Another photographer/videographer thread

BamesJond

Hi all,

I know there does be loads of threads requesting information on photographer's but I could do with some help.
How did you decide on your photographer? There are so many around and it's hard to narrow down to a list. I might upset some people by saying this but there comes a time when all the portfolios start to look the same!😋

We'd like a mix of posed and on the spot photos to capture as many of the little moments as possible. General location of Carlow. Full day if possible.

The usual wedding websites are no help as apparently Ireland has nothing but 5 star rated photographers. So what made your photographer better than others? What made you initially choose them?

And how many of you who got a videographer feel you got your money's worth? Were still at the stage of wondering if a videographer is worth it!

Any recommendations and information would be great!

davegilly

BamesJond wrote: »

Hi all,

I know there does be loads of threads requesting information on photographer's but I could do with some help.
How did you decide on your photographer? There are so many around and it's hard to narrow down to a list. I might upset some people by saying this but there comes a time when all the portfolios start to look the same!😋

We'd like a mix of posed and on the spot photos to capture as many of the little moments as possible. General location of Carlow. Full day if possible.

The usual wedding websites are no help as apparently Ireland has nothing but 5 star rated photographers. So what made your photographer better than others? What made you initially choose them?

And how many of you who got a videographer feel you got your money's worth? Were still at the stage of wondering if a videographer is worth it!

Any recommendations and information would be great!

My advice would be to find a photographer in or around your budget whose photos you like and just go ahead and book them. Don't keep looking at portfolio after portfolio as like you said, they will all start to look the same. If you like the photos they have then you should be fine. Give them a call or meet up as well so you know they aren't some head the ball and most importantly, don't just book the cheapest one this never ends well!!

For a video, I suppose it's a personal thing. I didn't want one when we got married but now that I have kids and people have passed on I would love to have one. So I would say for me it's a minor regret from the day. I suppose it's not something you are going to watch regularly but I think the value in a video is when you get older and the memories it can bring back.

There are a few companies who do both photography and videography if you wanted to simplify everything - Molten Sky, Wedding Moments and ATL Photography are a few off the top of my head.

Best of luck with it either way!

pullandbang

There a a few things to look for when choosing your photographer and the first is their style of work. You need to find one who's portfolio you like. Now I know you think they all look a bit samey, but there's a reason for that. (I'm about to upset half the population here) Most weddings are a bit samey too, so unless you go for a photographer who is really arty and who processes their photos with weird effects (think filters) then a lot of work is going to look the same.
The next thing to look at is the personality of the photographer and if you and your partner are going to get on with them. Bear in mind that your photographer is the only supplier who is with you for the whole day, so you need to be at ease with them.
Finally you need to look at their prices and what they offer. You're looking for full day coverage and all photographers offer "full day" coverage. However, you'll find that some of them consider "full day" as being up to the dinner sit down, with coverage up to the dancing as an optional extra.
Would you like to have two photographers on your day? One to go to the bride that morning while the other goes to the groom. Most photographers will offer a second shooter for an extra fee while some offer it as standard.
Does your photographer give you the digital files in high resolution with no watermarks? Quite a lot of them don't and will charge extra for them.

Hopefully I've given you a few pointers and some help in deciding on your photographer.

love_love

Do we have a general videographer thread? I want to pick brains too!

BamesJond

love_love wrote: »

Do we have a general videographer thread? I want to pick brains too!

Not that I seen! Even the main thread for wedding photographers hasn't had a new post in 5 years I think.
Again, if anyone has any recommendations for photographers/videographers they've worked with please post then up!

cailin_milis

We had our reception in Carlow too and had M & M Photography - a husband and wife couple. We were really happy with our photos, but they were great on the day itself too and made everything easygoing and fun. Our videographer was WCR media. He's based in Kildare. Again, we couldn't have been happier. We barely noticed him on the day but he did a super job. All three worked brilliantly together and were lovely genuine people that we enjoyed having with us!
If you're near Carlow town I'd recommend the Delta Sensory Gardens for photos. They're fab!

BamesJond

cailin_milis wrote: »

We had our reception in Carlow too and had M & M Photography - a husband and wife couple. We were really happy with our photos, but they were great on the day itself too and made everything easygoing and fun. Our videographer was WCR media. He's based in Kildare. Again, we couldn't have been happier. We barely noticed him on the day but he did a super job. All three worked brilliantly together and were lovely genuine people that we enjoyed having with us!
If you're near Carlow town I'd recommend the Delta Sensory Gardens for photos. They're fab!

M & M photography were one option we had looked at but there was very little feedback online so it's great to hear that!

cailin_milis

BamesJond wrote: »

M & M photography were one option we had looked at but there was very little feedback online so it's great to hear that!

They're a lovely couple. He's very bubbly and had everyone laughing on the day. I'd recommend meeting them for a chat. They brought an album along when we met. They also did an engagement shoot as part of the package. Not something we were keen on, but worked out great cos we got to see the Delta Gardens, and he gave us a few tips about how to stand and pose etc. It was a nice chance for them to gauge how we were around cameras and go from there! Feel free to PM if you want any info but I'd be happy to recommend any of the people we had on the day!

El_Duderino 09

I suppose the first question is whether you've given enough thought to exactly what you want on the day. If you have then you can chat with the photographer to figure out exactly what you want. If they're worth their salt they'll tailor it to what you want.

We liked went with a woman. Who made a point of saying she would chat with us and figure out exactly what we wanted.

She chatted on the phone and then took us away for half a day to do an engagement shoot. It sounded Terrible to sit Inna car with a stranger but she was sound and she really cared about what we wanted.


We wanted some formal shots of family and the rest was 'documentary style' where she just snapped real moments as they were happening.

We told her our budget and she worked to that. Couldn't recommend her more highly. I don't know what the rules are on naming business on this forum so PM me is you want her name. Shes based in Limerick but she doesn't mind traveling in think