Bath Weddings

Regular readers will know that we are big fans of florist Jo Shipp of "Passion". When shooting a wedding in Bristol or Bath, it is always incredibly reassuring to see Jo and her fab team dressing the ceremony or reception room. Now Jo also has a high street presence at The Loft in Bartlett Street, Bath, which opened on the 1st February - all very exciting and just wanted to wish Jo luck with this new venture - it looks great and I am sure will be hugely successful.

Today I am mostly learning how to use my Mac properly...

Passion & All Things Flower

Enjoyed a fab visit to Jo Shipp yesterday, who is the owner / creative force behind 'Flowers by Passion' - if you haven't come across the name, look in "Hello" or "Cosmo" magazine, as her work is often profiled. I've known Jo for about five or six years now - we're recommended at some of the same venues and it is always a huge pleasure to bump into Jo at a wedding. Its not just that the flowers will be fresh and top quality - and when I'm shooting still life's for the bride its really important that the flowers are perfect - its the creativity too. Jo has a wealth of props: vases, candelabras and all sorts to set the flowers perfectly and create looks that are unique. I always aim to bring a little extra to my wedding commissions and I know Jo is just the same when it comes to the floral artistry.

Jo is now based in Swainswick in Bath, in a wonderfully rural location. If you are planning your wedding and want the flowers to be a bit more special than the usual, then do give her a call or click on the link above.

Bristol Weddings & Twitter

I think this is good news... I'm pleased to say that I have finally joined the 21st century as I am now on Twitter - the address is AJP_photo. Have to be honest and say that I am still getting to grips with it all, but I hope it will in time become a great reference source for information & contacts for all things wedding related. So whether you are a couple planning your big day or in an associated business (from cup cake bakers to wedding planners and florists) do please sign up as a follower and lets create a space thats of useful (ie I promise not to to post a twitter simply to tell you that I'm drinking coffee) (actually, thats probably a given - just assume that whatever I'm doing a small latte or Americano won't be too far away!). Any questions or thoughts as to how I should get the best from Twitter do please say...

Weddings, Portraits & Things in 2011

The start of a new year is always kind of interesting. On one level, nothing much has changed (well, petrol prices are higher, VAT has gone up and its still too cold - but shall we gloss over that?); on another level, its hard to avoid thinking of a new year as anything other than a fresh start. And personally speaking, this is probably the most exciting year in prospect since 2008 (which is when I got married - now that was a great year!). I know, the recession isn't over, but I'm SO bored with all that doom and gloom now; so this year, the focus is firmly on having fun...its time to play!!

Looking ahead, there are some really exciting wedding commissions in the diary already, which I'm looking forward to capturing.So if its your wedding on the horizon, keep calm, breathe deeply and it will be fine - promise!

We're also in the process of reviewing all our products and very soon we shall be releasing news of all our new products & prices for 2011/2012, so do give Andrew a call if you would like to receive further details.

Andrew is also going to be working closely with Damien Lovegrove over the coming year. Damien, one of leading UK wedding photographers, has been a huge inspiration to the business, almost since we launched in 2000; he has an incredibly relaxed style of picture taking but one that produces stunning images; as well as this, his attention to detail in looking after clients is really the blue print of what photography should be about (but so often isn't, sadly).

We have very high hopes for 2011 - we hope your year is going to be as much fun as our!

2011:Weddings in Bristol & Bath

It feels an age since my last blog, which is probably a reflection that I have not been spending enough time in the coffee shops of Clifton - don't you hate it when work gets in the way like that?! Anyway, apologies for the absence of my usual words of wisdom (or 'grumpy old man moments' as they have become known...). Its just that we are making so many changes to the business for next year - stunning new frames, a stylish new approach to the albums, perfect portraits and some great wedding capture changes - that I am failing miserably to keep up with the blog. Just to say, I don't think that will change until after Christmas but watch this space. Next year I am debating whether I can make a new years resolution to update everyday (other than holidays - may not have access to the site then) - so that's not a promise, but might become one.

In the meantime, thank you so much to all the couples who have booked over the past few weeks for next year - we have some absolutely fab weddings to look forward to. There are some spaces left, but for those of you planning September and October weddings especially do give us a call sooner rather than later, as the autumn is even busier than the summer right now!

Thank You!

Once upon a time, in the old days, when I started wedding photography (actually, its only ten years - the intro makes it sound as though I had to put a black sheet over my head for each picture) (although some clients have suggested this might be preferable even today!), the wedding season was really Easter to the end of October. Now, its a 12 month season and I'm just as likely to be shooting winter weddings as summer celebrations. I fact, I'm becoming quite a specialist a low light, winter weddings - I love the cosy feel, the pictures in front of a roaring log fire - winter weddings have a unique ambiance. But, when I get to the end of October, it still feels like the end of the season...

So I just wanted to pause for a moment and say a big 'thank you' for all the thank you cards we've received over the course of the year. I know how busy everyone is and how quickly real life kicks in when back from the honeymoon, so I'm always amazed that couples find the time to write. Having a passion for great photographs is a good starting point, but that passion is a bit lost if it doesn't translate into happy clients, so the feedback is really important. This year especially we've had some lovely comments, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

Bibury Court Wedding Fair - This Sunday

copyright: www.andrewjacksonphotography.co.uk

Just a quick blog to let you know that Saskia and I will be at Bibury Court wedding fair on Sunday, making an exhibition of ourselves! If you are still looking for the perfect Cotswold wedding venue then Bibury Court is definitely worth a closer look. The village of Bibury is picture postcard perfect and the hotel is just as beautiful - set in lovely grounds and with a brilliant team to look after your day. Its been one of our main venues this year and its been a real pleasure shooting there. So, do visit us on Sunday 31st and we promise not to talk at you for ever about how great we are!!!

2011: Amazing New Albums

Firstly, I mentioned a couple of posts ago that there are lots of changes in motion for 2011 and that I would be letting you know what was going on over the coming months... well, to help the 'search' facility, I'll start each of these with '2011' in the title bar... hopefully, this will make it easier to find.

So, new albums... I'm really pleased to announce that we have just signed up with Graphi Studio to produce our book style albums. For those of you unfamiliar with these albums, the printing is direct onto the page, so it produces a very modern, contemporary presentation for wedding and portrait photographs. Best of all is the ability to print a picture across a double page spread, so pictures can be used much, much bigger than in a regular album - so loads of impact. We have a great sample here from one of our weddings at The Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath, which will be on display at our wedding fairs this month.

Now, I know that this style of album has been around for a while, but I've always resisted using them because there are so many dreadful alternatives out there. Just because it is now possible to make photo books doesn't mean that its right for a polite society; I've seen so many versions where the pictures have looked second rate and its only the gimmicks offered by the album that makes the product even remotely usable. BUT when I saw what Graphi Studio produced, I have to say I was blown away - the quality is first class - both in the construction of the album (after all, the stitching and binding has to be top quality to hold together as you share your pictures with family & friends) but the print quality too was supberb.

So we are still offering the jorgensen albums for those who prefer a more traditional approach, but have the option of the very best in book albums for people looking for something a little different. Hooray!

Weddings UK & France

www.andrewjacksonphotography.co.uk

Very pleased to announce that our new prices and packages for 2011 are now available... I say very pleased because for the first time since we started I've really changed pretty much every aspect of what we do and the way we do it. Its the first time we've really 'gone back to basics' since I started the business (well, since 2003 - I started in 2000, but I really didn't have a clue what I was doing then) (not much has changed over the years, obviously) (well, other than the widespread use of web and e-mail, mobile phones and the death of video hire shops - do they still exist somewhere?) (and the introduction of coffee shops - thank God!). Anyway, big changes, top to bottom, effecting just about every aspect of the business. So exciting times. Over the coming weeks I'll start to introduce some of the new products and services but more importantly, explain some of the background to why the changes came about.

Wedding Photography - Kind of Missed Opportunities

Just been reading the back page of 'Brides' magazine. The feature is based around sound bites from couples wishing they had done things differently as far as the photography was concerned - too much B&W, bot enough colour shots / too many formal or not enough formal poses, that kind of thing. What struck me is that I would have avoided pretty much all the issues raised - BUT it does require the couple to engage beforehand. Great photography is a partnership - after all, I can only photograph what is in front of me, so if the groom or grand parents wander off and can't be found, there is very little that can be done, other than to move on and capture some thing else - guests enjoying the reception for example. But that type of situation is not ideal.

Whoever you decide to book for your wedding pictures, do meet up before as a couple to agree the style and the broad bones of a shooting list. You don't have to get bogged down with lots of formal poses, but making sure the names of key guests are listed will ensure no one is missed in the excitement of the moment. And check if images are captured digitally and in RAW format - that way you have the best possible starting point for colour or B&W decisions afterwards.

Elsewhere in the magazine, the advice is 'talk to your photography' - for the day at least we are a team so good communication is an easy investment to make to ensure great pictures.

Wedding Experience

I had a slightly bizarre experience recently when I met a wedding planner who had been trading for a year but who hadn't actually planned a wedding yet. The curious bit was that from this starting point she mentioned that she was mentoring 20 other would-be wedding & event planners. I was tactfully trying to phrase the question of how that might work (experience at some level seemingly a pre-requisite in mentoring others) but the conversation moved on which was probably just as well - the question might have come out wrong and caused offence, which wasn't the intention at all - we all have to start somewhere after all. But it did pose the question of how much experience is necessary before a product can be offered to the general public.

I've no idea how many weddings I've captured; I started in 2000 and since then there have been quiet years and busy years, so I'm guessing it must be 200-250 kind of number, which seems quite a lot (but maybe accounts for the nervous tic, the hairline receding further & faster than the tide at Weston-super-Mare and the growing attraction to prescription drugs!!) But when I think back to the start of my career, I can't remember at what point I felt comfortable claiming to be "experienced". Does it come after 5,10, 20 weddings or is it less about actual numbers and more about the seasons? After all, shooting in the summer is very different to a winter wedding - the latter often requiring a different skill set and, ideally, better kit because the low light is such a challenge. Most pro photographers will admit that they never stop learning - every wedding is different, as is the venue, the weather, the social dynamics of the guests, etc, etc. I have to adapt to each new set of circumstances and deliver great pictures - so maybe after the next 250 I will be REALLY able to claim to be experienced... What do you think - let me know your definition of an experienced wedding photographer... If you were booking someone now what would you look for to reassure you that you had the best person for the job?

Hotmail Accounts

Just a quick blog to say that there seem to be some issues emailing hotmail addresses at the moment - it would appear that their spam settings are so high that regular mails are not reaching their destination. So if you do email us from a hotmail account please add 'info@andrewjacksonphotography.co.uk' to your address book and then our reply should reach you without any problems.

Vicki's Boudoir Shoot

www.andrewjacksonphotography.co.uk

It's probably no surprise if I said that right now, I am sat in a coffee shop, with my americano (with hot milk) in front of me - regular followers of this blog will know that this is the life blood of my business (did you notice the optimism of 'followers' plural!). Anyway, just wanted to share one of the shots from Vicki's boudoir shoot that I mentioned recently. Vicki was absolutely amazing! When we started shooting boudoir the images that came to mind were very dark and moody, but its becoming a trend now that people have so much fun in front of camera that there are too many smiles to make mean & moody work! But in a way, I'm really pleased with this response. I've met lots of women who like the whole 'How to look good naked' thing, but who hate the idea of being pictured in a 'page three' style. So sexy and fun seems to work much much better.

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!

Congratulations to The Bath Priory

Just wanted to say a big congratulations to The Bath Priory, who have just won Gold Award for best Small Hotel at the South West Tourism Excellence Awards 2009-2010, held on 23rd November. This prestigious award also means that The Bath Priory now goes forward to the National Enjoy England Awards, held in April 2010. Obviously, I'm a little bit biased because the Bath Priory has been a great supporter of my business - recommending Andrew Jackson Photography for Bath weddings for about five or six years now - and its where I run some of my workshops AND its where I got married - so it will always be a special place even without the Awards that it regularly wins. But even so, I'm so pleased to see all the Team's efforts recognised and wish them all the luck in the world next April, when the National winner will be announced.

Wonderful West Country Weddings

Living in such a beautiful part of the country, we often have couples visiting from outside the area for their wedding. If you are pondering a west country wedding, we can definitely recommend it! Besides great cream teas and real farmhouse ciders to encourage you back for the all the planning meetings, we also have some stunning venues. This shot was taken at Bishopstrow House in Warminster; but have a look at Charlton House, Pickwell Manor and Ston Easton Park too - really, we are so spoilt with great places here... always remember that if you are planning a wedding from a distance and need help with recommendations for florists, stylists, etc, ask us and we'll put you in touch with people we have worked with and can recommend.