I’m excited to be sharing some top tips and advice from super talented Chris from Artisan Photography. I absolutely love Chris’ work and feel it aligns perfectly with my couples visions for photography too. I’m therefore thrilled to be chatting to Chris all about his work and intimate Destination Weddings and adventure elopements across the world.
Over to you Chris….
So, my names Chris Denner, and I am an adventure elopement photographer based in the UK. Over the course of my 22-year career I`ve been super lucky to have been able to shoot elopement and micro weddings all over the globe!
I`m predominantly known as a Birmingham wedding photographer but love the adventure of creating timeless memories with amazing couples abroad!
Not much could be more exciting than a destination wedding outside of the UK, there is a world full of history and beauty out there, including the locations of some of the greatest love stories of all time.
Castles, beaches, small romantic city streets, old town feels or breath-taking vistas. What is not to love!
Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to shoot a lot of destination weddings (where the couple get married abroad surrounded by family and friends) and wedding elopements (where the couple disappear just the two of them for a more intimate ceremony) I tend to then shoot portraits afterwards.
Both are brilliant fun.
I love travel and I love shooting destination wedding photography, so destination weddings are a natural and perfect fit for me.
Usually when I shoot a destination wedding, I arrive a few days before so I’m available to shoot rehearsal dinners, pool parties, or family get together’s before the actual big day. Then when the actual wedding day is here, we shoot all day, have an amazing time and then I usually return home the next day.
Over the years I’ve shot destination wedding photography in Jamaica, St Lucia, New York (x 3), Las Vegas (x 2), Cyprus (x 3), Florence, Venice, Slovenia, Sweden (x 2), Iceland and Santorini. The list goes on!
I bring my energy, skill, and passion with me on every shoot, but especially on destination weddings where we will inevitability spend more time together. I’ll be a massive part of your day and be in the unique position to be able to capture every part of your wedding experience (particularly if we meet at the airport!).
So, here`s some quick tips and advice about things you should consider when Booking your photographer for your elopement / micro wedding.
1. Do your research. Speak to friends and family for recommendations, stalk websites, and read lot of reviews.
2. Hire a professional. We all know someone who “has a camera”, and in the industry we refer to them as “uncle Bob”! Don’t just hire someone who thinks they are a photographer; hire a professional photographer. Look at their websites, their portfolios, and their reviews. Real photographers have a website not just a flickr and Instagram.
3. Check the photographer’s work for consistency. Do they have an Instagram account that they update daily with quality photography, or a Facebook page that they barely keep up to date?
4. Read reviews. Super important. If you can find reviews online, be sure the read through them thoroughly. But don’t get TOO caught up in reviews, remember it’s a public forum!
5. Find someone whose style you love. Look at the photographer’s website and social media pages and review their portfolio. Does the photography style match what you want from your images? Do you like the use in colors and the editing style? Are the whites white and the blacks black? Or both? Do you like natural lighting or flash lighting? Or both?
If the style is entirely different from what you like, you’re not going to be pleased with the results. Be sure to choose a photographer whose photos you think are stunning that way, you’re more likely to love your photos as well.
6. Are you able to communicate freely and easily with your photographer? Try chatting to them over the phone, and If you feel comfortable, you’re more likely to be entirely at ease during the shoot. Be sure the photographer is relaxed with you as well. Use this time to explain what kind of photography you would
7. Focus on the photographer’s specialty. Just like other professions, photographers specialize in one or two areas of photography: weddings, elopements, etc. Wedding photographers, for instance, might not be the best choice to take your prom photos. Likewise, someone who specializes in product photography might not be an ideal match to shoot your elopement wedding. Find a photographer who specializes in the kind of images you want.
8. Check the fees. It might be tempting to choose the photographer who is cheapest, but that’s a SUPER BAD IDEA! – often this lower price reflects a lack of skill, experience, and you`ll just be disappointed. The best photographers charge what they are worth. You do not need to break the bank to afford a quality photographer, but you should be willing to invest a fair amount to ensure you get the best possible result.
Elopement wedding photography is more saturated than any other field of photography, so there`ll be so much choice for you. If you still need additional avenues to find a photographer for your elopement then you should ask a wedding planner or the wedding vendors.
So, there you have it, my advice about finding a wedding photographer for your micro wedding / adventure elopement!
I have a section on my website for elopement wedding photography, and you can get in touch with me here to discuss your elopement photography to discuss how we can shoot your adventure together!!