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Top tips from a professional wedding photographer

Every year, we have our annual photo shoot, which happens to be in a few weeks time, so we have invited one of our photographers, the wonderfully talented Lois Rowlands from Lois Photography to be our guest blogger for April. Lois is sharing her top tips on how to choose a wedding photographer, how you can get the best out of them and questions you should ask your photographer.

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Tips on choosing a wedding photographer

  1. I get most of my work from wedding shows. I love meeting potential new clients and showing them what I do. There is nothing better than seeing examples of real wedding photography in real life!
  2. Do your research - Settle on a budget and choose a photographer whose images your LOVE. This way, you will know what to expect from your own wedding photographs.
  3. Hire a professional wedding photographer - You are only going get married once, so you need to get your photography right! Hiring a professional photographer is the best option if you want professional looking photographs as they have the knowledge and knowhow about lighting, angles, editing and more to make your photos a wonderful memory for you to cherish.

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Choosing a wedding photographer is like buying a house - Everything about choosing suppliers for your wedding reminds me of buying a house: settle on a budget and do your research into different companies. Once you have a few quotes and have met with a few suppliers, you can start to get a clear idea of what you want.

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Wedding photographers know when to be in the right place at the right time, they understand people management as well as taking great photographs. They have bad weather options up their sleeves and most wedding photographers offer a clear turnaround time for editing and delivering the images. My usual turnaround time is around 3-4 weeks.

Tips for getting the best out of your wedding photographer

1. Choose someone you really click with - your wedding photographer will usually be with you all day, from when you're getting ready, until late into the evening. Make sure you love the photographs you see on their website and social media, and meet your photographer either at a wedding show or arrange to meet for a cuppa to discuss the plans for your big day.

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2. Enjoy the day! You have spent months, sometimes years planning and saving for your big day, sit back and have fun. Smile, laugh and love the moments, and your photographer will be able to capture plenty of memories for you to cherish.

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3. Communicate - I always meet with my couples and get them to fill out a pre-wedding questionnaire and suggest some group photographs they would like. This way, I know exactly who is who and what is happening where. I do all of the organising and communicating before the wedding day, so when the big day comes, I can just work my way through the wedding enjoying capturing all of the moments.

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4. Allow time - your wedding day will go SO fast! Allow enough time between the ceremony and sitting down for your meal to mingle with your guests. Enjoy a few canapés, have a relaxing drink and enjoy it. What also takes time is any formal group photographs and even just a small bride and groom session. You don't want this to eat up all of your time, so I suggest leaving at least an hour and a half to two hours between the end of the ceremony and call through for dinner.

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5. Consider a pre-wedding shoot - lots of couples have a pre-wedding shoot or engagement shoot before the wedding. This is a great way to get to know your photographer and it will take the nerves away from having your photographs taken on your big day, plus you get some gorgeous romantic photographs of the two of you.

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Questions to ask your photographer

  • Can you show me a complete wedding? All 400-500 edited photographs. Take a look at an entire gallery of images to see what you can expect from your own photographs. Make sure you love the style and processing.
  • Are you insured? All wedding photographers should have insurance - Public Liability and Professional Indemnity. I also have equipment insurance.
  • What happens if you are ill? Being self-employed and not having a team of "Lois" photographers, problems can happen. I have made a lot of friends in the industry, which would enable me to very easily make a few phone calls to get cover from other wedding photographers who have a similar style to mine. I am part of the IPPN - a member's only forum based community made up of lots of photographers all over the country, I also have many Facebook groups full of super helpful fellow wedding photographers, so should any issues arise, I am always well covered.

I offer a storytelling style of photography. I like my photographs to be fun, well composed, focused and well edited. I love my job and I have been a full time wedding photographer for over five years and wouldn't change it for anything!

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Thank you Lois for sharing all of that wonderful advice with us. If you would like more information about Lois and her photography services, please visit Loisphotography.co.uk.

We just had to share our favourite photo from our Katie's wedding who had Lois as her photographer.  Who would have known it was incredibly windy! Such a great confetti shot.

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Love as always, SP x x 



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