An insight into booking an Affordable Wedding Photographer
Firstly, thanks for taking a look at this article. This particular article is aimed at those who are seeking affordable wedding photographers on the budget friendly end of the scale. I was motivated to write this after hearing about an awful situation where the couple were left with no photographs of their ceremony. The photographer they chose clearly opted for a none professional low spec camera and by taking this risk, it resulted in total devastation! To cut a long story short, the storage card malfunctioned and it became unreadable. Low spec cameras tend to have single slot storage where as Professional cameras have built in redundancy. In other words, a professional camera has 2 x storage card capacity and the camera would write the data (pictures) to both cards simultaneously. In order to avoid this ever happening to you, or indeed any unforeseen technical failure causing such issues, it’s important to ask your potential photographer if they are using a professional camera body with dual cards and if they have spare equipment. (Spare equipment would include another camera body, lenses, flashes, batteries and storage cards) There is no excuse not to have backup when working on a client's wedding day. Even when using professional and super reliable equipment, you never know when a technical issue may arise, hence why backup for everything is absolutely essential.
Most clients tend to overlook this subject because the terminology often makes people glaze over. Get me taking about equipment, and I can talk anyone to sleep! Therefore, I’ll keep this part simplistic. Whilst a decent photographer can produce great photographs on a cheap camera or even a mobile phone in terms of composition, the limitations become very apparent when it shooting a wedding! The various and changing lighting conditions and the fast moving pace of a wedding can be very demanding and there are certain parts of the day where there is only one chance to get it right! Many budget photographers do actually use professional equipment and they often offer a low price in order to build their wedding portfolio. However, beware, there are some budget photographers that will have equipment that can be a challenge to use under certain conditions resulting in terrible pictures. For example, low light, or the ability to use off camera flash systems when needed. Whilst most people would struggle to decipher what is or what isn’t professional equipment, two questions you could ask for your peace of mind are:
‘our ceremony has very low light, how would you deal with that’
and
‘can you use off camera flash’
Even though you may not have a good technical understanding of equipment, your potential photographer should be able to give a good technical explanation about the low light scenario and give you a simple ‘yes’ answer to the second question.
On the subject of questions to ask, below, I have included the most frequently asked questions I get asked and included my answers. (Other photographers may present slighty different answers)
FAQ
ARE THE TRAVEL EXPENSES INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKAGES OR COVERED ADDITIONALLY?
A.The price quoted is what you pay, my pricing has no hidden extras, like travel or indeed any other surprises regarding the cost.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECEIVE THE PHOTOS?
A.As a general guide, you should receive your pictures within 28 days. I will always aim to get them to you as fast as possible.
WILL YOU MEET WITH US TO DISCUSS OUR PREFERENCES
A.Meeting is an essential part of the process in order to make sure everything runs perfect on the day. A meeting not only gives you food for thought on shots you may not have even considered, but also a chance for us to get to know each other. I'm also very happy to meet and discuss your requirements without any commitment to book. I really care about my clients and it's essential they feel completely confident in using my services for their special day.
WILL YOU STAY LONGER IF OUR DAY RUNS OVER
A.I know some photograpghers tend to work to the clock, however, this is not my style, I fully appreciate timings can run over and I can assure you I'll be there until I have everything we need regardless.
DO YOU HAVE BACKUP EQUIPMENT
A.Absolutely! There is no excuse not to have backup when working on a client's wedding day. I use professional and super reliable equipment, but you never know when a technical issue may arise. Each camera has duel memory cards, and I carry a backup for everything, from chargers, flashes, cameras bodies and a good selection of lenses.
DO YOU HAVE A SET START TIME?
A.Once booked for a full day wedding, start times are in accordance with clients requirements on the day of the wedding. The price remains the same no matter what time we start.
WILL YOU SUPPLY A CONTRACT?
A.Yes, most clients prefer a contract to give them peace of mind.
HOW MUCH DEPOSIT DO YOU REQUIRE?
A.a £30 deposit is required to secure the date and the remaining balance can be paid anytime up to the day before your wedding.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I'm always happy to answer any question and in terms of my services, I would be very happy to meet in person without any obligation or commitment to book whatsoever. I really feel that it is absolutely essential clients feel completely confident in using my services and they really feel they can approach me about anything they need. I would certainly not feel offended if after a discussion you felt I was not right for you.
Looking for a wedding Photographer? Let's talk!
Simply give me a call or an email anytime.
"Once I was 7 years old"
—Lukas Graham