We are often asked how our Wedding Photography Service works. From the moment you book us, to the arrival of your wedding books, these are the stages in between.

First Consultation

A preliminary meeting to discuss what you want, show you more examples of our work, and talk through your day. We often do this at your venue, which can be quite exciting – and a great way for us to start getting to know each other. We’ll also show you some of our Wedding Books, and demonstrate some different styles and layouts that we might create for you.

Pre-wedding checks

We visit every venue before we shoot a wedding. Even if we’ve already met with you there, we usually visit again to take test shots. We check out the light, reconnoitre good locations, and capture a few details. Just before the wedding we check and re-check every camera and lens, all batteries, cards, backups and everything else. We also prepare your online gallery access cards, ready to bring with us on the day.

On The Day

Based on our discussions with you, we will proceed through our wedding photography plan. If you’re having Bridal Preparations, Sonia will be with you in the morning, whilst Ben captures other events as they unfold at the same time. We then join forces as the day builds up, keeping out of your way at all times. We only take gentle control during your requested formal shots. We never rely on you for transport, and have our backup camera equipment nearby at all times. And yes, we carry umbrellas.

Post Production

After your wedding, we carefully select the best pictures from the day. This can take 1-3 weeks. We don’t pile thousands on you – we aim to present around 300-600 images. All those will be colour balanced and adjusted where necessary. Retouching is also done if needed.

Online Presentation

The finished images are then grouped into chapters, and uploaded to your personal gallery. This same set of pictures is then copied to a disk for you to keep and print from.

Book Design

If you have requested a Wedding Book, our next task is to further reduce our selections (usually to around 60-80 images) and start laying out your book design. It’s our favourite part of the process. We fine tune certain images even further, balancing image to image on each page layout. Following the sequence of your day, the story of your wedding takes shape.

Second Consultation

We then invite you to view your Wedding Book either at our studio over a glass or wine, or if you prefer we deliver a digital proof to you via email. During this part of your wedding photography service, you are invited to make changes if you wish. It’s a great chance for you to pick your prints too.

Book Manufacture

Once agreed, we set the wheels in motion and your book, or books, are manufactured, checked and delivered to you with about 4-6 weeks. We deliver these along with your prints.

After Care

With all that done, our final task is to archive and backup the entire wedding project. All shots, whether rejected or not, and your book design, are archived for as long as technology will allow. You can request re-burns of your data disk at any time should you mislay or damage your data disk.

It’s moving into that time of the year when we find enquiries from couples start coming thick and fast. Maybe it’s those first glimmers of sunshine, or perhaps it’s just the dawning realisation that the cake is booked, the dress is fitted, the bus/car/amphibian-vehicle is arranged, but – omygod! We don’t have a photographer! They’re all going to be too busy! We’ll be stuck with limited choice of wedding photography prices! Help!

Well, it is true, time is moving on. But as you explore the internet and other sources for wedding photographers, you’ll soon realise that there is still plenty of choice out there. You may find some wedding photographers offering low prices for late bookings. You may find the opposite. A bit like airlines. Too much choice in fact!

But that’s where the resemblance to usual shopping ends. This is a wedding we’re talking about here, a once only event that cannot, must not, be spoilt by anything. Choosing a wedding photographer is an important decision – and can be confusing.

Here are some key elements that might help inform your decision. I hope to de-stress you a little with these tips on choosing a wedding photographer…

1 The Price

Given that there is a range of photographers available, especially near a major city such as London, your wedding photographer choices can be quickly paired down by eliminating the outrageous and pruning the worryingly cheap. Unless you’re fabulously rich, it’s no secret that your budget is probably your major factor. But, as you will learn, it is not the only important one.

2 Style and Technique

You’ve probably looked over some photographers’ portfolios. Doing this can be an art in itself! You may see some absolutely stunning images. But look deeper, and see if you can decide if the guests and couple look relaxed and happy. A portfolio can be very indicative of not only the range of the photographer’s work and skill. It also shows how comfortable people feel with him/her around. Technique is not just about shutter speed and framing – it’s part of a package of abilities that includes people skills. A sensitive photographer will blend into the background most of the time – ideally. But this type of unobtrusive, or reportage wedding photography, is much more than having a long zoom lens and being positioned away from the crowd. A photographer with experience, and importantly a pleasant personality, can get much closer the the events of your big day and still remain unobtrusive. Long lenses are not always the answer here. Wit, charm and discretion will play a greater part.

3 Trust

Can you trust your wedding photographer? Will he/she actually turn up on the day? The best way to determine if your photographer is trustworthy is to meet them. Either in person or at least over the phone at first. Allow those human instincts of yours to get to work. If you don’t like the sound of someone, maybe there’s a good reason! Even if you’re wrong, and they really are trustworthy, but you still don’t like the sound of them, you will never be 100% comfortable with that. And this is a two-way street – your photographer needs to like and trust you too. It breeds passion and commitment to you, your partner and your great day.

Beware of fly-by-night wedding photographers – guys that have bought a digital camera and feel they are qualified to shoot a wedding. This problem has been plaguing  the wedding photography industry in recent years. To mitigate against this risk, it’s worth checking to see if your wedding photographer is a member of any photographic societies.

After testing your instincts, re-check the photographers testimonials page (they do have one, right?) and ask to speak to some previous brides. If a photographer is uncomfortable with that – move on.

4 Passion

Photographing a wedding is not the same thing as catering. It’s much closer to makeup or dress fitting. It’s very, very personal. It’s about fleeting moments of emotion and “getting it” with who relates to whom in the wedding party. It’s about combining this instinct with an eye for geometry and light, whilst being in complete command of the camera under very demanding lighting challenges.

A speciality at West4 Photography is Bridal Preparations. For the best results, both photographically and emotionally, you really want to be comfortable with your photographer whilst you get changed or do make-up. Someone who is passionate about dress, shoes, beauty, light and above all, your day – is going to be a better companion during your preparations. My tip is – ask yourself if you would prefer a male or female photographer at the start of your day. Who will blend in easiest with your other companions?

Our own feeling here, is that a female photographer is best suited to this specialist photography, and Sonia is our star at West4 Photography! Have a look at her Bridal Photography London.

5 Services

This is a boring one at first glance. But the wedding photographer’s job is not over when the shots are taken. All shots need to be processed, organised, culled and trimmed. After that, how are you going to see them?

Galleries – many photographers now offer a personal online gallery, as we do at West4 Photography. If you’re still deciding on a photographer, find out more about how this would work. Would print prices be extortionate for your guests for example?

Albums – again most photographers offer albums. You need to see them and touch them before you decide. It’s really the final legacy that, alongside your prints, should last a lifetime. Are you going to be allowed to contribute to the design of your album? Is it customisable? More valid questions we urge you to ask.

Disks – very common nowadays is the simple disk package. As my final tip, be prudent and check that you are also acquiring the rights to print from that disk. Also check the quality that will be offered. Finally, will your photographer archive you photographs on a secure system, in case you loose your disks?

Well, thanks for reading and, need I say, our own services at West4 Photography have been informed by all these questions. From experience in the field, and experience with people, we have arrived at a service that we feel is essential.

Another London wedding – another stunning series of Bridal Preparations Photography.  Ignoring the somewhat chilly (and wet) London March weather, we made the most of all indoor opportunities for beautiful wedding photography for Theresa And Akin. Having Sonia behind the lens during bridals is usual for us at West4 Photography. Less usual was a London Wedding with 2 sets of bridal preparations! After most weddings would be winding down, it was time for Theresa to start all over again. Out with the Whites – in with the Reds.

Theresa’s specialised dresser and Makeup Artist, Kemi, had to fit a large cloth head dress – secured purely by folds. After careful positioning you can then see Theresa zoning out in a moment of stillness and concentration. We were really impressed with Kemi’s work.

Following our strict policy of zero flash tolerance, these shots would have been impossible without a very fast lens and camera. Combined with a steady hand, Reportage Wedding Photography requires the correct equipment – especially in low light.

But more importantly these shots are all un-posed. Completely. In fact Theresa had no idea the photographer was in the room.

Another beautiful moment, needing a steady hand from photographer and dresser alike:

Later we found a very useful backdrop for some more quick shots of the couple together. At the Kensington Roof Gardens, there’s a covered passage on the roof with micro lights above. Keeping these blurred, and the couple sharp, our favourite shot from the wedding is this:

Reportage describes a special approach to wedding photography. Considered modern by many, it’s really an approach with a long history. Sometimes referred to as Photojournalistic Wedding Photography, and Documentary Wedding Photography, it’s real origins lie in news reporting. It’s about real events and real emotions.

Story Telling

The whole point though, is not to be all purist and pedantic. At West4 Photography we aim to tell the story of your Wedding Day in a way which will bring back the feelings, the experience of being there, for years to come. At the same time, we are constantly on the look out for photographic beauty. Geometry, light and timing are the key things that create a great wedding photograph.

The story of your day can be expressed most beautifully in a Wedding Book. Our approach to this is not to simply gather the best shots and pop them together in a book. We painstakingly select from the (usually) thousands of shots taken on the day, arranging and ordering these carefully. We highlight the emotions that surround each moment by placing together images which emphasise and compliment each other.

For your Wedding Story to be true to life, we keep a low profile at your wedding. That way, the reactions and feelings going on are completely unaffected by us. This is what we want! If we are lucky, wonderful moments coincide with wonderful light, and we have truly great wedding photography.

Formal Shots – we don’t shy away from these

The documentary style of wedding photography does not suit all. We come to your day to record events as they unfold naturally. However, we understand that there are always some traditional ‘posed’ portraits that you and your family members may need as a part of your wedding memories. Our aim with posed shots is to minimise the impact on your day. We do our best to keep it efficient, relaxed and fun.

Given the choice, (for example when there’s plenty of light) we can opt of a wide, or a narrow Aperture. A wide Aperture allows us to deliberately focus on only one subject, and obscure with blur the extraneous objects in a field of view. The classic situation where you want to do this is with a portrait.

Beach Studios, Kent

In this picture, we have focussed beautifully on the subject, and allowed the background to supply a dreamy, blurred backdrop. By opening the aperture very very wide, possible with advanced lenses, we can actually focus specifically on one part of the subject’s face, usually the eyes, and have the ears and nose just starting to enter a zone of non focus. See how the shabby chic table travels dramatically from sharp to total blur as it comes towards you. The blur adds a sense of movement, directing the eye to the subjects face.

Kensington Roof Gardens London

This example above demonstrates that  the constraints of available light can actually afford a creative opportunity. In these Bridal Photographs, at the Kensington Roof Gardens, London, the bride was in her second round of preparations for the day – getting ready for her evening wave of celebrations. Although enjoying herself, she was also quite focussed on a tricky manoeuvre with her head-dress, and the last thing a sensitive london wedding photographer would ever do here is flash a bright light in her face. Using a very fast (F1.2) lens, I was able to come in quite close, choosing my angle carefully enough so she was completely unaware of me, and grab this beautiful moment. The shallow depth of field has erased all detail in the less than stunning ceiling arrangement above, and has focussed our attention on the the calm concentration in the Bride’s face. A steady hand was needed for this shot, as with the light so low, a shutter speed of around 80 was all that was possible.

Dulwich College

A wider aperture becomes important when we want more depth of field. The classic example of this is landscape. But also shots of groups of people will generally need a wider aperture. A typical wedding reception group shot, for example, is often spoilt when some of the group are just not quite in focus.

This is often the result of low light, forcing the camera (in auto mode) to open the lens and compromise on depth of field. This problem, to my mind, is really a show stopper for formal wedding group shots, where a record is being made for future generations, and you want everyone in focus.

Durham Castle

This shot (above) required a little thought. Not that there was much time to think as the wedding couple’s car was arriving earlier than expected.  In order to keep the beautiful Rolls crisp from front to back, together with the Bridal Bouquet, a tight aperture (F5.6) was in order. But with quite a bit of movement in this shot, shutter speed could not be sacrificed. I quick boost on ISO was necessary, as the ambient light was lower than is apparent here – note the umbrella and afternoon clouds!

Often, the challenge with wedding photography, is to ride a “perfect storm” of opposing demands on the camera. Guests will start to really relax, and offer great reportage wedding photography opportunities, after they have had lunch and the pressure of the main events of the day are receding. In this shot (below) we really are in a very dark space. With a wide aperture, and an extreme ISO setting (6,400) this scene is on the limit of photography without flash.

Durham Castle

Click here to see more of our Wedding Photography London.

Charlton House

29 August 2009

When Sonia and I took on Pete and Cathy’s relaxed wedding at Charlton House, we knew that humour and discretion were going to be key to our success. “You don’t need to wear bow ties” was Pete’s request to his guests – so no one dared to wear one!

Cathy knew what she wanted to wear though. Sonia had a delightful morning capturing the dress (from Blackburn Bridal Couture) as it was set up and put on with help from her dresser.

A relaxed atmosphere with some stunning light was an opportunity Sonia could not fail to take. Always looking for that combination of geometry and emotion, Sonia waited patiently and quietly with one eye through her Canon 50D and the other on the girls (a dizzying experience, which you get used to eventually as a wedding photographer!)

Meanwhile Ben (that’s me) was preparing for the arrival of all the guests, and of course, Cathy herself. Looking resplendent as she arrived, her entrance to Charlton House was one of those moments that will stick for a lifetime. As it happened, her (totally off the cuff) wave was captured simultaneously by me and Sonia, from two perspectives. The unique take on the moment was reflected when we laid out their album a few days later.

Ceremony

Reception

The Gardens of Charlton house were a beautiful setting for relaxed drinks and re-unions. You can almost smell the heather in this photograph…

Lunch

Later in the afternoon the light pouring into Charlton House started to increase it’s dramatic angle, but also began diminishing in power as the hours moved on. The mix of light sources (sun, fluorescent and light bulbs) would tempt most photographers to use flash (with belt mounted battery pack, bleeps and, of course, flashes). Not for me though, with my advanced Canon 5D mk 2, I was able to capture the band playing without them realising I was there at all.

And we also captured some beautiful moments during the music…

Pete helps Catherine negotiate a path to the gardens for some quick shots of the couple…

And, unaware of the photography, the couple looks ready to float away into the wilderness (london wedding photography is often the opposite of urban).

I know Pete’s already thanked you, but I wanted to say how amazing your photos are. I already knew that you took a mean shot, but I had no idea that Sonia had such a great eye too!

It was lovely to have you both doing it, you worked so hard but were so unobtrusive and we both felt really relaxed with you around, especially in the preparation beforehand. I’m sure Sonia would make anyone feel comfortable, she was so easy to be with whilst doing quite personal things (such as puling on your stockings and putting on your lippy!)

We’ll certainly be recommending you…

I can’t thank you enough,

Love Cathy xx

The brilliant photos they took tell a story – the story of our wedding – from Victoria’s preparations in the morning to my jaw dropping when she stepped out of the car, from people laughing and sharing a joke during the reception to us catching quiet moments away from the party.

We’ll always be able to look at the photobook and be transported back to so many wonderful memories of the best day of our lives, thanks to their  work, and that to us is priceless.

Thanks so much for the photos.  What a marvellous album you have made for us.  
We are astonished by your work.

A big hug for you and Ben,

Lorraine

Can’t tell you how pleased I am with what I’ve seen so far.  Absolutely
captured what I wanted!  Looking forward to seeing the rest.