The Oak Barn Frame Farm Wedding Photographer

A Hot Summers Day Wedding at The Oak Barn - August 2022

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The Bride, Naomi getting down on the dance floor at The Oak Barn

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Soon after the wedding my clients receive a sneak peek selection of photographs to see. I know how exciting it is to get your main gallery sent through so it’s lovely to be able to send an initial selection over.

It was about 34 degrees when I arrived at The Tickled Trout in Maidstone, Kent to see Sam and his ushers before heading off to see Naomi, his bride to be. The boys were in good spirits and all ready for the day ahead. Some were a little delicate, two were nervous and the rest were full of banter.

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Their Ceremony was held at their local Church, All Saints, West Farleigh.

“All Saints is a small Norman church, built around 1100 AD and situated in a beautiful open position near the river. It has several architectural features such as two tufa arches thought to have been removed from a nearby Roman settlement….”

Naomi & Sam’s wedding at The oak Barn, Frame Farm was so much fun to work at and it makes my job an absolute joy to do when you have a friendly group of people. The couple were so relaxed on the day and they seemed to enjoy every minute which is what it is all about.

So when the first dance started it wasn’t long before the party was in full swing!

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Deana & Tim started their vision to make Frame Farm into a wedding venue in September 2017 and it took 16 months to make it a reality. It is nestled in a peaceful valley below the village of Benenden. The grade 2 listed barns provide a stunning setting for weddings, parties, events and holiday lets with every convenience for private or corporate clients alike.

Deana, Tim and their team at The Oak Barn really make everyone feel welcome and it is a venue that you should consider for your wedding - for more information visit their website HERE.

Ceremony: All Saints Church

Venue: The Oak Barn, Frame Farm

County: Kent

Suppliers - Instagram:

Photography: @mattrockprophoto

Venue: @theoakbarnff

Make up: @gemmatutt_mua

Hair: @laurensimpsonhair

Suits: @slatermenswear

Rings: @goldsmiths

Flowers: @wanderlust_floristry

Music: @entertainmentnationuk - Krazykeys

You can see my other blog from The Oak BarN - HERE

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Make better family photos - 3 simple rules & a bit of luck

Matt Rock shares 3 simple ideas to help you make better family photos.

Life can be all about chances, luck and seeing opportunities when they arise - but the more you put yourself out there, the more luck and opportunity you will get.

This BLOG and the video below came from meeting a lovely lady whilst on a very wet camping trip with friends in Norfolk. So the moral of this story is to chase your dreams, take every opportunity when it comes your way & go for it!

A few weeks ago I was asked to make a short video for the NHS as part of their Christmas party / online get together. They were looking for some tips and tricks on how to improve their family photos over the 2020 Christmas period and I was happy to help.

DISCLAIMER:

It says ‘Photography Masterclass’ which is a little hard to get my head around as I will never consider myself as a master photographer … or a master of anything!! But i’ll go with it for now as that is what they called it.

• So, for the record, I did not name the video myself - Smiley face / wink emoji....

The other point I would like to quickly make is that this is my FIRST EVER attempt at making a You Tube video. It’s very weird seeing and listening to yourself on a video & I cringe when I watch it. - So be kind… :)

All the views are my own and the elements within the video are just some things I look for when I make my own photos; either Professionally or personally.

So push play, enjoy & hopefully learn something new too.

Don’t forget to read the rest of the BLOG below the video.

Video below - just over 10 minuets long.

So let’s get into my top 3…

There are 3 main areas you should look out for when making photos of your family and friends:

• LIGHT

• MOMENT

• COMPOSITION

My style for weddings and events is often candid and natural, although as a portrait photographer I do like to mix it up a bit & make directed portraits where possible without controlling the whole event or wedding.  

LIGHT

Firstly, I consider this to be the one of the most important things you will need to look for when it comes to making good photos…  Light.

If the light isn’t great the image can look flat or too dark, too bright & washed out.  So when I’m working I am always looking for the quality of light  - not how bright it is.  So, I either need to create the light myself with flash or another external light source like LED or if it’s at a wedding or an event I will often need to look for best the Ambient light.  

Now, good light doesn’t always mean bright or lots of it.  But you do need to look for the quality of it. This can be the position or direction of light, the colour and the strength of light. Being aware of the quality is very important and something you will get used to seeing the more you look and practice. 

At weddings or events I’m often there to candidly document the day - to tell the story of how the wedding went from the eyes of a guest or to showcase the business, clients and employees. I’m not there to tell everyone where to stand or who to talk to.

For 99% of a Wedding and Event work I use ambient light (light that is already there) like the sun for example. Therefore windows and doors are often a good place to be.  Especially if you are working in a dark castle or an old building. 

My image style if often quite contrasty and has been described as cinematic.  I love shadow & I love black and white images.   

Here are three examples of having window light and using it to my advantage.  

Ambient Light - Leez Priory, Chelmsford - 2017

Ambient Light - Lympne Castle - Kent - 2017

Ambient Light - at home - 2019

All of these photographs are using sunlight, either from a window or an open door and because the sun isn’t facing them it’s not too harsh. Using good quality, soft window light can really help with the overall feel of an image.

Below is another example of window light - an image of my two on an old steam train ride, Halloween - 2018.  The window is behind them this time and just wraps around their faces without being too harsh. 

Window light - old steam train - 2018

Our friends baby playing

So when you are at home look at the windows you have in your home, look at the direction the window is facing.  You might have a beautiful window which has the sun beaming through it in the morning that is far too strong but when the afternoon comes, it turns into this beautiful soft light which would be perfect for a portrait. 

MOMENT

At home on the swing

This can often be the split second of time that you see happening in front of you.  That moment that tells a story.  

The light might not be perfect, the composition might not be the best but the moment really brings back memories and emotions. 

The ‘moment’ for me is the hardest one to capture - because often we need to keep looking for it and anticipate it if we can.  You need to watch what is happening and anticipate what will happen next.  

Watch a scene unfold, then wait a bit longer. 

• The look on the brides face watching her nervous husband speak at their wedding.   

The Kennels at Goodwood - 2017

• The proud little glance from the grooms Nan. 

Wedding - 2015

• The tight loving squeeze from the bride and the squashed face of her grandad.

Westenhanger Castle, Kent - 2017

• A fun photo opportunity on the dance floor. 

Westenhanger Castle, Kent - 2017

Waiting for the moment can be fun but you need to be ready for it - and yes, that sign was meant for me…

Wedding, Southend Barns, Chichester - 2018

Some moments can be very historical too. Especially during difficult or challenging times. But they will still be interesting to look back on in the future.

Facetime & Face-masks during the first Lockdown - 2020

You could try this with your family too.   Watch and listen to what is happening and try to anticipate what is likely to happen next.   You will often have a better idea with your own family, so give it a go.  

I would probably suggest getting the Christmas dinner on first though.  Or give the camera to someone who is not in-charge of the food.

One more thing I would add when trying to capture the moment over Christmas is try not to say ‘SMILE’ or ‘CHEEEEEEESE’ All you will get is a false, awkward look and the natural moment will be lost.  

Wait for when the time is right

My kids love it when I make portraits of them - 2020

Trip to the woods - 2020

 Right, onto the last one now:

COMPOSITION

So, you have seen the light you want to use, you’ve been waiting patiently for something interesting to happen, now is the time to compose the image correctly.

Composition is one of those things that can make a good photo great and there are some rules that you can follow - or at least think about.

A lot of them you probably learnt in art class at school - all those years ago.…

Some of these ‘rules’ are:

• Rule of thirds

• Viewpoint

• Framing

• Repetition

• Pattern

• Leading lines

• Negative space

• Focus point

• Depth of field

• Rule of odds

There are lots of ‘rules’ to think about, but you need to remember photography is very subjective - what I like, you might not like. So it really is personal taste.  

Here are just a few to think about over the holidays.

Rule of thirds.

Minis Bay, Kent

You can see in this image the subject (my little girl) is in the lower left third of the frame, the horizon is in the top third and there is some negative space to the right of the image and her legs are leading your gaze to that space.

Goodwood - Revival Festival - 2019

You will see another example above, the subject (the camera operator) is off to the right third and there is some negative space to the left of the image.

Another portrait example below, shot through the car window which has beautiful soft light and is naturally framed by dark the areas from reflections of the trees (framing is explained more below). It also shows the rule of thirds and some negative space to the right.

Camping - 2020

Viewpoint

Minis Bay

When making photos of children, try to get down to their level. Most photos of kids are from your view point - looking down at them. Try to get to their level. It can make a more interesting viewpoint and show the world through their eyes.

Framing your image

Corporate event - Museum of London - 2018

Look for natural frames to focus the viewers eye. It can take them to the area of the image you want them to look at. This can be light patterns as seen above, shadows, other objects in the room and many more.

The image below has a few different aspects which I used to isolate the speaker, the light on top of the audiences faces, the viewing platform above and the great ambient lighting thanks to the museum.

Corporate Event - Museum of London - 2018

You can use other people in the image too… The image below was shot through the best mans arm, framing the bride and groom.

Wedding - 2020

This is the same wedding - below - and this is the best man I used to frame the bride & groom in the image above - shot just a few minutes apart.

I used the venue to frame the best man. The curtains were a natural frame for the image below.

Wedding - 2020

Environmental objects can almost want you to use them. Using this mirror to frame the bride.

Wedding - 2020

The doorway at Lympne Castle is another example of a natural frame. I just needed to put the couple in-between the castle doors to frame them in this directed portrait - below.

Pattern and focus point

You can incorporate pattern into your family photos too which can make an image interesting and be used to bring back memories. The image below will remind me of my time in Turkey, having a beer at the beach bar overlooking the sea.

Turkey - 2019

Pattern along with good light can be used with all photos, like the one below. The pattern of the blurred area (known as Bokeh) can make an image interesting to look at.

My garden

“bokeh (/ˈboʊkə/ BOH-kə or /ˈboʊkeɪ/ BOH-kay; Japanese: [boke]) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image. Bokeh has also been defined as “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.”

— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh

The image below shows how focus point as with framing can draw your eye to the part of the image you want to be seen. However the out of focus area still shows a dinner party kind of scene.

Christmas time at home

Another example of how focus point (and framing) can help you take the viewer of your image to where you want them to look is below. I wanted to make a photo of this fly-by during the historical Goodwood Revival Festival last year however I also wanted to incorporate the people and their old fashioned clothes that were at the event.

This image shows two men (out of focus) looking at the aeroplanes I wanted to capture and I think it makes the image more interesting with them included.

Goodwood Revival - 2019

One more thing to think about is details. When you are making your next family album, little details can bring your photos together. These images - below - clearly show the time of year. These might not be photos that you would print out and put into a frame and hang up but in an album they can work really well.

I hope this BLOG has been helpful and given you something to think about when making your own family memories with your camera.

TUITION

NEED HELP WITH YOUR PHOTOS?

If you want to chat more about improving your photos I am happy to arrange a one to one session or book small groups of like-minded people to take their camera skills to the next level.

I would like to thank our NHS and Emergency Services for the work they do and especially this year when we have all realised the work they do for us every day.

Please use the ink below to see my SPECIAL OFFER for our key workers.

Are you looking to hire a photographer for Your Wedding, next Corporate Event / Headshot Portrait?

© All photographs are the property of Matt Rock Photography 2020

Portrait Photographer London

Portrait for the Global Indian Series - Rajan Nazran - 2020

Portrait of Rajan Nazran - for The Global Indian Series - 2020

I have had the pleasure to get to know Rajan over the last year or so and I was happy to help him with the portraits he needed for a couple of projects he has going on.

When I arrived at his home I was greeted by a man who I knew is very well travelled, confident and loves a chat. What was quite unusual is that he seemed relaxed and very excited to be having his portraits made - this is often not the case with most people.

Rajan was dressed in a black suit, open topped light blue shirt but had no shoes or socks on. This can be quite normal when you are only shooting a headshot or a 3 quarter length portrait for someone at their home. I was just glad he was wearing trousers!

After getting all the equipment inside I started to set up the studio; lights, stands, camera, backdrop etc. It was at this point that his lovely wife offered me a fresh coffee and as always, you get asked if you want it black or white, with or without sugar etc. But she asked if I wanted it with vanilla essence?

Now, I love a story - which for me is usually in the form of photos rather than words - but I do love a story.

Or in this case a back story… Back stories can make an ordinary story have meaning and are more memorable. This is helpful when I’m shooting corporate events and to use story telling shots in the final set of images. You can see some examples of corporate events here.

When I get asked if I want a coffee, it’s usually followed up with more questions like; do you want milk? Sugar? Cup, mug, strong or weak?

But I can’t recall ever being asked if I wanted vanilla in my coffee. Me being me I had to ask more about it. His wife then told me the story of how and when they acquired it. It turns out they were in the Dominican Republic and bought it off a farmer - he poured it like draft beer straight into this bottle for them - as fresh as it can be. This wasn’t one of those tiny yet expensive little bottles you can pick up from the local supermarket, it was a large plastic bottle full of dark liquid.

It did make the fresh mug of coffee (strong with milk, no sugar) taste very nice and yes, I did buy one of those very small yet very expensive bottles of vanilla on the way home that day - and no it doesn’t seem to taste the same… But then again it hasn’t got the backstory.

Portrait of Rajan Nazran - Nazran Roth - 2020

It was a pleasure to photograph Rajan in his home and we managed to shoot a good selection of images for him to choose from.

Rajan is a 2nd generation British Indian. He is an experienced journalist with his work featuring in the likes of TIME Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Fortune and now exclusively with the Indian Express Group.

I did say that Rajan loves to chat and I also said I love stories…

For the last 15 years Rajan has travelled to over 50 countries taking on some of the biggest conversations, covering stories from around the world. His journey has taken him to the edges of the Amazon Rainforest, battling against hurricanes of the Caribbean, being taken hostage in Eastern Europe and facing Ebola in West Africa.

With all the stories he has from around the world, I had to ask him where he got his bracelets from.

His eyes lit up and with keen interest he told me the silver one on his right arm is a Sikh bracelet called a Kara. The others on his left arm are from St. Lucia, Malaysia & India and the FIT-BIT was from Curry’s - PC world, London.

Meeting new people and telling their stories with my photographs is so much fun and a wonderful job to have.

Let me chat with you about your next big project.

Have you just started your new dream job, or begun the first steps to being self employed or have you had your old photograph too long and it’s time to show the world that you have matured.

If you or your staff need a headshot or portrait for their new profiles - get in touch.

If you would like to discuss your story and book your portrait get in touch with me - details below.

See my BLOG on Headshots - “Do we all need a professional headshot or portrait?”

Camera and lenses used: Fujifilm XH1 Fujifilm XF50mm f2, XF23mm f2 @fujifilmx_uk

Rajan’s websites: https://globalindianseries.com

Instagram: @globalindianseries - @thenazrans

A little behind the scenes image showing the set up of how we made his portraits - with no shoes or socks...

BTS:

Black suit, light blue shirt - no shoes or socks.

Kent Wedding and Portrait Photographer Matt Rock - Black and White Photographs

If you are like me, you love seeing beautiful, creative & timeless black and white photography.

Wedding Photography - Candid photograph of a bride - Allington Castle - Kent - 2019

When I make an image during a wedding, portrait shoot or a big corporate event, I always like to make it look as natural as possible - so it doesn’t look stiff, posed or forced. Working in a documentary style means these will often be candid images, during corporate events or weddings and sometimes they will be a directed portrait where I am in complete control of how the image will look; with lighting and expression etc - often during a Wedding portrait shoot or a studio portrait session. These photographs can then be processed to black and white or kept in colour during the editing stage.

Below are some black & white images of my work during portrait sessions and inc. weddings, corporate events and portrait shoots.

Black and white images will give you that timeless look which feels unique to this style and look as good in the future as they do now.

Corporate Events - Museum of London

Studio Portrait

Corporate sports events - QPR - 2018

Candid Portrait

Natural / directed Portrait

Family Portrait session - Kent

It is my job as a portrait photographer to look for the best light or create it and then to get the best expression from the people in front of the camera - without directly asking them for it.

Black and white photos seem to be less complicated and more future-proof, without splashes of colour to distract you the viewer from the subject matter or overall scene.

As I said, I am always looking for the best quality of light for my photographs. Whether it’s available light from a window in a room, the sunlight and shade outside or the studio lights I have set up. Quality of light or interestingly the shadow is even more important with black & white as the tone can set the mood of an image and when you add to that, the moment and composition it can be very powerful.

Do they look nervous before the wedding? - Are they happy that the pressure is now off of them? - Or are they in love during a bit of quiet time together?

Wedding Portrait of Groom - window light

Event Photography - Goodwood Revival - September 2019

Corporate Events - London

Corporate golf days are always interesting to photograph - The London Golf Club

My love of black and white images does not mean I only shoot this way.

There are often different reasons for shooting in colour and or black & white - my clients wants and needs will affect this for the most part and often the client needs a colour image for what they are using the images for. But sometimes they let me make them how I want to as well.

Firstly, thank you for reading this far down, I hope you enjoyed what you have seen.

If you are looking to hire a multi skilled photographer to capture your corporate event, wedding, portrait or headshot, please get in touch.

Equipment used: Fujifilm XPRO 2 & XH1 with 16mm f1.4 - 23mm f2 - 50mm f2 - 90mm f2

Other useful links: Documentary event Photography - Headshot Photography - How to choose a wedding photographer

All Images and copyright belongs to Matt Rock Photography.

Headshot Photographer - Do we all need a professional Headshot or Portrait?

“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.”

— Paul Caponigro

How important is it that people can see you before doing business with you or offering you that role?

Where do clients see you first? Social media? Business cards?

Why is it important to make that good first impression with your clients, or casting agent before you meet with them?

When is it important to start that relationship between you and your clients? - Before you meet?

What do people see on your profile, website or newsletters? A professional or an amateur?

Who do you want for your next client?

What can you do to engage with your clients the first time they see your profile?

Are you and actor? In business? Or looking to start your own company?

Self Portrait - Mid 2019

What do you do?

• Business

• Self employed

• Sales

• Insurance

• Estate Agents

• Corporate

• The Arts

• Actor

• Musician

• Dating profile

What ever profession you are in; make sure you look professional

Whether you meet clients, or you offer services to others, I believe you need a great headshot or portrait of yourself and your staff so your clients can see who you are and will want to learn more about you and what you can do for them.

If your business is on social media I would recommend you have a professional headshot or portrait for your personal profile too.

A good quality portrait or headshot will make you and your business stand out - on social media, printed business cards, an advertising campaign, at a conference and in your monthly newsletters.

A strong Corporate portrait with clients office in the background

A welcoming Headshot with dark textured backdrop

Headshot with plain white background

Self Portrait - February 2019

As a portrait photographer I love the whole process of making portraits and I understand the importance of them. If you work for a large corporate company, run your own business, large or small, self employed, or if you are in the arts; an actor or a musician - everyone should make the best of themselves and promote themselves as the professional they want to be.

Get in touch below and we can chat about your next move and how to make you and your company stand out.

How will Wedding Photography change after 2020? #COVID-19 #stayathome #livethedream #2020

Are you part of our NHS or Emergency Services? Special Offer - see more information here

This might sound like a tough question to answer - because it is - I hope it doesn’t change too much and for too long as I quite liked it as it was. I hope that wedding couples still see the benefit of having good quality wedding photography to look back at in years to come.

“Is having lots of experience and being good at what you do going to be good enough?“

Maybe...

“Do the awards you’ve got help you survive and attract new clients that love your work in the future?”

I hope so…

“Does positivity and belief in yourself help you keep going when it all seems to be for nothing?”

Yes, absolutely… I’ve been coming into the office almost every day since lockdown so that I can stay as focused & keep as positive as possible for when it starts to return back to some normality. Take a look at some lockdown photos i’ve made on my INSTAGRAM page - Macro photography is very interesting and makes you appreciate the little things.

Capturing the humour of a church service with candid moments like this is fun.

So, you have been wanting to get married for a couple of years and finally you book a date with your dream venue, you’ve tried on some beautiful dresses & cool looking suits and chosen your favourite wedding photographer. :) Now it’s time to get all the other pieces of this big wedding jigsaw puzzle in place and try to encourage your Fiance to look a little more interested in the colour of your seat covers you’ve spent £400.00 on.

All the invitations have been sent to your guests and the reliable 80% of them have RSVP’d - YES! Great! - you are now ready to come together for a massive celebration of two people, two families and hundreds of friends, all looking forward to meeting up at the same place on the same day to help celebrate this wonderful couple and special occasion.

Then…

#2020 #COVID-19 #STAYATHOME #NHS #EMERGENCYSERVICES #KEYWORKERS #GOV #FURLOUGH

I mean, who had ever heard of the word ‘Furlough’ before 2020?

Vicar waiting for the bride to get to church for her ceremony.

He will be waiting there a long time I think.

Lets just hope he can have a quiet word with his boss and sort this mess out soon!

It is easy to see how this affects people and our lifestyle. This really has affected everyone in some way. Some people will lose a little and some will lose a lot. Some people and businesses have gained out of it, with the way online usage has changed. Some have helped a little some have helped a lot. There are even those that have tried to gain out of others misery by preying on the weak and vulnerable.

But generally it’s times like these that people shine and stand up & help others. Especially the NHS and Emergency Services. We are all lucky there are people out there like this. I am sure you, like me know someone that works for the NHS or Emergency Services.

A Special Offer to say thank you to them is here.

I have friends and family who work with these great - yet under respected public services.

The Portraits above are some images from my Fire Brigade Project which I started in December, 2018 - I’d love to extend this to all Emergency Services and NHS staff in the future too if I can get access.

Stay focused… now back to weddings

If you are planning a small wedding or even looking to elope; just the two of you - and a photographer, I think going to be able to get married sooner than if you have a large wedding day planned with hundreds of guests. So maybe that is one way that the wedding industry will change in the short term. More people will have smaller weddings I think. Back in 2012, I was asked to photograph a small wedding with only 8 people and although it was very different to what I am used to it was still a lovely day with many opportunities to get some great photographs.

So why not contact me to find out if I am available to photograph your small wedding or elopement.

It will be different, but great fun.

So yes,

Weddings will change.

How?

For how long?

Who knows?

But as a photographer who shoots mainly in a candid, documentary style with the added bonus of some beautiful couple portraits, it’s really about you and your special day more than how many people are there.

Just let them enjoy the photographs!

How do you choose your wedding photographer? →

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...

Are you part of our NHS or Emergency Services? Special Offer - see more information here

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.

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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…

Website: https://www.mattrockphotography.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattRockPhotography/ -

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattrockprophoto/

MULTI AWARD WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER

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.