Capturing Your Memories

The couple that do not want images to remind them of their big day are rare, and will likely come to regret the decision – as will those who don’t make sensible preparations. While many will have a friend armed with a digital camera who considers themselves the next Mario Testino, it is advised that you hire a professional with plenty of wedding photography experience to capture your day. The less than happy (OK, plain sad) couple who entrusted their wedding day shots to someone who got drunk and lost the camera are not as uncommon as you might think. Family and friends who do manage to make it through the day with their cameras intact will no doubt provide plenty of additional, if wonky, snapshots for the album, but a professional will ensure you cover a full range of shots – such as the exchange of rings, the couple with family – and will guarantee to deliver them. What is most important is that you end up with a set of images you can treasure for life. An experienced professional will not only know how to avoid annoyances, such as stray children on the edge of frame, but will also help the awkward and unphotogenic look their best. Though many would prefer to hire a gay and lesbian or gay-friendly photographer – and certainly an unsympathetic homophobe would be a disaster – you should ensure that whoever does your photographs is reputable. It’s more important that they know how to focus a camera than all the words to ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’.

You may also consider a videographer to produce a record of your day. A video of your day will almost certainly cost more than straightforward photography and it is likely that video will be in addition to photographs. Do not attempt to cut corners by extracting still images from any video footage, as it is unlikely to be of satisfactory quality. Costs for both photography and video will depend on variables such as how extensive you wish coverage to be – for instance, simply the ceremony or the preparations and reception, too – and the delivery format – prints, CD-Rom or DVDs for all your friends and family. The checklists at the end of this chapter will help you decide what is essential to you and what type of coverage is a luxury so that you can manage your budget.

Once you have your images, you might want to incorporate them in a website that can easily be accessed by friends and family. If you have a home internet connection, check to see whether your Internet Service Provider (ISP) offers free storage space for you to build a site as part of your monthly service charge. Building a basic site that includes text and photographs and even video content is simpler than many think and plenty of ISPs offer step-by-step guidance. However, for quick and slick results you may want to pay a professional. Search the internet for local website designers and compare costs and examples of their work. It’s up to you how inventive your site is, but clean, simple and straightforward is never out of fashion. Animated rainbow flags accompanied by tinny Muzak on the other hand…

choosing a photographer

Make sure your wedding photographer is a member of a reputable association such as The Master Photographers’ Association or The British Institute of Professional Photography and that their specialist area is wedding photography. If you are insistent on using a gay or lesbian photographer who is not a member of the above organisations, then be even more stringent with your checks.

Check potential photographers’ portfolios. Most will have websites so this should be simple. Photographs should be sharp and clear and not catch people in awkward poses. Check that there is a back-up photographer and equipment in case of last minute illness or emergencies. Establish who owns the copyright and negatives.

Most photographers offer a wedding package, which includes the photographer’s attendance to take a specified number of photographs plus delivering a CD-ROM of shots and an album of about twenty printed photographs. Be very specific about what you will receive as prints are expensive. Alternatively, there may be an attendance fee and a price per print and album. They may also have a package for parents’ albums with a standard charge for prints.

Proofs are not usually available for the reception, but with most wedding photographer’s now using digital equipment you should be able to get some idea of your best shots. Determine with the photographer exactly when your final images will delivered, be they in print or ‘soft’ (digital) form. Check what the charge will be for proofs, whether they will be over-stamped and whether you can keep them. Some photographers insist that you view the proofs at their studio. This may be inconvenient for you or your guests.

Discuss the style you want, referring to the portfolio, and any special shots you would like. If you are flying off in a hot air balloon for example, you may want this to be recorded. There are many different specialist styles from formal to documentary. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or point out your likes and dislikes.

Photographers do not usually attend the reception. If you want them to attend, you must make special arrangements.

At the point of booking, confirm dates and times in writing. Agree the fees, again, in writing, and pay the deposit in good time to secure your photographer. Agree final payment arrangements.

if you can’t afford a photographer

It’s best to hire a professional photographer for the day but if you’re really strapped, then arrange for a competent and sober friend or relative to take the key shots using a digital camera, ideally with four mega pixel capacity or more. Try to take most of the pictures outside in good natural light. Position yourselves so the sun is behind the photographer. Unless it’s overcast, midday tends to be the least flattering time for photographs, late afternoon the most kind to the face. Your photographer should mount a digital camera on a tripod and set the image size to the highest possible setting for the greatest quality. The bigger the image size, the larger the prints you’ll be able to have made at a high street photographic developer. Check you’re happy with each image before letting people move on.

photography checklists

Here you will find a comprehensive checklist of the photographs you’ll probably want to have. Tick the shots you feel are essential and agree these and the total, final costs with the photographer in writing. You can personalise the list to make sure you get exactly what you want for your ceremony, but agree it with the photographers, otherwise they might go off and do their own ‘arty’ conceptual view of your day! Outline clearly the style and composition you are looking for throughout all the photos.

At home

After the ceremony

At the reception

Photographer information

Guests’ photograph orders

celebrity wedding

Kate Moss invited Mario Testino to take pictures of her planned wedding to rocker Pete Doherty. Their wedding didn’t take place though, so Mario may still have a gap in his diary ...

vox pop

David, 29, and Bruce, 33, West Dunbartonshire

‘We enquired with a local wedding photography service. We were a bit hesitant at first as we were pretty sure this would be the first same-sex couple to have asked so soon after civil partnerships being made law, but to our surprise they had a very encouraging attitude. They even offered us a discount, though we were not sure if we should be happy or offended by that! Basically, the whole event just goes by very quickly and the next day you sort of feel like you want to do it all over again. I know we would have been annoyed with ourselves if we hadn’t of captured the whole day professionally the way it was. We have some great pictures ... and they all proved to be fab thank-you gifts for our relatives.’