Boudoir & Cotswolds: Two Very Different Days!

Busy few days... last Friday we photographed the very lovely Vicki, who won the Clifton Life boudoir competition, so hair / make up stylist Julie Johnson was with me to ensuring maximum pampering (that was Vicki receiving the pampering, not me obviously!), Charlton House provided a stunning backdrop (as well as a great dinner, canapes and champagne - I do love working with a glass of champagne in my hand - really, its the future!) & we captured a lovely set of poses. Then on Saturday, it was up to the Cotswold's to capture Jon's 30th birthday - great set of guests and a lovely evening. I wish more people considered photography for key celebrations like this - we met 150 guests, all dressed up and looking fabulous & it made for a great set of images to remember the occasion. Then off to Christchurch to celebrate my own wedding anniversary...

In between all of this, I did see an article in the Times magazine on Saturday, which posed the question "what really annoys you as a (wedding) guest?" There were a range of answers from sugared almonds (how you take offence at a sugared almond?!), to photographers taking too long (then maybe the couple should have booked me - really, I've no sympathy!) and dress codes. Obviously, if couples insist on a "pride & prejudice" theme then maybe it might become an issue (although I think I might be able to carry off the 'Darcy' look if the lights are kept low and I can keep breathing in!), but is a dress code something to stress about? Strange, sometimes, what bothers people!

A Stunning Spring - Its Portrait Time

I'm back in my favourite 'office' - one of Clifton's best coffee shops - wondering why I am sat here and not taking pictures! The weather is glorious, the blossom is in the tree's - this is such a great time to book a portrait shoot! Once upon a time, I did promise that there would be some special offers for people who kept tabs on this blog, so here is the first special offer. Mention that you have seen this blog before the end of April '10 and I will offer a free on-location portrait session (in Bristol, Bath or surrounding area). Reprint prices start from £20 unframed, so a bargain to be had! Shoots need to be booked by the end of April and take place before the end of May. Have a look at my website for some sample images. Have to go - my americano with hot milk is cooling rapidly....

Trash The Dress

Trash the dress... daft name, great concept. For the name, we must blame the Americans (or at least an American - I doubt the whole country got together to brainstorm the name) (to be fair, it might be have been someone who just lived in America at the time, so maybe 'blame' is the wrong approach - maybe a group hug would be a better response). So daft name, great concept... In yesterdays blog I highlighted how precious time is at a wedding. Do you know that despite all the time shared with your photographer, you'll only get 20-30 minutes to take some stunning couple shots. And yes, stunning couple shots is what you will end up with but...

From experience most brides have spent more on their wedding dress than any other item of clothing they have ever bought and whatever their size and shape, they will probably have been in the gym or on a diet in the lead up to the wedding to make sure they and their dress look as fab as possible. So, you are feeling and looking better than ever and you get twenty minutes in front of the camera - not long is it? But of course, on the day, you don't want to risk the dress getting marked and you'd really prefer to be talking to your guests anyway, which is where 'trash the dress' comes in. Firstly, the dress doesn't get trashed (that would just be silly) - think of it as an extra special portrait shoot: what happens is that we meet up a few weeks after the wedding and go for an extended portrait shoot somewhere amazing - a striking urban setting like Bristol Docks or on to the beach or a remote landscape setting - somewhere that is a total contrast to your wedding day. And with the extra time, and all the stresses removed, we create some amazing set piece pictures. I saw a picture a few weeks back where the groom was in smart casual clothes and the bride in her dress with an urban setting and it looked AMAZING. Just as though the couple had stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine.

It's not expensive. The session fee is £95 (or £45 if I photographed your wedding), with a range of frames starting from £295. Do please ask for details.

Wedding Advice 003: Time Waits for No Man (or Bride)

Time. Waits for no man. And definately not for brides, although w've photographed a few that may disagree...there is not enough of it on a wedding day, that's for sure. The day will fly by, so there is a huge advantage in sitting down with your photographer (yes - your photographer - sorry, remind me who else knows the day from start to finish - florists, venues, vicars and cake makers only share part of the day, I'm with you all the way!) and plan the day. And as I write this (actually in a very lovely coffee shop in Bristol - I do love the fact that I can work on location!), I can almost hear you shout something to the effect that "we don't want our day to be planned - we want natural, fun, relaxed", etc. But it makes SO much sense - make a plan and then let other people to deliver it for you - that's the hallmark of great, relaxed, wedding day...

Anyway, advice number 3: ALWAYS overestimate how long everything will take. If your timings are correct, the worst that will happen from over-estimating is that you will have more time to talk to your guests; more time to look around and soak up the atmosphere. If you need the extra time, then its factored in already and it won't throw the rest of the day. Couples always worry that they need to ensure the day keeps moving, in case guests get bored... being positive, get a few mates and /or family (the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive) together and they can spend hours catching up - so a couple of hours spent with a pims on the lawn isn't going to be a great challenge - so don't worry! Or, put another way, if your guests are getting bored, maybe you invited the wrong guests?!

The reality is that there are too many demands on your time on a wedding day - so inevitably the day is a compromise, there is no way of avoiding this (well, there is, but you wouldn't like the answer so I won't go there), so plan the day, prioritise the parts that are most important and be relaxed about the rest. Give me a call if you have any queries about your special day.

Green Weddings

I read an article today about Green Weddings - which got me thinking how environmentally friendly can / should a bride & groom be and also how environmentally friendly can photography be? In the old days we shot on film (excuse me whilst I wipe a nostalgic tear away - film was lovely - the whole alchemy of capturing and processing an image on film is magical - its a real shame that digital process is so soulless in that regard) (but I really don't understand pro photographers today making a virtue out of capturing images on film - its the 21st Century - get a life!...but thats another story!). I guess by today's standards, film wasn't desperately 'green' and so digital capture has improved things there. But from experience, we still print almost as much as before. So that's one tick in the 'green' box and one tick in the 'nothings changed' box!

One aspect is with so many more suppliers in all aspects of wedding planning, their is a temptation to meet lots of people - decisions become harder to make because there must always be a feeling that there is someone better / cheaper / different around the corner. Personally, I think too much choice can confuse rather than help. So save the miles and start with on-line research. Find five photographers whose style you like, because style is so individual and much easier if you can find someone whose pictures really engage you from the outset. Then call them and from the conversations check availability and decide who sounded most interested in your day and who gave you most confidence, because these are key factors too. Armed with this, pick your three favourites to meet - in the unlikely event that you don't like any you have two reserves to come back to. Meet all three close together and make a decision. Efficient, low mileage, low stress and - trust me - you will end up with the right person. Don't even bother with wedding fairs - the concept is great, the experience today has become awful unless you can get to one of the boutique events (ie at Bibury Court the experience is a real pleasure). So miles saved equals a greener approach another tick there!

Finally (for this post), go local. We have probably a dozen quality venues within a 15m radius of the studio but we are just as likely to be shooting 50 miles plus away from base. If everyone went local, imagine how many miles would be saved...

But when all is said and done, from experience I can report that my wedding day was the best day of my life and for those of you planning your big day, do enjoy it and don't get too side tracked meeting the agendas of others - you should have the day of your dreams and not someone elses!

Wedding Advice - 002: Virtual Weddings

Helpful Tip: Talk to your suppliers, don't just email!

When I started in wedding photography (back in 2000, not so long ago), a photographer with a website was considered 'cutting edge'. On-line galleries were just a twinkle in a developers eye and if couples wanted to find out more it really was a case of getting up close & personal - calling in to a high street studio, meeting at a wedding fair or calling in response to an advert. But one way or another, there was a personal contact that is missing now. Clients look on line, send 'copy & paste' emails to lots of suppliers and generally avoid anything other than 'virtual' contact to the last minute.

I understand the reasons why but once you have used the web to create a short list of three possibles, pick up the phone. We always advise clients to ignore the 'questions to ask' lists in the wedding magazines. Selecting your photographer comes down to just three issues: style (if you don't like what you see on the web its unlikely that's the photographer for you); personality and budget (in that order). This posting is focused on personality. A professional, experienced photographer will have a host of questions about your day before they can get to the prices. Yes, we have standard packages that set a framework, but most photographers can tweak their offer (I was going to say 'tweak their packages' but that may be open to misinterpretation...) to match your day - if we know what your day looks like. But don't view the call as waste of your time: how friendly the photographer sounds, how interested they are in your day (if they are not asking lots of questions how interested are they in your day - and if not interested, how creative will they be when the time comes?) and whether you come away from the conversation thinking "he sounded friendly" is all useful research. Our longest wedding shoot was about 14 hours, with a lot of that time spent with the bride - if we didn't hit it off it would have been a nightmare on both sides (fortunately we did and it was great fun but that's not the point!). So be brave, pick up the phone and talk to us. Yes, its kind of old fashioned but it is SO the best way!

Wedding Advice - 001

So where do you turn when you want advice about your wedding? I ask because I've just flicked through a very glossy,free wedding magazine targeting the south west and I'm really disappointed. It really is a case of the "same old, same old" so does that mean there is nothing new to say about weddings? I suspect that the problem stems from magazines wanting to enhance their advertising offer by promoting advertisers as experts; trouble is the advertisers that the titles attract are not always experienced / sufficiently recognised to produce quality articles or to have anything meaningful to say. Which takes me back to the original question, where do you turn when we want really useful advice? Do email me and let me know which websites / magazines / books / colleagues worked for you and I will share it via this blog.

In the meantime, over the coming months I shall be asking the suppliers I know and trust to offer some meaningful tips about how to make the most of your day. No hard sells, no fluffy sales pitches - hopefully just very helpful advice.

And if you have any questions now, mail them through to me: info@andrewjacksonphotography.co.uk and I'll do some of the research for you!

New Workshop Date Announced

Are your snaps missing their crackle and pop?!

If your camera has been banished to the back of the cupboard, now is the time to set it free! Perhaps you have a big family gathering on the horizon or the holiday of a lifetime; maybe you’ve just treated yourself to a fancy new camera and would like to know how to get the best from it… why not attend one of Andrew’s training workshops this year?

Our next course is a jargon-free beginners session that will help you understand your digital or film SLR camera and will give you the confidence to move off the auto settings to take control and take beautiful pictures. The workshop is taking place on Tuesday 25th May at The Rectory Hotel, in Crudwell (not far from Tetbury, Glos). It starts at 9:00 for 9:30 and costs £85 (includes lunch).

Please contact Andrew on 01761 452084, who can talk you through what each course will cover.