Congratulations on getting engaged!!

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS on your engagement!

One of the first jobs on your wedding list is probably to find a wedding photographer. But how do you go about finding a wedding photographer?  If you are looking for a wedding photographer in Somerset, or maybe a Dorset wedding photographer, or even a Wiltshire wedding photographer, you have come to the right place.

Rowena Crowley covers wedding photography throughout the South West of England, so if you are anywhere around there (or possibly even further afield), give her a call and see if she's available on your special day.

 

How do you choose a wedding photographer?
 

There are 3 fundamental questions to consider when choosing a wedding photographer, and also what we call an 'advisory consideration'*. The fundamental questions are in fact so obvious, that it seems silly to mention them, but we will nonetheless!!

Do you like them?

First and foremost, do you like the wedding photographer as a person?  The lens sees everything, and if you don't like the photographer, there's a probability that that sentiment will be translated into the photographic form! There are so many wedding photographers out there for you to choose from, but one of the key things in choosing your wedding photographer will be, quite simply, whether you connect with the photographer or not.

Do bear in mind that you are unlikely to have ever been in a position before where you have literally been followed around all day by someone who you hardly know: a relative stranger who is given access to some of the most intimate moments of your life!  Equally, you are unlikely to have been followed around before being 'papped' by a photographer for a whole day (as wonderful and celebrated as you are)!

It can be quite a daunting experience being photographed all day by a relative stranger!  If you are a little nervous in front of a camera, (as many people actually are), when you actually get down to it, the whole experience, on top of the nerves of the day, can be rather intimidating and anxiety-inducing!

This is why it is imperative that you find a photographer who puts you at ease.  Someone with whom you feel you can communicate and connect with, not only in person, but also through the lens.  Someone who makes you laugh and helps to relax you and enjoy your day.

 

The Work

Whomever you choose as your wedding photographer, whether it is Rowena Crowley of Photographic Memories, or not, please ensure that you speak to, and if at all possible meet your potential photographer before you engage their services, in order to decide if they are your cup of tea or not!  Of course, you need to love and understand the photographer's work.  The most obvious way to do this is to look through photographs from their previous weddings, whilst considering the following;

  • Does the photographer have a good understanding of light?
  • Does the photographer capture people and moments well?
  • Does the photographer edit their work well or do they over edit their work?

These are just a few of the questions that you can ask yourself when you look at a photographer's work, but ultimately, you will get a gut instinct whether they are right for you just by looking at their work.

What style of wedding photography do you want?

OK.  So you've decided that you like the photographer's work per say, but something else to consider is what you want photographing?  Do you want a formal photographer or do you want something more intimate?  That is to say  "what kind of photographs you want from your wedding "? 

You probably want your special day captured in photographic form and you want the critical moments of the wedding captured; walking down the aisle, the father giving away the bride, the first kiss, the wedding cake, the cutting of the wedding cake, the father of the bride's speech, the best man's speech, the grooms speech, (the bride's speech)?!, the first dance, all of those gloriously gooey bits that you'd dreamed about since childhood.

However, in addition to the formal shots you would expect to find in any good wedding album, there are other photographs to consider too.

  • Do you want the photographer to capture candid moments from your wedding day?
  • Do you want your wedding photographer to document those special moments of laughter and tomfoolery which happen spontaneously throughout the day?
  • Do you want reportage-style shots of you engaging with your guests, lost in the joy of the day?
  • Do you want a record of all the people that were at the wedding?
  • Do you want beautiful portraits of grandparents and relatives?

Wedding photographs, when done well, serve not just to mark the glorious celebration of your wedding, but also, as markers in time, capturing the people closest to you who make your life so special and treasured.

 

Rowena Crowley as Photographic Memories Wedding Photography Service

If  everything on this page to this point is ringing true for you, then Rowena Crowley of Photographic Memories Wedding Photography Service should be just the photographer for you.  From the moment you meet her, you will feel relaxed and comfortable in her company.  Her ability to get on with people and put them at ease is truly remarkable and within minutes you will feel that you have known her for years.  She is brilliant with all people, from all walks of life, from young to old,  and is able to bring out the best in people within a few seconds of engagement.

At your wedding she will capture all the formal photographs that you request.  However, in addition to this, she will also capture the guests at your wedding.  You will have beautiful portrait photos of grandparents, parents, guests, children and anyone else who you might want photographed.  There will be photos of dancing, of speeches, of jokes shared and memories being made.

Rowena's eye for detail not only captures the essence of the day, but also the essence of the people there.  This way, you will have a treasured keepsake for years to come of all those special people who attended your wedding.

 

Please have a look at some of the wedding photographs below and hopefully that will be enough to convince you to allow Rowena Crowley to tell the story of your wedding day!

 

 

 

*'advisory consideration'.  As mentioned before.  We did want to provide you with an advisory notice.  Pricing is that very advisory.  Rowena Crowley's Wedding Photography Service isn't the cheapest wedding photography service in Somerset nor is she the cheapest wedding photographer in Dorset, nor is she the cheapest wedding photographer in Wiltshire.  Rowena's pricing is however, 'not prohibitive' (which is to say, it's probably middle of the range)!

Please be advised that there are MANY wedding photographers out there offering cheaper packages or simply cheap wedding photography in Somerset and the South West.  However, also be aware that you 'pays your money and you takes your choice'!  One thing it's not worth scrimping on is your photographer.  Bear in mind the amount of work, equipment, insurance, experience and time that each wedding takes, not only on the day, but also in the editing room, and think about what someone charging below £500 will actually be earning on a pro-rata basis.  I would not personally engage anyone for any less than £500 even for the most limited of wedding coverage, because for any less than that, they simply shouldn't be able to afford to be in business!

 

**plus accommodation costs for any distances further afield than a 30 mile radius of Somerton.