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When you’re planning your wedding there can seem like countless decisions to make and so many things to organise. It’s likely that finding a wedding photographer is near the top of your to-do list, but it can seem like quite a daunting task as wedding photography is such an important part of your day. Not only will your wedding photographer be there with you during one of the most special days of your life, but the photographs from the day will be the memories that last for a lifetime long after your wedding day has passed, so of course you want them to be perfect.

In order to find out whether a wedding photographer is the right choice for you, there are some questions you can ask during your first chat which should help make everything clearer and ensure that your wedding photography is everything you’ve hoped for and more…

1. Are you available on my wedding date?

A pretty important one to start with! Remember that most professional wedding photographers can get booked up 12-18 months in advance, so if you’ve found a photographer that you’re really keen on it’s good to try and get them booked up as quickly as possible. Ask in your initial enquiry email if the date is available, and check with the photographer how far in advance you’d need to pay a deposit to secure your date.

2. How long have you been a wedding photographer for?

In the age of smartphones, it’s all too easy for everyone to suddenly think they’re a photographer. But being a professional wedding photographer actually takes years of training and practice: not only to shoot and edit beautiful images, but also to deal with a busy event such as a wedding.

Having an experienced wedding photographer on board can make all the difference to the success of your day, and the outcome of your photos. A professional wedding photographer will have mastered how to capture all the shots and candid moments you’ll want to see throughout the day, from bridal prep and during the ceremony, to the drinks reception, wedding breakfast, speeches, and first dance. For a photographer, a wedding is a non-stop event and can be hectic, but an experienced wedding photographer will be calm, organised, and know exactly what to do to get the job done well and put you and your guests at ease.

3. What is your wedding photography style?

Professional wedding photographers all tend to have their own unique photography style, and the style of photography you want is purely down to personal choice. Some wedding photographers specialise in stylised, posed, glamorous shots. Others are experienced in shooting lots of formal group shots. Some wedding photographers capture documentary-style wedding photography- sometimes known as reportage. A documentary style wedding photographer will capture the genuine events and emotions of your wedding day as they play out, giving a very natural feel to your photographs. Some photographers are also very good at devising creative shots which really make your photographs stand out from the crowd.

Do your research and check out a few styles of wedding photography in order to decide which suits you best as a couple, and best fits with the theme of your day.

4. Can I see some examples of your work?

Professional wedding photographers are always more than happy for you to look at their work- in fact, they will love showing you!

Most wedding photographers will have lots of examples of their work on their websites: check out their blog or featured weddings section for some good examples.

You should also be able to see an example of a photographer’s wedding albums if you go to meet them. This should give you a clear idea of how they tell the story of a whole wedding day, the type of images they shoot, the composition of the photos, and the quality of the editing.

5. Have you worked at our wedding venue before?

It’s important to note that this shouldn’t be a deal breaker: an experienced wedding photographer can shoot at any venue- even one they’ve never been to before- and be able to understand the venue and see where will work best to shoot some beautiful images.

However, if a photographer has worked at your venue before, it’s likely that they’ll know it like the back of their hand and love working there, and will be bursting with hints and tips for you to get the best possible images. Plus, you’ll be able to see lots of examples of past wedding photography from when they’ve worked there before.

7. What are your wedding packages?

Most wedding photographers will offer a range of wedding package options so you can choose what is best for you depending on your budget.

Think about the kind of moments you’d like to capture, such as bridal prep, the ceremony, the wedding reception, and the evening reception. Your photographer can help to guide you on the key points of the day to capture, and will also discuss any other ideas you may have, or photos you are keen for them to shoot.

Look for a wedding photographer who’s packages all include an online gallery of your photos so you can share it with your family and friends, and download as many images as you want, whenever you want.

8. Can we give you a list of specific shots we’d like?

Often, couples will provide their wedding photographer with a list of shots that they really want to capture. This might be a list of specific group shots, or important moments throughout the day. It might even be something personal such as a photograph of a piece of jewellery worn by the bride that’s a family heirloom. Most wedding photographers will be more than happy to accommodate you when it comes to capturing your most important shots.

Wedding photographer North Wales

9. What Time Will You Stay Until?

Couples will usually discuss this with their wedding photographer when they’re choosing their photography package. Weddings can be very long days: most start with bridal prep in the morning, and many go on until the last dance at midnight. Your wedding photographer is only human, and as much as we’re loving being a part of your day we probably won’t make it through until midnight! Most wedding photographers will leave after the cake has been cut and the first dance is done, and they’ll make this clear before you sign your contract to ensure that you’re happy with the arrangements. 

However, if you really want to capture some images from later in the evening- for example, maybe you’re having a firework display- It’s always worth asking your wedding photographer whether you can pay extra for them to stay a little longer. Some wedding photographers will provide a cost for an extra hour or two if you run it by them.

Wedding Photographer Cheshire North West
Hopefully this helps to give you an idea of what to ask a wedding photographer if you’re interested in booking them for your wedding. However, there may be other questions you have too, and most wedding photographers will be more than happy to have a full chat and answer any questions you may have. Our aim is always to make your day as perfect as we can, and provide you with beautiful images to enjoy for years to come.

 

Today- Friday 19th August 2022 – is World Photography Day, an annual, worldwide celebration of the art, craft, science and history of photography.

Obviously as a wedding photographer this date is right up my street, and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to share some of my very favourite photographs with you.

It was so hard to narrow it down to just one favourite (so hard that I actually didn’t- I only managed to narrow it down to three!) The problem is that when you’re a wedding photographer you witness so many amazing moments on the most special day of people’s lives. There’s so much emotion and happy memories attached to so many of the images I’ve shot that It’s really difficult to choose favourites!

However, there are some that do stand out in my mind, perhaps because of the unique circumstances in which I managed to capture the moment, or because I just love the composition of the shot.


A bit about me as a wedding photographer

To explain why I finally decided on the two images I chose for #WorldPhotographyDay, it helps to understand a little bit about my style as a wedding photographer.

I specialise in natural, relaxed wedding photography, and my style could be referred to as ‘documentary style’ or ‘reportage’ wedding photography- basically, ‘reporting’ on your wedding day through images. My background is as a press photographer, which gave me years of experience in photographing events as they happened, and being ready in the moment to capture unique, emotive, and one-off images. I like to bring these skills and experiences to my wedding photography.

Throughout my career as a wedding photographer, something I’ve learned is that unexpected, impromptu moments can sometimes result in the most humorous, unique, and stand-out wedding photographs. Being a documentary style photographer is all about being there in the right place at the right time and capturing the moment. And this explains why I love these first two images so much…


My first two images for World Photography Day 2022…


I captured this image when I was the wedding photographer for Kim and Peter who were married at St Hildeburghs parish church in Hoylake, Cheshire.

This photo is of a flower girl telling the bridesmaids to be quiet as the ceremony was about to start. I love this photo because not only is it adorable(!), but it’s just so natural and was a split-second moment of the day that I was lucky enough to capture.

I gained a silver award from the Guild of Photographers for this image, and it was in the final for the Image of the Year award too. It also holds pride of place in a large frame in my little cabin at home and everyone always comments on how natural it is.

My second chosen image shows exactly what can happen when you’re there in the right moment with your camera!

Wedding Photographer North Wales Chester

This is the moment that I snapped the moment that a ring-bearing owl swooped down on a terrified best man after it flew down the altar towards the groom. This was a totally one-off image that could never be recreated again even if I tried a million times! It was a hilarious shot which even made international news! It’s these moments that you just can’t buy and being a documentary style wedding photographer means I get to be there to capture them first hand.

My third image for World Photography Day 2022…

Whilst my background is in documentary-style wedding photography, of course I am always more than happy to create posed photos too. I love to spend time with couples to create unique posed photographs that they’ll look back on and love for years to come. In fact, I recently won Creative Wedding Photographer of the Year The Welsh Wedding Awards 2022 thanks to some of the unique posed shots I’ve created for brides and grooms.

This all explains why I love this third image so much…


This shot is all thanks to my new favourite purchase: I bought a drone during lockdown last year as something to learn whilst I was stuck at home. It’s honestly the best thing ever- I love using it and it’s brought a whole new dimension to my wedding photography.

I used the drone to capture this standout image from Katie and Dan’s wedding at Iscoyd Park. This lovely couple got married in May this year, so I was fully up to speed on using the drone by then and couldn’t wait to capture some images with it at Iscoyd Park.

Drones don’t work at every wedding- it really depends on the venue. Iscoyd Park is a beautiful venue on the North Wales and Chester border and I knew there were some great spaces for images like this one. Plus- even better- Katie had the most incredible dress which really shows in this shot, and it’s what makes it so eye-catching.

I love that both of these images show the different sides of the wedding photography that I love to create and I’m really pleased to be sharing them this  #WorldPhotographyDay.

 

Soughton Hall in North Wales is one of my favourite venues to shoot at, so I was thrilled when Lucinda and Tom asked me to photograph their wedding at this beautiful venue.

I’m a wedding photographer in Chester and North Wales, and Soughton Hall is actually just down the road for me, based in Flintshire. It’s one of the venues I shoot at most frequently, and it’s not hard to see why it’s such a favourite for couples who are getting married. Set on the border of Cheshire and North Wales, Soughton Hall is a stunning Georgian country house approached down a sweeping driveway and surrounded by landscaped gardens.


As with so many weddings recently, the path to Lucinda and Tom’s wedding date wasn’t always a smooth one. This lovely couple originally booked me for their wedding in June 2020 and due to COVID restrictions it didn’t go ahead, and they moved it to the following year. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do their new date – argh! But low and behold the date got moved again and yes, bingo I could do it this time! And I’m so glad I could, as it was the perfect day full of love, laughter, and even a beautiful outdoor ceremony…


Lucinda and Tom’s Soughton Hall Wedding

I joined Lucinda and her bridal party on the morning of the wedding to capture some bridal prep shots. As a wedding photographer, I love being involved in bridal prep: it’s such a fun and exciting part of the day.

Soughton Hall has beautiful rooms to get ready in, and I enjoyed photographing Lucinda’s gorgeous dress from Cherish the Bride with the backdrop of the bridal suite.


Lucinda and her bridal party were pampered by Samantha Gannon, Freelance Hairstylist and Bridal hair Specialist, and their make up was by Sophie Griffiths. All the girls looked beautiful and we took some fantastic photographs of them all enjoying getting ready and having a great time together before the big event.


One of my favourite parts of being a wedding photographer is witnessing people’s reactions when they see the bride for the first time in her dress. Lucinda’s bridesmaids were completely overwhelmed with how beautiful she looked and it made for some lovely wedding photography.

I then headed outside to find Tom and his groomsmen, two of whom were adorable page boys- Lucinda and Tom’s sons Bobby and Franky. 


A dream ceremony at Soughton Hall

Soughton Hall is the ideal venue to have an outdoor ceremony, with the breathtaking backdrop of the Hall and surrounded by the North Wales countryside. However, we all know that the weather doesn’t always play ball and sometimes plans can change, but luckily for Lucinda and Tom the sun shone and they got their dream outdoor ceremony.

It was such a happy, emotional ceremony and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house (especially from the groom!)


Following the ceremony the guests enjoyed mingling in the grounds and I took the opportunity to capture some lovely wedding photography of everyone enjoying themselves, especially Lucinda’s nan who is 92 years and absolutely incredible: she absolutely loved her granddaughter’s wedding day!



 

Outdoor wedding photography at Soughton Hall

One of my favourite things about Soughton Hall is the grounds and gardens: I’ve captured some stunning photographs there and it never disappoints. So I was pleased to get the opportunity to slip away with the bride and groom for some shots before the wedding breakfast.


As a wedding photographer, some of my very favourite photos from Soughton Hall have been taken in the venue’s picturesque Secret Garden. Overlooking the southern façade of the Hall, and shaded by eucalyptus trees, this atmospheric garden really is perfect for some magical wedding photography, whatever the season. Lucinda and Tom’s images are beautiful and such a moving reminder of their special day.

Lucinda and Tom’s Wedding Reception

We then moved inside for the wedding breakfast. Couples getting married at Soughton Hall tend to choose the marquee for their wedding reception: it’s a lovely, elegant space that lends itself to any type of venue dressing. The Marquee overlooks the wooded gardens and is accessed directly from the house through a glass walkway.


After dinner I was able to pop outside again with Lucinda and Tom to capture some beautiful wedding photography in the late-afternoon sun. We took advantage of Soughton Hall’s elegant exterior to create the perfect backdrop.


Then it was party time, with entertainment from The Beat Pilots.


It was a fabulous day and it was wonderful to see so many happy faces. Thank you Lucinda and Tom for inviting me to be your wedding photographer at Soughton Hall, North Wales: after 3 date changes we got there in the end!