Jemma Watts from
Pearl Pictures has been shooting London weddings for over 10 years. With a contemporary style that will last a lifetime, Jemma's work has been featured in various magazines. She has a charming personality that will make sure you're at ease in front of the camera, and her albums are truly one of a kind. I asked Jemma a few questions about the photography industry in the UK and here's what she had to say:
Brides can spend anywhere from £400 to upward of £4,000 on their wedding photography depending on their budget and priorities. Price excluded, what should a couple look for in their photographer?
Couples should look for Personality and Professionalism, and of course the style of photography.
In my opinion, personality and the ability to connect with the couple is just as important as photographic talent. The images always reflect the feelings of the photographer on the day. Most couples don’t realise until the wedding day how much time they will be spending with their photographer, and a lot of this time can be quite intimate.
It is especially important to get on well with the bride. The bride needs to feel comfortable and the photographer more like a ‘friend’ than a supplier. When I walk into the room where the bride is getting ready, it is important that she feels like I am part of the party, we get on well and she can totally relax with me at this very nerve-racking stage of the day.
Together with the importance of personality comes the high level of professionalism. This comes in the form of how knowledgable the photographer is about shooting weddings and the service that they offer. Each couple must feel that they are the only photographer’s client. The majority of couples will not have commissioned a photographer before and will not know what to expect. The photographer’s job is to put them at ease, make them feel special, and guide them through the proceedure of the day’s photography. Of course, at the end of this, the photographer has to produce a wonderful set of images that will last for a lifetime of happy memories!
The couple should always ask how much experience the photographer has. With my years of experience I know more about the proceedure of the day than they do. Quite often I am helping them all as well as photographing – answering phones, doors, directing where to put the flowers, at what point the bridesmaids should get ready, where a button hole goes. Once I even had a groom call me and ask what he should say in his speech! I like to think that I offer a service that goes way beyond the duties of just photographing the day. Lovely
There are some exceptionally talented photographers who shoot weddings as a part-time job. What do you think of this?
Nearly all wedding photographers have started out as part-time. Many commercial photographers will shoot their friends’ weddings which lead them on by word of mouth to shoot more weddings. This is exactly how I started out. It was only after many years of shooting weddings part-time that I decided to start a business dedicated to this, in fact I run two businesses side by side now – Jemma Watts Photography for my commercial work and Pearl Pictures for the weddings. It means I am extremely busy but I get the best of both worlds!
One major difference between the full-time and part-time wedding photographer is the sevice and products that they are able to offer. The full-time wedding photographer will be emersed in the business, their marketing will be more prolific and influential, their knowledge of the wedding industry will be more in-depth. They will be up-to-date with all the lastest developments in products that they can offer. Above all they have more time to devote to the service they offer their couples.
For example, I offer a lot of ‘after care’ to my clients in the form of album design, meeting to discuss how they can best display their images, and getting all their prints sorted for them. I am also available round the clock to answer any questions leading up to their big day.
How far in advance does someone need to find their wedding photographer?
The sooner the better so that they can be assured the photographer is free on their date. There is always a hierachy in the order in which things are booked for the big day. I would say that photography is best booked once the venue has been sorted.
There are some dates in the year that are more popular than others, i.e. bank holidays, July, August and early September. These dates need to booked as soon as they are known.
What's your thought on a second photographer during the wedding day?
I always recommend using a second photographer once the number of guests exceeds 120. Any more guests than this and it gets difficult for one photographer to capture as many of them as possible throughout the reception.
It is always great to have a second photographer if the couple would like to have both of them photographed during the getting ready stage of the day and they are in separate locations.
I've noticed that a lot of photographers aren't offering an album with their package or service price anymore. Why is that?
One major issue, I feel, is that the quality of some of the albums offered within the price package are not of a good standard. An album must last a lifetime and longer, you want your grandchildren to be able to look through it, and for this you need to purchase a high quality product. Couples do not want one where the binding or quality of the cover disintergrates or fades with time. A good quality album is expensive, and therefore is an expense that should not be decided without much thought. I offer Queensberry albums which are the best on the market today.
An album is a very considered decision and there are a few different styles on the market these days – classic, photobook, contemporary etc. It may be hard for the couple to decide early on which style they would like. Sometimes it is better to wait until they have seen the photos, to see which style best suites the look of their wedding. I always offer albums which can be bought at any stage before or after the big day.
Also, it is quite common for albums to be given as wedding gifts. Many guests might want to use this instead for their album.
Is it important that the photographer who shoots the wedding do the post production and re-touches afterward?
In a word, yes. Each photographer has their own style and this can be shown in the final image after post production. Now that we are in the digital age, images always need to be adjusted to give them depth and contrast, otherwise they are very ‘flat’ looking. In the ‘old days’ this was determined by which film the photographer chose to shoot on. Each photographer would have their preference to film type depending on their style. Now we have to do this in post-production.
What's included in your packages/services?
I offer an online gallery where friends and family can purchase prints. I offer a preview book which displays all images from the day as thumbnails with reference numbers. This is very useful when choosing images for the albums or for enlarged prints. I offer six prints of the couple’s choice at an enlarged size of 9x6, and finally a CD with all images from the day as low resolution, good for viewing easily on screen and for email.
I offer a discount on the album if purchased at the time of booking and a lesser discount if booked within two months of the wedding.
I also offer a high resolution disc as an extra cost, or a reduced cost if ordered at the time of booking.
Excellent advice and information. Thank you Jemma!
