The Best Wedding Photographers in South Western Sydney

When you are looking for a wedding photographers you expect to get someone who knows what they are doing, They must be qualified, right? Like a plumber or a carpenter...Sadly no. There is nothing stopping anyone from setting up shop as a wedding photographer, qualified or not.

  If you've been searching for a wedding photographer for any length of time, you may have been surprised by the enormous number of advertised wedding photographers to choose from. Most of these are people with an interest in photography who shoot weddings cheaply on weekends to supplement  their real job - a paying hobby.

Wedding photography can be an attractive option for amateur photographers wanting to turn professional.The amateur who can't compete with the professional on quality or service realises that brides, are easy to target on price, because they don't understand what a professional wedding photographer actually contributes on a wedding day or delivers afterwards. 

The good news is that there are professional wedding photographers available. They are often easy to pick because they have professional qualifications and registrations, but not always - photography is not a highly regulated industry, so wedding photographers can choose not to take on training or professional membership - but the best photographers do tend to join one of the reputable organisations, because they are committed to improving and developing their art and their talent.  Membership is not cheap, and not just anybody can join the top Pro Organisations, but photographers  who want to stay connected to the training, criticism and networking that keeps them fresh are willing to put their hands in their pockets.

Even so, with all the hundreds of photographers touting their so-called awards and experience, it can be hard to find the talented and the reliable wedding photographers. You should ask your recently married friends about their experience at their own wedding -  but that was just one day with one photographer. 

- As soon as someone knows that I am a wedding photographer, they trot out stories about their wedding day; often they share their wedding photos with me, usually with pleasure and some with pride (and sometimes they ask me if I can fix them!). About half tell me who took their photos, the rest have forgotten. But no-one forgets the let-downs; All of this adds up to a pretty broad experience to draw on....

I also means get to see the work of my colleagues and competitors, and not just the photos they are proud of.  I get an understand of their attitude towards their clients and I see the quality of their work. 

Put that together with their reputation in the industry and you have the basis for list of people to trust. And there is another source of feedback that I trust, too - whenever I go to a reception, the MC, the DJ and the Venue Manager are always keen to talk about the photographers they wish they could warn couples off... not based on the quality of their photos (which they seldom get to see) but on the basis of their attitude, work ethic and people skills - they see wedding photographers at work every week, they know what should be expected of them, and they know who fails the test. I work in the Macarthur Region - South West Sydney - and I reckon I know which photographers would be at the top of my list if i was getting married this year or next.; I know who I would hide from, too. And while I am not willing to risk a law suit by naming the duds and incompetents, here are the ones I would approach - nice and early, before they get booked.

Sarah Lamond:, Artsnic Photography does weddings, boudoir, babies and family portraits; a pre-wedding session is included in all Sarah's wedding packages, her prices are mid-range and her style is relaxed, romantic and full of Style. A visual reflection of her personality. You'll find her at Camden NSW where she has a bricks-and-mortar studio. Sarah is a member of the most prestigious Australian pro photography association, the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers.

Also in Camden you will find Marions Photographics. Marions is a very different style of business to the typical Wedding Freelancer. A family business that has been operating since the 1970s. Impressive when you think that most family wedding businesses are lucky to survive past 5 years. In all the time I have been working in this field, I have never met any of their clients who were not satisfied clients, happy to recommend them to their friends.

It's embarrassing but that is not just my short list: it's my entire list! Just two names on it. Not that there are no other good photographers in the Macarthur... but the majority either don't do weddings, or do too few to count. 
There are plenty who advertise in the area; some do not have a local presence (their studios are in Penrith or Sydney or somewhere else hard to visit to inspect their work or get to know them); others have a nice portfolio but a poor reputation; some are easy to work with but their skill and knowledge of photography is limited -  if you don't  know the difference between hyperfocal distance and a hypersonic drive, you should only be shooting a wedding if you can guarantee nothing will go wrong; sadly, I never attended a wedding where something unexpected didn't happened.

Of course there may be other good wedding photographers that should be on the White List, but I don't know anyone else I would stake my reputation on - If you know any (or if you are one) you are welcome to add the name as a comment to this post... If any one photographer gets a lot of mentions, maybe that will be recommendation enough to encourage people to hire them!

The Most Romantic Wedding Day

Is there a more tender, emotional day on which to celebrate your love than Valentines Day? 

Of course not! And it has the practical advantage that you are very unlikely to forget your anniversary.... 

Share with Joe and Luz in these photos from their Gibraltar Wedding - no: not that Rock perched off the coast of Spain. 

There is another Gibraltar in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales in Australia - above the township of Bowral, the Heights of Gibraltar command a spectacular view of the township and lands around.            The hotel which bears its name is rather spectacular in its own way, too. 

It sits on a golf course, with all you would expect in such a place: rolling hills, lakes, sand traps, wooded areas and open fields (well, fairways) - and all just made for a bride, a groom and their photographer.


The interior  of the Country Club is very modern, and unlike many hotels and resorts, the rooms are expansive and filled with natural light. 

With such a beautiful, happy bridal party, and this idyllic setting, you have all the ingredients for a wonderful wedding and a Happy Valentine's Day.  

Our bride and groom chose to merge their respective South American and South African heritages in a real Aussie marriage. It was a privilege to spend the day with them! 

Clever Wedding Ideas

I like clever ideas, the kind that add a little extra to the day, or let the bride and groom make a statement about what the day means to them...or maybe what their guests mean to them. How about these neat ideas from some recent Practicaps Weddings:

Rhys bought a different set of cuff links for each of his grooms-men. Each one meant something very personal to the man who got it - I was there when they opened the boxes; what a hoot! They are going to treasure those for a very long time to come.

Putting a bottle of high end wine or liquor on each table is not uncommon- a very expensive table decoration. But I have a wedding coming up in which the happy couple have come up with a nice wrinkle on the idea - every guest is going to discover a shot glass with their name engraved on it where they would expect to see a place card. That's another wedding favour that's going to last, and it costs very little. 
Another idea I liked really trumped my regular advice to brides to make sure they have a pair of comfortable shoes for the Reception... Beau and Liz provided a box of thongs at the door with an invitation for everybody to take a pair as they arrived for the reception!

Trying to save money on your dress? I have seen some lovely dresses purchased on-line - and I have seen one or two disasters from the web and from mainstream bridal stores - the trick is to get the dress early enough. Not the day before the wedding, or even the week before. I have been with so many girls whose dress arrived so late there was no time for adjustments, final fittings etc. - I suggest you  order it to be delivered early enough so you can  WEAR it. Practice sitting down and walking, and getting in and out of a car. That way, if (when?) something goes wrong, you will have time to fix it! And even  if it is delivered really late, it will still be in time!

Have any neat ideas for the Wedding Day? Have you been to a wedding or reception where something novel caught your eye - why not share it with the world - add it here as a comment.

Restoring your Flood Damaged Photos

Just two years ago I posted this note to help victims of the devastating floods manage and salvage their precious photos. It makes me very sad to repost advice like this, but Australia is what it is, so...

Australia is in flood. Much of Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales are inundated, and while the clean up has started in many towns, in others the threat is still imminent. And as ever, faced with the potential loss of all their possessions, people escape clutching their precious photographs and wedding albums.

CDs and DVDs do not do well in a flood. Layers separate, and delaminate, surfaces are pitted by contaminants in the water, and they are scratched too easily... The readable surface of DVDs have to be kept clean and scratch free, but the most vulnerable side of a disk is the label side.

That’s right - it's because the label side is closest to the reflective layer underlying the recording layer, critical to the functioning of the disk. Only a thin lacquer coating protects it. The read side, on the other hand, is protected by a thick coat of plastic designed to resist scratching and finger marks.

If you have managed to salvage you photo disks from the flood, you can clean the read (shiny) side by wiping from the center outwards with a mild soap and water solution, or a cleaning solution made for the purpose;  a lint-free cloth will usually clean off any dirt. You have to wipe gently, and from the center outwards.  Don't scrub and don't work in circles; go from the middle all the way out to the edge.

Unlike prints, you should not immerse the disks in water. There are special kits available that will repair some scratches, especially on the read side. They cost from $10 to $30 dollars at record stores, video game stores, and computer stores. They usually include cleaning solutions and a mild abrasive for polishing out scratches on the read side. 

Unfortunately, none of these help with the label side, and may make matters worse if used on the label, which is where most of the flood damage is likely to have occured. 

Apart from the proximity to the read layer, any damage to the label side makes the disk unstable, unreadable and may damage your drive if you try to use it.

If you have cleaned your disks and still can’t see your pictures, contact a specialist, because some images may be salvageable. It isn't a DIY job, but professional file retreival can sometimes get back some of the files that represent your photos. 

  

If you have prints you are in a much more secure position, especially if you have them in a traditional photo album. No matter how much photo albums appear to be damaged by mud and water, don't throw away your memories... photos can be saved!

There are slightly different steps you need to take, depending on how your photos were stored:

Method 1 is for individual  loose prints in a drawer or in the traditional shoe box:

Fill the bath or sink and put them in fresh water; keep wet until you can rinse them off one by one. Change the water frequently to dilute any chemicals in the water.  Don’t be tempted to use hot water, or even warm water - it can soften the emulsion or separate the photo from its backing paper.

As soon as you can, rinse each photo separately, taking care not to rub - you can easily remove the softened image, or at least, scratch it badly - use a sponge and clean them under the water.

Lay the prints out to dry as you go, face up on sheets of kitchen towel or butcher’s paper and allow to air dry. If you can’t do this indoors, make rure you keep them out of the sun and preferably where the wind won’t get at them: you don’t need more dirt blowing onto the drying prints and you certainly don’t want them to blow away.

Method 2 is for Matted and Dry-Mount Albums:

Fill a large container like a bath with fresh water - the more space your albums and prints have to swim, the better. Put the saturated albums or bundles of waterlogged photos into water as soon as possible. Don't let them dry out or they will stick together, which will make life harder for you.

Your pages and individual photos will gradually separate in the water over the next few hours. Don't rush it. Be patient and let the mud and rubbish float out. Resist the urge to force them apart.

Even if you have to leave them overnight, the soaking won't harm pictures printed on photographic paper, and although ink jet prints may be a bit more vulnerable, digital photo papers can also withstand prolonged soaking. Remember that "real" photos are soaked for hours in chemical baths and washed in water as part of the developmental process - all you are doing is giving them an extra bath to remove impurities added by the flood waters.

Once the photos have separated and look clean, gently wipe them with a sponge to remove any remaining grit. Do it without removing them from the water, and do it gently.

As you remove each photo from its bath, wash it again in a separate bowl of clean water. Rinse it off, then place it on folded clean paper towels or butcher’s paper (face up) and leave them to dry in a shady spot, not in direct sunlight.

In an hour or two your photos should have dried out. They will soon be ready to remount into new albums or photo frames.

Method 3 is for Slip-in Albums, “Magnetic” albums and Photo Frames:

While these albums and glass fronted frames may seem to offer more protection, the photos in them cannot dry out adequately and they will soon succumb to rot and mould; they will then be almost impossible to save.

Open the frames and remove the prints. If the frame includes a mat (the cardboard inner frame) it will probably have prevented the print from sticking to the glass - it is supposed to be attached to the print by one edge only, and should be very easy to remove; if not, leave it attached - in fact, if anything is adhering to the photo, especially the glass, place it in a bath of water along with the photo as in Method 2.

Plastic sleeves and magnetic albums (where the photo sticks to the paper and is covered by a sheet of plastic) are the most difficult to deal with. 
For the sleeves, you will need a razor blade to carefully cut away the edges of the plastic pocket. If you can’t slip the photo from the sleeve, try to remove the plastic from the back of the picture so that the clean water can penetrate and eventually loosen it from the front of the sleeve.

A magnetic album has strips of prepositionable adhesive on the page, but over time it tends to become permanent, and the plastic cover bonds with the print. It may be possible to partially lift the plastic to let the water begin to soak into the paper, but be careful not to damage the photos when you do this. If the page is thick enough, a very fine knife can be used to split the page at least part way to facilitate clean water getting into the paper.

General

While it is fine to let prints soak in clean water, the longer it takes to start the process, the less chance there is to save your photos. Placing them in large paper bags in a refrigerator can help to slow down the growth of moulds and preserve the photos until you can get to work on saving them. 

Never blow dry wedding or other precious photos, and don’t be tempted to put them in the microwave!

There are a number of generous photo labs who are offering to repair wedding, anniversary and other precious photos damaged in the Australian floods free of cost. If you need to contact one, send me an e-mail.

Thinking of Making Your own Wedding Album?

I won't say it the very best part of photographing a wedding; but it is very good, indeed - the look on the face of the newlyweds when they first see their album!

A professionally produced album is very impressive: the look and feel is something that can't be conveyed properly by screen shots or pdf draft pages.

You may think you know what it is like if you have seen the press printed books from DIY companies and stores -  but they are just not the same as the real thing. No, I am not criticising the Blurbs and Snapfishes and Harvey Normans out there: they do quite a nice photobook, for what they are. They may even look like a cheap option that is as "good as the real thing", but they are really not in the same class. They are not as cheap as they seem, either unless you are willing to settle for the smallest book with the minimum number of standard quality papers..

Why? Well, the design software is limited in what it can do (every company provides its own software); the paper stock and bindings are well below professional standard and limited in range compared with what is available to professional designers and photographers, and the range of formats is quite small. While a professional can make a book in virtually any length/height combination, the do-it-yourself books are limited to a small number of square and standard sizes - 5x7, A4, maybe A3. Often you have to settle for a landscape book when your photos really need a portrait album and vice versa.

Want a lay-flat album? Good luck! Want "real" photo printing on true photographic stock? Sorry - lower quality rotary press printing like that used for a magazine is the standard. How about an acrylic cover? Or a metallic print? Real leather? If you hunt around, you can find some of these options, but then you have to give up other features that you may also value, because the bindings on a standard album aren't strong enough to support these heavy covers without breaking. You may also be shocked by the cost...say $200 to add an acrylic cover to an A4 press printed album.

But, you say, I can print my own album on the web for $30. So you can! But add postage and handling, and it's now $50. Go beyond the minimum page numbers and you'll get no change from $200 for a 40 page book - and that's without quality page options and end papers. Look for a larger format like A3 and if you can get one at all in the style you like...an extra $450.


Not that many of these books ever actually get made. You'd be surprised by how many couples are still getting around to ii on their 5th anniversary! And that means I never get the joy of watching them take their album out of its presentation case for the first time (Oh yeah - presentation case, optional extra, $60).

One Nice Wedding Freebie

There are lots of freebies on offer for brides - most of them end up costing more than if you paid for them, and those that don't you probably didn't need anyway! There are a few essentials though, and close to the top of many brides "must have" lists are their hair styling and professional make-up for the wedding day.


Hair and make-up are a bit like photography... anyone can take a picture, but there is the world of difference between an amateur and a professional photographer, and it's the same with make-up.  And, as a wedding photographer I get annoyed at the time I have to spend  touching up photos because the bride's make-up artist let her down... Not that I would ever say anything to the bride - I just "fix" it in post production to  make sure that, in her wedding photos, she looks as gorgeous as she deserves to be on her wedding day.

How do you avoid make-up and hair disasters, and what does all this have to do with freebies? You should very politely refuse your cousin's best friend's offer to have her sister do your hair or your make-up; and hire a professional. If the cost seems too high, shop around or take up our offer of free hair styling and make-up (good for all brides booking with Practicaps Weddings). - and yes, that is an ad, sort of; but I imagine that there are other photographers who have a similar arrangement with their colleagues in the hair and make-up fraternity... ask them!

Many quality businesses are happy to be in these cross promotions - I work with two great hair and make-up artists (Cam Lam and Mina Arnaout), and a top spray tanning specialist (Tracy at Bare Mystique); it isn't just good for the brides, but it works for me - I can be confident that the girls will look their very best, that their make-up will last the whole, long day, that they are not going to be distressed by a hair or mascara malfunction... that makes my task so  much easier!

It's good for the make-up team, too, because the majority of brides who take up the offer have bridesmaids who need their hair and make-up done to the same standard, which covers the artists costs. A win-win situation.

Christmas and New Year - the Engagement Season

It's true - there are more people celebrating engagements this week than at any other time of the year - except possibly Valentine's Day.

What a Christmas present, what a New Years Resolution! And what a busy time for us wedding photographers... although it is often a question of having the confidence  to say "no" and wait for the Right couple.

I generally do not accept any commissions over the Christmas/New Year period. My children come home for those weeks and it's "family time" for Jean and me... so I have time to think through the requests and referrals that start to flow in. Some are obvious starters: the sister of a young man whose wedding I photographed in 2009 - She was a lovely Maid and I could never say "no" to her. And a bride who is planning to hike into the mountains after the ceremony for her Location Photos, even though it means getting changed in a bush clearing: that  appeals to me.



Others are less obvious; locations like the beautiful Eschol Park House are always a draw (my Wife's favourite venue) and we will probably accept the request for that, although it is a budget photo package.

An enquiry from a keen scrap booker who wants to do her own album is tempting, just to see what she does with out images - the others, well I'll just have to wait until I meet the prospective clients; how we get on together really makes all the difference.