Henley Wedding Photography's Hints & Tips, FAQs & Links

With an overwhelming array of professional wedding photographers to choose from where does a couple start to look for the right person or company to create and choose the perfect photographs on their wedding day.

The place to begin your search is to contact any professional wedding photographer that you may know; have seen covering a wedding you may have attended as a guest or a bridal couple who would be happy to recommend their photographer.

Failing that - Bridal Fairs are a great place to start looking. There you will at least get to meet photographers face to face and get to see their work at first hand.

The next step is of course an obvious one : an on-line search. There are many wedding guide companies and websites to look at and where you will get to see a snap shot of photographers local to you. Guides for Brides is a good site to search as is the Berks and Bucks Wedding Magazine. Whilst they cannot offer any guarantee of the quality, expertise or experience of a wedding photographer, sites like theirs do represent a good starting point with a minimum of searching.

The most important aspect that we cannot emphasize enough when choosing a photographer is that they are qualified professionals who belong to one of the 3 main qualifying and regulatory bodies in the UK. They are The British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP) www.bipp.com ; the Society of Portrait and Wedding Photographers (SWPP) www.swpp.co.uk and the Master Photographers Association (MPA) www.mpa.com

Each association or society has an extensive website that lists all their qualified photographers in your area or region. To qualify, photographers must present for examination significant numbers of images taken in their chosen field that consistently meet the high standards demanded by the various qualifications and examination boards and councils.

So how do you work out and get to know the difference between one photographer and another?

Thankfully, that's fairly easy. All 3 of the societies mentioned above, follow the same principle when it comes to awarding their qualifications. Basically they grade photographers into three levels from entry level to the highest. They are designated as:

Licentiate: Entry level - this means that the photographer is qualified and has reached a competent level of professional standard.

The photographer is entitled to put the letters LBIPP; LSWPP or LMPA after his or her name.

Associate: This is the second level of qualification awarded to professional photographers who have demonstrated a consistently much higher level of creative skill and expertise. Photographers awarded this qualification are entitled to put the letters ABIPP; ASWPP or AMPA after his or her name.

Fellowship: This is the very highest level of qualification that can be conferred on a professional photographer. Difficult to be awarded, Fellows are photographers who work at the highest, most creative levels possible and have done so usually for many years. Photographers who have been awarded this qualification are entitled to put the letters FBIPP; FSWPP or FMPA after their his or her name.

To verify that photographers are what they say they are - we recommend that you check them out on their qualifying body's web sites. That way you can be sure that they are what they claim to be!

Banging our own drum (and why not!), both Henley Wedding Photography's Duncan MacBrayne and Steve Dunning are qualified to Associate Level by both the British Institute of Professional Photography and the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers. Something we are both very proud of. By the way, we are determined to achieve Fellowship status. We don't believe in standing still and are always working to improve our craft.

One note to add here - is that you should expect the fees to vary according to qualification. After all, as in every area of life - you get what you pay for.

Another place to look for first class photographers is to look for those professional photographers who have won bridal and portrait competitions. They are usually fairly easy to find through magazine and local newspaper publicity. Judged by their peers, you can be sure of their creative skills and expertise.

Avoid using a keen amateur photographer

The last (and some might say) and most important point to make is to avoid being tempted to use a friend or relative who 'is a keen amateur' or 'has a decent camera' or a student who has studied some photography but hasn't any real professional experience. This may save money but all too often proves to be a false economy that ends in dreadful disappointment or worse still, heartbreak. Namely, that the photographs are of poor technical and creative quality; the really important photographs have been missed and your magical day has gone without the fabulous record of your day being captured beautifully. I have personally known couples that chose to use a non-professional all of whose photographs had been so badly ruined due to their lack of skill and knowledge that they lost everything that had been photographed that day. It simply is not worth the risk.

One very important comparison that it is worth making here - long after the flowers have wilted; the food eaten and the champagne drunk the only legacy of your magical and special day are your wedding photographs. They not only outlive the day but last for many decades. It has to be worth the investment.

• 9 Useful Steps to help You choose the Photographer who is Right for You


• Do you like the style and feel of the photographer's work?
• Do their pictures make you feel like you were part of the celebration?
• Great pictures don't just happen - they are created. Look at the facial expressions on people's faces. Do you feel the photographer has created a happy atmosphere?
• Do you like the range of albums or wedding books offered?
• Does the photographer you are considering make you feel at ease?
• Are the photographers you are considering fun and empathetic?
• Are they flexible in their approach to you and above all would you feel comfortable with them photograph you on your wedding day?
• Narrow your choice down to a final 2 photographers to consider
• Ask to see two complete wedding shoots - after all photographers will always show you your best work at the initial consultation - but can they demonstrate that they can tell your complete story to the same high standard?

We should like to point out that Henley Wedding Photography will always supply you a DVD featuring 3 wedding shoots taken within the previous 12 months so that you can clearly see the depth and excellence of our work.

Useful Planning Tips

How to get the Most from your Wedding Photographers
Usually, a church ceremony will take just under an hour before you are making your way back down the aisle as Husband and Wife. Civil Ceremonies on the whole tend to take about half that time.

• Think about how long it will take you to get to the reception, and whether you will formally receive your guests before sitting down to eat.
• Experience has taught us that you should allow a minimum of 1½-2hrs for photography before receiving your guests and the start of your Wedding Breakfast

This will allow us time to create and take spectacular photographs of the two of you including the all-important family and large group shots. This leads neatly to emphasizing the benefit of having two photographers instead of one shooting your wedding. Whilst all the formal and set piece photographs are being taken by me, Steve is therefore free to work discreetly in the background capturing all those fleeting moments of emotion, romance and fun. Moments that contribute so much to the story of your day, but which are so easily and so often missed.

The only complaint Guests have at Weddings
Many people have been to a wedding where the photographer seems to take absolutely forever. Guest's become bored, restless, thirsty and of course hungry. So what’s the answer?

How to get the best photography

• Keep the number of photographs taken at the Church or Place of Ceremony to an absoloute minimum. This saves valuable time.
• We strongly recommend that you photograph the large group shot first. This is best done at the reception straight away. Your guests can then be left free to socialise and get food and drink leaving you and your family free to have photographs taken
• Shooting the majority of the spectacular pictures at the Reception venue means that the guests can relax; refresh themselves; get drinks and nibbles and generally enjoy themselves whilst we are with you. Again, having two photographers working with you means that we can work far more quickly than usual to create your fabulous photographs!

The Best Man & Groomsmen
Always our best new friends at any wedding, the Best Man and his Groomsmen are great because they are best placed to do all our bidding for us. Knowing both sides of the family and the majority of the guests, they are usually magnificent at rounding up reluctant and wayward guests in quick time. This in turn is terrific for us because it helps us to create all the photographs we need (and you have asked for) in as short a time as possible. The Groom can also help by making sure that on the day that his Best Man & Groomsmen know what they will be asked to do. They will also need to be aware that they will be required to discreetly apply a bit of authority to get things moving as necessary.

Enjoy your Day!
It almost goes without saying that we will do all we can to help you enjoy your wedding day. Better still, when you come back from honeymoon, our presentation will enable you to re-live it all over again when you see your photographs! In the meantime, if you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to contact us. We’ll do our utmost to help.

Any Questions?

We sincerely hope that our website has explained everything you need and would like to know. However we have listed our most frequently asked questions below. Since we cannot cover everything you might want to ask - we are never further from our clients than a phone call. Thefrefore, please call if you need further help.

What areas do you cover?
Based in Henley on Thames, we are ideally situated to cover all of southern England, and the Midlands but in particular: Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and the Greater London area. However if you are getting married further afield, we are more than happy to travel to your place of ceremony to photograph your wedding. For wedding ceremonies taking place beyond 50miles from Henley-on-Thames, modest travel expenses may be added to the cost of the photography -the amount will always being agreed with clients beforehand.

Do you photograph weddings abroad
Yes we do. Please call us for further details.

Is Henley Wedding Photography insured?
Yes - we have comprehensive public liability and professional indemnity insurance.

What happens in the event of bad weather?
There are a variety of ways round this. Experience, professionalism and the best technology means that we can still give you great results. We always carry professional studio lighting with us so that we can shoot professional studio quality photographs indoors at your wedding reception venue.

What professional photographic organisations do you belong to ?
We are both Associates of the British Institute of Professional Photography (ABIPP), and Associates of the Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers (ASWPP).

How many pictures do you take?
We do not set any lower or upper limit on the number of photographs taken. More details can be found in What’s Covered.

Please do remember that copyright of all the photographs taken at your wedding remains the property of Henley Wedding Photography.

Does Your Fee Cover Attending the Wedding Rehearsal?
We wouldn’t normally cover your wedding rehearsal, however if you feel that you would like us to attend, we would be happy to do so. There would be a modest additional fee to provide this extra service for you.

Why do we need to pay a Non-refundable Booking Fee?
This ensures that you definitely get the day you want and guarantees the price.

We’re interested - How Can We Contact You?
Call or e-mail us and we will arrange a time convenient to you for a no-obligation home consultation.

Please contact Duncan on 0791 771 7567 or email duncan@henleyweddingphotography.com