Tag: photography tips

How to nail the group photos

I’m going to admit it, group photo’s aren’t my favourite bit. I love photographing all the fun and natural stuff going on. So… here are a few tips that should help make them as easy going as poss!

What’s included?

It’s always great to know exactly what’s included when you are purchasing something, so, I’m going to tell you. Here is exactly what is included when you book a wedding package with myself! A pre-wedding consultation It’s great for us both to meet at the venue or somewhere nearby to chat about the final details for you day and make sure we both have everything you need. I’ll send a pre-wedding questionnaire form a few months before the wedding for you to both fill out. We can then go through this together when we meet up. This form covers everything from who you want in your group photographs to what you want your digital album to be named. I recommend grabbing a cup of whatever you fancy and sitting down together one evening to have a look through it. Photographer The main deal here, me, the photographer. I will be there to cover you for the amount of hours you have decided to go for. I also want to note that if you have chosen a ten-hour package and something amazing is kicking off on the dance floor at 10PM I’ll stick around to capture it. I’m not one to shoot off as soon as the clock strikes. Preview Photographs I know how excited you are to receive your photographs and share the day with your family and loved ones who may not have been able to make it. So I zoom back to my desk and select 2-3 images which I can send to you so that you can share with the world before the rest of your album arrives. Digital Album The process of creating your digital album is something I make sure to take my time with. I carefully select and hand edit each photograph to go into your own personal online album. This album cancan be downloaded by friends, family, basically everyone you give a code to! It also has a client access for the you both so that you can favourite photographs or hide any. The favourite feature is great for creating albums as I can view it easily and you can also download this as a separate album. This online album lasts for a year at which point you will get a notification to say it is about the expire. The downloads you will receive are full high resolution images. Contact I am available to you from your initial enquiry to answer any questions and queries that you may have. My aim is to make this a stress free experience from the beginning. I aim to get back to any query within 48hours. A little bit extra… I will send you reminders for invoices, arrange our meet ups and get in contact with any of the suppliers if we require any information surrounding the photography on your day. I will also have a schedule in my pocket, watch on my wrist and come extremely prepared and organised in knowing what is coming next and what timings you have chosen for your day. I want both of you to not have to think about timings, details etc… It’s your big day and it is there for you to just simply enjoy. You could see my as just your photographer but I am also that little bit more! Please GET IN TOUCH for with any Q’s.

How to not pose

It’s completely normal to feel apprehensive about being photographed. Here’s a few tips to read through to help you feel at ease and of course if you have anything booked in with me just get in touch if you want to talk anything through. I’m here to make it as stress free as possible. 1.Take the word pose out of the equation I think the phrase: posing for photographs is so old fashioned. I’m not even sure how to pose myself, would I put my hands down or have them slightly bent and jeeeeez, what about my face angle??? So first tip is simple. Forget posing. 2. Research your photographers style Going on from the above pointer. Some photographers like to get you to pose, they are really great at getting beautifully posed photographs. I’m all about real. Real life laughter, real life glances, real. So my advice here is research who you want behind the camera and what their style is. Choose someone who’s photographs give you a tingle. 3. Tell your photographer about your concerns I love it when a couple or family tell me about any concerns they have. It means that they trust me but it also means that I can help them. It might be that they currently feel very nervous about their right side profile or the fact that they simple can’t be on their feet for long. Knowing these things can make the whole experience better and you’d almost forget that you’d told me because I would always come at you from the left side or I’d suggest we take a break every now and then. 4. Have a pre photoshoot chat For me it’s vital to have a chat at some point. It gives me a chance to get to know you but also for you to ask any questions. I also ask families and couples to fill out a quick questionnaire that gives me some background information. For example, what is the most important aspect for you about your session/wedding? As much as this information is useful for me it’s also great to sit down and go through it together as you will often find out a little bit more about what you want. 5. Forget forgetting I used to say to couple and families: Just forget that I am there, try and act as though you haven’t got a huge lens pointing at you! Well I don’t say this anymore, don’t forget I am there but enjoy the fact that I am there. Think ahead to the finished album and who you are going to share it with. I have never had a couple or a family who have not relaxed, after a while you just become at ease with the camera being there and quite often after a warm up, couples and families can’t get enough! 6. Ask to be directed There may be times especially at the beginning where you may take a little longer to warm up. If you are feeling like a spare part at any moment please just ask for a pointer. I have a long list of suggestions to help you feel relax. 7. Be comfortable If you want to wear stiletto heels and a permed wig I’ll love it but wear something you are comfortable in and have your hair and makeup in a style that won’t annoy you. It’s nice to dress up a little bit, bit of lippy or fresh out the barbers but, one thing for sure is that if you are uncomfortable, then it makes my job so much harder! I think the biggest point to take away is that it’s my job to create the beautiful photographs that you will love. Your job should not even be a job, you are there to have a great time, enjoy yourself. I have lots of jokes, suggestions, locations, outfit tips for different situations and personalities so trust your photographer (me) that they will do a great job and you are bound to feel more at ease. Kate x If you are interested in a family photoshoot, engagement shoot or a family event please have a look at my family brochure.

F.A.Q’s

Here is a list of my most commonly asked questions. Please get in touch if you need answers to anything else. How do we secure a booking?  A non-refundable deposit is required to secure your wedding date. I’ll send out the contract with an initial invoice that I will email to you once you have decided on how much coverage you would like and I have confirmed I can make your date! Once the deposit is paid I’m all yours. I do work on a first come, first serve basis and this means that I don’t hold dates in till the deposit has been paid.  Do you travel?  I am based in Lewes, East Sussex but I love to travel so tell me where you are getting married and we can chat about travel arrangements. It would be an extra for anywhere outside of Lewes for which is charge 0.45p per mile. How many photographs will I receive?  I get asked this a lot and it really depends on a few factors. Normally I would say that per hour I photograph you will receive 70-100 edited photographs.  What happens if we need to reschedule?  I hope that if this happens I can accommodate your new date and make it as stress free as possible for you. I have a section in my T&C’s around this so you know where you stand when you pay the deposit.  Do we need to provide a list of the photographs we would like on the day?  I have a pre-wedding questionnaire which I will send you before our first consultation. It does not ask for a shot list but instead asks you to tell me what the most important parts of the day are to you. I do not work with shot lists as I shoot in a documentary style and would find sticking to a list would not allow me to work in the way I do. I do however, need full details of who you are having in your group photographs! Can I have all the photographs from the day?  The editing and selection process is part of what I do. I have never had a couple ask for the unedited photographs after receiving their digital album and this is not something I would offer.  Will we meet before the day?  Ah it is so important that we meet before the day. I meet you at the venue, where possible, and spend a few hours going through the pre wedding questionnaire as well as walking around the venue and discussing the set up. If you are unable to meet then the next best thing is FaceTime.  We do not like to pose, can you offer any advice?  A lot of couples worry about this leading up to the day and after a few clicks of the camera the worry melts away. It’s my job to make you feel at ease and I am all about capturing those real and relaxed moments so would never ask you to pose in a way that would seem unnatural or make you feel uncomfortable. Most of the most beautiful moments are captured when I’m testing the lighting! To prepare you for your day I’ve created some tips which you can have a look through here.  Do you offer micro packages?  Yes! Many couples love just having a few hours photographed and this is absolutely something I do. Everything else remains exactly the same just the time. Do my guests have to pay to download the photographs?  I work slightly differently to some photographers. The price you pay is the final price. You get all your images which you can share with friends and family + print etc… I send this to you on a digital album which you can download and this is what you share with whom you want. The albums stays online for a year to give everyone a chance to download etc… I don’t charge per photograph or watermark images for you or your guests.