Congratulations on your engagement
Finding the right wedding photographer can be hard and as soon as you start looking for venues you may be looking for your photographer too - there are lots of us out there...
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How & when do you choose your wedding photographer
Me on a roof - photo credit: Colin Lavery
A great place to start is by sending them an enquiry form like the one below
Give them a ring…
My mobile number: 07970 668592
Or you could start by looking at their portfolio of images.
Websites, music slideshows photo films & social media posts are a great way to get an idea of style, quality and consistency of their work. I am an experienced wedding photographer based in Kent & I photographed my first wedding, which was an Essex wedding back in 2006 as an un-paid assistant.
Yes, get the violins out…
Fast forward 14 years, 2 Photographer of the Year Wedding Awards, (2019 and 2020) and hundreds of weddings under my belt and here we are.
Photographer of the Year - 2019
Kent, UK
Natural Wedding Photographer 2019 / 2020
Most of my couples tend to book me around 9 to 18 months before the wedding day. Some prefer to book 2 years or more in advance and some just a few months before.
Personally, I would recommend securing your wedding photographer as soon as you have found the one who’s work you love, so as not to be disappointed.
This is usually done by paying a booking fee to secure the date - remember to get a receipt for any money you spend and check the photographer has adequate business insurance too.
Website & Social media
Website: https://www.mattrockphotography.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattrockprophoto/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattRockPhotography/
A little side-note about this year...
2020 was going to be my busiest year for weddings since I started my photography business in 2006 - 14 years ago & the year 'Matt Rock Photography' was born.
Then the words COVID-19 started to infect our vocabulary, our ears and our country - Even the prime Minister, Bori Johnson caught it.
This is a very sad and scary time for many of us and a very busy time for others. Especially our NHS, Emergency Services & key workers. I have been lucky to stay safe with my family, which i'm thankful for; home schooling the kids, helping out other members of my family where I can and exercising in the garden too of course.
From a business point of view, it's been hard... The negative potential of this for my wife and I isn’t worth thinking about as we are both self employed. My wife’s business is in fitness & Yoga is an industry that has been affected really bad too. But we can't control it and the worst thing anyone can do is panic - so we carry on like everyone else and improve.
However, currently as of 30th April 2020, 50% of my couples this year have had their weddings moved to later in the year, re-booked to 2021 and of course there has been a couple of cancelations too. But I try to help out & find alternatives. The key to survival for me is that we all help each other out during this difficult time. We can all try to agree on a new wedding dates if needed and I will not be charging any fees to re-arrange wedding dates either. Working together will help everyone and we will get through it at some point in the future.
So, on that note, you must also make sure to look at wedding insurance and what it can offer you if the worst happens.
2020 is almost fully booked as there won’t be many dates left when we get back in to the swing of things.
2021 is looking busy too, so book early if you can. I think there will be more weddings coming over from many of the 2020 cancelations & postponements too.
When you have booked your photographer always get a receipt to prove what you have paid & get a signed contract too.
Wedding ceremony at the beautiful - St. Augustines, Westgate-on-sea, Kent
A couple of other ways that may help you choose your photographer are:
IS THERE CONSISTENCY IN THE PHOTOGRAPHERS WORK
Remember, your wedding will be completely different to any examples you see online - it’s your wedding after all. So when you look at a photographers portfolio you may not know the people in the photographs, but even someone else’s photographs can bring out that emotion that makes you want to ask what were they doing? How were they feeling? And why? So ask to look at galleries of whole weddings; start to finish. Are they consistent? Or do they look as if two or three photographers have done the job?
YOUR BUDGET
This is important too of course and only you know the answer to this question.
I have set fees which can also be tailored to your specific day and will cover most weddings which you can see here. You can book a full day - coverage only, or if you want to included a photo-book or an album, you can. There is also the option to have a midweek wedding coverage.
I work with a great wedding album lab that produces the very highest quality books and albums for which I design. The perfect way to show the kids and grandkids how great you looked ‘back then.’
RECOMMENDATIONS
Did the photographer come recommended: by a friend, relative or venue?
I get recommended from previous clients who’s weddings I have shot and this year I am booked in to shoot my 7th wedding all from the same family from back in 2015. As well as that, being on the recommended list at seven wonderful Kent wedding venues is great too. I have been recommended by the staff at a venue called Southend Barns in Chichester (near Bognor Regis) after shooting there for the first time in 2016 - Beautiful venue and really friendly staff - see some photos below from 2018.
Southend Barns, Chichester - https://southendbarns.co.uk/weddings/ - 01243 641247
Finding your photographer from the suppliers list of a wedding venue is a great way to start. Even if the wedding is in another part of the country.
Matt Rock Photography can easily travel throughout the UK and Europe.
CHAT TO YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER
I often discuss the details of my clients wedding with them over a coffee or on the phone before they book. However when my name has come from a recommendation they will often secure the date after just a couple of emails which is great too.
Then I send out the contract, day plan and a list of other information I need.
PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE
Make sure your photographer has enough professional insurance as most venues will need a certain level of cover to allow someone to work at the venue.
You can request to see my insurance details at any time - I’ll be happy to forward the information to you or send it direct to your venue.
The socials…
Kent wedding Photographer of the year 2019
LTG Natural Photographer of the Year 2019 / 2020
Good luck searching for your photographer
t: 07970 668592 - e: matt@mattrockphotography.com - w: www.mattrockphotography.com
To see my first ever BLOG dedicated to the NHS & Emergency Services click here.