By Dean Robson LBIPP Qualified – RT Weddings

How to find a professional wedding photographer

April 18, 2011 on 5:36 pm | In Information | No Comments

After listening to the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2 (www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/) this morning I thought I would share some of the very useful information they offered, as they were having an interesting discussion regarding wedding photographers, including the differences between a good one and a bad one.

The show began with several complaints regarding cheap photographers who were charging as little as £350 for video or photography, and as a result the couples were left very unhappy and disappointed with the quality of service and the end products. Problems included, key moments missed, shots were out of focus, or missing heads, photographers turned up late, the coverage was quite small and only a fraction of the photographs were any good. As a professional wedding photographer I am always very saddened to hear horror stories regarding wedding photography.

A wedding planner, Sarah Haywood from Oxford (www.sarahhaywood.com) spoke to Jeremy and had some great points, so great that I felt the need to share them with you.

Sarah explains: “Poor wedding photography is one of the biggest let downs for couples after their wedding and there is a reason for that, they are not doing the research, there are 100’s of fantastic wedding photographers up and down this land, but this joker was charging £350”. She continues, “Good photographers cost money because they have got overheads, they have got costly equipment to maintain and post production takes time. If you can charge £350 then it’s just pocket money and you are not taking it seriously or you are rubbish!”.

“If somebody says to you I can photograph your wedding for a few hundred pounds and I can do you a video, regard this with great suspicion. One of the main problems with every area of wedding planning is that couples don’t do the research. It is all to easy for someone to buy a fancy camera, put up a simple website and set him or herself up as a professional wedding photographer, so it is your job to do your homework”.

“this is how you do it, if you are getting married and you are looking for a professional photographer go online, look and seek out photographers doing work that you like the look of. When you have done that you must arrange to meet them. When you meet them ask to see albums of complete weddings. You want to see the story of those weddings from start to finish, not albums of best shots as anyone can put those together. You want to see that the work of these people is consistently good and that’s why you hire a professional. Amateurs can do quite a good job but won’t be consistently good so it is up to you to do your homework.”

I was so impressed with Sarah’s comments I felt I should share them with you on my blog. I would like to echo her key points again.

When looking for a wedding photographer:

1)      Look on-line to find a photographer

2)      Make sure you like the style and look of their work

3)      Arrange to meet them in person

4)      Make sure they have albums of complete weddings

5)      Check that their work is consistently good

6)      Expect to pay a professional price

You only get one chance to take the perfect wedding photographs so make sure you book a professional!

By Dean Robson – RT Weddings (April 2011) Professional Wedding Photographer for Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent

Cheslyn Gardens Watford Wedding Photography

April 14, 2011 on 11:43 am | In Wedding Features | No Comments

On Saturday I photographed a wedding for Dawn and Paul which took place at All Saints Church Leavesden and the Ramad Jarvis Hotel in Watford with a special photo location in between.

I arrived at the brides home on the afternoon of a gorgeous sunny day which was a great surprise for April.

After capturing all of the pre-wedding moments I then moved on to All Saints Leavesden church (www.allsaintschurchleavesden.com) where I have photographed before.

After the ceremony I took the group photographs at the church because the reception venue doesn’t have any grounds suitable for this.

The guests all went on to the Ramada Jarvis whilst myself and the couple headed for a different location for some romantic photographs. We went to Cheslyn Gardens (www.watford.gov.uk) which is labelled “a garden oasis in Watford” and we were definitely not disappointed.

What a great location for photographs and the wedding car was supplied by S&K Cars (www.sandkcars.com). We then moved on to the Ramada Jarvis Watford (www.ramadajarvis.co.uk/hotels/watford.aspx) for the wedding reception.

I thought this was a unique idea, a special place to leave your thoughts (www.wishyouwell.co.uk).

I had a great time with Dawn & Paul and it was a lot of fun too!

By Dean Robson – RT Weddings (April 2011) Professional Wedding Photographer for Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent

Emerald Suite London Wedding Photography

April 13, 2011 on 11:47 am | In Wedding Features | No Comments

At the end of February I photographed this wedding for Vicky and Dan which took place at Our Lady of Mount Carmel & St George church in Enfield and also at the Emerald Suite which is in the North London Business Park.

I arrived at the brides home on a rather wet and chilly Saturday morning to capture the pre-wedding moments.

I then took the short drive to the church in Enfield where ceremony took place.

As we exited the church there was a brief break in the rain so I took some family group photographs as quickly as I could and as we finished the rain began again.

We then took the drive to the Emerald Suite and again the rain halted for a few moments.

I was so pleased we managed to get some photographs outside and right on cue the rain started just as we’d finished. It was then time for the meal and ofcouse the speeches.

As with most of my wet weddings, I then set up my studio backdrop and took some evening guest portraits and family photographs which just adds something different to the collection of photographs and is my way of making up for any opportunities missed due to bad weather.

I had a lovely day photographing Vicky and Dan’s wedding. The evening went very well and it was time for one last moment, the first dance.

By Dean Robson – RT Weddings (April 2011) Professional Wedding Photographer for Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent