New Locations for Wedding Photography

"Where should we go for our wedding photos?" Sounds like an easy question for a wedding photographer, and in some ways it is, but if you want to keep you pictures fresh, you really need to tailor your locations to your couples. You need to get to know them first. Thing is, it's often one of the first things they want to know, almost a test question from one of those "what to ask your wedding vendor" booklets.

I usually name a couple of possible locations, then ask if they have looked at any they like or seen any pictures they can see themselves in and try to refine (or expand) the choices from there - 

Very often though, I need to go and see. What is in the local area, how do the travel times fit in with the venues for the ceremony and the reception, and are there any booking requirements or fees involved. It isn't unusual for me to have to do this while the client is still deciding between me and another photographer, which was the case this week. As I write this, I have traveled about 100 Km and made calls to four organisations (2 councils, a university and a private garden) to find out if their venues are available on the required date, and how much they charge.

I have passed the information on to the couple, although I don't know yet if I have the job - I may well be making life easier for the competition... but on the other hand, it builds my database and I have had a very enjoyable time photographing the best of those venues. It is an absolutely beautiful public park with ancient trees, memorial gardens, shaded walkways, a military section with canon, 25 pounders and mortar launchers (my potential groom is a part-time soldier). Great character and variety and with the right aspect re the sun for the time of the post-wedding shoot.

I never consider my unpaid time scouting for venues or negotiating with the people who manage venues wasted. I always learn something of value, often make good contacts, and come away a little better prepared for that inevitable question "Where should we go for our wedding photos".

Post Script - they went a competitor who also provides video.  That's OK - I win about 70% of the jobs I quote for, and I know the photographer they chose - she will do a wonderful job for them. Now I wonder where they will go for the location photos?

Some more thoughts on Style in Wedding Photography

I’m a Wedding Photographer because it is what I love to do. I have been taking photographs for a very long time - it effects the way I see things: weddings keep my vision fresh.  The technical side of image making is second nature now, leaving me free to concentrate on the outcome I want to achieve instead of on the equipment or the techniques I need to achieve it. A photographer's style can flow naturally from this interaction between experience, vision, technique and equipment; more often it seems to come from a conscious effort to be different from other photographers...

So what is the Practicaps style of photography? I tend to be  more interested in expressing  your style  than mine, and I school my students and assistants to stop thinking about their photography and concentrate on putting themselves into the mindset of their subjects. Why should the bride or groom be expected to passively accept the photographers’ vision? 

This is about relationship, so as we get to know one another, the approach I take to a wedding is going to come closer and closer to who the bridal couple are, how they see themselves, and what their wedding day means to them.

My own web site includes five different galleries highlighting some popular photographic styles. Most Brides and Grooms opt for a mixture of photographs, with one style predominating, but there is always something that sets each wedding apart, and the "style" has to bend to the couple, not the other way around.

Photojournalistic Photography as represented in my Relaxed/Casual gallery has been strongly promoted in recent years. Some photojournalistic wedding photographers shy away from the Classical/Formal photos shown in the second gallery, insisting that only candid photos should be included in their work. We believe some “staged” or directed photography has a place in even the most relaxed weddings; for instance, the group photo with your parents that is for their wall or album rather than for your own.

Storybook Weddings are wonderfully romantic. They can evoke true  emotion, and we love to photograph them. Yours might be a themed wedding, which this style is ideally suited to showcase.

Finally, the unconventional, even quirky weddings are great fun and very memorable - they need a photographer who is really in tune with the couple, one who can join in the fun without losing sight of the fact that what underlies the "quirkiness" is the true commitment of soul mates who understand each other deeply and share something quite special.

Whatever the style of photography you decide on, there are moments throughout the day where something extra can be brought to the day by the use of special photographic techniques and editing. Our fifth gallery is a small sampler of these special effects. Wide angle effects, black and white conversions, unexpected angles, motion effects, soft focus, spot colour... when they are right for the photo, a skilled photographer has the  the knowhow and the equipment to make them work.

I'd enjoy your feedback of this blog and on the others in the Style series - please look in on the galleries and visit Vimeo where you will find a series of movies demonstrating the topics from these blogs.