I had the pleasure of meeting Gina and Chris today at Ruthin Castle and I’m very excited about photographing their wedding on 11th December at Ruthin Castle. They are a lovely couple who were really happy with the photography ideas I put to them today. I’m looking forward to your wedding. A great couple at a great location.
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Sian & Tom 28th October 2010.
I was honoured with being asked to photograph Sian & Tom’s wedding on the 28th of October. After the ceremony they made their way back to Rhydonnen (Sian’s family home) for some photos – I had the most amazing time with them. They not only looked fantastic but they were happy to try pretty much anything I suggested end even suggested some of the shots themselves. I will post more on this wedding (including the amazing story of how they met) in a couple of weeks. In the mean time, here is a sneak preview of some of the pictures. I think you’ll agree that they look fantastic:
Cher & David’s pre-wedding shoot in Betws Y Coed
I had a wonderful time photographing Cher and David at their pre-wedding shoot in Betws Y Coed today. I drove through Betws Y Coed on the way to meeting them and the place looked so lovely that I couldn’t resist suggesting a change of location. It was lovely but very very cold. Cher and David will be married in Holy Trinity Church in Llandudno 14th May 2011 followed by their reception at Maenan Abbey. I very much look forward to their wedding. Here are some of the shots from today. Oh, and don’t they look amazing!!
Congratulations to Sian and John
A BIG congratulations to Sian and John who have booked me to photograph their wedding on 6th August, 2011 at St Marcellas in Denbigh.
Why choose a professional wedding photographer and why do they cost so much?
I thought I’d write this article in order to answer a couple of issues that were raised at the wedding fayre I attended today. A couple of brides told me that they would be using family or friends to photograph their wedding, and I was also asked why do professional photographers charge so much. I hope this answers these issues.
OK, so we all know uncle Bob. He’s been a keen amateur photographer for 30 years. He has an expensive camera and takes a really good picture. In fact, he’s a really nice guy and you couldn’t think of having a nicer guy to photograph your wedding. So what do you say when uncle Bob offers to photograph your wedding for free as a wedding present. Awesome! You’ll save a lot of money which in this day and age could be better spent elsewhere – or could it? Before deciding on uncle Bob vs. a professional photographer, please read this.
Expectation
OK, so uncle Bob takes a good photograph, but can he photograph your wedding from bridal preparation to first dance, in different weather and light conditions, taking some 200 photographs without missing something important? Will he know the flow of a wedding so that he’s able to anticipate what happens next? Will he be able to produce the same standard of photography during the bridal prep, during the arrivals when it rains, in the dark church where he can’t use flash, during your portraits when it is so bright that the sun causes shadows under your eyes and nose (we call it pander eyes), and through to the dark first dance, with flashing coloured lights where the room is so dark? It is only with experience that a wedding photographer builds the necessary skills to enable them to cope with the wide ranging conditions that occur at EVERY wedding. Can uncle Bob produce 200 or so images of your day, all of the highest standard, without missing any of the important parts, and can he cope with anything that the UK’s fine weather conditions may throw at him? I certainly can, but I very much doubt that uncle Bob can.
Professional photography experience
I have experience of many different types of weddings from small registry office weddings to large (300+ guests) at some of the country’s finest venues, and can show you examples of these.
I can also show you examples of weddings where it has rained all day, winter weddings and summer weddings.
As a professional wedding photographer I am able to cope in dark churches where the use of flash photography is prohibited, and in adverse weather conditions such as rain, snow or even bright sunlight which often leaves unsightly shadows under the eyes and nose, and still produce top quality professional images.
As professional photographer I am able to advise you on many aspects of your wedding day in order to help it run smoothly.
Professional equipment
As professional photographer I invest in the highest quality equipment costing thousands of pounds, and I have a full set of professional backup equipment.
Equipment fails sometimes, and if that happens I am able to pick up a backup camera and continue photographing your wedding without missing anything.
The other advantage of professional equipment is that it enables you to shoot more natural, sharper and realistic looking photographs, in a wider variety of situations, at a faster rate, at a much higher quality, for longer. Many professional cameras are 12 mega-pixel cameras but when compared with amateur cameras which are now often 14 mega-pixels, the image sensor is twice as big and so are the mega-pixels, which makes for a larger and clearer image.
Insurance
I am fully insured and would be happy to show you the relevant documents. In fact, many venues insist that your photographer is insured before working there. For example, this is a requirement for any photographer working at Bodelwyddan Castle. You will also find that uncle Bob will not be able to get himself insured because he is not a professional photographer, and would therefore be considered to be too much of a risk.
Professional quality products and albums
Most professional album suppliers only supply to professional wedding photographers, and insist on viewing your website and examples of your work before you can open an account with them. Having professional photographs in their albums is important to them in order to maintain the their image.
Even if I’m only supplying digital images for your wedding package it is important to note that my professional camera produces larger, better quality and clearer images than uncle Bob’s camera can produce, no matter how good a photographer he is.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Your wedding is the one of the most important days of your life, if not THE most important day of your life. It only happens once, and whoever you choose to photograph it only has one chance to get it right. Once something is missed, you can never get it back. You spend thousands on your dress, thousands on your venue, your cars, cake and all the other little details that make it perfect. Do you really want to trust uncle Bob with photographing your wedding?
A great response at Oriel House Wedding Fayre!
I had a very productive time at the Oriel House wedding fayre today. Thank you to all those who showed an interest and left your names and contact details with me. I’ll call you within the next two weeks. In the mean time, please feel free to contact me to arrange an appointment.
I was also great to meet three of my existing brides whose weddings I’m photographing in 2011 and 2012, as well as a new addition to one of the families (congratulations).
If you were not at the wedding fayre, why not contact me. I’d be happy to visit you, show you my lovely albums and photographs T: 07870 568 418 E: darren@darren-photography.co.uk
National Event Photographer
Earlier this year I was invited to photograph the Rainbows at the Welsh Mountain Zoo , for their publicity and PR, as a part of the activities taking place to celebrate the centenary of Girlguiding UK. Girls and their leaders turned up from all over North Wales and the North West. I had a fantastic time photographing the girls and their leaders so it is a privilege to be asked to be the official event photographer for their national finale at Parc Y Scarlets in Llanelli on Wednesday the 20th October. The guides will take part in a number of activities during the evening before renewing their promise at ten past eight (20:10, 20/10/10).
Jyoti & Jamie – Plas Newydd and Tre-Ysgawen Hall
I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Jyoti and Jamie (or should I say Dr Jyoti and Dr Jamie). The wedding took place at the exclusive Plas Newydd (Anglesey) and after tea & cakes, moved on to Tre-Ysgawen Hall. Here are some of the highlights:
For more information about how to book me please visit: www.photographer-north-wales.com
Wedding – Gwenno & Dafydd
I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Gwenno and Dafydd. It was an amazing day along with some amazing people.
As family, friends and guests will know, Dafydd and Gwenno will be travelling through Asia for three months following their wedding and should be back in time for christmas. They will preview their pictures then and want to release them for general viewing after they have seen them. So, you’ll have to wait a couple of months but you won’t be disapointed.
So, keep an eye on this blog or my website for more news about Gwenno and Dafydd
Model and portrait photography (Strobist with RadioPoppers)
I’m a wedding photographer but I also do portrait and model portfolio photography. I’d like to share two recent photo shoots with you. One is of Sarah and and one of Zoe.
For the photography geeks among you all pictures were shot strobist style with off camera flash using the Nikon Creative Lighting System TTL technology triggered by RadioPoppers.
Zoe Jones
I had a fantastic time with Zoe a couple of weeks ago in and around Denbigh, here in North Wales. The first pictures are of Zoe at a derelict barn on Denbigh Moors. It looks warm but Zoe reassures me that it was far from warm.
And for the second location (and a change of clothes): In Denbigh ..
Sarah Ellis
We spent a great morning in and around the Denbighshire countryside looking for suitable locations. The first location was Llanfair TH, Denbighshire, and the second location was somewhere (in the middle of nowhere) close to Llanfair TH. We were interrupted by a cool looking couple on an awesome motorbike, who just happened to be Dawn and Mark whose wedding I photographed this summer at Bodelwyddan Castle and who happen to be the couple on the banner photograph for this blog (the couple outside Bodelwyddan Castle).
Please feel free to call me if you are interested in me photographing your portfolio or if you would like me to just take your portrait.
Photography lessons and coaching is available for those budding photographers among you – just give me a shout. You can get my details from the contact page on this blog or from www.photographer-north-wales.com
Wedding Photography North Wales 