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Wedding Photography Feature in SA Promo Magazine

For those of you who don’t know Craig and I are originally from sunny South Africa. We where both brought up on the coast in Durban but have been living in the UK for over eight years now. We where commissioned to write a 500 word feature article for SA Promo Magazine which goes out to South Africans living abroad here in the UK. March is their annual wedding themed issue and so we advised on choosing the right photographer for your wedding, differing styles of wedding photography and elaborating on our Shoot The Dress sessions. Here is the article and tear sheets from the actual magazine:


Wedding feature article in SA Promo Magazine


“Born and bred in sunny Durban, South Africa we made the move over to the UK over eight years ago now. Working as a husband and wife team we cover weddings from all angles. Both the bride and groom preparations are covered and the ceremony and reception are seen from two perspectives. Having recently tied the knot ourselves in 2007 we understand the preparation, anticipation and emotion that is involved in creating a special wedding day. Ours was held in the KZN Midlands and so we have first hand experience in organizing a wedding abroad. Mixing our love of travel and photography we offer UK and Destination weddings and shot a few weddings in South Africa last year as well as one in Cyprus. For 2009 we are jetting of to New York and Mauritius for weddings. We tend to fly to South Africa twice a year and are also looking to book some weddings out there.


Our work has been featured in a number of photography magazines including Professional Photographer, DSLR User, Photography Monthly, Practical Photography and Digital Photographer Magazine & Bookazine


Chanelle also works as a high end beauty and fashion retoucher and has retouched for the likes of famous photographers such as Corrine Day and Mario Testino.



Choosing a Wedding Photographer


First establish what genre of photography suites the two of you.


Traditional – Traditional photography consists of carefully posed photographs of the wedding party and bridal couple. Photographers working in this style should have highly honed skills in creating traditional posed group shots that are symmetrical and take into account the positioning of hands, body and faces of all persons in the image for this to really be successful. Overall images will have a classic look and feel to them.


Reportage – Photojournalism – {Wedding Photojournalism} is the style of photography that aims to capture the decisive moment. It is a documentary style of photography with a narrative timeless account of the day. Photographers working in this style tend to be in the background and capture real moments as they happen with no direction or posing. The images should have a natural look to them as the photographer is working unobtrusively. The most successful reportage / photojournalistic images transcend time and fashions and instead show the human, emotional side of the wedding day.


Contemporary – Comprising of a mixture of Wedding Photojournalism and Fashion style posed images, the contemporary wedding photographer brings you the candid shots of the day as well as beautiful shots of the bride & groom. There will be a number of shots set up during the creative shoot with the couple, however these should not look “posed” and the photographer should be able to direct the couple into connecting with one another making for some stunning romantic shots that will last the test of time.


I would suggest collecting tear sheets from magazines. Look at Bridal magazines as well as Fashion magazines. Tear out any images that you think “Wow, I love that”. Slowly you should start seeing a pattern developing in the style of images that you are drawn to. Keep these images filed and when you start to look through photographer’s websites keep the file handy so that you can try to match the style with the photographs you have chosen.




Top tips on choosing the right wedding photographer:


1. Personality, have a chat with your prospective photographer over the phone. It is important that you connect in a good way with the person who is going to document your special day.


2. Style of images. Ensure that you have had a look through the photographer’s website and blog. Blog’s tend to show more recent weddings as well as giving you an insight into the photographer’s personality and style.


3. Check that your photographer is covered by professional indemnity and public liability insurance. Don’t be surprised if you are also asked about wedding insurance!


4. Ask about backup equipment. Your photographer should have a backup camera and lenses should something go wrong.


5. Find out if there will be a second shooter / assistant. If so you may be able to request that the groom’s preparations are covered as well as the bride getting ready.

6. Before the wedding find out what backup plans your photographer has in place. Photographers tend to network with one another and should therefore have somebody that they know and trust who can stand in for them. Ensure that your wedding photographer has insurance that would help to cover them in a situation such as this.


7. According to UK law, it is the photographer who will own copyright on any photos he/she has taken. Some photographers may sell the printing rights and provide a disc with high resolution images for a fee, other photographers choose not to relinquish these rights at all. Find out beforehand if your photographer has the option to purchase a disc.


8. Do we have to provide a meal? If your photographer is covering the entire day (usually around 8 to 10 hours) then I would recommend a meal for them. We prefer to be seated away from the guests but close enough that if something significant happens we can get to the action as quickly as possible. This time is good for the photographers to have a bit of a break, download and back up memory cards and get refreshed before the rest of the evening’s celebrations.


What is Shoot The Dress?


We offer our couples a highly creative session called Shoot The Dress. This is our take on John Michael Cooper’s coined phrase “Trash The Dress”. Fashion style shoots with either just the bride or the bride and groom together. The shoot can take place the day after the wedding or even a few months down the line. These are especially popular with destination weddings where the couples can get into the sea and really have fun with it! ”

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