photographer will usually have a studio and will be able to show you examples of their work, both with sample albums and large framed gallery images and if you like, spend some time visiting them to look more closely at their work. Websites are great for getting a feel for the style of photography you like, but remember flashy websites can make photographs look better than they actually are and tend to be the best images they have produced over a number of years! Ask to see a complete wedding album when visiting their studio so you can check for things like print quality and consistency throughout
Look at the posing the photographer does with the couple and their guests. (Even a lot of what you think may be natural and un-posed tend to be created by the photographer to make it look as though it’s not!) Do the people look awkward or do they seem comfortable and relaxed? You want to be able to enjoy having your wedding pictures taken and not feel silly or awkward.
Finally, If you like their work, they’re full time & qualified and you think you can trust them to record what is going to be one of the biggest days of your life, then you need look no further!!
Whyler Photos were established in 1963 and the business has been taken over by the son and his wife of one of the original partners. We have been and are completely full time, qualified, and Award Winning Master Photographers in the art of Wedding, Portrait and Press photography. We have worked and will work throughout the world and our knowledge of the industry is second to none.
We have been the official photographers for the Stirling Observer for the last 48 years and have photographed many personalities from Hollywood film stars, footballers, TV personalities and all members of the Royal Family on many occasions.
We only take one wedding a day to allow us to give you our full attention, which are all photographed by Whyler Photos staff only and not by any other part time staff.
We would love to hear from you. Give us a call for a free consultation and no obligation quote or indeed pop in and see our extensive wall gallery. We would love to see you!!
Tel 0044 (0)1786 474340 – View our extensive wedding gallery by clicking here