Need to find a Wedding photographer

[crisp82]

Hi guys'n'gals!!

My Fiancée and I are getting married, and are looking for a wedding photographer. We are in need of some help however, as we haven't seen anyone in the local area that shoot the style of photos we are looking for. We are based in Hertfordshire, UK. The photographers that we have found, and have fallen in love with, are based in California. Their style is exactly what we are looking for:

San Diego Wedding Photographer - Bay Area Wedding Photographer

Admittedly, they do have the California sun to help

Can anyone recommend anyone in the UK that has a similar style of shooting?

Also, any tips on how to choose a photographer, and things to look out for, are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

[candleman]

Well I have no real suggestions for who.

how to choose a wedding photographer?

You will be spending the entire day with this person, so you need to get along well and be comfortable with eachother.

Ask to see a full Wedding they have shot.
Most will show their best (which there is nothing wrong with), but the best way to gauge their skill is to look at one whole set from one wedding. Consistencey in style and quality throughout the day is the true test.

Also, try not to look at the price.
You've spent thousands on a venu, food and drink, a dress, cars, flowers... all of which lasts only one day.
Yet when people look for the one thing that last a lifetime, (the photo's) suddenly the pockets are empty and they look for a bargain.

So try not to decide based on price, choose something that will last forever and give you beautiful memories.

[Biomech]

What he said ^^

This bloke is really good and lives mid-country:
Terry Hewlett LSWPP Forevervisual Wedding & Portrait Photography

On a side note, I live in Hereford and so many people confuse us with Hertford (so watch out for that). Infact, there's someone in Hertford with the same street name as my friends house. Consequently, the postman got a tad confused and delivered and array of bondage and sex toy gear to my mates house one time :P

[Niresangwa]

Is there a comprehensive resource for wedding planning or wedding photography in the UK? I guess I'm thinking something along the lines of The Knot. I did a quick Google search, but couldnt find anything that seemed pretty centralized or non-hokey...

...it's always in the back of my mind to go back home at some point, and while transplanting a photography business would be much easier than almost any other kind, I always wonder how the industry back in the UK compares to here in the US..

[Biomech]

Quite a few, including:

Photographers.co.uk
Wedding Photographer Index: Listing Wedding Photographers & Wedding Photography Tips | Professional Photos

[theosus]

You'll want to make sure you can do reprints - it will seem like lots of people you never thought would want a photo, will. Make sure you get a disc of hi-res images, and make sure they don't rape you for it. After all, a year or two after the wedding you'll probably never look at the disc again, at least until the divorce when you pull out the disc and add horns and a pitchfork in photoshop.

[Niresangwa]

Originally Posted by Biomech

Quite a few, including:

Photographers.co.uk
Wedding Photographer Index: Listing Wedding Photographers & Wedding Photography Tips | Professional Photos

Thanks for this Jamie. I'd found both of those; the sites didn't seem as polished as I had expected, so I thought there might be something else.

Seems that the usual cost benchmark for all day jobs was lower than I expected. Given that the 'number' of the cost of something is usually the same as here in the US (even if the value of the currency is different), I was expecting to see more around the 2k range, but it seems to be around 1-1.5k - I know you're starting out in wedding photography, so have probably does a boat load of legwork - does that sound about right?