Our exciting news is that we have re branded our wedding photography.
L. Deakins Photography is still going strong but we wanted to have a dedicated wedding photography website, its a bit like a big sister to the old one. Go take a look and let us know what you think. www.onebigdayphotography.co.uk.
Along with this we also have a new Blog page http://onebigdayphotography.blogspot.com/
Friday, 24 June 2011
Thursday, 10 February 2011
"The wedding photos are rubbish"
"The wedding photos are rubbish" and "I'm so disappointed with my wedding photos" are just a couple of phrases I hear weekly, NOT about my photos I must add rather hastily! These statements are muttered a couple of months after saying "We're saving money on our photography as a friend is doing it" Or replace friend with Uncle, Auntie, 2nd cousins third wife! You get the idea and when the photos arrive...yes you saved yourself some money but you have no decent record of your wedding day, it makes me so sad for the newly weds.
Brides-to-be often say the dreaded sentence to me, usually during a boudoir shoot 'We're really lucky our nieces boyfriend has started an online photography course and he is going to do the photos for next to nothing" Eeeek!.... I don't say anything, well maybe a tiny word of warning such as "Hmmmmm that's good....are you sure though, your photos are for life" ...........I don't push it, I'm not like that and when I get a call or email after the wedding saying they are upset with the photos and they wish they had hired a pro, I bite my tongue and don't say "I told you so" That would be a very horrid thing to do and as I'm super lovely I never say bad things.
Seriously though I'm very sad that this is happening to couples more and more often, there is so much pressure to have the biggest and best wedding that budgets spiral out of control and when you find you can save on photography, well the decision is made.
There's nothing wrong with saving money on your big day as however special it is, it is ONE day. I saved money on my wedding by not having favours or chair covers, yes the room would of looked prettier with them maybe BUT with the money I saved I booked mintyslippers.com the most awesome videographers in the world and that DVD is going to last me a lifetime, the favours certainly wouldn't (we all know they get left behind or 'saved' in the loft for all eternity)
So please please please brides-to-be when budgeting remember your photos will last you a lifetime, longer than the favours, centre pieces and cake. All the special details of you day will be captured forever and every time you look though your album all the memories from your day will come rushing back to you.
If you have sadly found this blog too late, there is hope... do not be afraid, I am making it my life's work (that's slightly over the top but I'm trying to be dramatic here!)to help you get some beautiful photos even if your day has already passed. Here are some options for you:
1) Have another wedding day (OK maybe that's a little ambitious!)
2) Cheaper version of above, some venues will happily let you 'play' wedding if your wedding photos have been a disaster, of course you wont get back all the guests and one off moments but a lovely Bride & Groom photo shoot in the grounds will do the trick and we can make some one off moments of our own!
3)Gorgeous gown + cool locations + sexy new hubby + loads of fun = Rock the frock! This is an awesome way of getting some great photos and don't worry your dress won't get ruined, unless you want it to of course! OK it won't replace the wedding photos but what better way to celebrate your marriage and imagine how cool it will be showing the photos off to your Great Great Grand kids one day!
4) My new secret recipe package (so secret I have not yet thought up a cool and funky name for it) Let ME help with what you have. Collect all images you have from your day, you'll be surprised how many guests will have a memory card full of them, put them altogether and you'll probably have a good 200 images. I will edit all your shots and make them beautiful for you. Remove red eye, straighten, crop, colour correct etc etc etc I will love your snap shots as if they were my own and then put them in a beautiful Infinity coffee table album for you (after you've given me the nod of approval of course). Yes it won't be as good as having me there on the day but I'll put all my wedding photography passion into squeezing out a wedding album you can be proud of.
Please get in touch with me if you have any questions about anything - even if its not photography related, I love a good chat x
Brides-to-be often say the dreaded sentence to me, usually during a boudoir shoot 'We're really lucky our nieces boyfriend has started an online photography course and he is going to do the photos for next to nothing" Eeeek!.... I don't say anything, well maybe a tiny word of warning such as "Hmmmmm that's good....are you sure though, your photos are for life" ...........I don't push it, I'm not like that and when I get a call or email after the wedding saying they are upset with the photos and they wish they had hired a pro, I bite my tongue and don't say "I told you so" That would be a very horrid thing to do and as I'm super lovely I never say bad things.
Seriously though I'm very sad that this is happening to couples more and more often, there is so much pressure to have the biggest and best wedding that budgets spiral out of control and when you find you can save on photography, well the decision is made.
There's nothing wrong with saving money on your big day as however special it is, it is ONE day. I saved money on my wedding by not having favours or chair covers, yes the room would of looked prettier with them maybe BUT with the money I saved I booked mintyslippers.com the most awesome videographers in the world and that DVD is going to last me a lifetime, the favours certainly wouldn't (we all know they get left behind or 'saved' in the loft for all eternity)
So please please please brides-to-be when budgeting remember your photos will last you a lifetime, longer than the favours, centre pieces and cake. All the special details of you day will be captured forever and every time you look though your album all the memories from your day will come rushing back to you.
If you have sadly found this blog too late, there is hope... do not be afraid, I am making it my life's work (that's slightly over the top but I'm trying to be dramatic here!)to help you get some beautiful photos even if your day has already passed. Here are some options for you:
1) Have another wedding day (OK maybe that's a little ambitious!)
2) Cheaper version of above, some venues will happily let you 'play' wedding if your wedding photos have been a disaster, of course you wont get back all the guests and one off moments but a lovely Bride & Groom photo shoot in the grounds will do the trick and we can make some one off moments of our own!
3)Gorgeous gown + cool locations + sexy new hubby + loads of fun = Rock the frock! This is an awesome way of getting some great photos and don't worry your dress won't get ruined, unless you want it to of course! OK it won't replace the wedding photos but what better way to celebrate your marriage and imagine how cool it will be showing the photos off to your Great Great Grand kids one day!
4) My new secret recipe package (so secret I have not yet thought up a cool and funky name for it) Let ME help with what you have. Collect all images you have from your day, you'll be surprised how many guests will have a memory card full of them, put them altogether and you'll probably have a good 200 images. I will edit all your shots and make them beautiful for you. Remove red eye, straighten, crop, colour correct etc etc etc I will love your snap shots as if they were my own and then put them in a beautiful Infinity coffee table album for you (after you've given me the nod of approval of course). Yes it won't be as good as having me there on the day but I'll put all my wedding photography passion into squeezing out a wedding album you can be proud of.
Please get in touch with me if you have any questions about anything - even if its not photography related, I love a good chat x
Friday, 26 February 2010
Other side of the lens
Well today I decided it was about time I put myself into my clients shoes and went the other side of the lens, the only slight difference was I was still the photographer. Self portraits are hard especially when you decide its a great idea to dig out your huge poofy wedding dress from the loft to wear.
Its even harder when you put the dress on (which is a struggle with no help I can tell you!)BEFORE setting up the studio, yes quite tricky indeed but I did it and after setting I up I shoveled on the slap and off I went.
Well what did I learn, its nearly impossible to do Bridal boudoir shots by yourself, I'm rubbish at putting on make-up, getting up and down to press the timer button is hard work in a huge dress and little space and lastly its nice when your husband comes home and helps you out, even if they do laugh at you!
So after some photo shopping (well I say some...ALOT actually) the images are all finished and although it was extremely weird 'working' on myself it was also great. I removed my wrinkles, spots and magically dropped a couple of dress sizes....if only life was that simple. So I now have a nice set of overly sexy bridal shots of myself and more importantly I know how my clients feel when I have them posing all over the place.
To see the outcome click here
Its even harder when you put the dress on (which is a struggle with no help I can tell you!)BEFORE setting up the studio, yes quite tricky indeed but I did it and after setting I up I shoveled on the slap and off I went.
Well what did I learn, its nearly impossible to do Bridal boudoir shots by yourself, I'm rubbish at putting on make-up, getting up and down to press the timer button is hard work in a huge dress and little space and lastly its nice when your husband comes home and helps you out, even if they do laugh at you!
So after some photo shopping (well I say some...ALOT actually) the images are all finished and although it was extremely weird 'working' on myself it was also great. I removed my wrinkles, spots and magically dropped a couple of dress sizes....if only life was that simple. So I now have a nice set of overly sexy bridal shots of myself and more importantly I know how my clients feel when I have them posing all over the place.
To see the outcome click here
Friday, 23 October 2009
Wedding Venues
I thought I'd post about a couple of wedding venues today.
Firstly one of my favourite places so far is Oaks Farm in Shirley, Surrey. From a photographers point of view the place is a dream, especially if the ceremony takes place in the Orangery, the light is amazing! The light in the ceremony room is always one of my biggest worries but when I first walked into this room it was like dying and going to photographers heaven! But its not just the Orangery that makes this place special, the main barn is beautiful, the gardens are fantastic with so many places to take great photos and lastly there's a cottage on the grounds which can be used by the bride and groom to get ready in and also stay the night in, as far as I'm concerned this place has it all. You do have to use outside catering and entertainment but that's not always a bad thing as not only can choose your budget but also your menu. One extra added bonus is that the couple who run the place are lovely and even let us lowly photographers traipse through their farmhouse (which is in the gardens) and up into their bedroom to get an ariel group shot! What fantastic people!
Now I have to mention my all time favourite venue, I've only been to a wedding there once and I wasn't even working....it was of course my wedding venue! The wonderful Hadlow Manor Hotel in Tonbridge. The website doesn't do this place justice, especially the beautiful gardens, you have to visit the place to see it as it is but the best thing about this place is the staff. I've been to a lot of weddings and to be honest the staff are sometimes one of the biggest let downs.....I'm very sorry but there's always one person who acts as if they have been physically forced to do the job and if they manage a smile their whole face will suddenly explode! At the opposite end of the scale there are the ermm lets say the intellectually challenged who don't even know which is the red wine and which is the white! But at Hadlow there are droves are hardworking staff buzzing around making sure everything is perfect, you only have to think about needing something and they magically appear by your side surrounded by celestial light (actually I'm being ever so slightly over dramatic here but they are wonderful)
The other huge bonus of Hadlow Manor is their amazing prices, we were on a tight/small/stingy (whatever you want to call it) budget and Hadlow Manor take care of the meal and drinks of course but also included in the price (in 2008) was a hotel room the night before and the honeymoon suite the night of the wedding, the table flowers, decorating the tables, table plan board and names places for all the guests oh and a mc...now that's what I call service!
While I'm blabbering on about my wedding I'd like to take a moment to thank Thamesis Quartet for playing beautifully, Mickey Fordola our wedding singer (and not forgetting his DJ) for being outstandingly amazing and better than I could of possible imagine and lastly but most definitely not leastly Mintyslippers who I can't even begin to thank in words that don't evolve into a 10" thick hardback book, just check out their highlights to get a small glimpse of how wonderful their work is!
Right that's it for today as I don't want another post that takes a year to read!
Lorraine.
Firstly one of my favourite places so far is Oaks Farm in Shirley, Surrey. From a photographers point of view the place is a dream, especially if the ceremony takes place in the Orangery, the light is amazing! The light in the ceremony room is always one of my biggest worries but when I first walked into this room it was like dying and going to photographers heaven! But its not just the Orangery that makes this place special, the main barn is beautiful, the gardens are fantastic with so many places to take great photos and lastly there's a cottage on the grounds which can be used by the bride and groom to get ready in and also stay the night in, as far as I'm concerned this place has it all. You do have to use outside catering and entertainment but that's not always a bad thing as not only can choose your budget but also your menu. One extra added bonus is that the couple who run the place are lovely and even let us lowly photographers traipse through their farmhouse (which is in the gardens) and up into their bedroom to get an ariel group shot! What fantastic people!
Now I have to mention my all time favourite venue, I've only been to a wedding there once and I wasn't even working....it was of course my wedding venue! The wonderful Hadlow Manor Hotel in Tonbridge. The website doesn't do this place justice, especially the beautiful gardens, you have to visit the place to see it as it is but the best thing about this place is the staff. I've been to a lot of weddings and to be honest the staff are sometimes one of the biggest let downs.....I'm very sorry but there's always one person who acts as if they have been physically forced to do the job and if they manage a smile their whole face will suddenly explode! At the opposite end of the scale there are the ermm lets say the intellectually challenged who don't even know which is the red wine and which is the white! But at Hadlow there are droves are hardworking staff buzzing around making sure everything is perfect, you only have to think about needing something and they magically appear by your side surrounded by celestial light (actually I'm being ever so slightly over dramatic here but they are wonderful)
The other huge bonus of Hadlow Manor is their amazing prices, we were on a tight/small/stingy (whatever you want to call it) budget and Hadlow Manor take care of the meal and drinks of course but also included in the price (in 2008) was a hotel room the night before and the honeymoon suite the night of the wedding, the table flowers, decorating the tables, table plan board and names places for all the guests oh and a mc...now that's what I call service!
While I'm blabbering on about my wedding I'd like to take a moment to thank Thamesis Quartet for playing beautifully, Mickey Fordola our wedding singer (and not forgetting his DJ) for being outstandingly amazing and better than I could of possible imagine and lastly but most definitely not leastly Mintyslippers who I can't even begin to thank in words that don't evolve into a 10" thick hardback book, just check out their highlights to get a small glimpse of how wonderful their work is!
Right that's it for today as I don't want another post that takes a year to read!
Lorraine.
Oh dear an apology is in order.......
After some research I feel I have to offer an apology over my use of the word 'brain storm' on my last post. It is offence to people with brain disorders apparently! Click here for further information
(Note to self-the world has gone crazy!)
I'd also like to add that after an important meeting this morning involving alot of brainst........whoops I mean 'thought showers', once again no new business names have come to light, well actually there were plenty but I feel my 5 year old and 2 year olds input was to be quite blank 'rubbish'! and my husbands ideas were completely useless (but its the thought that counts...allegedly!)
(Note to self-the world has gone crazy!)
I'd also like to add that after an important meeting this morning involving alot of brainst........whoops I mean 'thought showers', once again no new business names have come to light, well actually there were plenty but I feel my 5 year old and 2 year olds input was to be quite blank 'rubbish'! and my husbands ideas were completely useless (but its the thought that counts...allegedly!)
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
No new name yet
I have been thinking and brain storming and thinking some more but no new business name has come to me in my much sought after 'light bulb' moment. I've thought of ones that would apply to the boudoir photography and for the portrait side of my business but nothing that would cover wedding, boudoir and portraits. I've even thought up a good name for a pre-packaged sandwich business but unfortunately I don't run one of them (I even designed the packaging) perhaps I should think about a career move into the luscious (but probably cut throat) world of the pre-packed lunch? I fear I would swiftly triple in size though!
So here I am with nothing to report so I've decided to let some random wedding photography thoughts dribble out on to my blog.
I Love photographing weddings!...... before I started taking on wedding jobs and was only participating in the world of small children, families and our furry friends, I always thought weddings would just be too stressful and too much hard work....... and yes they are both those things but so much more thrown in to the cook pot of wedding stew.
I adore the different atmospheres at different times of the day. The getting ready shots tend to be exciting and relaxed then move into full on stress or just slight panic, then as the time to leave to go the ceremony draws near the excitement or nervousness (or a beautiful mixture of both) creeps in and I'm the lucky one who gets to capture all these wonderful emotions as they happen. The only thing better than taking the shots is showing them to the bride afterwards.
Well now on to the ceremony, this most important part of the day (which should go without saying really seeing as it wouldn't be a wedding without it!) is always fantastically amazing. Photographers always say every wedding is different and although (most of the time) the schedules are pretty much the same its the people involved that make every day different. You can never tell if its going to be a tearful ceremony or a ceremony full of laughs, both are wonderful and I get sucked right into those feelings. I always feel very privileged to be standing up there at the front watching these two people, who are so in love, exchange their vows and when I press that shutter down and know I've caught every one of those special moments for the couple to treasure forever.... well I feel quite big headed....no, not really just kidding...I actually feel very lucky to be part of the whole thing.
Then of course its now usually time for the drinks before the wedding breakfast, this is the time when I morph into the wedding sniper (good business name but killing people and weddings don't really mix well....oh and its taken already!) This is the most frantic time for me, running here and there, catching all the hugs, kisses, clinking of toast glasses and the bit that I love photographing...guests taking the photos! Nearly every guest has a digital camera at a wedding these days and why shouldn't they?! I know some wedding photogaphers see these camera welding guests as their ultimate nemesis but I love it and use it as part of the story telling, as that is part of the day and my job is to capture the day as its actually happening not arrange sickening pretend shots (worse one I can think of is the set up of the groom looking at his watch before the ceremony...arghhhh) I say if it doesn't happen then don't set it up.
Talking of setting up I may as well mention the bride and groom shots now and yes contrary to what I was just ranting about these are set up...sort of....the emotions I capture are absolutely real. I may suggest a pose or 'please walk over there holding hands' or 'please skip through this field of flowers' type situation but the look in their eyes, the kisses, the laughs are all real...I love the bride and groom shots and I love it when they say 'I hate my photo taken' then when I provide them with a set of shots so lovely they can't believe thats actually them in them. Oh dear I fear I'm now sounding all big headed now, I really am not (promise)......I am not perfect and yes I miss the occassional shot (this is where my 2nd shooter/sidekick Trevor saves the day!) but if I do I make up for it with a better shot and that's another lesson learnt for next time.
I will quickly finish up now by chatting about the wedding breakfast. Firstly the speeches: always wonderful.....people eating: not wonderful.
I usually take time at this point to get a quick drink, rest my feet for 5 mins then go off on a detail hunt i.e. flowers, the cake, presents piled up, anything really that would go unnoticed or forgotten after the day and then lastly of course its the first dance which is one of the most difficult shots of the day...if you want to capture the atmosphere that is. Yes the flash will get it everytime but flash also kills the mood. It drowns out all those lovely lights from the dance floor and makes the faces look harsh (I must admit I am a bit of a flash hater) I'd rather have a slightly soft image that makes you feel the mood of the photo than a pin sharp, brightly lit, unimaginative, boring image) On the other hand if you can get it right a little bit of fill-in-flash will do the job perfectly!
The other tough bit about the first dance is the guests camera flashes popping off all over the place, usually they add to the atmosphere of the shot but every now and then one flash will appear unflatteringly on top of the happy couples head or light their faces in a Halloween torch type scary manner! But by the end of the dance the guests start plucking up the courage to join them on the dance floor and are downing cameras, this is the best time to get the best shot...the last kiss at the end of the first dance!
And of course lastly the evening celebrations which to be honest after an hour aren't really worth taking photos of, you've all been to a wedding and know the vital ingredients to a memorable reception bash......too much celebration juice x 80's pop tunes x crazy drunken dancing = a very good time but also very bad (or funny depending on how you look at it) photos.
Well thats it for today and if you made your way through the whole of this post well done and a medal is on its way!
Lorraine x
So here I am with nothing to report so I've decided to let some random wedding photography thoughts dribble out on to my blog.
I Love photographing weddings!...... before I started taking on wedding jobs and was only participating in the world of small children, families and our furry friends, I always thought weddings would just be too stressful and too much hard work....... and yes they are both those things but so much more thrown in to the cook pot of wedding stew.
I adore the different atmospheres at different times of the day. The getting ready shots tend to be exciting and relaxed then move into full on stress or just slight panic, then as the time to leave to go the ceremony draws near the excitement or nervousness (or a beautiful mixture of both) creeps in and I'm the lucky one who gets to capture all these wonderful emotions as they happen. The only thing better than taking the shots is showing them to the bride afterwards.
Well now on to the ceremony, this most important part of the day (which should go without saying really seeing as it wouldn't be a wedding without it!) is always fantastically amazing. Photographers always say every wedding is different and although (most of the time) the schedules are pretty much the same its the people involved that make every day different. You can never tell if its going to be a tearful ceremony or a ceremony full of laughs, both are wonderful and I get sucked right into those feelings. I always feel very privileged to be standing up there at the front watching these two people, who are so in love, exchange their vows and when I press that shutter down and know I've caught every one of those special moments for the couple to treasure forever.... well I feel quite big headed....no, not really just kidding...I actually feel very lucky to be part of the whole thing.
Then of course its now usually time for the drinks before the wedding breakfast, this is the time when I morph into the wedding sniper (good business name but killing people and weddings don't really mix well....oh and its taken already!) This is the most frantic time for me, running here and there, catching all the hugs, kisses, clinking of toast glasses and the bit that I love photographing...guests taking the photos! Nearly every guest has a digital camera at a wedding these days and why shouldn't they?! I know some wedding photogaphers see these camera welding guests as their ultimate nemesis but I love it and use it as part of the story telling, as that is part of the day and my job is to capture the day as its actually happening not arrange sickening pretend shots (worse one I can think of is the set up of the groom looking at his watch before the ceremony...arghhhh) I say if it doesn't happen then don't set it up.
Talking of setting up I may as well mention the bride and groom shots now and yes contrary to what I was just ranting about these are set up...sort of....the emotions I capture are absolutely real. I may suggest a pose or 'please walk over there holding hands' or 'please skip through this field of flowers' type situation but the look in their eyes, the kisses, the laughs are all real...I love the bride and groom shots and I love it when they say 'I hate my photo taken' then when I provide them with a set of shots so lovely they can't believe thats actually them in them. Oh dear I fear I'm now sounding all big headed now, I really am not (promise)......I am not perfect and yes I miss the occassional shot (this is where my 2nd shooter/sidekick Trevor saves the day!) but if I do I make up for it with a better shot and that's another lesson learnt for next time.
I will quickly finish up now by chatting about the wedding breakfast. Firstly the speeches: always wonderful.....people eating: not wonderful.
I usually take time at this point to get a quick drink, rest my feet for 5 mins then go off on a detail hunt i.e. flowers, the cake, presents piled up, anything really that would go unnoticed or forgotten after the day and then lastly of course its the first dance which is one of the most difficult shots of the day...if you want to capture the atmosphere that is. Yes the flash will get it everytime but flash also kills the mood. It drowns out all those lovely lights from the dance floor and makes the faces look harsh (I must admit I am a bit of a flash hater) I'd rather have a slightly soft image that makes you feel the mood of the photo than a pin sharp, brightly lit, unimaginative, boring image) On the other hand if you can get it right a little bit of fill-in-flash will do the job perfectly!
The other tough bit about the first dance is the guests camera flashes popping off all over the place, usually they add to the atmosphere of the shot but every now and then one flash will appear unflatteringly on top of the happy couples head or light their faces in a Halloween torch type scary manner! But by the end of the dance the guests start plucking up the courage to join them on the dance floor and are downing cameras, this is the best time to get the best shot...the last kiss at the end of the first dance!
And of course lastly the evening celebrations which to be honest after an hour aren't really worth taking photos of, you've all been to a wedding and know the vital ingredients to a memorable reception bash......too much celebration juice x 80's pop tunes x crazy drunken dancing = a very good time but also very bad (or funny depending on how you look at it) photos.
Well thats it for today and if you made your way through the whole of this post well done and a medal is on its way!
Lorraine x
Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Well this is a first!
Hello all, I've often read blogs before but never had the inclination to start one myself but for no reason what so ever here I am at 06.38 in the morning creating my very first blog post.
I'm mainly going to chat about complete nonsense and maybe a bit about my photography business and some photography nonsense.
That's it for now......I'm not very exciting am I....... I promise from this moment forward to be as interesting and informative (and hopefully vaguely amusing) as possible.
I leave on the note that today I'm making it my quest to think of a new business name as L. Deakins Photography bores me to tears, its not as easy as it sounds as most good names have gone, sound cheesy or are spelt irritatingly i.e using 'z' instead of 's' like 'SNAPZ' .....well something like that, you get the idea (I hope!)
Wish me well in my quest and I shall report back when I have something to report. Oh and I couldn't leave without shamelessly leaving my web address http://www.ldeakinsphotography/ Please ignore its unimaginitive look, thats going to change when the new business name comes to me in a light bulb moment.
I'm mainly going to chat about complete nonsense and maybe a bit about my photography business and some photography nonsense.
That's it for now......I'm not very exciting am I....... I promise from this moment forward to be as interesting and informative (and hopefully vaguely amusing) as possible.
I leave on the note that today I'm making it my quest to think of a new business name as L. Deakins Photography bores me to tears, its not as easy as it sounds as most good names have gone, sound cheesy or are spelt irritatingly i.e using 'z' instead of 's' like 'SNAPZ' .....well something like that, you get the idea (I hope!)
Wish me well in my quest and I shall report back when I have something to report. Oh and I couldn't leave without shamelessly leaving my web address http://www.ldeakinsphotography/ Please ignore its unimaginitive look, thats going to change when the new business name comes to me in a light bulb moment.
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