If you’ve just started to plan your Big Day you’re about to discover that with wedding planning comes lots of big and sometimes, hard decisions. Today in our Ask The Expert series we’ve enlisted the help of well respected Irish wedding photographers Alan and Brid from Golden Moments Photography and Video Productions to help share their advice and insider knowledge on all things wedding photography.
Q: Do you offer a pre-wedding shoot?
A: A pre-wedding shoot, which many also be referred to as an engagement shoot has many advantages for the engaged couple. It is worthwhile for couples to meet with their photographer in advance of your big day and ensure that they feel relaxed in the photographers company, both chatting casually and more importantly when images are being captured. Professional photographers will almost always charge for this photo session and it is money well spent. We offer a pre-wedding shoot as an optional extra.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: As I capture images with a blend of natural photojournalism and contemporary fashion inspired photography, my images have a depth and feeling of luxury about them. I am very much ’in the background’ and am always ready for the ‘wow’ shots which every wedding has. Everything looks and feels ‘real’ and every couples images will stand the test of time.
Q: Winter weddings – have you any tips for overcoming bad weather?
A: In Ireland we are not surprised when we get four seasons in one day. But getting married in Winter presents additional challenges, particularly in December and January where there are just a few hours of daylight. I love winter weddings as there is the opportunity to create flattering and imaginative wedding images through the use of off camera flash and other advanced photography techniques.
The cold weather needs to be overcome by planning ahead, with a warm wrap close at hand. And of course umbrellas, lots of umbrellas. We have a dozen white ones always at the ready, all year round, so no no-one will get wet and the images always look fabulous.
Q: Can couples view your previous albums?
A: We offer albums by Queensberry and Koy Lab. Queensberry are a New Zealand manufacturer and are very high end with a very large range of albums which have to be seen to be believed. We carry samples of albums in the €500 to €1,250 range. We also offer Koy Lab, a Belgian company who offer an extremely good range. Currently (Early 2018) we have an offer of a large album with two parent albums for €395 and we have samples of these as well as Queensberry albums for couples to view and browse for themselves.
Q: Do you offer different packages? e.g. USB only/album etc?
A: We have three packages and offer albums as an optional extra to each. Our Gold Package has full day coverage with USB and an online gallery delivery. We try as best we can to cater to all budgets and not everyone wants coverage for the full day.
Q: How long on the day generally would you assign for bridal portraits?
A: This very much depends on the bride’s day, how much time there is available and how she wishes to spend it. There will be lots of casual or semi formal bridal portraits captured throughout the day at preparation, before the ceremony, after the family formals, perhaps later in the evening and also if there is a photo shoot during the travel between the ceremony and the reception venue. For a dedicated bridal portrait session (not forgetting the groom of course) I aim to have this completed in 10 to 15 minutes from the first shot captured.
Q: Do you charge a mileage cost after a certain distance?
A: All our travel costs and any overnight accommodation required are all covered in the price we quote.
Q: Do photographers expect food/refreshments on the wedding day?
A: I would say in general, yes they do. Some will have this mentioned in the photography contract and that then forms part of the negotiated deal. I do not include this in our contracts and do not expect food to be provided. Having said that, my experience is that our clients are very generous with many offering to provide the full wedding meal. I generally prefer a main course in the bar followed by a coffee which gives me time to plan for the remainder of the evening.
Q: Is there such a thing as a weekday discount?
A: All suppliers understand and appreciate that certain times of the year are going to be busier than others and this holds true for the 7 days of each week also. We offer a discount for weekday weddings, a weekday in our world being from Monday to Thursday. But more recently this will not include late December which has become extremely popular no matter what day of the week it is.
Q: Who will own the copyright of the photos?
A: The owner of an image copyright has the right to publish and sell that image at their own discretion. The owner of an image is usually the person who captured that image, unless they sell it to someone else. Wedding photographers will assign a license to their clients to use the image for their own personal use but they (the clients) may not profit from the images. For example, a couple may print the images, have a photograph hanging on their wall, post on social media, even the local newspaper if they wish, but they may not profit from the image themselves.
They can of course buy the images copyright but this is usually too expensive. And the photographer is not obliged to sell. If it is privacy that concerns the couple, then they should agree in advance with the photographer that they do not wish the images to be published online.
Q: Are you insured?
A: Many couples do not realise the importance of their wedding suppliers being insured for public liability. This means, that if a guest at the wedding should in some way be injured by for example, tripping over me, that if they sue, my insurance will take the financial pain and not the couple or the venue. Peace of mind is a great thing and our insurance gives us this.
Q: What are your payment terms/general payment terms for most photographers?
A: We will send you a contract which sets out the details of your wedding and what we will provide for the price agreed. Once you have read this contract and paid the booking deposit online, your date is reserved. Final payment can be made on the day or if you prefer, online in advance, whichever is best for you.
Q: How long after the wedding day do couples see proofs?
A: I will send you 10 images within a few days of your wedding along with an expected timeline for the remainder. And while our photography contract sets expectation at 12 weeks to delivery of your full gallery, we really do work hard to keep everything on as short a timeline as possible. Six to eight weeks is typical in the busy season.
Q: How can I feel and look at ease in front of the camera? Have you any secret top tips?
A: It’s all about being yourself really. We all change our manner if a camera is pointing in our direction. Keep it natural. My Top Tips are (1) laugh – this is a great way to both relax and make your images very appealing, we all love looking at people who are happy. (2) relax the shoulders – this will make you more relaxed overall and so more natural looking. (3) Keep your hands busy – whether it is holding your bouquet or a glass of Prosecco (most often both) keep your hands occupied and you will feel much more comfortable.
Thanks to Alan and Brid Golden for sharing their insights and knowledge. You can view their profile here and visit their Facebook page here.
