When things go bad they can have a great impact on your wedding day and for a long time after, an example of this can be found on the BBC’s website and a text version can also be found of the Daily Mails site. A couple have taken their wedding photographer to court, and won damages after the pictures they provided were of a very poor quality. Yes the couple have won their court battle but for the rest of their married life they will still be without their wedding pictures.

With the advent of cheap good quality cameras and even cheaper software it is incredibly easy for anyone to set themselves up as a wedding photographer. With £440 pounds you could buy an entry level digital SLR camera and a copy of Photoshop elements and sell yourself as a wedding photographer. A lot of the people that do this work full time in their day job so they can afford to charge next to nothing to cover a wedding or worse still charge you the same price as a reputable photographer for their services. The main problem with this is for your £440 you do not get a manual telling you all the experience you need to have to be a successful wedding photographer, the fact is there is no book that is able to substitute for years of experience.

The other most important thing missing is back up equipment. I have had two issues this year where I have had to use my back up equipment. These issues are fairly rare but like all electronic equipment, cameras can fail or ‘lock up’. Because I carry back up equipment to each and every event, both times this year I have been able to switch gear and continue shooting without comprising the quality of coverage I pride myself on.

There are several ways you can avoid future disappointment when choosing your wedding photographer,

• Chose an experienced photographer who is able to provide several testimonials and contact details for a couple of them so you can check their validity
• Check your photographer is a member of a photographic society such as the SWPP, MPA, RPS etc.
• Ensure your photographer has adequate back up equipment
• Ensure your photographer has personal liability insurance as well as public liability insurance
• Ensure you see more than one album from just one wedding, it is quite easy to create an album of a collection of weddings images
• Chose a photographer that has a professional looking website, while website are much cheaper these days, it still takes time and effort to keep it up to date.
• Finally, if the price seems too good to be true, it generally is.

If you follow the points I have listed above this will help you avoid some of the issues mentioned in the BBC article posted above.

If you think about it, other than each other and your wedding rings, the only thing you will have after your wedding day is your photographs. Having a wonderful collection of images in a beautiful album that you can look back at for generations after your wedding day is worth spending a little time now making sure a cheaper option will not cost your dearly in the future.

As recommended photographer I will be on hand to answer any of your questions, I will also have on display some of my albums and a slideshow of my work. If your really lucky I may even be showing a few of you around the hall!

I look forward to seeing all our confirmed couples as well as anyone considering Chillington Hall as their wedding venue.

While I was working over in Italy this August I had my camera glued to my hand. This was my first trip to Italy and I had the pleasure of going to Malcesine on Lake Garda, just south of the Dolomites.

The town of Malcesine was very small but very beautiful with its tight winding cobbled streets, small boutique shops and all this was dominated by “Castello Scageri” The castle was incredibly picturesque and was where the wedding took place that brought me to Italy in the first place (pictures here).

I drove around the whole lake and each village looked as though it had come from a Disney film, the brightly colours buildings set against mountains in the background and a shimmering lake in the foreground.

I can highly recommend a stay in this part of the world if you haven’t already and if you have, maybe make another visit soon. Here are a few images from my travels.

I recently spoke with Jemma, a client from earlier in the year. She told me she was starting her own business designing and selling wedding favours. She has now opened her website for business and she seems to have a pretty large stock to chose from.

If you looking for wedding favours and want them pre-assembled or maybe you want to help with the design, take a look at Favours with Flavours

Following the ceremony, guests followed the bridal party through the cobbled streets of the old town to a champagne reception overlooking the lake. Pizza was served along with slices of hand-carved prosciutto, fresh fruit and the largest wheel of parmesan cheese I have ever seen. While the guests were relaxing we took the opportunity to take some location portraits around the old town before moving to the lakefront restaurant for the evening reception.  In true Italian style the meal was long, relaxed and lovingly presented.

Guests attended the wedding from all around the world and after spending time with Louise and Roger I can really appreciate why their friends and family would be prepared to travel anywhere to join them, it was little surprise that they were welcomed so heartily by the locals and I’m sure it won’t be the last time they or I visit the area.

The morning preparations went without a hitch and the bridesmaids travelled in true London style in a Hackney Carriage to the Houses of Parliament. The chapel where the ceremony was conducted dates back to the original building and is very private. It is not an area which is normally included in the public tours so not particularly well known. Although the whole building is very grand the chapel itself really is a magnificent sight to behold, full of tradition and grandeur.

The formal service was followed by the wedding breakfast in the Speakers Chambers, after which the wedding party and guests were able to enjoy a drinks receptions on the terrace overlooking the Thames. The evening reception was held on a Thames river boat ‘The Pride of London’ and much fun was had by all admiring the fantastic London skyline.

This fabulous venue is set in the middle of the country side and only opened this year, it is a fusion of rustic settings with clean contemporary styling. They hold corporate, private parties as well as weddings at the venue and as its a family run business service is of the highest caliber.

I will be shooting some shots for their new brochure shortly but until then I will post this photo from a recent wedding I shot there.

We walked around the town centre, the Hoe and the Barbican and here are a few of the images I took.

I think we had around 50 people booked in but we saw many more than that as people visiting the food and country fayre were tempted inside by our plush surroundings.

I have included a few images from inside the marquee which gives a taste of what to expect if you book this fabulous venue and if you are thinking of booking get in contact as dates are being booked up quickly.

I will mainly be taking event shots but I will have a few albums on hand and should be available for a chat throughout that day. The event runs from 10am until 5pm and I’m aiming to be there from 11 until 3pm *Update* We have quite a lot of wedding couples booked in so I will be at the show from 10am until around 2pm.

I look forward to seeing you there