Family favours cut wedding cost

Posted on: May 4th, 2010 by admin No Comments

It’s not at all unusual for a wedding with 100 guests to cost around £20,000, but you can do it cheaper and still have a great time. In fact, with half of couples now paying for the wedding themselves, forking out less might add considerably to the enjoyment.

Traditionally, paying for the wedding was the province of the bride’s father, but according to a survey by Wedding magazine only 26 per cent of parents now pay the bills. That leaves just under a quarter of couples presumably expecting relatives and friends to chip in. Little wonder then that the same survey found that couples prefer hard cash instead of kind when it comes down to wedding presents.

A wedding doesn’t have to cost a fortune though, particularly if you call in a few favours from family and friends. If you can’t fit all your guests into your front room you’re bound to find a local pub willing to host your reception for a fraction of the cost of a swanky, high-priced hotel.

Relatives and friends are usually willing to help out with food and while you might want to provide wine with your meal or a glass of something sparkly for the toast, you don’t have to provide a constant supply of free drinks all round. The lady a few doors up the street is probably an expert cake maker and will be delighted to provide the wedding cake. Or there’s always the local supermarket.

A friend or relative with a nice car will usually be more than happy to give it a special polish for your special day and act as a chauffeur for the bride. The groom is usually capable of finding his own way to the church or registry office if given sufficient instructions and a sherpa guide.

Most families have an Uncle George who reckons he’s a dab hand with a camera. He’s just bought a new digital job and he’s keen to demonstrate his skills. He’ll provide a memory card with all the pictures taken on the day so that you can print some off using your home printer. So that’s the photography taken care of then.

Or is it? Is Uncle George up to recording the most important day of your life? While he might be an accomplished amateur photographer will be able to come up with the goods on the day and produce a great set of pictures?

Does he have the knowledge and skills to cope? What happens if it pours of rain? Does he have portable studio lighting equipment in case the photography has to take place indoors? What happens if his camera malfunctions? A pro will have at least one spare camera back just in case. Will the images be of sufficient quality to print that 20” x 16” canvas that you’d like for the wall of your new home – or for that matter the 10”x 8” print for the photo frame that Auntie Maud bought you for a wedding present? Does he know his Raw from his JPEG?

Quite apart from the technical side, does Uncle George have the patience of a saint, organising skills of a pageant master, diplomacy of an ambassador, artistry of a painter, and the speed of an athlete? Not to mention an unflagging sense of humour.

If you’ve any doubt you’d better call in a professional. Some things just aren’t worth risking.

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The groom hadn’t a clue: choosing the colour theme for your wedding

Posted on: April 7th, 2010 by admin No Comments

A red colour theme for your wedding might match the groom’s eyes after his stag night, but what should influence your choice of colour for your wedding? Should you be a follower of fashion, a mood maestro or just be yourself?

Colours are traditionally associated with particular meanings. In the UK, white remains the traditional choice for the bride’s dress and is associated with purity. But different countries have their own traditions and in China a red bride’s dress is traditionally associated with good luck while in Spain a black wedding dress signifies that the bride will remain faithful until she dies.

Looking at our wedding assignments for this year, we’ve noticed a significant trend towards black and white and we started to ask our brides why they chose their particular colour theme.

Most said that they simply chose their favourite colour; many others were influenced by the season, with darker colours for the cooler months and lighter pastel colours for the summer sunshine. Some were influenced by bridal magazines and wedding websites and a small but significant number were guided by a colour that complemented their complexion. Virtually all the grooms said they hadn’t a clue.

While following fashion is fine – and if you actually like the colour you choose that will be a bonus – you need to consider your individuality too and if you really want to personalise your wedding, it might not help if half your friends opt for the same colour theme.

In practical terms though, the colour choice is more likely to centre around the bridesmaids’ dresses and flowers rather than the bride’s dress and this it seems, is where the challenges lie. Not everybody is the same shape or size or has the same complexion, so it can sometimes be difficult to choose a colour or style that suits everybody.

So the bride has a choice. She can be bossy and demand a certain colour or style regardless of whether it suits or not – she might lose the odd bridesmaid or two with this approach though. Or she can be diplomatic and let the bridesmaids decide amongst themselves – but this could of course develop into a fight or a major sulk. She could of course always go with the flow and let the bridesmaids each choose the colour and style of dress that they prefer – which of course defeats the object of a colour theme in the first place.

But hang on though – whose wedding is it? On the other hand, who’s paying for the bridesmaids’ dresses? If the bridesmaids are paying for their own dresses, surely they have the right to have some say in what they wear. If the bride’s paying, surely she should be able to choose whatever she wants. One thing is clear at least: there’s not an easy answer.

So whether you want to go for the fiery passion of red, demure shades of blue or an elegant black and white ensemble, perhaps it’s best for the bride and her bridesmaids to sit down with a nice cup of tea (or alternatively a few glasses of wine) and to talk it all over sensibly.

Or not to have any bridesmaids at all.

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Photojournalism and weddings: a good mix or poles apart?

Posted on: April 6th, 2010 by admin 1 Comment

There are a lot of misperceptions about what photojournalism is. And that goes for some photojournalistic wedding photographers too.

Either by accident or design, the ‘photojournalistic’ approach to wedding photography often seems to become entangled with the casual, “let’s just stand back and photograph what happens naturally” school of modern wedding photography. While there is no doubt a place for this approach, it isn’t photojournalism.

So what is photojournalism then? Well, true photojournalism is about telling a story through pictures. So far, so good. But it’s the skills and techniques – both social and technical – that are needed to get those pictures and how they are linked together that sort the men (or women) from the boys (or girls).

There are basically two types of photojournalism; getting the ‘news’ picture, where the value is immediate and quickly becomes stale, and the ‘feature’ picture where the value doesn’t diminish (and often increases) with time.

The news picture is driven by events which are usually unrepeatable. It’s often ‘snatched’ with the photographer having little control over what is happening. The key aim is to get a better shot of it than anybody else. A case of being in the right place at the right time. It can sometimes be a free-for-all. On the other hand the ‘feature’ picture, however natural (or “newsy”) it may seem, will usually have benefited from at least some planning or direction.

By now, you can probably see where I’m coming from. Photojournalism in wedding photography is akin to the ‘feature’, with the collection of photographs building up a story of the day as it unfolds. The photographer will of course need to be on the lookout for the unexpected “news” shots as well as the planned pictures, but he/she will be conscious of the need to tell the story rather than produce a string of unconnected pictures.

That doesn’t mean that the photographer should be bossy and in your face. Far from it. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that the photographer should be neither seen nor heard either. And if you really do want your photographer to lurk with a long lens in a bush waiting to prey on unsuspecting guests paparazzo-style, that’s your choice.

Far from simply photographing events as they happen, a great deal of planning should have been undertaken by your photojournalist photographer. This should have included discussing tastes, views and preferences of the bride and groom; any special events that might be happening; any special groups of friends and relatives. A good, perceptive photojournalistic photographer will already be formulating an outline plan of the wedding photography during the initial chat to the couple, teasing out what on the face of it might be trivial facts, but might also be the germination of an unforgettable memory.

Every picture should add something to the story. The story should itself be a well-designed mix of the casual and the formal; the expected and the unexpected; the serious and the light-hearted; the big picture and the detail.

Like any good story, it will be one that has something for everybody and one that will be read over and over again.

*The author trained at the London School of Photojournalism

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Do ladybirds have emotions?

Posted on: March 18th, 2010 by admin No Comments

This morning, half a dozen ladybirds suddenly appeared on our window ledge. One of them had fallen on its back, legs frantically thrashing away as it tried in vain to right itself. Another ladybird, which at the time was a good four inches (10cm) away, turned towards its companion and on reaching it, positioned itself next to it, enabling the stricken creature to clamber on its back to pull itself upright. Then they walked away together in the same direction. A case of “Bug at first sight?”

This is absolutely true. Do you have any similar true stories of insects showing emotions? If so, we’d be delighted to hear about them.

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Happy anniversary?

Posted on: March 5th, 2010 by admin No Comments

If you’re the forgetful type, you might get a shock when your other half hands you a present one morning with a sweet smile. Then the moment dawns…wedding anniversary. It’s only then that everything clicks into place; those subtle hints, those catalogues and those magazines seemingly left open at random. Panic strikes. Time for quick thinking. Do you ‘fess up or do you try to bluff it out?

If you confess that you’ve forgotten, the atmosphere could get a bit frosty and you might even get a very icy blast, even in mid-summer. More worrying, the response could be charm, understanding, sweetness and light. This is serious. The more sweet and charming the response, the more you’ll be expected to do something REALLY special (translation: “expensive”) to make up for it.

Bluffing it out could really get you into hot water unless you’re an expert in PR and diplomacy (or perhaps a politician). But it could buy you time. It’s debatable whether claiming that you’re saving something special for the evening will work (unless said at the same time as handing over a card) and don’t even think of saying that you’re in a rush to get to work for a meeting and suggest exchanging gifts later on (unless you do actually get home early- with an expensive present – as well) – that’s a dead giveaway and compounds the situation by giving the message that work comes before her/him too.

You might have the best intentions, but leaving gift choosing until the last minute will almost always mean that you end up spending more and will often mean that the gift is totally unsuitable or inappropriate.

Unless your other half genuinely shares your wacky sense of humour (as opposed to simply indulging you and secretly longing for the time when you grow out of it), don’t get something ‘amusing’, however much you think it would be appreciated. Stay away from the smutty and tasteless too.

Something tender, personal and thoughtful usually does the trick, but where do you start? Jewellery, perfume and lingerie are the mainstays for gifts from the men to their loved one, but although diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, they’re not wallet friendly. Her favourite perfume (that you bought her for her birthday..and Christmas…and that time when you came home completely out of your brain after a night out with the lads) has probably long gone out of favour and as for lingerie, forget it chaps, that’s to make you happy, not her.

And girls, what about something for the man in your life? A flash car might be on his wish list, but unless you’re a millionaire, it’s only in his dreams. You can only get him so many ties and pairs of cuff links and he never wears them anyway. Aftershave and deodorant might be just what he needs, but he’d probably be happier with a pack of beer. And as for socks and hankies, well, they’re not very original are they?

But what can you choose as a gift that’s personal and tasteful? What about a professional studio portrait? You could certainly do a lot worse. Is there any husband who wouldn’t be proud and delighted to receive a tasteful canvas portrait of his wife ready to take pride of place on the wall of their home?

And what better response is there after being handed a gift by your wife on the morning of your wedding anniversary than: “I’ve arranged for us to have our portrait taken darling”. How thoughtful and original.

But if your anniversary is today and you’ve forgotten every word about it, you’d better phone us – quick!

And a quick tip for you both – buy next year’s anniversary card now, just in case you forget. But do remember where you put it.

For more information about portrait photography, contact us at enquiries@caponphotography.co.uk

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Weddings in the House? Whatever next?

Posted on: February 15th, 2010 by admin No Comments

According to the BBC News website, members of the public will now be able to tie the knot in the Houses of Parliament following the decision by Westminster City Council to grant a licence for marriages and civil partnerships.

 

Two rooms in the iconic building have apparently been licensed: the Jubilee Room and the MP’s Dining Room. Although MPs, Peers and certain others were already entitled to get married there in a conventional ceremony, it seems that now civil partnerships can take place there too.

 

 Don’t all rush just yet though; when I called the Houses of Parliament to discover more details, neither the switchboard nor the events team dealing with room hire could provide me with any details or even confirm the new arrangements.

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Love, China…and chip & PIN

Posted on: February 13th, 2010 by admin No Comments

Does the love story built around St. Valentine’s Day really stand up to scrutiny?  I thought I’d have a bit of a rummage…

You could argue that the ancient Romans kicked it all off with their fun and frolics at the forum, but in 1400 the romantic French opened a ‘High Court of Love’ designed to deal with affairs of the heart.

A few years later the French again stole a march over everybody else when Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote the first recorded Valentine’s note.  Unfortunately, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.

The English caught up with the love theme a couple of centuries later when our very own William Shakespeare penned a line of love for Ophelia in Hamlet.  Then business cottoned on to the idea and by the 19th century St. Valentine’s Day cards were already being mass produced.

The sweetness and light campaign became really serious during the past 50 years or so, fuelling an explosion of expensive gifts and even more expensive marketing campaigns aimed to part us from our money, so what better day to introduce Chip and PIN for our plastic cards, as we did in 2006.

Emotions ran high for a special British partnership on St Valentine’s Day 1984 when Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean’s passionate four minute ice dance to Ravel’s Bolero netted them the Olympic gold medal in Sarajevo. It probably netted the local florists a fair bit too, judging from the mountain of flowers that well-wishers showered on them afterwards.

If you’re into pub quizzes, you’ll probably already know that February 14th 1989 was the date the first of the 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System was placed into orbit, and at the risk of getting a bit spaced out you might also be fascinated to learn that the same date in 2000 marked the beginning of a year-long study of the aptly-named asteroid 433 Eros.

February 14th was a good day for BBC local radio too, with no fewer than five new stations starting on that date.

And finally, those of you with animal magnetism will no doubt be delighted to learn that this year, St Valentine’s Day coincides with the start of the Chinese New Year – year 4708 in the Chinese calendar – the year of the Tiger.

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Is it Armageddon for wedding photographers?

Posted on: February 11th, 2010 by admin 1 Comment

From a quick glance at provisional marriage figures released by the Office for National Statistics today you might be forgiven for thinking so – there’s now less than half the number of marriages taking place than in 1972 when the number of couples tying the knot was at its peak.  And these figures are only for 2008, so they don’t include much of the impact of the credit crunch either.

Even those couples who are fortunate in keeping their income and their job are quite rightly being cautious about forking out the large financial outlay that a wedding inevitably involves.

So should wedding photographers find another job?  Not if the quality is good and they’re providing a good service, they don’t.  They do have to be realistic though.  Many amateurs with aspirations are offering to do the job for peanuts, so a professional is going to find they have to work harder to justify the price difference.  They might even have to consider offering a trimmed-down budget package for the cost-conscious couple.  That might go against the grain a bit.

But from the point of view of the bride and groom, is it wise to cut corners for the most important day in your life? There’s nothing wrong in shopping around for the best deal, but do make sure that you judge the quality, not just the width.

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What’s the point of a photograph?

Posted on: February 10th, 2010 by admin No Comments

Today’s Times (P2 Times 2 arts section) raises some interesting points about what makes a ‘good’ photograph.  It’s clear from this that beauty does indeed lie in the eye of the beholder.  Have you ever looked at a photograph and thought: “Why?”. Perhaps you might have changed your view if you took a second look.  But should photographs need to be examined in close detail before they can be appreciated or should the impact be instant?  Surely it’s a classic case of horses for courses; it depends on the purpose.  A news or PR photographer needs to create an instant impact; a fine art photographer might have the luxury of enticing viewers to take a long, lingering, detailed look whereas a wedding photographer needs to employ a whole range of skills and techniques to mix all this into a romantic story of the most important day in a couples’ life.  It sums up life really, doesn’t it – everybody wants something different. And it’s the photographer’s job to get the match right.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article7020656.ece

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Enhancing customer loyalty or just hacking off?

Posted on: February 9th, 2010 by admin No Comments

Is it just me or does Canon launch a new camera every week?  Yesterday the company announced the EOS 550D.  The specs sound good; very good for a semi-professional tool, but does bringing out a new, better-than-before model on such a regular basis really endear existing customers to the brand?  Or does it simply hack them off as they see their latest toy becoming obsolete with the speed of a shutter at a race meeting?  What do you think?

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