Northern NSW and Byron Bay Wedding Photography

I’ve decided to shake things up a bit in the studio and to change it about. The idea is that I have two main types of photography, stock photography and wedding photography, and in the same studio they often don’t mix.

I want to present my wedding photography in the elegant manner in which it should be seen. On the other hand my stock photography is notoriously messy and includes all kinds of props, equipment and paraphernalia. This means the studio normally looks like a bomb hit it and it is odd having to explain to a bride why there is a Santa suit hanging over a chair while what looks like a chemistry classroom is set up under studio lights. So I am just trying to physically separate the two a little, albeit with little more than a flimsy curtain.

This morning I got in and moved most of the computer equipment but that is just a start. There will be new wedding images for the studio and new portrait packages coming soon.

By the way the new portrait packages will initially be launched on Facebook only with a special offer. Become a fan of my Facebook site to be among the first to find out about what is coming.

It’s that time of year again, wedding season, when the wedding photographers from Byron Bay and surrounds drag out their display albums and get on down to the Ballina Bridal Fair.

We do it year in and year out and two things never seem to change. Firstly every year seems to bring more and more photographers and this year is no different. There will be at least 18 photographers exhibiting. This normally makes some photographers anxious. Personally I welcome it.

Brides can see all the photographers work in one place and compare quality of the images and albums. They can see that there is a huge difference from photographer to photographer. The really great photographers will have work that captures the attention of brides and stands out. Really bad photographers will also stick in the mind of visiting brides. What I don’t want, is to be seen as one of the ‘average’ photographers who just blend in with everyone else.

The second thing is that photographers are notorious for leaving their planning to the very last minute. On that point I am pleased to say that wedding package details have been rejigged and my files are at the printers for them to make my new brochures and cards. Now I just have to get everything else sorted out.

Wow, I’m blown away and simply have to start learning and applying green screen technology to my stock photography. Check out this show reel from Stargate Studios and you’ll see why.

My wedding photography is generally very laid back. I like to capture moments between a couple that tell the story of their wedding day. When a photographer gets too involved in posing a couple, the photo becomes more about the guy behind the camera, than the couple having the wedding. Having said that, I have a whole bunch of wedding photos in my head that are a bit ‘out there’ and involve specific poses and locations. I file these away and wait for a couple to come along that I think will be up for the idea I have in mind.

In the past these shots have involved everything from grooms flying through the air to skull and cross bones. And this weekend I’ll be pushing the boundaries of what a wedding photo can be with another of my little experiments. Each time I do one of these photographs I still produce all the other shots I would but I ask permission and see if the bride and groom are up for the idea.

The great thing about the vision I have for the image is it is going to be super easy for the bride and groom but it has required extensive location scouting and will really push my skills, the abilities of my camera gear and take extensive post processing- but it’s going to look great. Fingers crossed that the weather plays ball on Saturday.

As a wedding photographer I am regularly shown wedding photography packages from other photographers and asked if I can do a similar package. I am all for customising my packages or coming up with a package to suit the budgets and requirements of any couple, however there is one thing other photographers offer that never makes any sense.

That thing is the package that includes a bunch of loose prints.

I see it all the time, the photographer has a perfectly good package on offer with a great wedding album and tacked at the end is some random number of 6×4″ prints. Makes no sense. Why offer a bunch of random prints that will be dumped in a drawer or shoebox and never see the light of day? The reason is that it is a carry over from the days of film photography and the mindset that you have to have a package with a bunch of extra prints because that’s how it has always been done.

When film was king, packages often revolved around a number of rolls of film. A minimum package would have say 3 rolls of colour and 2 B&W. That’s 180 frames. You could expect 60 to go in the album and the photographer would just offer the rest up as extra prints in the package. They’d offer 100 extra prints and the remaining 20 might be breathing space to allow for dud shots. Fact is, if the photographer didn’t hand them over, they’d just go in the bin.

So are packages with those extra prints better value? Well, frankly no. It’s just being wasteful. With the introduction of digital wedding photography, only what is needed has to be printed. Although still controversial, handing over a disc of digital images with the album is becoming more common. All my packages include a disc of images. Then the bride and groom can get whatever small prints they want in the future. Exactly what they want.

Photographic prints are a chemical intensive product that require a range of heavy metals, acids and other nasties. Not printing unwanted prints is great for the environment. That’s why I love the wedding photography packages I offer. Only what is required gets printed and is presented in custom designed and made albums that use materials of the highest quality sourced from suppliers who are as environmentally responsible as possible.

My wedding albums come from Queensberry and they are stunning.

You can see more of my wedding photography on my website here.