What does a Wedding Photographer do?
What do we actually do?
It might seem like what a Wedding Photographer does is self-explanatory – perching behind a lens, capturing your banging fits and you and your closest partying hard.
This is only the icing on the cake.
Your wedding day is going to be a whirlwind, you’ll be pulled from pillar-to-post and before you know it, the moon is glowing and someone’s looking for their heels. Everyone wants a piece of you on the day – who could blame them!
Our job as your Wedding Photographer isn’t only capturing the moments you won’t always see, but to bottle the essence of the day in still form. Helping you freeze to enjoy the moment. Take a deep breath and bask in joy. It’s the reminders of what time the food comes out and fixing your tie. Watching out for toilet roll on shoes. Lipstick on your teeth? I got you!
We want you to kick your feet up when the gallery lands in your inbox, and not just to see what everyone else was up to, but to relive the moments like the first glance down the aisle, the happy tears, Tequila grimaces and left-feet stompers. You don’t even have to name it, and we got it.
I remember receiving mine and my wife’s wedding photos. Seeing snapshots I didn’t even know existed is something I’ll cherish. It was an amazing feeling knowing our family and friends came together for us, had a great time and now we have physical copies of those memories. Unsurprisingly, it bought a lot of emotion back and really solidified how special our day was for us.
Why are Wedding Photographers so “expensive”?
“Expensive” is a funny word. People have different points of entry when they consider the values of something, and that’s natural. One couple will prefer something another couple doesn’t – we’re not here to hold that against you! The services you’d like are down to your budget, and it’s okay and important to have a budget.
I’d always say that the two most important things for your wedding are the venue and the Wedding Photographer(s)/Videographer.
The venue is the backdrop of your day. You’ll be spending most of your time there and the staff will be catering to your every need and desire, whether it’s decor, food or sourcing more bottles of wine. It can’t be s***.
Then, with your Wedding Photographer or Wedding Videographer, they’re probably the only Wedding Suppliers there that will be giving you something to remember the day by. Don’t get me wrong, everything else you book or make or buy will be supplementary to your day and will make the photos and videos better.
Even more so, these photos will likely be in an album on your coffee table, or printed and framed on your walls. The video will be brought out on anniversaries – or if your videographer turns up to confess his undying love for you (iykyk). Perhaps even in a video frame on your nightstand, or in these video books I’ve seen recently. (These look so cool.)
So, when setting your budget, and as respectful as we are to your wants, these elements shouldn’t be scrimped on. You don’t want to look back and wish you had someone better, or had a better package that included more time and deliverables. You can’t redo the day!
What do you get from a Wedding Photographer?
This can be broken into two parts:
- What you get on the day
- What you get delivered
Let’s start with number one. On the day, I bring energy, support and enthusiasm. I’m stoked to be photographing your Wedding Day, so I’m going all-in. I’m there for a few hours before the ceremony until around an hour after the first dance. If you need anything, I’m there to make your day easier. Whether it’s doing tasks, being a runner and helping coordinate the day. It’s invaluable having someone close to you all day that’s got the timeline on lock and making sure you’re not missing anything.
I normally say the photographer’s good for this because they see everything. They’re the ones who know how much time you need for photos, where you need to be and when you need to do them.
Number two: deliverables. Now, photographers vary on their services and packages – but here’s a run-down on what I offer:
- Rad preview photos within 24 hours
- Online gallery format so it’s easily shareable
- A USB with all images
- Up to 20 awesome 6×4 prints #PrintIsNotDead
- Full online store for you to purchase extras like larger prints and albums
A media package is an investment. You get out what you put in, and there’s some funky perks swimming about. One thing not to forget is that I’m so down to discuss anything else wild and crazy you have in mind!
Last bit from me
When you’re looking to book your Wedding Photographer (or any Supplier really) make sure you LOVE what they do. You should be emotionally drawn to their work and what they can bring to you.
Lay out specific information you think we might need, for instance, a shot list or particular styles you’d like to capture, as this improves the communication from the get-go and opens the potential for so many fun opportunities to explore.
Think about being open to advice and recommendations. We see a lot of weddings and see a lot of ideas unfold (good and bad) so ask us about our thoughts and we’d love to help curate your day and how you want it to look.
If you’ve read this far, you’re cool as f***.
Browse some of my recent work here and drop an enquiry here if you’d love me to get involved 🙂 Cheers!
Venues Pictured:
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