Why should I choose Adam Jefferson for my wedding photography?

We offer all of the following as part of our packages:

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What styles of photography are there?

There are 3 main styles of wedding photography popular in the UK at present: strictly formal, photo journalistic, and a combination of the two. Strictly formal provides traditional wedding shots usually including set shots throughout the day, for example a pose of bride getting out of the wedding car, a shot of the rings on a cushion, a pose of cutting the cake and large numbers of family groups which can take quite a long time to get through. Formal photographers may use large format cameras based on tripods or held at waist level which produce high quality negatives and good prints.

The true photojournalist or reportage photographer will not pose any pictures during the day and will act as a recorder of events as they happen rather than someone who creates events and then captures them. They will typically use a 35mm SLR camera which is hand held and allows them to move around the wedding ceremony and reception looking for the best images rather than being fixed in one place. The images captured are again high quality and tend to be of people acting naturally as they will not know they are being photographed most of the time. Some photojournalists will shoot mainly in black & white, as this can give a more timeless air to the pictures, but it does come down to personal preference.

Our preferred style is the combination of the previous two and is very popular. In this approach we take a minimum number of pre-agreed formal shots of the key family groups but for the rest of the time record the natural progression of events as they occur during the day.

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Which is best - film or digital?

The best analogy here is to imagine a fine meal at a good restaurant. If you have enjoyed the contents of the meal and were pleased with its presentation then you do not normally ask the chef what type of pans were used, or if the kitchen runs on gas or electricity.

The results of both film and digital can be equally good or bad. Professional film photographers will use good quality film cameras and not instamatics or disposables. Professional digital photographers will use a large 35mm SLR style digital cameras, not the small point & shoot digital cameras which have become very popular with the general public in the last couple of years.

Both film and digital methods have their advantages and supporters, but in the end it is the results that matter, not how they were achieved. If you find a photographer who has a style you like, produces good results, and at a price which fits into your budget then this is probably the one to go with.

Which do we use? We are happy for you to examine our studio samples and albums and then make your own judgement...

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How much should I spend on wedding photography?

Speaking as photographers, you should obviously spend as much money as possible on wedding photography! A figure of 10-15% of the overall wedding budget (including the honeymoon) is normally appropriate.

We all have a budget to spend up to and a large number of things to spend the money on. Everyone will have their own sense of priorities and there are few hard and fast rules. Many brides feel it is nice to provide a good meal and wine for the reception so that everyone feels looked after. This is probably the major single area of expenditure, venue booking costs can reach well over £100 per head or more in popular locations. Other major expenditure on the day will include flowers and typically a car for the bridal party.

After the wedding is over and honeymoon are over, and the flowers have faded, the photographs will remain. These are the key to the memories the bride and groom will have to remember their special day. A set of great wedding photographs showing everyone having a wonderful time are family keepsakes and should be specially treasured and enjoyed many years into the future.

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Do I need a professional photographer?

Yes, if you want to be sure to have images you will treasure for many years to come from your once in a lifetime event.

Many people have cameras and can take snapshots. You may have friends or family who have taken some pictures in their time, but there have been many cases where brides have been sadly disappointed at the results, which do not live up their expectations and memories of their special day.

We and many other professionals have been approached after a wedding by a bride who is disappointed with her images and would like to make them look better. Sometimes it is possible to slightly improve some shots, but it is too late to do anything to recapture those special moments. We have performed reshoots for brides & grooms who have been badly let down by their original photographer.

A professional wedding photographer will have a good portfolio of images from many weddings, and not just one of two good images from each wedding. They will have at least 2 cameras, possibly 3 to avoid changing lenses too often, and a selection of high quality lenses to capture the best shots of the day. They will carry a backup of every item in case it fails. They will have spare batteries, flash guns, film or media cards to last an entire day without running out.

However having all of the equipment only fulfils the entrance requirement. The key ability is to be able to get the best out of people on the day. A professional wedding photographer is a highly social animal and will be good at handling people, working with them and organising them throughout the day. A good test is to see if you get on well with your photographer. If you do then you will relax more and get better results.

If we had to choose between a professional wedding photographer with a simple camera or a keen amateur with lots of expensive equipment, then the professional would be our choice to get the best pictures of key moments and people enjoying themselves. A treasured image will capture family or friends "in the moment" - it may well have minor technical flaws, but 99% of the time that image is preferred to a perfectly exposed picture showing no life or emotion.

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Should I have a stills photographer or video or both?

Many photographers have encountered difficulties with working at a wedding where a video is also being shot. It is possible for the two to co-exist happily but it takes hard work and co-ordination from both parties to ensure that they do not get in each others way by trying to stand in the same place, in each others shot or cause problems due to flash or video lighting requirements.

Many video setups require very bright lights to capture the scene effectively and tripods to ensure smooth pictures and this can cause havoc with still photographers and guests who are trying to enjoy the atmosphere of the occasion. Inexperienced video operators can also be very intrusive with their approach which is more in-the-face camera work than discrete capture the moment operations.

The ability of videos to capture sound is a distinct disadvantage as many people do not like hearing their own voice. Some conversations or comments captured off camera at weddings are best forgotten. Speeches which were hilarious at the reception can rapidly become viewing you would not want to sit through again.

The end result of most wedding videos is something which even if it is edited down to reasonable length may be watched only once.

The end result of still photography should be something which is timeless and can be looked on many times whilst remembering the special moments with family and friends.

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How much time should I allow for photography during the wedding day?

Formal photography can be very time consuming with stoppages throughout the day for formal poses and requests to "do that again for the camera". For formal family and friends pictures, a good rule of thumb is to allow 3-5 minutes for every group photograph taken. So if you have a list of 20 photographs, you should expect this to take at least an hour, possible more if the groups are complicated or require many different people to be found and placed in each grouping.

We prefer the photojournalistic style which adds very little overhead to the day as events are captured as they happen in real time rather than being posed for the camera. The photographer may wish to take the couple away for a few intimate, romantic shots whilst everyone is seating themselves at the reception but typically this can take only 10-15 minutes.

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How can I view my wedding pictures?

Some photographers will take control over the entire process and simply deliver a completed album to you a few weeks after the wedding. This can be their personal style or it can be a lower cost option as it cuts out any required review, redesign and approval process.

Other photographers present you with a complete set of proof pictures for you to choose your favourites for an album and for reprints for family and friends. Proofs are normally either separate small images (4x6" or 5x7") or printed together with a number of pictures on each page. They are designed to be used only for selection purposes, so they may be relatively low quality or have a watermark, line or the word "PROOF" written across them to prevent illegal copying of the images.

Another way to present the images to you is via a web site where small versions of the images can be viewed. Often these are linked to an online printing service so that you can order prints directly via the web site in a number of formats and sizes.

Yet another method is for the photographer to produce a DVD video of the images which can be viewed on a DVD player connected to a television.

It is normal practice for a photographer not to include all the images in a proof selection. Images which are obviously unsuitable, e.g. bride has her eyes closed, someone walked in the way, slightly out of focus or blown exposures, or exact duplicates are not normally presented. Even without this small number of imperfect images, you might still expect to receive several hundred images as proofs.

Once you have chosen your favourite images from the proofs you can have these made into an album.

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What kind of albums are there?

There are many different types of albums to choose from depending on your taste and budget.

The traditional approach is a large heavy album where each page consists of a cardboard matte border containing one or more photographs appearing from windows cut into the cardboard matte. These can vary in price depending on the quality of the album, the materials used such as leather covers, gold leaf, etc and the number of pages and photographs included.

A simpler alternative is the scrapbook album where each page has a number of photographs arranged on it and attached via glue or "photo corners".

There is also the flush album where the photographs take up the entire page - there is no matte border. Photographs can also span across double pages, with a very small join in between, or using pull outs can extend to 3 or 4 pages wide for panoramic shots. These albums can be very impressive if produced properly.

A newer approach making use of advances in printing technology is the story book album, also known as the coffee table book. These consists of flush pages full of photographs are bound together into something resembling a high quality coffee table book which you could buy from a bookshop. Again panoramic effects can be achieved by a spread across 2 pages.

The flush and story book albums can also make good use of digital technology to produce "picture in picture" techniques combining pictures together as foreground and background rather than just having separate photographs. See the example (far right) below.

All albums can come in a variety of sizes, finishes and materials including leather and metal covers.

We have provided links to album company sites on our links page. You can browse these sites to see further examples of the types of albums available from each supplier.

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Will my reprints be better than the proofs?

Typically yes. For the best photographs to be shown in your album or reprinted at larger sizes, the photographer will often use digital imaging software (e.g. PhotoShop) to improve the images in different ways. This can include cropping of the image to concentrate on key areas, touching up images to remove blemishes, changing the range of colours or shadows to create artistic effects, or producing the image in sepia or black and white to show off certain aspects of the image.

Images modified in this way are usually much better received than the originals, but the process to professionally improve each image takes time and expertise to do and therefore is normally restricted to only the most important images.

The degree of retouching can vary from none, a slight removal of blemishes, a more detailed retouching to include body shaping and other techniques to make the subject "look better", to a complete artistic approach in which the end result can appear more as a work of art rather than an actual photograph. The extent to which this is done depends on personal taste of the subject and the skills of the operator.

Professional photographers have access to specialised printing resources which can produce very large prints on a wide variety of artistic materials, including archival quality paper, metallic paper, canvas and acrylic surfaces for special orders.

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Can I just buy the negatives or digital images and print the pictures myself?

In the digital era this is much more feasible than it used to be. We are happy to discuss the provision of digital images files so that you can print the images, use them as computer wallpapers, etc.

We include the digital files as part of our top of the range packages. If you buy such a package with the album and extras included, then we are happy to include the digital files as well. Other photographers may provide the files for a fee after a certain time period such as a year.

Be sure to discuss exactly what you need from the photographer. If it is purely the files as captured on the day with no retouching or post processing then the fee for the photographer is purely for their time, expertise and equipment usage during the day. Note that just taking digital images is not free, a high end digital SLR camera costs many thousands of pounds and would typically be replaced every 12-18 months.

If however you want the files to be processed and retouched, or album pages designed then this will take additional time and will have to be taken into account during the pricing.

Note that typically you are buying the right to use the photographs for your own personal use. Copyright remains with the photographer. You would not have the rights to sell the images commercially or to sell any prints made from them.

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What if I don't like my photographs?

This is an extremely rare event in the industry. Discuss with your photographer exactly which images you do not like and what it is about them you are unhappy with. The photographer may be able to remedy the situation by reworking some images for you. They could also offer you additional prints or albums to make up for any real shortfall.

Most photographers gain the majority of their work from personal recommendations. It is not in their interest to leave you feeling unhappily with your photographs or albums.

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What if I have any other questions or comments?

Please do contact us with your questions or suggestions and we will be happy to respond to you and to add them to this site if it is appropriate.

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