Wedding Photographers versus Videographers

...Is a question I frequently get asked by clients.... My reply is pretty straight forward. There is no versus. Wedding Videography offers a different product and service to photography. Videography can record aspects of a wedding that photography can't and vice versa. For example, stills can't record a bridal couples' vows, or record word for word, the speeches.
In essence, Videography records a couples wedding day in a different way.. The music of the first dance, the interviews with various guests wishing the couple the very best for their future lives together, sharing fun stories about them.

As they say, a photograph is worth a thousand words. It literally captures and brings into sharp focus (no pun actually intended!), and holds forever, a split second in time -the look on the bridegroom's face when he sees his bride for the very first time; the look on a couples face when they are pronounced man and wife; the look of emotion or laughter when a bride looks to her father when he is making his speech; or the spectacular set piece photographs of a Bride & Groom that work beautifully as a photograph but not on video...

The bottom line is that Photography and Videography compliment each other rather than be alternatives...
In my many years of experience, for most couples, videography is usually something of a luxury and is only included if their budget allows for the extra cost involved.

What I would say is that if possible, videography should be included when planning a wedding simply for the same reason as booking a wedding photographer. Your wedding day is so important; so special and unrepeatable, that not to make sure you have it beautifully photographed and filmed really restricts the day to memory (which let's face it fades with time) and sadly ends up being a false economy. After all, after the food has been eaten, the champagne drunk; the flowers wilted and the band has left, photographs and video are a couples' lifelong record of their wedding day.

Finding the right Wedding Photographer

You have found your dream wedding venue; tasted and chosen your food; found a great florist and got your invitations organised but what about your wedding photographers? From my 15 years working in the wedding photography industry and having met and worked for hundreds and hundreds of couples, finding and choosing the right photographer is by far one of the hardest jobs facing any bridal couple. With so much choice and so many options to choose from, where to find someone you can trust is the simplest of questions but is one that is  incredibly complicated to answer! 

Currently, it is estimated that for every one florist; caterer or dress company serving wedding couples in the UK today, there are 10 wedding photographers!! A staggering statistic -and for the wedding couple trying to find someone they like and trust to photograph one of the most important days in their lives      - ever - is simply mind boggling. Not that it need be. Read on and learn how you can pick your way through the maze and find the wedding photographers that are right for you. 

Starting your Search....... 

One of the reasons why there are so many wedding photographers to choose from is that it is a largely unregulated industry, with no legal qualifications to operate in and a very low entry cost. Literally anyone can buy themselves a mid-priced camera; print themselves a business card and describe themselves as a professional wedding photographer. 

At the same time there are lots of keen amateurs with reasonably sophisticated kit who love taking photographs as a hobby. Just about every family has someone who will fit that description. Getting married? Why don't you let me take snaps of your wedding - that way you can save yourselves lots of money! Sound familiar? 

Maybe you have a friend studying photography at college or know someone who is just starting out in the business but has never photographed a wedding professionally before. Everyone needs to start somewhere right?  Certainly it's very tempting. Saving money in harsh economic times such as we are in right now and for the forseeable, is always attractive. My advice however is please don't! 

Not because I make my living from photographing weddings, but because you need to consider the awful risks that you will take by not choosing a highly experienced creative professional. Realising that someone who knows exactly what they are doing and will produce not just amazing photographs of your wedding day but will fill you with great emotion as you relive your wedding day through your photographs is actually what you need. 

Choosing a Professional Versus Not.........

Here's a question to ask yourselves: How much money do you plan to spend on decorating your wedding with flowers? - the displays in the place you are choosing to marry; your table and reception decorations -£1000? £1500? -perhaps more? 


How much might you be willing to pay for your wedding car? Or maybe something really different such as a horse and carriage, OR a surprise Ferrari for your future him indoors to show off in? Fabulous and special parts of your wedding as they undoubtedly are, when you consider value for money and how much time you get to enjoy them (part of a day at best), and compare that to the cost and value of stunning wedding photographs, then to be fair, there really isn't any comparison. 
Sadly, your flowers will have gone by the end of the day, your wonderful food eaten and your champagne drunk; your wedding car has left, the only part of your wonderful day remaining (other than yourselves, your family and friends of course), is your wedding day photography collection. Lasting a lifetime - it has simply got to be the best value for money part of any couples' dream day.

Another question to consider is:  Given that your wedding day is so special; so magical and unrepeatable -would you want to risk the most important record of your day (your wedding photographs), being left to chance and placed in the hands of a keen amateur, a student or perhaps someone just starting out? Primarily in order to be able to save money? What happens if it all goes horribly wrong? What happens if you are left trying to cobble together photographs from the camera phones of family & friends? Worse still - what happens then if you have nothing use-able or even like? 

Okay -where to start looking and how to know who you can trust. There are a number of things that you can do without involving too much work.

Your Venue

A good place to start. Ask your wedding co-ordinator at your venue who they might recommend. They usually have two or three very experienced wedding photographers who they trust. View their sample books at the venue. Decide if you like their work and get in touch. Myself, as owner of contemporary wedding photographers, Henley Wedding Photography are, for example, featured wedding photographers at Monkey Island Hotel, Bray; Taplow House Maidenhead and The Oakley Court Hotel and Spa, Windsor, amongst others in the Thames Valley area and in London.   

Recommendations  

From family and friends - its worth checking out the wedding photographers they used. Perhaps you might have met photographers at a wedding; liked them and their approach on the day and maybe even bought some of their work.

The Internet 

Search either the area local to where you live or to where you plan to marry. Use bridal sites such as My OK! Wedding www.myokwedding.co.uk UkBride Wedding Planners (social networking for brides) www.ukbride.co.uk  or regional magazines such as Berks & Bucks Weddings www.yourberksbuckswedding.co.uk All are great places to start. 

Wedding search terms that I might suggest trying are for example contemporary wedding photographers Berkshire 

Bridal Shows

Meet photographers at bridal fairs or venue shows. A good way to meet photographers personally and see their work at first hand. 

How to Choose

1. To begin with, I suggest compiling a list of no more than 10 photographers

2. Initially select on the ones whose photographs and style that appeal to you both 

3. Only choose very experienced photographers with a proven track record

4. Choose photographers who belong to and are qualified by the leading UK professional   

    organisations such as the British Institute of Professional Photography; The Master

    Photographers Association or the Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers

5. Double check that their qualifications are legitimate by checking their details against the

    websites of the organisations they say they belong to

  

All professional organisations in the UK qualify and grade their members the same way and use the same standards. Photographers must submit work to admissions panels for consideration and must demonstrate their ability and professionalism before they can be awarded qualification and membership. The levels of qualification are Licientiate (good basic standard); Associate (a high standard of work and experience) or Fellow (the highest and very best); so look out for letters after a photographers name like LSWPP ABIPP or FMPA. 

Having these qualifications gives you the peace of mind you need. This means that you can be sure of their creative and professional ability and experience. It also reassures you that should anything go wrong, you will be able to get appropriate help and redress. Its also worth pointing out that the more experienced a photographer is and the higher their qualification, the more you should expect to spend on your photography. After all, as with all things - the better someone is at doing their jobs - the better quality you can expect to receive and the more that costs. In other words you get what you pay for. 

Qualified members will be insured and should be Home Office CRB checked as well. 

6. Narrow your final choice of photographers down to a manageable number 3 professionals. Ask to

    see them and their work in person. Check their qualifications and that they are fully insured and

    CRB checked.

7. Choose first on the quality of their work and second on personality (after all as wedding

    photographers, we spend more time with a bridal couple than any one else on your wedding day

    - so it is really important that you like them and would feel really comfortable with them) and

    thirdly on price. 
    It really is worth paying that little extra to get great work rather than just competent work.     
    After all your wedding photographs will become a family heirloom and will be a

    treasured part of your and your family's story for many decades to follow. 

8. Ask for client testimonials from your selection of 3 final choices. After that - follow your

    instincts as to your final choice - you will be almost certainly be right

9. Lastly, should your chosen photographer be asking fees above the amount you would prefer to

    spend, talk to them......... ask them if they would be willing to accommodate you on price - or

    meet you half way. At the end of the day, business is business and most photographers I know

    (including me) would be willing to shave something off in order to win your commission rather

    than lose the chance of working for you.  

What you should expect to spend

Like everything, what you pay is what you get. You should invest well in your wedding photography as it is such an important and unrepeatable day in your lives. Don't be tempted to cut corners because it always proves to end up being a false economy and usually always costs more. 

You should expect to need to pay around £1400 for photography and upwards of £700 for a high quality wedding book that presents your stunning photographs beautifully and in a very fitting way. Be very wary of very low quotes - anything under £700 I would suggest is a benchmark figure to look out for. Why? As yourself how they could photograph your wedding and deliver excellent photographs for such a small amount? Low prices suggest that the photographer is a student or new to the business and keen to get some experience so pitches low to get your commission. Do you really want someone with such little experience photographing your wedding day? Maybe the price being asked is because the photographer in question just isn't very good....


Back to pricing....There are a mind boggling array of prices and options on offer - often confusing and complicated -your starting point should be to ask yourselves what kind of coverage and how long you would like to have photographers stay with you on your day. Maybe just part of a day - maybe the whole day. 

You should remember that the longer you want photographers to attend your wedding, the more you should expect to pay - after all, as they say, time is money. Don't forget that the photographer's work isn't done when he or she leaves. Digital photography processes and techniques now means that a photographer now needs to spend up to 2 working days in front of their very expensive computers using very costly software in order to post produce all your finished images to a high standard of creative quality. Typically it takes me around 16 hours to post produce a client's wedding collection and make it ready for presentation. Add the time involved in shooting  a pre-wedding photography session and the associated post production, printing and framing and any other products and services you might choose, and you can begin to appreciate how much time and cost is involved - far more than there appears to be.

It may be of no surprise that wedding books come in a even more mind boggling array of prices, styles; choices and sizes. However, books do fall into two main types - the first is the digital story book - printed and bound like a coffee-table type book they are very modern and laid out magazine style. The world leaders in this type of book are GraphiStudio of Italy www.graphistudio.com Presented in ultra modern display cases with typical Italian design flair they are created to make a bold statement. 

The second type are the more classical style combined with a very contemporary feel and finish. The world leaders in these individually printed and hand made books types of book are Queensberry of New Zealand www.queensberry.com Offering a wide range of books - they are a very stylish and classical way to show off your beautiful photographs. Equally stunning is the range of similar books designed and created by Jorgensen of Australia www.jorgensenalbums.com available through UK agents www.swpm.net 

Of course there are lots more companies and products to choose from but these three book designers are considered the best in the world today. 

At Henley Wedding Photography, we offer our clients all three of these ranges. Featuring your own choice of photographs, we design each of our clients books uniquely, presenting them with electronic page layouts for their approval (and modification if needed) before sending them through to their chosen design house for production. This ensures that our clients get exactly what they want and have a book that is unlike any one else which makes their books even more special and important. 

Need more help or information? 

I hope my blog has been useful to you. Please feel free to contact me at any time by phone, text or email if you would like more information or help. I will be glad to assist you if I can. 

Please check out my short You Tube video below to check out more of my recent work or check out my website  www.henleyweddingphotography.com  

Duncan MacBrayne ABIPP ASWP is the principal photographer and owner of contemporary wedding photographers, Henley Wedding Photography based in Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Qualified to Associateship level of both the British Institute of Professional Photography www.bipp.com and the Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers  www.swpp.co.uk

Duncan is also fully insured -covered for both Professional Indemnity; Public Liability and possesses a currently valid Home Office Extended CRB Check certificate.

E:  duncan@henleyweddingphotography.com 

T:  0118 94 3505

M: 0791 771 7567

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