Oh I love them because they know more then photographers and put us all in the same box and…
Actually, I don’t.
Wedding Blogs are ten a penny these days. Like, I’ve even started one myself. Kinda. Most are written for the sake or it and generally, with regard to what I do, many of them are completely out of touch and filled with generalisations. Or just false concepts and pointless tips, and I use the word tip lightly. They often tend to suggest that you should “work closely with your photographer” and other guff like that, what that actually means I have no idea. But I certainly won’t be taking potential clients on a few wedding shoots with me anytime soon. So I think you’ll be relieved by that.
I’ve always seen myself as a photographer first and foremost.
Sure, I shoot weddings. But “Wedding Photographer” in general conjures up some awful stereotypes even in this day and age. I document weddings in a candid manner. I put my own unique emphasis on each and every wedding in my own style. So it makes me laugh when I come across a wedding blog that informs couples what they should look out for. What they should expect and what they should ask their photographer.
In nearly every instance they are completely wide of the mark. In every instance they are wrong. As I said when I started this piece, blogs, wedding blogs in particular, are ten a penny.
For example. Some time back I was emailing with a potential client and she was very impressed with my work. It was “exactly” what she was looking for. Didn’t want anything slowing her day down. Loved the atmosphere of my photography.
We passed a few emails back and forth. I like to get an idea of who I may be working for because it is vital that anybody I’m shooting a wedding for must 100% buy into the concept of what I do. And they do.
I could not be clearer in the manner in which I work. I operate in one way only, this in turn ensures that the work is consistent. The style of photography recognisable. The information on my website drives home that concept and often in a rather blunt fashion, that could not be clearer.
Anyway, I digress a bit….
So, everything seemed to be going well, then, all of a sudden the crazy questions come knocking.
And clearly they came from some half baked wedding blogger.
“What Camera do you use?” Really?
“Do you shoot RAW or Jpeg?” Eh?
“Some parts of the venue may be dark, will you bring addition lighting to set up?” Err, that would remove any element of being candid away from how I work. And what part of working with available light and working at a good stealthy pace did I not make clear?
“Do you use reflectors?” See above
“Can I get a mixture of colour treatments?” Treatments?
“Do you offer unlimited editing of photos?”
Do I offer unlimited editing of photos? You’d have to read that one at least twice, it really beggars belief. Does any credible photographer with self respect need to be told to go back and re edit? And then re edit some more? I don’t think I could be clearer with regards my work ethic.
And so it went on. I knew where these useless questions had come from and I was utterly and completely disappointed. So right away I decided that this was not for me. For whatever reason the goalposts had been moved. Instead of being interesting in what may happen on the day and the excitement of that it was about stuff that is completely facile and should never have to enter a bride or groom’s head at all.
Ya, I use pretty decent equipment, but that’s not the point.
If you are going to question the competence of a photographer who appears to have a good strong body of work because a blog informed you of this, then you may be in for a surprise.
If you get answers to all these questions from some photographer then you have taken your eye off the ball. You will have gone against your own original instinct. It should be about the photography and how the photographer achieves his images.
All these types of questions do is muddy the water. If you have come to my website and have read the detailed information viewed the galleries, and viewed them well does it really matter to you what kind of camera I use (never the lens, always the camera)? The file I saved them as? What will you learn from that? Do I ask the dentist what kind of drill he or she’s using? I can imagine the funny look I’d get…
I’ve been at this game a while know and have remained extremely profession. Extremely consistent. Yet some will get swayed by what they read on a blog. Or perhaps what somebody THINKS they must ask their photographer. But what does any of that stuff have to do with how the wedding will be photographed?
Don’t book a photographer on knowing what camera they uses or if they will bring additional lighting etc. This is an absolute distraction. Judge them on the pictures they take. Draw a conclusion from the images. If those pictures excite you then that really should be a big step.
Some things are made complex by idiots who do not know what they are talking about.
When the client gets it then the clients gets it.
I traveled, and it is a fine spin, from Cork to Solis Lough Eske. The client that booked me said “You give us what we are looking for”.
No outside influence. They just got it.
