asterisk photography | the wedding blog

Trying to find the ideal professional wedding photographer in Sydney can be quite a daunting task.  There are so many to choose from and chances are you’re new to this kind of thing when you’re shopping around.  We’ve listed below 7 hints & tips to help you in your decision making process:

Photography | always check the photographer’s portfolio, the actual person who is supposed to be photographing your wedding.  It’s especially important to see a complete wedding or two that they have captured personally and not just their best images as this will give you a good feel for how they may photograph your wedding as a whole.  A good photograph involves a superior handling of light and composition as well as capturing the moment in a truly candid and natural style.  This is what really differentiates experienced professional wedding photographers and why an amateur is unlikely to achieve the results you deserve.

Personality | again, make sure you meet with the actual person who is photographing your wedding.  You will be spending most of your wedding day with your photographer and it is crucial you know a thing or two about them and how you will work together.  The last thing you need is someone who adds to the stress of the day, always in your face or under your feet.  Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to book a studio and then later discover you’ve been allocated a photographer you’ve never met.  By getting to know a bride & groom personally, the photographer ensures they’re on the same wavelength.  After all, we do a lot more than just take photographs on the day.

Professionalism | ideally, a professional photographer will be a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers (AIPP) as it displays the photographer’s commitment to a code of ethics and a willingness to learn from their peers.  They should dress appropriately for the occasion and conduct themselves in a manner that is a credit to their studio and even has the parents singing their praises.  Find out too if they have won any awards for their photography as this is often a good sign that they aspire to be the very best in their field.

Place | it can certainly be convenient to choose a studio that is close to home e.g. North Shore, Northern Beaches, Inner City.  But we suggest you don’t restrict your search to only those in your local suburb as any good photographer should be more than willing to travel, at least within the Sydney metropolitan area if not all over the state.  Some may add an additional charge for travel expenses but this is unlikely unless it is outside of Sydney and even then they may be happy to travel for a couple of hours free-of-charge.

Products | a professional wedding photography studio will offer a range of products including custom-designed wedding photo albums and books.  A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event for most of us so expect only the highest quality products that are guaranteed to last a lifetime or more.

Praise | find out from the studio’s previous wedding clients if they were happy with their photographer.  A written testimonial is one way to gauge customer satisfaction but don’t be afraid to ask for a few names & phone numbers so you can talk to them yourself.

Price | as with any business transaction, your budget and the packages a studio has on offer must align.  A professional studio needs to be flexible with their packages, willing to add or subtract elements to tailor one suitable to your particular requirements.  The number of hours of coverage should also be completely flexible as there is no point paying for an 8 hour package when all you need is 6 1/2 hours.  Keep in mind though that you often get what you pay for so skimping on your wedding photography in Sydney means the results may not match your expectations.

Good luck in your search and please feel free to contact us should you wish to discuss in more detail your wedding photography needs.

Kim*  

bride & groom

There are a number of traditions that typically take place during the wedding reception.  Generally speaking, the bridal party make a grand entrance into the reception venue to rousing applause from their guests.  Chances are the guests have already enjoyed drinks and canapes and so it doesn’t take much to get them clapping & cheering.

Speeches are then interspersed between courses.  And then just before the first dance, often called the bridal waltz, comes the cutting of the cake.

Now the cake cutting doesn’t have to take place at this point but it does tend to be the most popular time.  Mind you, some couples cut their cake straight after their entrance when their photographer is not staying long into the reception or if the cake is being used for dessert and it needs to be distributed to guests sooner rather than later.

Of course, not everyone has a cake these days.  It’s becoming quite common to have individual cup-cakes which can work equally as well.  Although it probably makes it a little tricky to cut the cake when it’s so small therefore many are adding a separate cake.

So who do you turn to for advice and talent when you need a cake tailor-made to suit your requirements?

Thinking back to a wedding we photographed recently, I was very impressed with the cake that was not simply made but wonderfully created by Chris from Cake Occasions.

These guys were inspired by the theme originally created by Form Over Function for the same wedding.  With the intricately detailed icing and the perfect matching of colours, they clearly went to a lot of trouble to ensure the cake made a statement.

And in order to keep everything unified, the cake’s appearance tied in perfectly with all the decorations and other elements throughout the wedding reception.  Not an easy thing to do but they made it happen beautifully!

What’s more, the cake tasted a treat.  Now how good is that?

Kim*

Cake Occasions inspired by Form Over Function

So you’ve planned your wedding day down to the last minute and even created a complete blow-by-blow timeline using a spreadsheet.  All those minute details have been covered and you’re now wondering to yourself what else is there to do.

My question to you would be, ‘Have you planned for the unexpected?  Do you, for example, have a wet-weather option for both the ceremony and the location photographs?’

Now if you’re having a church wedding then you should be fine unless the church leaks.  But it may be useful to ensure you have some large golf umbrellas to keep you dry when entering & exiting the wedding cars.  We always carry at least half-a-dozen extra umbrellas for just such an occasion and are constantly surprised by wedding car hire companies that don’t do the same.  What’s more, our umbrellas don’t have loud corporate logos emblazoned on them.

But what’s the plan then for your photos after the ceremony?  Hopefully you’ll be able to get some family photos inside the church provided there isn’t another wedding service straight away – a common occurrence at many of the more popular churches.

Typically, you’ll then want to head-off to have some photos with the bridal party in a picturesque location.  Is it to be indoors or outside?  Again, do you have umbrellas for the entire bridal party?  It looks better too if they’re colour coordinated.  Solid black or white looks particularly smart although alternating white with a colour can also tie in nicely with the bridesmaids’ dresses.

So umbrellas can work well if it’s a light drizzle.  But as soon as it’s pouring or the rain is coming at you sideways you’ll need to be undercover.  Clearly it pays to have created a Plan B with your photographer before the day so that you have an easy alternative if the need arises.

A number of good wet-weather locations are listed below.  Over the coming months I will endeavour to post a separate entry discussing each of their benefits.

However, if on your wedding day there should be some dark and ominous clouds on the horizon, consider too that it might be the perfect, albeit dramatic, backdrop to your photos.

Kim*

Wet-weather options

The Strand Arcade | Queen Victoria Building | Martin Place | State Library of NSW | Art Gallery of NSW

HMAS Watson