It’s true 100% true. I believe this is what made me decide to become a wedding photographer. Wedding photography is a passion for me, it’s not just a job, it’s something that comes from deep within my own heart. I truly believe that to become a really good wedding photographer you have to really love weddings and all they entail. I used to be a press photographer shooting professional sports, rock & pop concerts and royal visits but gave all that up to followed my dreams and become a wedding photographer.
I pride myself on being different on trying to break with tradition, my wedding photography is focused around the bride and the groom and is all about the romance of the day. I am not your stand here and smile for the camera kind of photographer. The albums I produce tell the story of your wedding day, the love you shared and the people you shared it with.
There are some shots you just have to take on a wedding day but that's where the similarity between myself and a traditional wedding photographer ends.
Yes my web site is here to sell me as a photographer BUT its also here to help you make sure you get the very best photos of your wedding day possible. I only accept 30 wedding commissions a year. I limit myself to this number because it typically takes me around 10 full days to process a wedding. This includes the photography itself, the initial edit of the photos for the web gallery, the edit for the wedding album, the actual album design and layout. Following acceptance of the final design every single photo in the album is carefully Photoshopped, colour balanced, density checked and worked on. Once the album design is 100% finalized the files are prepared for and delivered to the lab. During every stage of this process I consult with my client and together we make sure the finished product is exactly what they want.
So what's this got to do with Uncle Bob and the credit crunch ?
Everyone knows or has an 'Uncle Bob', the guy with a camera who will be willing to take your wedding photos for free. You have seen his pictures and they are pretty good. Every bridal magazine is running tips on saving money and has the obligatory 'Must Have Wedding Photos Shot List'. Every wedding web site forum talks about getting friends or family to shoot your wedding and giving you the images on a disk. This all sounds GREAT and is a fantastic way to sell magazines, after all every couple want to save money no matter how big the budget is.
The reality however is this weddings are possibly the hardest event for a photographer to photograph ever! Weddings encompass every genera of photography - Architectural, Landscapes, Portraits, Editorial, Candids, Macro photography and the ever classic paparazzi shots. Weddings take place in some of the 'photographically speaking' most hostile and demanding environments you will come across.
One moment your in the Blazing Sunshine, the next moment your in a dark and gloomy church where flash is not allowed. If your really unlucky (and lets face it, we all live in the UK) It could be pouring down with rain on top of everything else. The whole time you only get one shot to get it right - screw it up and your album is ruined !
There is a HUGE difference between consumer & professional camera's, not to mention the quality of the lenses used. I used the very latest Nikon Professional Camera Systems and lenses. I always carry 3 cameras with me - 2 in use and 1 as a backup. My camera bodies are waterproof and the lenses sealed against rain and snow.
Anyone can take 100 pictures and get 10 good and 1 great photo. It takes a professional photographer to consistently capture well exposed, correctly colour balanced, sharp in focus images that are not grainy or that too dark or totally washed out.
Knowing where to be and when to be there is also a very important part of wedding photography. If you happen to miss the important parts of the wedding there is no going back and doing it again.
The reason I am telling you all of this is not to get you to book me, (naturally I would love to photograph your wedding) but it's here to get you to book a professional wedding photographer.
I have heard horror stories from brides that had friends shoot the wedding but I have heard good things also. One thing that is consistent however is every bride I have asked who had friends shoot their wedding (happy or not) have said with hindsight, if they had to do it again they would use a professional photographer after seeing the difference between what they ended up with and what they could have had.
Why has it been so important for me to get this information across to you ? Well its because I wholeheartedly believe that :-
"The true essence of a great photo is not what it says today but what it will say in the year's to come."
As time goes by in the months ahead the credit crunch will ease, you will move on with your life, kids perhaps, a bigger house, a newer car, more exotic holidays. The cost of the whole day will slowly become a dim distant memory as will be the events of your wedding day themselves. In 10 or 20 years time when you take out your album, the cost of your wedding photography will pale into insignificance compared to the value of the memories it will brings back.
My Home Office number (01299) 250114 or my mobile number (0759) 007 6666 I am normally here available between 9 am and 10 pm most days but take a break at around 4:30 to watch the Gilmore Girls and have my lunch.
If its easier for you, simply e-mail me at David@davidpurslow.com or fill in the form on the CONTACT ME page by clicking on the link at the top or bottom of this page and I will contact you shortly.
If you live away but are planning on getting married in Worcestershire , Bromsgrove or getting married in Staffordshire (60% of my brides and grooms fit into this category) we can handle everything via e-mail and over the phone.
The last thing I will say is that if your having a destination wedding, then check out the section called Free (almost) - its one of the menu links at the top and bottom of the page.
I hope you have found this information helpful and that it has answered most of your questions. If there is something else you would like to know - pick up the phone can call me !
Bye for now - dp
"Why ?" I hear you ask, "why is it so important ?" well the answer is simple, on your wedding day you guys will spend more time with your wedding photographer than anyone else. A good wedding photographer is like a secret service agent, they never really leave your side. Think about it, when your getting ready we're there, when you leave the house for the church we there, when you laugh, when you cry, when you hug, when you kiss, when you have your first dance as a married couple, when you sneak off together we're there with you throughout the whole event.
Your wedding day is going to be one of the greatest days of your life, you will smile the whole day long and probably will shed a tear to two, and its the groom I am talking to at the moment.
Why do I enjoy wedding photography so much? Well its because the whole day is so magical. Most brides have been dreaming about their wedding day since they were about six or seven year's old and first heard the story of Cinderella. Today is the day when you become a Princess, you will look perfect, your hair will be amazing, your makeup will be flawless and you will get to wear a fabulous wedding dress and marry the man of your dreams - your Prince Charming.
Everyone will fuss over you, people will cry when they see just how beautiful you look and for the whole day long you and your new husband / wife will be at the centre of everyone's universe. You will get to eat amazing food surrounded by great company.
Once you finish your dinner, people will stand up and tell stories about you, your childhood, your teens and your life in general - Everyone will listen intently because they want to know about you two the couple the all came to see The Bride and the Groom.
The day will fly by in the blink of an eye and at the end of it all you will start a whole new exciting adventure together as man and wife, united by the love you share and the promises and commitment you both just made to each other.
Weddings really are the fairy tale come true. No matter what the weather, no matter what's going on in the world outside everything is always perfect on your wedding day.
The selection of your wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you will make for your wedding.
Our philosophy is simple we have a completely tailorable service, after all we are working for you, not the other way round! We offer you 2 photographer coverage and stunning pictures of your dream day, with no compromises, no hidden extras Just the very BEST we can do for you!
We offer two levels of service coverage up to 6 hours at and “all day” from preparations to first dance or fireworks. There are also various different album styles, parent books, pocket books, wall canvasses, montages, hi-res DVD, DVD slide shows . it’s a long list, but there is absolutely no obligation, you have exactly what you want.
For budgetting purposes our 2010 prices start from £1000.00 including high quality story-book album, your first sixty pictures, 30 thank-you cards and 3 months web-hosting of your viewing with ‘buy-on-line’ for your guests and relatives. We also have a range of top quality Queensberry albums if you prefer a more traditional album, in a host of covers.
We are very happy to provide a detailed quotation based on your exact requirements. If when you see your pictures you wish to upgrade picture count and/or album style you need only pay the difference.
We are happy to work almost anywhere in the UK wherever your wedding takes place we can be there for you!
Our service and total wedding experience is second to none to successfully capture the emotion of your wedding we try to get to know you both quite well we normally meet a number of times prior to your wedding and if at all possible one of these should be at the venue where we like to have a short “coaching” session.
I also know most people are curious as to the cost of retaining my services so here is a quick overview. Full details can be found on the prices page (links at the top and bottom of this page)
I also offer a full A La Cart design your own wedding collection option. This allows you take total control by deciding exactly what you want and only choosing the items that are important to you.
Another popular question that I get asked all the time is 'can we get the digital negatives' The answer to this question is yes. Digital negatives (the camera master files) are included in many of my wedding collections and is available as an option on the rest.
I offer payment plans from one to four installments split over the time between when you retain my services and your wedding date itself. Another very popular option is my bridal registry, with the average age of my clients being around 31 years old. I find that most of my clients have already established their homes and have no need for yet another toaster etc. This makes the bridal registry is the perfect way to help reduce the cost of the wedding photography.
The bridal registry works by allowing your guests to donate money towards the cost of your wedding photography collection. Every penny donated is credited to your account and you receive a notification of exactly who gave what. As an added bonus, any of your guests choosing to donate £50.00 or more via the bridal registry receives a free lifestyle portrait session invitation along with the offer of two complimentary photos.
New for the 2010 / 2011 season is the introduction of Engagement Sessions or E-Sessions. These E-Session typically last around a half day and are a great way for all of us to get to know each other a little bit better. They are typically romantic hand in hand (yours not mine) walks along the beach or in a local park etc, I have shot E-Sessions in fancy coffee shops, trendy bars, down by the marina, with peoples favorite pets etc. Normally you would be wearing casual clothes like jeans, shirts etc. They are a great way to get used to being in the limelight and the images from this shoot can be used to create a guest signing book, a small album or just some really nice photos for the two of you to keep.
I attended a very exclusive one week training course run by Yervant which was held in Venice Italy. 20 Photographers had travelled from all over the world to learn from this master wedding photographer, they had travelled from far away places including The USA, Canada, Honk Kong, Australia, and from all over Europe. The reason I went was to challenge myself, I constantly want to grow as a photographer - I went because I wanted to bring my photography to the next level and learn how to, within the constraints of wedding create gorgeous, edgy, modern Avant-garde images that every bride would love have in her album. I look forward to going again this year to see just how far I have progressed and to remind myself that no matter how good you get, there is always room for growth.
I have set myself some personal goals of where I would like to be 'photographically speaking' in the next couple of years and the inclusion of images like these are high up on my list of priorities. I have never classed myself as a sheep, a follower or someone that just does what's expected. I like to try new things and strive to be at the forefront of development rather than just playing catch up.
I am never happy standing still, I HATE the saying 'If its not broke don't fix it" it drives me mad when I hear people say it. My version of the saying is "If its not broke, improve it !" That's why I invest a large % of my income back into my professional development and why I am constantly upgrading my equipment. Today professional digital cameras are leaps and bounds ahead of the professional cameras of 18 months ago. Wireless flash technology developed now allows photographers to create images that were impossible to shoot only 6 months ago. When I am not working on images or with clients I am educating myself about what's new in the photography world.
Two other very important aspect of my 'business' are the products I use and the services I offer. By products, this means the albums I offer. I am always on the look out for new and exciting album manufacturers and for companies that allow me to offer my client something they cant get anywhere else. The Service's I refer to are such things as 'Trash the Dress' sessions 'The Day After' Sessions etc.
One thing I am very proud of is the fact each album I produce is totally original. I never use templates to design my albums and I let the pictures themselves dictate how the album looks. If you happen to choose me to photograph your wedding, then your album will be as unique as your wedding itself.
