Wedding Photography Disaster – how to avoid it?

About us – the photographers

We have been photographing weddings since 2012. Altogether we have photographed over 300 weddings. Wedding photography is both my and my husband’s full time job. This means we can properly focus on every couple and deliver the best possible photography for them. As experienced wedding photographers we thought it would be good to share some tips and tricks with you about how to avoid a wedding photography disaster.

We have invested money, time and energy in various wedding photography trainings. We have been trained by the best in the industry and have won numerous international awards for our work.

What is wedding photography about?

Wedding photography is not about just pressing that button and snapping away. For us and our couples it is all about that careful preparation. We are working together, getting to know each other and when the wedding day finally comes – we know WHAT, WHEN and HOW to photograph. Wedding photography is so personal and so special.

Our photography focuses on capturing the emotions of the day. We’ll capture your dad’s tears when he sees you in your wedding dress, your friends drinking tequilas and doing crazy dance floor moves. We are always hunting for those special fleeting, happy and emotional moments.

So you’re looking for your wedding photographer?

If you are, you have probably already heard that wedding photography is one of your most important investments? If you think about it the flowers, decorations, makeup and food will be gone. You might keep your dress, guestbook and cards as memories but what about the FEEL OF YOUR DAY? How are you going to remember that?

If you make the wrong choice you might only be left with disappointment, regret and pure anger. Photos are memories, they are your family legacy. Wedding albums are something your kids and their kids will be looking at. And they will love and treasure those memories.

You don’t want to make THAT one big mistake. Now is the time to do everything to avoid that wedding photography disaster.

So how to choose the right photographer?

What can you do to make sure you’ve just chosen the right photographer?

1. Do you like that photographer’s style? Do the photos feel natural or are they too posed? When you look at couples’ faces on the photos – are they happy or do they look awkward? If the photos FEEL good to you, you’re on the right track.
2. When you contact that photographer, does the conversation feel like a transaction? Or maybe it is a natural chat? Does the photographer try to SELL or does he prefer to get to know you first? Communication between the couple and the photographer is key – does it feel right for you? In the end you want to feel comfortable on your wedding day.
3. So the photos feel good, the chat is natural. Let’s dig deeper. Wedding photography is one of your biggest investments. Hence the next question – is hiring that particular photographer SAFE?

Is your wedding photographer an expert in his/her field?

TEN things to consider

Can you put trust in that wedding photographer? How on Earth can you know the answer to that question? Well there are a few things that can help you decide and avoid wedding photography disaster:

1. WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Not all awards are equal. Some are more prestigious whereas others are not. Many great photographers don’t want to take part in any competitions. So not having a prestigious award doesn’t mean you’re not good. We have won prestigious international awards for both single images and stories. TWIA Best Wedding photographer 2019 that we’ve also won is based on what our couples think about our work. That award tells us that our clients are happy with our work. We are also top 100 best wedding photographers in the UK for 2020 according to DSLR Lounge.

2. TESTIMONIALS

We have published so many of them on our website. They all come from our clients via the Wedding Industry Awards. TWIA, after the voting process has always given us feedback from our couples. We have 4 years’ worth of testimonials.

2018 – TWIA REGIONAL WINNER 2019 – the testimonials

2017 – TWIA REGIONAL HIGHLY COMMENDED 2018 – the testimonials

2016 – wedding photography testimonials

2015 – kind words about our work – PART 1 and PART 2

3. CONTRACTS AND CONTINGENCY PLANS

It’s always good to have a contract and know what happens if we have another Coronavirus and you have to postpone your wedding. What happens if I break my leg and end up in hospital – that is also covered in the contract. Having a contract and a good contingency plan will definitely help you avoid wedding photography disaster.

4. RECOMMENDATIONS

We photograph many weddings thanks to the word of mouth. Our previous couples recommend us to their friends. We also get recommended by our amazing local venues and wedding suppliers and we are so grateful for that.

5. FULL TIME WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER?

Is photography their only source of income? In our case yes. This is our only job and the good thing about it is that we can 100% focus on our couple and on their day. There are no second jobs, night shifts, tiredness, distractions.

6. DO THEY HAVE THE INSURANCE?

We have both the public liability and professional indemnity insurance. It’s good to be insured. Always.

7. WHAT ABOUT THE LIGHT?

Can your photographer handle all types of light? Direct sunlight causes harsh shadows and squinting. How about the lack of light or very low light conditions? Churches are dark, some venues are dark too, how does your photographer handle that problem? What about the night photos? Sometimes, especially during winter, the sun sets at 4pm. What if you have to have the group pictures after that? Or the speeches are in the candle lit dark barn? We are all about the light – natural, artificial – have a look at our portfolio. We can shoot in every possible scenario and achieve lovely, sharp and well lit images.

8. DO THEY SHOOT IN MANUAL MODE?

Many photographers, especially the beginners shoot on auto or aperture priority. We know that – that was our beginnings too but we charged £300 for the full day wedding back then. And as you can imagine, there was a reason why we only charged that for the full day. Our photography back in 2012 was nowhere near the quality we are proud of today.

9. ARE THEY CREATIVE?

We LOVE playing with light, shadows, shapes and movement and creating unique images. The majority of our photography is reportage and natural. But we really LOVE playing so if the couple is up for it – we’ll play and create something unique for them. Playing = being creative.

10. PRINTED ALBUMS AND SAMPLES

Have you seen their printed albums? We have lots of examples. Let’s meet up, we’ll show you everything.

Wedding photography price

The price can’t always put you in the right direction but the general rule of thumb is – the more the photographer charges, the more experienced he/she is and the better your images will be. On one hand I know photographers who are so confident, that they charge a lot but many of them don’t capture the soul and emotions of the day. This is just business for them and this is quite easy to detect during that first chat. But not always, so please make sure you look at their portfolio carefully. If their images speak to you, they might be your ideal wedding photographers.

Now, let’s chat about cheap wedding photography. You get what you pay for and cheap photography is very often bad photography. Not everything can be fixed in Photoshop there is so much to photography than just pressing the button. You at least have to know how and when to press it. Experience, expertise makes a huge difference here. Saving money on wedding photography is a very risky business. What if a family member or your friend photographs your wedding? Well… that’s another story for another blog.

Was this blog post helpful?

We really hope so. Please let us know if you have questions. Maybe you’d like to have a quick chat with us to find out if we are the right photographers for you? Also, here’s 10 TOP TIPS for booking your wedding photographer, have a look.

Get in touch with us

Thanks so much! We can’t wait to hear from you. Marta & Artur