It goes without saying that you’ve got to like the look of the photographs and the wedding videos, but what is just as (if not more) important is how well you get on with your photographer. The best photographer can still have the wrong type of couple.
Considering 90% of people don’t like having their photograph taken, it’s very important that you feel comfortable and relaxed. Choosing a photographer you feel comfortable with is the most important thing to choose.
You’ll get the best photographs when you feel most comfortable in them. That’s why our couples love their photographs.
The first thing to remember is this… it’s not about the photographs. (You’re thinking “What?!)
Consider this, any photographer can offer you photographs, but will they be good photographs? Will they make you happy.
Imagine going on your honeymoon, do you plan on flying Ryan Air to Benidorm or are you thinking Emirates to Bali? Both get you from A to B, but I’m assuming you’d be thinking the latter.
That’s because, just like your honeymoon isn’t just about a flight seat from A to B, your wedding photography isn’t just about photographs. It’s about the experience.
We provide an incredible customer experience, backed up by the fact that we won the 2017 award for Customer Service. That’s where the value is.
We do need to take a deposit to secure your date, but since most of our couples pay monthly, your deposit may not be as much as you think.
Your deposit shows your intention for booking us, so it’s a commitment to each other. Please contact us to ask about your payment options.
Some couples prefer to pay their balance off as soon as possible, this way the money doesn’t get spent elsewhere.
It’s entirely up to you.
Most of our couples pay monthly, so we simply spread your payments out over the months before your wedding date and you pay via standing order on the first of every month.
All of our photographs are delivered in an engraved wooden USB box with a bunch of extra goodies.
You also get access to an exclusive, password protected online gallery to share your images out easily with family and friends.
Without going into the nitty gritty of copyright law, there’s a difference between copyright and usage rights and unfortunately it can become quite confusing. We’ll explain what you can and can’t do.
You CAN print, share and post online images from your wedding. Your can share them with family and friends.
You CAN’T alter the images in any way. This includes re-editing the images or adding Instagram filters onto to photographs. We would you want to? They’re already editing for you, and beside, why would you pay us for Instagram edits?
Also, you are not allowed to use your images for commercial use.
These permissions extend to your guests too.
You can provide your suppliers with images but they MUST be the images with our logo on.
Your suppliers MUST credit us and NOT cut out our watermark. If you are providing the images, it is your responsibility to inform the supplier of these rules.
Your suppliers can use the images on social media and on their website but our logo MUST remain in the image.
Venues can share our images on social media in a one off post, but they MUST use the watermarked versions.
If any of your suppliers wish to permanently use one or more of our images in their marketing strategy (for example, a brochure or permanently on a website) to advertise their business, they must contact us as this falls under a separate agreement between us and them (see below).
Venues are slightly different when it comes to using our images in their brochures or on their website.
In return for using our images, they must either take us on as a preferred supplier or pay us for the photographs. This is because they intend to make money off our images on a permanent basis.
It is our belief that if they love our images enough to use them to sell their venue, then it is our belief that they should like our work enough to recommend us to their clients.
Alternatively, they can pay us for the privilege of using our images. This also applies to other suppliers wishing to use our images for their marketing on a more permanent business.
Albums vary in terms of size, page finish and cover choice, but the biggest variant is the number of pages.
The more photographs you pick, the more pages you need. The more pages you need, the more the album will cost.
Typically most couples spend between £300 and £400, but you can spend more or less if you wish (depending on your choices).
In the quieter months, you could have them within a week or two. We’ve had them finished in a few days before. Busy periods could be 6-8 weeks.
The longest wait will generally be in September, October and November as we’ll have had busy months in July and August.
We send you a sneak peek and then keep you informed once your photographs are finished.
Again, it depends on the time of year, but it’s usually within 3 months, although it could be longer depending on time of year.
The best thing to do is call and chat on the phone to Chris, but if you’re not a phone kind of person then send us a quick email. We always reply.
If for whatever reason you’ve not heard back from us within 72 hours, your email could be stuck in spam, so possibly follow it up with another email or send us a message to the Facebook page.
Remember though, you can call Chris. He won’t bite.
For the payment plans, we typically split the cost of the package by the months before the wedding. Then you just pay an even number of payments.
For example, a single photographer package over 14 months would be just less than £100 per month.
We do need to take a deposit to secure your date, but since most of our couples pay monthly, your deposit may not be as much as you think.
We take a deposit so that we can guarantee you want the date, so it’s a commitment to each other. Please contact us to ask about your payment options.
Some couples prefer their balance off as soon as possible, this way the money doesn’t get spent elsewhere.
It’s entirely up to you. You know where we are if you want to ask.
Most of our couples pay monthly, so we simply spread your payments out over the months before your wedding date and you pay via standing order on the first of every month.
It’s always best to book earlier for two reasons:
Book in early to avoid disappointment
We find 34 weeks is a good time. It’s still early enough that your baby shouldn’t arrive early and you’re nice and big to show off your fabulous bump.
Being photographed is uncomfortable for most people at the best of times, but for a mother to be, there’s other reasons why you may not feel like being photographed.
We can absolutely guarantee that if you book your maternity session with us, you will not only love your images but you will love the whole experience.
Shazia is a master of her craft, she truly is. She is an internationally published fashion and women’s portrait photographer. She knows what she’s doing.
She is an expert at photographing women too. Not only will she work with you to ensure that you’re comfortable, but she has the knowledge and skills to ensure that you will never see a better photograph of yourself.
We have access to several excellent hair and makeup artists through our contacts in the wedding and portrait industries.
Alternatively, you can go elsewhere to have your hair and makeup done before your session.
We would highly recommend that you do have your hair and makeup done professionally, either by us on by someone else on the morning of your maternity session.
It will make a big difference to the way you look and feel when you see your photographs.
When you see someone looking amazing on the front of a magazine cover, do you think they did their own hair and makeup? It’s highly unlikely.
If you’re going to the expense and taking the time to have a maternity session in the first place, you want to ensure you’re looking and feeling your best.
You wouldn’t go without a professional hair and makeup artist for your wedding, so why should this be any different.
It’s a little extra, but well worth it.
Our photography studio is located at Hoults Yard in Newcastle. There is parking right outside the door that is payable on the meter.
It contains a comfortable, relaxing lounge area where mum and dad can put their feet up and relax for the session.
We also have a state-of-the-art photography area where we photograph your baby.
We have all the equipment, props, nappies and wipes that your baby could ever need.
Typically, sessions tend to take 3 – 4 hours. Sometimes it’s less, but rarely is it longer than 4 hours.
We photograph your baby in different positions and on different backdrops which take time to set up and clear away.
The photographing part only takes 30-45 minutes, but the rest of the session is usually dictated by how often your baby needs a feed. You can have some privacy in the lounge area to feed your baby
From the moment you book, we walk you through every step of the way. Even if you’ve had a newborn session elsewhere before, we have a very specific way of doing things that guarantees results.
All we ask is that you follow our instructions to the letter.
Your viewing experience typically takes place within ten days after your photography session. We like to get you back in to view your images while everyone is still off work.
We will discuss this with you at your photography session.
We always encourage parents and sibling photographs. These often make up the last parts of the Newborn session, but we discuss this with you before your session begins in order to capture what is important to you.
There are many factors responsible for whether or not a Newborn session is successful, but we’ve found it’s not an exact science. It’s all about patience.
What works for one baby may not work for another. We use our experience and try every trick in the book.
Think of it as a lot of little things added up to make one big thing. If you follow all of our instructions and advice throughout the process, we should have a high chance of success.
You’d be very surprised what we can do with photoshop. We can take out any dry skin, and if your baby is looking a little jaundiced we can alter the skin colour. The same applies to any scratches or bruising. We’ll take out all of that. We just need to little one.
Your baby’s images should be on display in your home, so we have various options available that appeal to everyone.
We have a range of the finest frames available, as well as beautiful folio collections. We also have digital images and prints for sale.
Please view our Newborn products page for a better look at your options.
We have everything you could need, but if you have a favourite hat or would like to incorporate a theme into the session then you would need to bring your own items.
Please speak to Chris about this and he will advise you.
