Albert Palmer - Bristol Wedding Photographer - Blog

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2010-03-09T11:19:00.001-08:00

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Wedding Photography Albums Bristol

2010-03-08T23:57:00.000-08:00

When I started full time in the wedding photography business over a year ago one of the many things I wasn’t prepared for were wedding albums. I have done a fair bit of second shooting but never used this time to find out about wedding albums. I have a fairly solid print background so design and layout is something I enjoy. In fact I’d go so far as to say that I’m actually pretty good at it. But when I started getting enquiries about wedding albums I wasn’t quite sure who I could find in Bristol to print them. I was not interested in the cheap photo books that you can buy for £30 on the high street or online. I know I’m a budget photographer but this is due to my lack of experience, not the quality of my work. So I wanted to offer high quality albums that would last generations, not two years.

After a few days of calling around and making enquiries I couldn’t find a local Bristol firm who offered this service. I wasn’t able to find one! This was a bit of a shock as I had assumed with the wealth of creative people in this city I would easily come across a few companies who I could build a relationship with. I decided to inquire among my fellow photographers and after a bit of research decided to order a sample album from Loxley Colour. I was really impressed with the quality and decided to buy an album and fill it with examples of my own work.

I decided to order a brown, leather bound flush mount album with a printed cover. It arrived two days later wrapped like nothing I have unwrapped before! I have been using it to show my work to potential clients and also as an example of what my wedding albums look like. I’ve been thrilled about the positive feedback and also that my clients like my work.

Since using Loxley and offering wedding albums to clients I have been lucky enough to see my work in glorious print almost every month. The colours really stand out and the turning the thick pages is a real joy.

That said, if anyone knows of a company that prints wedding photography albums in or around Bristol then please leave a comment. I’d really like to be able to work with a local company.

Efficient Wedding Photography for Modern Wedding Formals

2010-03-03T04:08:00.000-08:00

I recently stumbled over a great tip from wedding photographer extraordinaire Jasmine Star. I thought I would share it with anyone reading this blog as it's a real scorcher. Granted, not a resident in Bristol, but she writes a great blog and regularly shares her inspiring work. Iâ€™m always after tips to improve the efficiency of photographing weddings, especially the formals. Formal shots can be fun to shoot and Bristol has some great traditional wedding locations. When you mix this with my modern style of photography the results are always great to look and make long lasting memories that I am proud of.

That said formal shots aren't traditionally a fun thing for the bride and groom or the guests. Understandably they would rather be spending time together rather than looking at me behind a black box! The one thing that slows the process down is the organisation of people. Up until now I have always started with the Bride and then worked my way up to the whole wedding party. This has worked well and I can get the whole thing done in about 30-40 minutes. My assistant ticks off the shots as we go and lets me know which shot comes next.

Jasmine recommends you do the opposite. Start with a big group. Pose them well and then strip away the guests, friends and then the family with each shot. This saves people hanging around who are not needed until the end. It also saves a lot of reposing with every shot taken. My next wedding has an unusually large number of formal shots. There are about 25 as the bride has a large number of relatives coming from overseas. Itâ€™s going to take a long time whatever method I use but I'm hoping this method will shave a few minutes off what will be a long session.

Doing new things is sometimes a bit scary but I'm relatively confident this will work wonders.

Wedding Photography Post Processing Trends

2010-03-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

I got in to an interesting discussion with a prospective client about post processing trends. We were having a wedding consultation and he commented that he liked the 'cleanness' of my photographs (thanks!) in contrast to some of the other local Bristol photographers he has met. I asked him what he meant by this just as a talking point to make sure I understood his meaning and to get some feedback. He responded that the last photographer's images were very grainy.

He put this down to the photographer's camera ability which is an astute assessment but it made me laugh because I have noticed a lot of photographers, not necessarily in Bristol but world wide adding Photoshop grain to their images in an attempt to give them a film like quality. Personally I think this can look really good when done well. I have experimented with it because I like this effect but I don't think it is for me. I see a lot of this and when it isn't done subtly looks BAD (like most post processing.) The effect seems artistic and gives the photograph a feel and quality that you don't often see in today's digital age.

This got me thinking about post processing techniques, when to use them and why. It's that compromise that exists in photography. Do you risk being creative and original with the knowledge that this may effect sales? Or do you shoot and process images to make them sell?

Grain is just one example. Textures, 70's polaroid colours, selective colouring, vintage effects and HDR are other examples I have seen which seem to go through phases of popularity.

I like to think I try and fit in the middle. Where the photograph needs a little something to make it come alive I will use a certain post processing technique. But I try and shoot in camera with my own style tailored towards what I have discussed with the bride and groom. I think it's good to be creative and do your own thing whether that's in camera or post processing (as long as it's doesn't involve selective colouring!)

Bristol Wedding Photography Blog Back

2010-02-26T10:09:00.001-08:00

Just a quick note to any readers that I have made some big changes so that the pages now load properly! I feel pretty stupid writing this but I wasn't aware that archived pages on the main blog page weren't formatting properly. Not only this, it was not possible to navigate to any of the other pages of my website. This solved the 'why isn't anyone clicking through to see my gallery etc.' mystery that that I've been wondering about for the last few months!

This all arose as I decided to delete a few photographs that weren't being used on my wedding photography website. I then decided to have a look at the broken links report to see whether I needed to re-link anything. This showed me that there were a lot more broken links than I thought so I decided to investigate.

I discovered the page error and it took two hours to figure out why it was happening (not too hard) and then think of a solution (not so easy!)

Anyway, everything is now displaying as it should. I plan on making a few more visual changes to the Bristol wedding photography blog so that archived pages look a little nicer, but at least readers can read my blog entries ee the web pages as they are supposed to be!

Cheap Wedding Photographers

2010-02-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

There are lots of photographers in Bristol - a wealth of them. And plenty of wedding photographers so pricing is an interesting and controversial question.

I was recently reading an article by a popular ‘new media photographer’ which really made my blood boil. This doesn’t happen often but I felt compelled to share my view about cheap wedding photographers. The article I read said that wedding photographers should not undercut others in the market. He gave three reasons: firstly it devalues your work, secondly it means you don’t provide quality to your clients and thirdly it damages the industry as a whole.

I’ve heard these arguments many times and I agree up to a point. The point is that everyone has to start somewhere. It’s that old catch 22 situation. No one will hire you if you don’t have experience, but how can you get experience when no one will hire you? The solution: charge according to your skill and experience. You can’t charge as much as someone with 10 years experience if you have only been doing it for 6 months. As long as your customers understand your experience and have seen examples of your work I see no issue. Weddings are expensive and everyone has a budget. Very few people who hire budget wedding photographers are looking to pay more than they have to. They understand they won’t receive the same quality of work as a photographer who charges £2,000 + but they are happy to pay a few hundred pounds to get something reasonable.

Price is not necessarily an indicator of quality. You don’t have to charge the earth for good service and a certain quality of photography. It’s all about how you want to market yourself. Do you charge a small amount to attract more custom or charge a lot and shoot fewer weddings? When you’re starting out you probably want to get as much experience under your belt as possible.

Are budget wedding photographers damaging the industry? I don’t think they are. If an experienced photographer is loosing out on sales to a weekend warrior then there is something wrong. It might be expectation, marketing, quality or attitude (to name a few.)

My second point to make is that you need to raise your prices as your knowledge, experience and skill grow. If you continue to sell yourself for less than your worth, you will end up damaging yourself, your clients and the industry.

Another step to improving my photography business

2010-02-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

I just got back to Bristol from a holiday (hence the break in blog posts) and I've been thinking about productivity and how I can make more from my time.

I was recently reading a blog post from Martin Bailey, who, whilst not a wedding photographer is one of my favourite nature photographers and podcasters. He wrote a blog post that really made me think hard. This doesn't often happen with many of the blogs I follow. He was answering a question about how he finds the time to balance a day job with the success of his photography. He disclosed that he believed in an 80-20 rule where only 20% of what you do results in 80% of your success. He goes on to say that if this is true you need to concentrate on the 20% of things that make a difference and reduce the 80% of things that don't. This really struck a chord with me as I know a lot of the time I spend does not benefit my wedding photography business. Hell, a lot of the stuff I do doesn't even benefit me - I just do the 80% because I always have.

So what am I going to change? I spend a lot of time reading about technology. It started when I had a job which didn't really satisfy me and I had a lot of spare time to fill. This has gone on for a while and has grown to the point where I need to now start cutting back. Going through my RSS feed is like a blur, scanning through countless articles trying to find something of genuine interest. The amount of time I will save by reducing the amount of content I consume will go on developing my website and marketing, something I have been trying to 'get around to' for a long time.

I have always wanted my own business, and photography is something I know I am really good at. Not just quite good, but good enough that people offer me money for my photographs. I’ve always read that realising your life passion requires dedication and sacrifice. I’ve never doubted that but never made any serious steps to address that in my own actions. Hopefully cutting out all the unnecessary clutter will allow me to take some serious steps forward in improving my wedding photography business.

Wedding photography business idea

2010-01-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is something I have been thinking about for a while. When a couple visit my website it would be a great way for them to read testimonials about the experience other couples have had with me and my wedding photography.

Whilst I want to keep my site as simple as possible I will soon be adding a testimonials page to help improve my photography business.

For example I was thrilled to receive positive feedback from Rob and Katie whose wedding I photographed just after Christmas at Cadbury house. It was great to read how much they liked my work and how easy it was to work with me. I don't often like to blow my own horn, preferring instead to let my photography speak for itself. However I don't think this is going to take me to the next level and a bit of marketing like this will help drive sales. I will be putting my shyness aside in the hope that this will help me generate more business in and around Bristol.

Cadbury House, Bristol Wedding Photographer

2010-01-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Well I'm waiting for 2462 photos to render in Lightroom so I thought I would write a quick blog post. It was a really nice wedding in Cadbury House, just outside Bristol. A great venue and the lighting was pretty good. It was a much better venue to photograph a wedding in than others I have visited in the area.

Whilst I was there I got chatting to a few of the groom's friends about video and whether I would offer it at weddings. My answer was no.

I keep hearing people say that video is the future, that we will shoot clips of video and take a few of the good frames out to use as stills. However I just don't see it happening. Or rather I don't want to see this happen!

As much as I appreciate video and the technology that allows us to use it in a DSLR I think it would be a nail in the coffin for the skills that make us great photographers. It used to be that very few people were interested in taking the pictures because it was technically quite difficult. For some reason I quite like this idea but it is also great that photography is accessible to everyone. If it wasn't I probably wouldn't have started. But nowadays you don't have to think about exposure or focusing because the camera does it all for you in a microsecond. Whilst I appreciate this and certainly wouldn't be able to get half the shots I do without it I feel like we're in a good place.

I strongly believe that the end result is all that matters and how you get there doesn't matter. But a changing of the genre isn't something I'm not so sure I like.

Bristol Wedding Photographer - Hotel Du Vin

2009-12-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

I'm really looking forward to photographing a wedding at the Hotel Du Vin this weekend. I'll be taking a new second photographer along with me this time. It will be really handy to have him to carry my kit around as I plan on using some big lights for the formals. Shooting weddings in winter can be a real pain due to the lack of light. I'll be bouncing flashes off the walls and ceiling rather than counting on high ISO wide apertures. The quality of light can be very natural and lighting is what good photography is all about.

Which Bag For A Wedding Photographer?

2009-11-18T12:55:00.001-08:00

So I recently needed a new bag for my wedding photography and this is what I bought. The Lowepro D400 AW Stealth Reporter. I already own a Lowepro Vertex 200 AW which almost carries the lot. The problem with a rucksack for the wedding photographer is that:

a) A rucksack can be quite bulky and certainly isn't discrete. Sure, I will pack it with everything to travel to the venue but then I'd take what I need and leave it somewhere secure.
b) Changing lenses takes way too long. To have to take the bag off, unzip it, switch lenses, zip it back up, put it back on will mean you miss the moment every time.

So I decided on buying a shoulder bag mainly because I need to change lenses on the go. Sure I use two cameras with two lenses but you still want to switch the wide-angle to the telephoto from time to time. I bought it from Jacobs Photography in Bristol on Whiteladies Road. The staff were really nice and they also had the 550AW and the 600AW. Whilst I had my mind set on the 550AW going in to the shop I quickly decided against it.

Sure it was a lot more capacity for a very small amount of money more however I wasn't prepared for how big it was! It genuinely is a lot bigger than the 400AW. To the point where it becomes the kind of bag you use for carrying a lot of gear from point A to point B rather than the kind of bag you carry around with you on the go. Not to mention that using a shoulder bag to carry gear around puts you under a lot more strain than a rucksack. Still, if you carry your camera(s) in your hand, or on another strap using this as a lens bag makes perfect sense in my mind.

The 400AW carries a 70-200/2.8 attached to the body (a 5DMKII) without any problems. I don't think it would carry a 300mm or a 100-400 though.

Whilst the image shows what I have in it, I would say you could carry another lens if you needed to. In addition there is a lot of space for wedding photography business cards, memory cards, a rocket blower and other small stuff.

Anyway, I hope this has been useful. Let me know what you think.

www.bertpalmer.com
Bristol Wedding Photographer

Bristol Wedding Photographer - Using Window Light

2009-11-08T01:58:00.000-08:00

As part of the flickr Bristol Strobist group I was lucky enough to photograph Marina if only for an hour or two. I really jump at the chance to photograph models, especially when they wear a white dress as this really makes me think about the lighting because it can be challenging. When it comes to using off camera flash I consider myself to be able to hold my own up to a point. I've had a good amount of studio experience, but when it comes to venue's things are a bit different! I'm certainly no master but I have a good idea about what will work and what won't.

Sometimes it won't!

The shot here was done with window light only. I tried various setups with strobes, reflectors and all of that but I couldn't deny how good the light was and so turned the strobes off. I'm really trying to push off camera flash at the weddings I do. It really gives a different feel to the photographs, but sometimes the the best shots come naturally.

As an aside Ashton Court Mansion on the outside of Bristol seems like an amazing wedding venue from the point of view of the photographer. The grounds a stunning and I think you could get some really striking formal photographs in this location.

Bristol Wedding Photographer - Second Shooting

2009-10-26T14:34:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post while I have some time. I've been trying to do some more second shooting of late. I always find it a good opportunity to be creative and enjoy myself slightly more when not quite so much pressure is on me. It's also a good way of learning a little bit more about the business, as whilst I am happy with what I am doing (or my customers are more to the point) I have to be realistic that I have only been in the business a fairly short while compared to many other photographers.

Building a good relationship with my peers in Bristol is important to me for this reason, and I know that should one of my second shooters have to back out last minute I am confident that one of my other associates could jump in at the last moment. Especially living in Bristol, photography in general is very popular - even wedding photography!

Bristol Wedding Photographer - Lightroom 3 Beta released

2009-10-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

So Adobe have announced the third version of Lightroom, even if it is beta this shows some of the new features. What am I most looking forward to?

Well the watermarking will mean that I no longer have to export to Photoshop which will be a big time saver.
Being able to publish to flickr is really nice. Probably not that much of an importance for the business but its nice to have this feature integrated. I guess Facebook will be next...

Exporting a video slideshow will also be nice. I do hope that they integrate some nice new transitions. I like Ken Burns don't get me wrong, but some funky features like that have in iMovie would be well received.

The printing module looks excellent, hopefully this will save me a lot of time when it comes to making albums in the future.

All in all it looks like a nice update, especially if the speed is improved on. Especially when it comes to rendering the photos for input and output as this is a big bottleneck in my workflow. Unfortunately this could well be due to my ageing Macbook Pro, but I'm currently in denial!

Bristol Wedding Photographer - The Importance of the Venue

2009-10-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked to photograph a wedding in the Bristol Oncology Hospital at the last minute. The wedding was scheduled to take place in June 2010 and I was deeply honoured that the couple had asked me to come along and photograph their ceremony.

I took a call on Monday night to photograph the wedding on Tuesday night and I was free. I was due to set off on holiday the next day for two weeks so I charged my batteries and made sure all my memory cards were clear. It was a beautiful occasion and I really captured the emotion of the evening. I guess the reason I thought this warranted a blog post was because the event really was set apart by the venue. As plans were set in place literally on the day the ceremony took place in a waiting room in the hospital rather than the country grounds of a beautiful country house.

The spontaneity of the event really set this wedding apart in my mind and whilst the venue may not have been quite so grand the importance and emotion of the event was there every minute.

This kind of got me thinking about how important the wedding venue is for the photography. I always thought that the photographers who charge more, got better images (IN PART) because their clients could afford nicer venues. Thus things look a bit nicer in general as you have more opportunities. Whilst there is no doubt in my mind that a nice/expensive venue is preferable there is no reason why you can't work creatively to use what you have to your advantage as I found out.

Bristol Wedding Photographer - Change The Setting

2009-10-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

An easy way to be creative at a wedding is to change the backdrop and get away from the other people at the wedding. For example when going to the Bristol registry office for a ceremony there are some beautiful parts of Bristol that make a nice backdrop for any wedding photographer. All it takes is for you to get the bride and groom to plan this in to their schedule so that you get 10-15 minutes with just them. This really helps spice up the pictures.

Not only do the shots visually change, but getting the happy couple away from everyone else lets them relax. When they don't have a crowd looking at them they will be a lot more comfortable and relaxed. Then you can encourage them to play, have a kiss or just enjoy a few moments together sitting down talking.

Wedding Photographer Bristol - Technique: The Disequilibrium Effect

2009-09-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Put simply, 'give it some wonk.' Two of the simplest techniques for creating an image that seems more interesting are very simple. Firstly you can use the rule of thirds. This works like a charm 95% of the time. You place your subject off centre and ensure the face, or the point of interest rests on one of the four intersecting lines. Secondly you can shoot at an angle. You don't HAVE to keep your camera straight, where it works, tilt it to either side and use this to compose at an interesting angle.

It helps make the viewer look for more components in the scene. It puts the viewers visual balance off centre and adds another dimension to the image. As a lot of photos are not composed like this it quite often stands out and I quite often have the bride and groom liking it more as a result. That said, like many techniques don't overuse it!

Bristol Wedding Photographer - Make A Gear Wish List

2009-09-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

When I first moved to Clifton in Bristol (an area I love by the way!) I decided to make myself a gear list. It was a new start, both in location and in full time career and a shiny, new bag full of gear seemed to be in order. It was a wish list of my most wanted gear. My plan was to take as much of my disposable income as possible and buy the gear now, at the beginning. Then in the coming year the profit would be put back in to the business, marketing, hard drives, a new printer and maybe a wedding fair. O... and wages...

I've shot 12 weddings so far this year and I'm turning away clients for 2010 because I'm fairly well booked up. I've also done a fair bit of second shooting and have a pretty good idea what gear I need. So it was a bit of a surprise when I opened my gear 'wish list' and looked through all of my 'must have' items.

It really blew me away that my list had changed considerably in 9 months. Firstly my new list is a lot smaller. A quick estimation shows that I have probably saved around £4,000. Gone are the desires for the 85mm f1.2 L lens, 15mm f/2.8 fisheye and the 50mm f/1.2 L. I don't need a full set of studio lights, nor ETTL compatible triggers for my 4 speed lights.

I'm even considering selling the 16-35mm f2.8 L zoom lens I own, but it does come in useful at times. So how did my needs change? Practically I simply wouldn't want to cart the weight of all this gear around with me. It would have been quite a burden and a bit of a worry to have to leave it around because I couldn't carry it. I also rented a few lenses and borrowed some others to see whether they worked for me before purchasing. Some worked really well and others just didn't suit my style.

My advice to anyone in a similar position would not be to rush out and buy the gear. You might surprise yourself and save yourself some money if you work with what you have and try renting gear.

Bristol Wedding Photographer - Loosening Up The Bride

2009-09-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

I know it's easily said that you should work your client to get the best out of them. Serious shots are nice, but grabbing emotion is what weddings are all about. Saying 'smile' doesn't work and just sounds lame. Encouraging people to play, have fun, be silly is okay for models but not so much for the average bride. This can be particularly challenging with just one person, with two they can play off each other.

Anyway, here a few things to do or say to lighten the atmosphere and make them feel comfortable.

• Talk to them, ask her how she met the groom, plans for the honeymoon.
• Ask her what nicknames she has for the groom that no one else knows.
• Tell them a really bad joke. This works well if you build it up to be the best joke ever... they always crack up over it.
• Try grabbing a small kid from nearby and asking him/her to press the shutter - this normally gets some genuine smiles.
• Compliment them and tell them they look good - don't forget to show them the best ones on the LCD.
• Encourage them to move around - they don't have to be stiffs! This can lead to them doing stupid poses which is always good.
• Say - "now the bride and groom kiss and every laugh" *click* then, "now the bride and groom laugh and everyone else kiss!" *click*
• "Okay, look like you like each other." *click*
• "Okay, now bite his ear!" *click*

Wedding Photographer Bristol - The Head And Shoulders Shot

2009-09-10T13:15:00.001-07:00

Being a photographer is all about being creative. That said there are many 'must have shots' you need to take on the wedding day. One of the photos a groom will like the most is a head and shoulders shot of the bride. This is the photograph that he will put on his desk at work or in his wallet.

It's best if you can photograph her veiled and unveiled. While you need to get close to her and get an intimate shot you might also want to try different kinds of light. Both soft light for a more dreamy look but also harsh light more contrasty punchy photographs. It's quite unnatural to be photographed so make sure you show her the back of your camera so she knows how good she looks!

As I've previously mentioned talk to the bride too - tell her how good she looks, and make sure she likes what she is doing. This will make her look (and feel) more relaxed and natural.

The Best Lens For A Wedding Photographer

2009-09-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

So I've finally purchased the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens for use on my full frame Canon 5DMKII. I'm really going to try and make sure that is the last lens I buy this year (with the possible exception of the Canon 50mm f/1.4 as an upgrade.) Why is this the best lens for a wedding photographer? Well there is no 'best lens' per se, however there is an obvious gap in my lens lineup and I KNOW with all my heart that this lens will get a lot of use when it comes to the Wedding formals.

Luckily I managed to have a quick play with one a few days ago in the Bristol flickr meetup. One of the members very kindly lent me theirs and whilst I didn't get the opportunity to fully put it through its paces due to the low light I can see why people like it so much.

It's the optimum wideness for group shots, but also very reasonable for zooming in all the way for a few portraits. Perviously I have had to swap lenses here. With the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L II for the wide shots and the 80-200mm f/2.8 L lens for the portraits. This is really going to save me a lot of time at this part of the wedding.

Whilst I've yet to review my copy I got it at an excellent price on eBay of £724 inc P&P. The reviews I have read from both friends and other forums online have been glowing in their praise.

Well hopefully I'll get a good copy and a review will follow.

Photograph What Is Important To The Bride

2009-09-06T03:19:00.000-07:00

It's really important to find out beforehand what the bride's vision is for her wedding. For instance shoes might be particularly important to her or the bridesmaids as I can assure you they will have been carefully selected for the day.

When taking time to chat to them (before the big day) find out the efforts are going in to the creating the day - they will almost certainly be worth photographing in an artistic and thoughtful way.

Wedding Photography Prices On The Website

2009-08-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

I think this is a pretty interesting subject as a lot of wedding photographers don't advertise even their starting price.

I think there are some good reasons for this depending on your market. People ought to contact you because they like your work irrespective of price. This may result in lots of enquiries, but how many prospective clients actually follow that up with wanted a consultation or even a booking?

Speaking to the brides I meet every week I know they are busy people. In fact they are VERY busy. Even the bride looking for a budget photographer can be busy with family, work and even organising the wedding. I don't think many brides will consider you unless you have at least a starting price on your website. The same way you wouldn't buy a camera advertised on line which didn't have a price so you had to contact the owner.

If people see your pricing and still contact you then it indicates they are more likely to book you. If someone doesn't acknowledge their price it probably means they are going to hard sell you in an e-mail or telephone call.

Most of my clients are web savvy and want the information ASAP, so I'm happy to provide it to them.

I thing to keep in mind is to remind the clients that they are not just buying the photographs, but they are buying YOU!

Free Lens Focus Test Chart

2009-08-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

I thought I would put a quick blog post together to mention the focusing test chart. I recently played with it and was happily surprised to see that all of my lenses (except one) focussed perfectly.

I expected the 80-200/2.8 to not fare so well - as it seems to slightly back focus. I have been planning to upgrade this lens for some time and that day may be coming quicker than I thought! At least this gives me a genuine opportunity to test the micro adjust feature on my Canon 5DMKII.

I use this lens for a lot of my weddings in Bristol and do occasionally see a shot not being 100% when using this lens. It's a shame as the qualities of it are exceptional. This test chart is a great resource and I recommend trying it, if only for piece of mind.

Selling Your Wedding Photography - The 'Meeting'

2009-07-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

I was having a bit of a chat with some friends in Bristol over coffee at the Cafe Du Jour on Whiteladies Road (great place, great coffee.) And we got in to sharing thoughts about how we conduct ourselves in a meeting with a prospective couple. I thought it would make an interesting blog post, so let me know what you think.

I can really only say what I do, so on reflection I find that even before the meeting you want the couple to love you, love your work and know you care about their wedding well before the meeting. You can show this from your website, your first e-mail and phone call.

I try and keep the KISS principle in mind because it can be very easy to overcomplicate things when it comes to discussing a wedding.

I try and keep the first 15-20 minutes getting to know the couple. I genuinely love meeting new people and making friends and so these meetings excite me because they are always fun. Getting to know someone and making a connection is crucial if you want to take the best photographs you can of them. Don't mention the wedding or bring out your portfolio until you have got to know them a little.

Don't over pitch especially when they are looking at your photos but don't just sit there either. I guide them through my work and tell them how I created the images and what makes them special. Make them laugh, keep it light and have fun and whatever you do try and make a connection. Show your passion, that's why you are in the wedding photography business. Your passion and people skills will win you clients.

If you sell albums, bring some so the clients can see them, having something tangible is a really nice plus and shows you are interested in quality products.

When you move on to the subject of weddings find out how they met, what mood or feeling they have for their images and the vision they have. Be interested in their wedding, the cake, dress, style and theme. This is the part where you need to listen more and talk less. Bring a nice notepad and pen with you and take notes, it shows you care and helps you not to forget. Tell them of your experience that there is no problem you have not faced. I ask them how their ideal photographer would fit in to their day and other such open ended questions, getting them to speak automatically will help them relax. It is important to let them know how you work and so I talk them through their day from my perspective. "When you are getting ready I will be doing this..."

Being nervous is normal, but if you show your nerves you won't be hired. Speak with confidence, after all you are a professional and you will know what you are talking about. Contrary to popular belief there are enough weddings to go around. I may not be what people are looking for and and likewise I don't have to photograph every wedding that comes across my plate. But couples who love my style and insist that I am exactly what they want are the ones I want to book. I don't take the stance that I'm trying to get them to hire me, rather I'm showing them what I do, how I do it and the results. Hopefully we will make a connection and our visions match we will make a great story and capture it with creativity and passion.

Finally ask them whether they have anymore questions, and if not ask them if they would like to book that date.

Your work speaks for itself, but the meeting is to decide whether they like me or not...