You's pays your money and you's takes your chances

Evening.

I've just spent over 4 hours on eBay looking for camera gear.

I have to admit that I do love to spend hours there looking through all the goodies on offer. Not so much gear for me to use in my professional life, but old cameras simply to collect.

However from time to time I will go looking eBay for new gear for my work.

Of course, one has to be very careful when choosing equipment to buy on eBay, especially when we are talking of items that regularly cost over £500. There are so many things that can go wrong, and ultimately, you are placing your trust (and your money) in the hands of a complete stranger. If you don't do your homework properly, at the end of the day you may be left with an empty box that cost you £500!

So, a little like choosing a wedding photographer then!

Until you get those images back from your photographer, all you will have to go on is trust.

Possibly the most important box to check when choosing a wedding photographer is the one that is marked 'am I comfortable with this photographer?'

Our instincts are very rarely wrong.

Ultimately the success or failure of your wedding photographs lies in the bond between you and the photographer. If you don't feel comfortable with the photographer then your pictures will never look as good as they should.

For me, this bond is the most important thing when shooting a bride and groom. The weather can be foul, a dog can run off with the wedding cake, the reception can be plunged into darkness with a power failure, but so long as the bride and groom feel comfortable with me I will always get the best shots possible!

Hopefully none of these disasters will befall your wedding! :D

If you are in the Suffolk, Norfolk or East Anglian region and getting married, either next week or next year - drop me a line and I'll be more than happy to talk with you about how to make this bond between photographer and bride work for you...

See my wedding site for more tips...

Till tomorrow then

Alex

Days in the sun.

Phew, what a scorcher!

You'd think that coming from South Africa I'd be used to the heat, but thats a dry heat, and I'm afraid I don't care very much for the humid weather here! Still, at least we have some nice weather and even if it does feel like your underpants are melting, so we should make the most of it.

As most people get married in the summer I suppose I should talk about wedding photos in the sun!

Something you should consider when discussing your wedding photography plans with your photographer is the time of day when you are going to do, what are loosely termed, 'formals' with him (or her).

This is when your wedding photographer will take you and your partner to one side and shoot pictures of the two of you together, without all the family crowding around.



I like to just let the couple spend some time together enjoying the moment, indeed this may be the first moment alone together they have as a married couple! So rather than have them pose in a series of images, I stand back and capture them as the poses reveal themselves.

This is far more relaxed and gives much better results.

The time of day of these images is pretty important. If you are having a morning wedding, then by the time you and your wedding photographer get started with these images, the sun will be directly overhead and make everything extremly contrasty. Not a good thing when trying to capture a white dress and a black tux!





So, when you discuss your plans with your photographer, try and arrange it so that you can have these images done when the light is better. Avoid as a rough guess any time between 11:30am and 2:30pm. After this time, the light will be slightly softer and more flattering for you, so you will look a million times better!

Obviously for winter you need to take into consideration that it may actually be dark by the time the ceremony has finished!

If you are interested in learing more about how to look your best in your wedding photography, drop by my website. I'll be more than happy to have a chat with you about anything you'd like to know on how to ensure your wedding photography is the very best.

Till tomorrow then!

Alex