Choosing the right Cotswold wedding photographer for your Cotswold wedding
Think about it.
Your big day will probably include a stylish venue, maybe a classic car or two, certainly flowers, a gravity defying cake, a gorgeous bridal gown and a lot more besides.
When the cake has been eaten, the flowers long gone and the dress lovingly packed away in its own special box, the photographs, whether framed, in an album or on a computer will be with you now and forever, which makes finding the right photographer to capture your Cotswold wedding photography an absolute must.
A good wedding photographer is a good communicator.
Hi, I’m Angela, the principal wedding photographer – Cotswolds at Angela Fitch Photography. My photography has taken me to hundreds of places where I’ve photographed just about every type of person ranging from Vietnamese school children to African village chiefs, British politicians and even the occasional royal. They were all different, but the one thing they had in common was that they wanted to look good in the photographs!
A good photographer isn’t a magician, nor are we telepathic.
I spend time on the phone, in virtual meet ups and face to face over a cuppa as I to get to know you and find out what you like, what you hate and what you expect from me as your wedding day photographer. At the same time you get to know me and together we build a mutual trust which pays dividends when the big day arrives.
A good photographer makes it look effortless.
No drama, no raised voices, just a light touch of gentle guidance to give you confidence on how to stand, where to look and what to do with your hands. When you’re relaxed in front of the camera I can create the natural, relaxed Cotswold wedding photographs that you will treasure forever.
As you search to find the right wedding photographer you will need to ask a few questions.
1. What, exactly, is a wedding package?
Most wedding photographers offer a range of packages priced in line with the amount of time they spend with you.
A half day package, usually about four or five hours and will include the essentials starting with the arrival of the bride through to pre-wedding breakfast speeches.
A full day package, which can be anything between seven and twelve hours will cover much more, including: bridal preparations, the ceremony, wedding breakfast, speeches, cake cutting, first dance and even fireworks.
An ‘Elopement’ or ‘Micro’ package usually takes only about an hour or two and is perfect if you’re looking for the quality a professional photographer will deliver but without the demands of many hours standing in front of the lens.
Angela Fitch Photography offers three packages as a price guide. Each one includes the same experience, knowledge and professionalism and if they don’t meet your needs we can create something unique, something that will include only the things that are important to you.
2. Can the price increase after booking?
We always confirm the cost of your chosen coverage at the time of booking and the three of us sign a formal agreement to ensure that everyone understands what’s included, what isn’t and the price, whether that’s for this year, next or the year after that, and this price won’t change.
3. What happens if the wedding runs a little late?
Sometimes, for reasons totally beyond anyone’s control, a wedding may run late. We’re flexible and I can’t imagine any circumstances that would prevent us from providing the coverage on the day, so don’t worry about it!
4. What if the budget is tight?
It really does make sense to set a budget and I recommend creating three separate lists: ‘Absolute Essentials’, ‘Would Really Like’ and ‘Extras’.
Weddings have never been more complex, there are endless choices of everything from venues to chocolate fountains! Your wedding photographs, like your wedding rings, are an investment, something to be cherished for years to come, so making your wedding day photography a high priority makes sense. Having said that, if the budget is a little snug it’s worth considering booking a professional photographer for the essential part of the day and asking family and friends to send you the photos they take of the rest of the day.
When it comes to choosing your photographer, it’s not all about price; neither the most expensive or the cheapest option may be the right one for you. First impressions are important. What does the website look like? Is the photographer easy to contact? Are they friendly and understanding? Do they talk your language? And most importantly, do you like them and trust them to do a good job?
Only now is it time to talk about price. What, exactly, do you get for your money? If their packages come in beyond your budget ask if they can offer a shorter shoot or maybe you don’t need a second photographer? Fine tuning the standard package will retain the professionalism whilst you stay in budget.
5. What type of package will give us the most coverage.
There really are no limits to how much time you need to create stunning wedding photography, Cotswold style! We offer pre and post wedding day shoots and on the day itself we can cover everything from breakfast with the bride-to-be to husband and wife hand holding under starlit skies.
It’s your day and it’s important that your final collection reflects the best bits in beautifully crafted images, rather than a scatter gun approach of random photos that will rarely, if ever, see the light of day.
6. Can we increase or decrease the coverage after we’ve signed the Agreement?
As your wedding day approaches you may feel that the timings are too tight to capture everything you want and, although we never leave on the dot, if you know that you need more time we’re always happy to add a couple of hours to the package, which will push the price up a little but may well be worth it.
In contrast to more time, very occasionally and due to unforeseen circumstances, a couple might decide they need less time. We can usually accommodate these changes, all you have to do is let us know and we’ll do our best to fit in with you.
7. Should we ask family and friends to take the photos – good thing or bad thing?
Phone cameras have never been better, but even the latest models need somebody who knows what they’re doing before they press the button. Professional photographers understand light and composition, essentials to creating beautiful portraits and story telling documentary images.
We always ask for a list of ‘must have’ photos so that we don’t miss any of your important people, whether that’s camera-shy Aunt Maud who never pushes to the front, or Laura and Jim who have come all the way from Australia to celebrate with you on your big day.
I suggest that any family and friends who would like to take photos should be encouraged to do so, especially when your photographer has left for the day, but maybe not during the service as your professional will be faced with a sea of mobile phones and not the happy smiling faces of your nearest and dearest.
I hope that this has helped!
Finding the right photographer is never easy, it’s not all about price, although price does play a part. Check reviews, my review page can be found here, choose just three photographers to start with and have a chat with them. You can email me here or give me a call. I look forward to hearing from you.
Finally
Here are a few questions that you may like to ask any potential wedding photographer to make sure that they are true professionals and will deliver what you’re looking for without any nasty surprises along the way.
Ten questions to ask a photographer before you book them
1. Do you have Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance?
2. Do you have a Risk Management Policy?
3. Do you provide us with a signed contract?
4. Are you VAT registered?
5. Do you charge for mileage and other expenses?
6. Do we need to provide you with a meal on the day?
7. What about photographing under-18’s?
8. What about GDPR?
9. How long will it take to get our photographs?
10. Can we make our own photobooks, prints and albums?
If you ask me the above questions, the answers will be:
1. Yes. Your venue may need a copy, which I’m happy to supply
2. Yes. We bring spare cameras, batteries and memory cards. We shoot onto two separate cards, although it’s very rare for a card to fail, we’ve got that tiny risk covered.
3. Yes. The bride, groom and I sign an Agreement to avoid confusion or misunderstanding.
4. No. Not many wedding photographers need to be, the price you see is the price you pay.
5. Yes. We will make it very clear what we charge before you sign the Agreement.
6. No. We find that this is expensive for you, so we bring something with us.
7. We provide a copy of our Parental Photography Consent Form and ask you to forward it to guests who are bringing under-18’s with them to sign and return to us.
8. We comply with current GDPR requirements.
9. Collections are usually received about two weeks after the wedding day but we can delay dispatch if you’re on honeymoon.
10. All Angela Fitch Photography packages come with our non-exclusive license, which allows you to print and share for personal use without restriction.