Wedding Fair News

Wedding Fayre News

One of the best ways to spend a rainy Sunday! There are always Wedding Fayres you can visit and take some relaxed time to think about planning your big day. Tankersley Manor, originally a 17th Century Manor House situated just off the M1 just 20minutes from Sheffield and stands in an imposing position in its own grounds with ample car parking for its hotel guests, conferences , fairs and special events.

Wedding Fayre - 19th September 2010
It was great to meet you all and to get another chance to chat to some of our 2011 couples we signed up earlier this year.

There were as many as 7 competing photographers on the day, providing a huge choice in terms of photography style and price. This is always considered a good thing for consumers, in this case wedding couples who really need to get to grips with exactly what they can expect to receive for their outlay.
There is no doubt that second only to the cost of venue itself, photography is a major expense and needs some time and consideration.
From the many enquiries we receive both directly from our website and also from wedding fayres themselves, we do try to bring some clarity to peoples minds, because in today's market place choosing the right photographer can be a daunting task!

Here I think are the important elements that must be part of your decision process..

1. PRESENTATION - The first impression really matters! You will be spending most of your day in the company of your photographer/s so you want to feel comfortable with him/her/them. Your relatives and friends too will feel the presence of your photographers. Will they like them? Their management style and organised manner must be well practised and practically flawless. You want your day to be happy, and you will want your photographers to look happy too!

2. EXPERIENCE - With the huge upsurge in digital camera technology there is a growing number of new photographers entering the market. Everyone has to start somewhere and we all have to learn all of the technical and management skills necessary, but how can you be sure your photographer will deliver the service you expect?
Are the photographs displayed in the albums taken from actual current weddings or are they advertising samples? What cameras do they use, entry level DSLR's or the very latest HIGH ISO top range models that can take sharp pictures in a dark church!! It's worth asking the questions!

3. QUALITY - You want photographs that are outstandingly better than any of your family and friends might take.  Look at the arrangements of the groups, compositions and cropping and look for presence of unwanted lamp-posts, fire hydrants,  exit signs, and any other untidy distractions that could be removed.

3. COST - You may have a ceiling cost in mind, but many of the issues already discussed in terms of presentation and experience can often be reflected in the asking price, so its worth bearing that in mind. I think its fair not to expect 'the earth' if you are paying less than average to a part time non-professional.

So to recap...I would strongly advise taking a close look at the work of several photographers. The images should be strong and stand out from the pages. Look for light in the eyes and the general composition of each photograph. Are they the type of shots you want in your album?
Once you have decided who you want, then negotiate a price and not the other way around!

Wedding fairs are a great way for this kind of research so jump in at the deep end and ask lots of questions!

We can recommend Tankersley Manor as one of the good sources of suppliers in our area.
We enjoy wedding fayres as they not only put us in touch with new Bride & Grooms but also allow us to meet up with existing customers who have already chosen us as their photographers. Its a great opportunity to show any new wedding books we may have on display. Once we have a firm booking we keep in touch with you and keep you informed about any fayres we are doing during the season.

Tankersley Wedding Fayre was another successful day I'm sure for both brides and exhibitors. One particular stand I thought was worth a mention, positioned directly opposite our stand Casino Knights providing some light entertainment for your evening event. A little something different to make the evening go with a swing and their evening rates won't break the bank!

Aimi & Gareth

Aimi & Gareth

Hathersage Church – Ringwood Hall

9^th August 2010

Hidden at the back of Hathersage main street is an old Church steeped in history, first built and opened in 1692 and having been burned to the ground in 1723 by a mob, was rebuilt in 1806 and stands as it was, today as the very charming and atmospheric Catholic Chapel of Saint Michael, the Archangel.

Aimi & Gareth were fortunate enough to celebrate the event of their wedding at Saint Michael’s Church on 24^th August and we the photographers felt equally privileged.

Set at the foot of a long drive amidst trees and shrubbery both sides to form an arch, meant an attractive shot of the arrival of the wedding cars, beautiful Daimler saloon followed by the Bride and father in ‘Kirby’ an attractively restored classic that never fails to turn heads – service by Cloud Nine wedding cars who never fail to wow their clients with their impeccable style and reliable wedding car service.

The resident priest gave one of the most personable, warm and friendly services

I have come across. Particularly for ourselves as photographers, as we were immediately comforted by the words, you may take whatever photographs you please. Unrestricted therefore, this made it much easier to capture some beautiful images during the service.

After the ceremony and time to be welcomed by the guests we arranged some family groups outside the church.

Later at Ringwood Hall, main groups of all the guests and our very popular ‘all the ladies followed by all the guys’ groups, taken from one of the hotel balconies.

Some threats of showers held off, and we were able to capture the usual reportage (natural shots) of guests partaking in champagne and canapés before the meal.

On this ocassion we were taking photographs up to the main meal service and so we were as usual able to capture shots of the dining room layout, top table, and Bride & Groom’s table settings.

We finished our day on this ocassion with photographs of the cake cutting (a mock up only ) just before guests were invited to enter the dining area.

All in all, an excellent day for both Bride & Groom and their happy photographers.

Aimi & Gareth were invited back to our studio just 2 weeks later for a presentation of the finished images and they showed their appreciation by leaving us with a glowing report and some very kind words. We have published these on the website in the testimonials section.

Nigel Greenstreet.

Kerry & Chris

Kerry & Chris @ Aston Hall - 24th April 2010

Fabulous day on Saturday and probably one of the best weather days to date this year.

Kerry & Chris decided on our full package which included preparation photography of both bride and groom and an extension into the evening, covering speeches and first dance. We say first dance, but in reality our day normally finishes around 10pm and on this occasion we were able to take full advantage of the clear night sky and mild conditions to grab a few shots outside of both bride and groom with the Aston Hall building as backdrop beautifully lit as usual.

Their ‘wedding–photography’ day started out at Aston Hall at 9.30am and managed to take all the necessary shots of the groom and his team of 7 ushers + pageboy within an hour.

I was privileged enough to accompany them limo style courtesy of americanpie limos in their flagship 30 feet white Hummer and during the course of the journey managed to get some rather characterous shots of the guys enjoying champagne and their selection of loud rap music .

A 30 minute journey saw our arrival at Sacred Heart Church a beautiful 19^th Century Church set in a surprisingly tranquil and well hidden area in Hillsborough, Sheffield, quite close to the Old Army Barracks now famously known as Morrisons Supermarket.

My colleague and partner Sue joined me at the church about 20 minutes before the bridesmaids and bride arrivals.

Sacred Heart Church has a gallery overlooking the main hall which allowed Sue to capture some stunning photographs of the whole proceedings whilst I was as usual positioned up front for the more intimate close ups.

Afterwards the wedding party moved back to Aston Hall where theye were greeted with Champagne and canapés.

Photography continued with reportage coverage and some special shots of the Bride & Groom in the grounds at Aston Hall before being called to the line up at 3.45pm

During the meal we were able to snatch a few minutes to eat and refresh ourselves ready for the following speeches and then evening celebrations.

The end of the photographer’s day completed at 10.30pm .

We are looking forward to the viewing for Kerry & Chris in approx 1 week.