Oh So Satisfying

I felt I was meandering through life working as a fashion and advertising photographer. It was a fun, informative and educational period when I learned the value of precision and of being “spot on”. Then I had everything on my side. I could arrange the lights, position the camera, pose models and take creatively visualised studio shots. But the inner conflict that raged, primarily due to my being a fan of the reportage style of photography, led me to look at other avenues and that is how I got into wedding photography.

Wedding photography

Each wedding is different and is not a movie shoot where a director has absolute control over each moment. The photographer records images that last a lifetime and beyond but poor chap, he has to be unobtrusive, go with the flow and do the best. It is quite a challenge. Each wedding is a new challenge each day. Makes life worth living when you never know what the next moment may bring and you have to pit your wits and skill to capture events that will happen only once.

In fashion and advertising I could change lenses, use medium format cameras like the Phase One, tethered to a laptop and do what I pretty much pleased with the dynamics. Here I am on the sets but with only a high end DSLR. I must capture the shades of the lightest gossamer veils and the details in the darkest suits. Quite a task when I have other things like catching the all important action moment or the spark of emotion in the eye to think about. But when I do and the images reflect this and my clients tell me how they relive that moment it can be oh so satisfying. 

The Best Wedding Photography is only As Good As Its Team

If we are today one of the best wedding photography firms in the UK, it is our joint effort as a team that has won us awards and recognitions, the best testimonials photographers can have. I contribute

Eva Nazarin is a gem. Quiet, unobtrusive, she lets her images speak and they do, beautifully. She has this special knack of making women in the wedding look so outstanding, something that only a creative mind with a vision can achieve.

One would think Mitzi Bannatyne would be a lively, energetic soul standing out at weddings. Surprisingly she has that unique knack of blending in so well with the background, the subjects never really know she has them in her sights. This is a mind welded to a camera. Her images are proof of what I can only describe as instinctively intuitional photography.

Theodore Letty is the crouching tiger pouncing at the most opportune moment but only with the shutter trigger finger. From royalty to commoners Theo has done them all with a flair and panache you admire.

James Hanover is a different kettle of fish, more contemporaneous I should say. He has this knack of making friends with just about everyone and positioning himself to take shots which others say are pure magic but which I say are the outcome of years of dedication and expertise.

With a team like this we deliver on all fronts, delivering a final album that satisfies clients who expected the best wedding photography. 

Always Hire More Than One

If you are getting married, do it in style is my take. Never do things by halves. Photography is certainly one aspect you should never scrimp on. You must hire the top wedding photographer. Better still, hire more than one. As a top wedding photographer I certainly cannot be in all places at the same time. Hiring more than one photographer is expensive no doubt but when you have a couple of them you are sure one is covering the main event while the other is wandering about and keeping a keen eye open and his finger on the shutter to capture all those tiny little denouements taking place at the venue. 

I have also experienced that the personality of the photographer has a lot to do with his style of photography and the results he delivers. More importantly, someone who readily mingles, is professional yet develops cordial relations in an instant, is a “smoothie”, gets the subjects to pose naturally and delivers great images. Then again, without being furtive or sneaky, you can be obviously hidden while taking candids. That is a knack only a few have and it calls for practised mastery of years in the field. A wedding can be distracting with so many elements vying for attention but some have the knack of staying focused or “smelling” out something about to happen. Maybe their eyes twitch or their fingers itch.  Whatever. The point is when there is one top wedding photographer manning the main event while the other captures side plays, your wedding story album will be so much more impressive with a collage of emotive pictures that tell a bigger story. Infinitely so and you get more than you spend.

Wedding Photography à la Bresson

So Henri Cartier-Bresson was inarguably the best reportage photographer ever, capturing the decisive moment like no one else on earth, one reason why I admire him and his work so much. In my way I try to adapt this reportage style to weddings. Believe me it is not easy. The wedding ceremony may be short but the day is long and each minute may seem to stretch forever as one waits for that moment to happen which my brain interprets as being the one to capture. An electric impulse travels to my finger tip that presses down on the shutter button and I hope I have not been one-hundredth of a second too late. If it were only the ceremony a wedding photographer can breathe easy.

However, he has to have eyes like that of a fly, with a 180 degree view. He has to have eyes on stalks that swivel around to watch if anything interesting is going on that should be captured. I admit it, this is also what makes wedding photography so interesting and appealing. No two weddings have ever been the same. Ceremonies follow a route but the participants are different and emote differently and in a short time I have to guess at their behavior patterns and anticipate reactions, my finger trigger happy to shoot when that decisive moment occurs. When I do it and present an album that is a collage of emotions, feelings, stories, I feel happy and clients more so that in turn makes me happier…. Job well done.

One could never claim to be the very best reportage wedding photographer. It would be like saying one flavour of ice cream is the best. 

Wedding photography is expensive- a few justified reasons behind this!

London is an exciting city to get married as there are so many wonderful venues available for the occasion and wedding photography in London will paint as pretty a picture as can be. Wedding photography is an integral part of the ceremony as everyone would like to capture that memorable event for posterity. But, where many people go wrong is in the selection of the wedding photographer solely on the basis of the price factor and for this they may settle for someone totally raw or someone with an unimpressive portfolio. This is taking a huge risk on your all-important day as you never know how the photographs will turn out. Undoubtedly, experienced photographers can and do charge a bomb for weddings but there are many factors behind this. 

When you hire an experienced wedding photographer in London he is bound to be professionally qualified and would have had many years of work behind him. You are just not paying for his time; you are paying for his years of commitment which has seen him reach the peak that he has and which has enabled him to capture beautiful images in a few hours. 

Your wedding is once-in-a-lifetime occasion and the images get captured for posterity. There are no reshoots, no retakes and so many people come from far and wide for this occasion. Would you really rather risk a newbie or average photographer whose price maybe cheap but the quality of work would be average and who will be unprepared for any contingency? Experienced photographers always have a contingency plan, full technical and back-up support along with a trained staff. They definitely have multiple cameras and discs, software for image recovery and also a list of other professionals who can fill in for them in case of an emergency. To be prepared to such an extent requires thorough professionalism and financial investment and hence the higher rates. 

The work of a photographer specializing in weddings is often seasonal and he can expect on an average only one assignment per week during the wedding season. In places where winters are cold or severe, almost no weddings take place during that time, which means for a good three-four months the photographer does not have any or negligible work.  He has to protect his business interests for the whole year during the wedding season and he is therefore justified in asking for proportional   rates especially if his work is very good.

Even a single assignment of wedding photography requires tremendous commitment involving hours of planning, discussions, editing, presentation, delivery of pictures/video, designing the album/video etc. Also, the photographer’s equipment is very expensive and he has to constantly make sure that his equipment is scrupulously maintained. He also has to upgrade to better cameras, computers and software as when and necessary. All this adds up to quite a lot of steep expenses and you cannot blame him for quoting high rates.

In short, no short-cuts should be taken with your wedding photography as the occasion is too important to warrant any risks.

Best wedding photography requires tremendous presence of mind

Photography has many genres and wedding photography has grown immensely popular among budding photographers. Although all forms of professional photography requires a good eye, the photographer at weddings requires tremendous presence of mind and quick reflexes to catch that spontaneous moment. Nowadays, big weddings are increasingly being captured by top reportage wedding photographers and although digital photography has undoubtedly made photography simpler, nevertheless here are a few tips to take better pictures at weddings.

Whether you are a novice or an experienced photographer, for the best wedding photography, it is imperative that you study the location closely well in advance. Sometimes, the photography package may include different venues and you must visit each separately to check what those locations will look like at various times of the day. Ideally, the couple should go along with you and you can take some test shots just to get an indication of the final photos in those locations and light.

 The best wedding photography also requires that you as a photographer must take care to check whether enough natural light is permeating through doors and windows if the wedding is indoors. If the ceremony is out in the open be careful of too strong sunlight. Harsh sunlight is not flattering to the subject as it casts deep shadows on it and the pictures will not come out well. Check the time of the occasion and plan your photography strategy accordingly. Evening light is the most flattering to photographs. 

The traditional close-ups and group shots have become passé. Instead of standing only in one spot and clicking away, try out new angles even if it means being in an uncomfortable position for a few seconds. The idea is to capture the spirit of the moment spontaneously and do away with boring photographs. Even for group photos, get a bit experimental and take photos from different angles. You will also have to pay attention to the background and if required, you must use your technical expertise to blur the background to get better pictures.

Any top wedding photographer  knows how important it is to put the main couple at ease. Having a good rapport with the couple will get you better photographs as the couple will be relaxed with you behind the camera. Managing to get beautiful pictures will only enhance your reputation as a photographer and will be an asset in your portfolio.

At any wedding, chaos is an inevitable part of the game and you need to anticipate certain situations where you might require quick thinking. A contingency plan along with adequate technical backup is a given in any professional photography and more so, when the occasion is a wedding. Have enough discussions with the client well-ahead of the ceremony so that you know what kind of expectations the client has from you as this will help you prepare better for the assignment. The best wedding photography does not happen suddenly; a lot of thought, planning, and organization and of course, flair for photography is required.

Why should you hire the best London wedding photographer?

Some people unfortunately do not hire a professional photographer for their marital ceremonies. In some communities, people are also quite conservative and do not like the presence of a stranger. On the other hand, some are simply miserly in nature or they just do not realize the full value of top reportage wedding photographers. They may be under the impression that hiring a professional will be an unwarranted expense, since the family members only can take the photos with their high-tech cameras.

What most people fail to understand is that the art of photography lies not in the quality of the camera as much as on the expertise of the cameraman. A top wedding photographer in London can bring out emotions in a manner which your family members cannot! Wedding photography comes with a responsibility and it is the task of these professionals to live up to the challenge and your gargantuan expectations. They can simply weave magic from their cameras even if they are low-tech ones. This is because the real art lies in the quickness of the fingers and in the ability of the eye to separate the ordinary from the extraordinary. Capturing the image of a smiling lady is ordinary, but to capture the momentary tear in the eye of the bride’s father is an extraordinary achievement! This is rendered possible only by the best wedding photographer London.

The top wedding photographer London knows his audience well and he knows both his limitations and his strengths. He is aware of the quality of his camera and he is also cognizant of his own capability to fully utilize the given technology. In fact, the top reportage wedding photographers never pay much attention on the quality of their device. This form of photography is highly reliant on the deftness, sharpness and skill of the worker. They are extremely nimble-fingered and seldom fail to miss out on those exclusive moments which hardly last for a few seconds. 

The problem is that your marriage is a live event which cannot be reshot. It is no Hollywood movie for which the actors can give retakes. Plus, in general, a person gets married only once in his lifetime and the enormity of the occasion cannot be undermined at any cost. It becomes very essential that you only hire the best wedding photographer London and there are many reasons for it. Sample these:

Only a top London wedding photographer can capture the moments the way they are. Every emotion is kept intact and the images freeze those moments in their timeless warp.

His experience and expertise can be safely counted upon. You can be rest assured that nothing is going to go wrong. Even if there is some unseen problem of lighting or other technical flaws, the best wedding photographer London will be ready with an alternative.

You will get your value for money. Only with a reasonable investment, you will get priceless memories which can be treasured for a lifetime. Furthermore, the top reportage wedding photographers can breathe so much of reality in your final album that you will feel like watching a silent film.