20.05.10
Wedding Photography Pitch
Wedding photographers rely on clients with little or no experience of photography to set their briefs and agendas. How to handle them and make sure you give yourself the best chance of creating great images is an art in itself. We gave Crash Taylor a typically challenging brief and asked him to answer it.
THE HITCH
Bride and groom: Adrienne and Peter
Wedding date: October 2010
Time: Church ceremony 3pm, reception 4.30pm
Wedding guests: 100 during the day, an additional 50+ for the evening
Having found the right man, I’m now on the lookout for the right wedding photographer. My fiancé and I have been engaged since 2008 and plans for the wedding are in full swing. The wedding is planned for what we hope will be a crisp autumn Saturday in October this year, and we’re looking for someone special to document it. We’re looking for a photographer who is the right type of person. Someone who will be easy to work with – the sort that will make us feel at ease. We are certainly not models, nor do we particularly enjoy having our photograph taken, so discretion would be essential. A photographer who yells at us to ‘strike a pose’ at every opportunity just won’t work. The perfect person would fade into the background and quietly capture some of the magic from a distance. I have heard that some photography companies provide a ‘pre shoot’ to get to know you – this is something we might be interested in.
Having done a little research into wedding photography styles, it seems apparent that we will require a mixture of shots. Our preference would be for more relaxed/candid images – people’s faces, looking happy, that will capture the atmosphere of the day. We’d hate anything overly posed. Instead, the images should reveal us as we really are and the nature of the day as it happens. We will, of course, have to do the classic ‘staged’ shots of family and friends for the mantlepiece, but would be open to suggestions on how we might be able to create a more modern approach to this. I would also like one or two portraits of our close family members taken before the wedding when we’re all looking our best.
My only concern is the weather. It could well be a lovely day – falling leaves and a little dusting of frost. However, the realist in me is aware that it could bucket down all day long. In which case, a ‘plan B’ would be a good idea. The church we are marrying in is beautiful. It is surrounded by tall oak trees, which I’m hoping will be very picturesque. The reception venue, on the other hand, is rather plain in comparison, with no formal grounds or rolling hills in sight.
It is a converted barn, with a young garden and Cotswold stone in and out. This is not a concern for me, as we’re more interested photographing friends and family, but it’s worth noting. Of course, we don’t want to spend and arm and a leg to get the images we want and we are trying to keep the budget as low as possible. We would be looking at a final wedding album of approximately 20 images and a few framed shots for us to keep. We would also welcome the opportunity to keep the images digitally and allow family and friends to view these and order directly through you. It would be good to get an idea of the package costs that we can expect to pay and take the costing from there.
Adrienne
THE PITCH
Photographer: Crash Taylor
October is fine for a wedding with great winter light, but 3pm is not a good time and I really think that you should move the time forward to at least 12.30pm. It amazes me that you haven’t considered that it will be dark when you leave the church and therefore no exterior pictures will be possible. Most couples want some outside shots and you have given me a great description of the exterior of the church, yet unless you move the time of the service, we can only shoot outside using flash.
If you can’t change the time, we can use some flash and video light for some outside shots, which will be beautiful, but it is not an ideal situation. Natural light is always more flattering and you’ll also get a sense of location. If I work with flash, it will just be a fill-in flash and I will control the backgrounds, but they will be dark and I would prefer to use natural light if we can. But if it has to be flash, it’s no big deal.
The way I work is like a fly on the wall, the only time I’ll be with you guys is when we do the more directed photographs of the two of you on your own. It will only be 30 minutes, nothing posed; I’ll just ask you to stand somewhere, hold hands and wear your emotions on your sleeve. I’ll be a way off with a long lens capturing you. My assistant and I will be suggesting scenarios to help you, like a scene from your favourite movie. And you’ll be telling us about your honeymoon and it will be great fun. You won’t even know the camera is there. I like to call it ‘camera unaware’. It will just be so much fun.
I know the formal family portraits are important to the family, but I limit them to eight groups. That’s enough for the family and I’ll get those done in just 20 minutes. I’ll look for a really beautiful background, get everybody in a line and just take them. I have things I will say so that you’re not all having to say: ‘Cheese’. I’ll make people laugh by saying: ‘Bride and groom kiss!’ And then: ‘Everybody kiss!’ And everybody says: ‘What?!’ and bursts out laughing, and I’ll get the shot. People love this stuff.
Once the 20 minutes of formals and the half- hour of portraits of you two loving each other are done, then I’m capturing the day as it happens. There will be moments you won’t know are happening, but when you see your album, you won’t believe that these things happened. If it pours with rain, we just do everything inside. Sometimes, photographs taken in a venue can be made to look as if they were taken outside, especially if there are beautiful large windows. We’ll open them up, put you in front of them and blur the background and it will look as if you’re outside. People always ask me if I have been to a venue before, and if I haven’t, they give me very detailed outlines of what the venue is like, as you have. But I much prefer not to know what the location is like. Even if I’ve shot in a location before, things change, the light will be different, and something may happen on the day which will change the angle or location of the pictures. We’ll always find a beautiful location for the pictures, and we can work together to find the perfect spot at the church and the reception venue.
I can’t tell you now where we will do the formals or portraits as it all depends on the light, which is the most important thing. That’s what is going to make you look your most beautiful. So we need to see how it is and where it is on the day. Of course, doing these pictures at the church means moving the time of the service. Some vicars and priests do let you do pictures in the church, but others say: ‘No way!’ You should find out about this. In the States, we would do the portraits of you and your groom the day before the wedding at whatever time is best for light and the location, but in the UK everyone wants the pictures on the actual day. We could shoot the portraits the day before the wedding, but I understand if you don’t want this.If the ceremony time doesn’t change, we can do some beautiful shots outside where I’ll use low tungsten video lights, long shutter speeds and you’ll have to stay really still, but they will be beautiful images and I can show you examples I’ve shot before of how this will look.
I offer three packages, which start at £2,500. They are simple packages that all include me from bridal preparation to the first dance, a handcrafted album from New Zealand and an online gallery. I don’t reduce or negotiate my prices, but I occasionally throw in an extra mini album to add value to what I’m offering you. If you’d like me to photograph your wedding, you’ll need to provide a deposit of £500 to secure the date. The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before the wedding day. I’m afraid that, if you can’t pay at that point, I will not be able to photograph your wedding. I have full insurance for the day and I’m happy to give you any phone numbers you wish of previous brides if you’d like to speak to them about me and how the photographs turned out.
Also, if you have any members of your family who like taking pictures, it’s cool with me if they take pictures while I am, just as long as they don’t get in my way. Obviously, I’d prefer that we are on our own when we are doing our portrait session, but during the rest of the day, it’s fine with me. Just so you know: sometimes, if people are on my shoulder taking pictures, I’ll turn my camera on them and start taking pictures of them, which usually makes them disappear. I hope I’ve answered all your questions, allayed your fears and given you a good idea of how your wedding day could be photographed.
Crash
www.crashtaylor.com
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