Documentary Wedding Photography throughout Manchester, Cheshire & everywhere else
“A rollicking adventure through your wedding day in pictures, pure genius, full of fun & all our memories, no fucking about posing, total hoot on the day, the best thing you’ll do for your wedding!”
Ben & Tess, London
I find the best way to start is by being honest, so honesty time…my pictures aren’t for everyone, some couples want to spend hours and hours being posed, some want pictures of them stood apart with deadpan looks on their faces, some even want to peek out at each other from behind a tree a blow kisses at each other. Personally I could think of nothing worse that a set of cheesy pictures to represent my wedding.
FINDING A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER TIPS
Pick a photographer because you love their pictures, not because of the words they write on their website. No photographer is going to sound like a dick on their website, we’ve all chosen our words to appeal to a certain type of couple, they’re just words, you’re hiring someone because they take brilliant pictures - not because they have a fancy website.
Here’s the thing, you either want wedding pictures that will give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside, something that’s personal to you and celebrates who you are…or you want that generic crap with no soul and no personality, just pictures of people stood next to a pond looking like a couple of plebs.
Fuck that boring stuff, you deserve better.
Manchester Wedding Photographer
I am a Manchester based documentary wedding photographer, but don’t worry I photograph weddings throughout the UK & Europe too.
FINDING A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER TIPS
Look at the people in the pictures, do the smiles look genuine or do they look like ‘smile for the camera’ smiles?
See past the initial fancy editing and pretty sunsets displayed on a photographer’s portfolio and really look at the people in the pictures, the last thing you want is a memory of feeling awkward while having your picture taken because you’ve been asked to smile and you feel awkward doing it.
If you’re the sort of couple who would rather allocate a good portion of your day to getting pictures taken instead of enjoying your wedding day with your families and friends, I’m probably not the right photographer for you. Don’t get me wrong, I will happily take some group pictures and I can even stretch to 5 minutes of fantastically relaxed portraits, but anything more than that to be perfectly honest you’ll remember that part of your day for all the wrong reasons.
As with most things, price reflects quality. In the case of wedding photography, price reflects experience, quality, consistency, style and demand. If possible avoid too good to be true bargains, a half price deal will be hiding an artificially inflated price, you are more likely to end up with an inexperienced photographer or someone just starting out.
I want you to get excited about your wedding images. I love couples who want reality, excitement and spontaneous moments in their wedding pictures rather than an hour of cringing in front of a camera and pictures of people eating canapés (not a moment).
Take your time to have a really good look through my portfolio and sample weddings (including watching some slideshows on this page), you’ll be pleased to discover I’m not just about the crazy stuff, people in hedges and a sweaty bustling dance floor. I’m a storyteller and however your story plays out, whatever your personalities are like I will be there to photograph it beautifully and truthfully.
Things to ask a wedding photographer.
1. Extra time. Do you have to pay for additional hours if you want them?
2. Travel / accommodation, is it included in the price? Some photographers charge for travel outside a specified radius from home.
3. Is there an additional cost associated with having access to your full resolution, non-watermarked pictures? Same goes for family and friends having access - does that cost extra?
I love people who’s idea of an amazing wedding gallery is something they can look back on in 10 years time and laugh their asses off while remembering all the good times and memories their wedding day gave them.
I want couples who will proudly show their kids how much fun their wedding was, and there was a hell of a lot more to their wedding day than standing stiffly while gorping at a camera looking a bit melancholy.
More questions to ask a photographer:
1. Is this your full time job?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. What do you like about photographing weddings?
4. We want a giant dinosaur photoshopped in the background like it’s chasing us, can you do this? *If you ask me to do this I will tell you to fuck off :)
It’s a confusing place trying to find your perfect wedding photographer, go with your initial instinct then follow that instinct up with looking at every picture you can then ask to see some full wedding galleries. It may seem like hard work but honestly it’s worth the effort. Think of it as an investment, like buying a house (these pictures will last you the same amount of time), put the work in and you won’t regret it.
Me
I’m Paul, Manchester based wedding photographer specifically for couples who don’t want overly posed pictures of their wedding day, I cover pretty much anywhere if you ask nicely and I like the sound of you. Best suited to couples who want an easygoing guy at their wedding that specialises in taking pictures of you enjoying yourselves without any awkwardness or naff poses.
Paul.
