Are you a bride searching for the right photographer for your wedding day, or have you found the right photographer but are finding it hard to justify the price tag?

There’s no denying it: weddings are expensive! Even on a tight budget the cost can be well over what you had originally anticipated. In many instances the expectation of what we should pay and the reality of what we do pay very rarely, if ever match. Some brides dream about their wedding day from when they where little girls, but never in their wildest dreams do they expect it to cost so much…. frankly I blame Disney!!

It’s a common feeling for a couple when beginning the search for their wedding photographer to become frustrated in the initial stages of searching. After visiting some beautiful studios, and looking at some amazing photography, presented in some exquisite albums, you start dreaming about your special day. As you hold the photographer’s unbelievable studio sample album in your hands you ask the question that has be on your mind from the moment you opened up the album.” So if we were to get an album like this, how much will it cost?”. As the photographer explains the pricing to you, your heart sinks down to your stomach, you make sure that you keep your composure not to let on to the photographer that you are in a state of shock, and for the remainder of the appointment all you are thinking is, “Wow, I didn’t expect that”.

If you are confused and are considering taking a less expensive approach, then we hope that the information in this post will help remove the confusion in your search for a professional wedding photographer.

We have been an industry supplier to professional portrait and wedding photographers for over thirty years. We have been very fortunate to witness family and wedding photography on a number of levels. Whilst there have been many changes to the professional and amateur world of photography due to the rapid advancement of digital media, there has been one underlying element that has stayed true and cannot be replicated by anyone but a true professional wedding photographer.

The capturing of a moment and telling a story through incisive images is the most significant attribute of a true professional wedding photographer. Now the chances are that this statement may not provide you with that light bulb moment and clear all the fog that has built up in your search for a wedding photographer.  From our vast experience in communicating with brides over the years it’s a statement that has so much more meaning and sentiment in hindsight. Over 80% of the brides that we have communicated with over the last 10 years have regretted not allocating more to their wedding photography budget. In some instances some brides hated their wedding as a result of the photography. However in most instances, brides were disappointed that they took the cheaper less experienced option; the most expressed reason was not so much about the photos they had, it was more about the photos that the person behind the camera missed. The moments during the day, the people that mattered, the very moments a bride and groom never get to see or experience.  These are the images that in reflection we value so much more.

Like other service based industries, “there are PROFESSIONALS and there are professionals” and some times it can be hard to find that true professional photographer. Professional wedding photography is a segmented industry – there are photographers focussed on servicing the budget wedding, there are photographers focussed on servicing the average wedding and there are photographers focussed on servicing the high-end wedding. So when looking for your photographer you will need to understand where you fit in to these categories prior to commencing your search.

Another important factor or element when selecting your wedding photographer for your special day is what you get to take home with you. For a newly wed couple the feeling of taking home your album and placing it in your home as a key element of your home décor is an amazing feeling.

We as humans can at times take life, more importantly the life we have created for granted. We are so focussed on chasing our dreams, always fixated on the destination, very rarely stopping to enjoy the journey and take it all in.  It is well known that a high number of brides that receive a disk from a photographer never actually get around to making a wedding book or album.

Our place of residence, the house we live in is our sanctuary; we decorate it so that it is unique to us. But what makes a unique house into a home? Maybe it’s the images that we put up, the stories and love that we show people entering our home, or the daily reminders of our memories placed around our home.

Your wedding album is not just something that displays images of your wedding day, it’s so much more than that. It’s your unique story of the day when you create a sacred union with your partner to share a lifetime together. The official moment when two families unite, it’s a tremendous celebration of love and a new beginning.

How do you value you this?

How do you want to remember it?

How will it live with you forever?

How can you pass it on to your children?

Your wedding album is that everlasting tangible heirloom that is designed and manufactured to be the centrepiece of your home. Your mother will touch it, your grandmother will touch it, your children will touch it, it will never be replaced with a new updated model. It will age with you and grow in value with each passing year; as family members pass on the images of them will be ingrained in old archival paper capturing them at one of the happiest moments in their life and it was all because they were celebrating the love and union you created all those years ago. What is the value of a wedding album to you now?

Please check up the following links on related topics:

The Price of Wedding photography how much should i expect to spend, is an excellent blog post and well worth a read, be warmed it is a very long post.

http://www.rocknrollbride.com/2010/10/the-price-of-wedding-photography-how-much-should-i-expect-to-spend/

Here’s another great blog post by an amazing Australian Photographer  John Reyment talking about weddings in Australia.

http://reymentphoto.com.au/blog/?p=7091

In this article Marcus Bell, one of the best wedding photographers in the world writes about what to look for when choosing your wedding photographer.

http://www.sunshinecoastbrides.com.au/category/wedding-photography/

The AIPP are hosting a two day Portrait Workshop featuring some amazing and inspirational female photographers.

If you feel that you and your clients are not getting the most out of the experience or if you feel that you have yet to find the thing that makes your portrait photography unique to your business, then this workshop is for you.

We will be visiting Sydney from the 22^nd -  24^th February, to see some friends and sponsor this informative and educational Portrait Photography workshop, and we would love to see you!!

Michelle will be staying at Novotel Sydney Olympic park, Homebush Bay. Along with displaying some products, both new and old, Michelle will be discussing the importance of boxed presentation within your client’s home, and how your products will become part of their décor.

Please contact Michelle on 0417 086 889 or at michelle@photomounts.com.au to make an appointment between 2pm – 7pm on Wednesday 22^nd February. Should you be attending the portrait workshop, she will also be displaying products during the breaks.

For more information on the AIPP Portrait Workshop, please visit

http://www.aipp.com.au/imis15/AIPP/Events/Core/Events/eventdetails.aspx?iKey=NSW-2012_3&TemplateType=A

Portrait Workshop

Start Date:Thursday, February 23, 2012
End Date:Friday, February 24, 2012
Address:Waterview in Bicentennial Park, Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, NSW 2127

If you would like to know about the amazingly talented woman involved with the workshop please read below.

Lesley Bom – http://www.aislinn.com.au/index2.html

Lesley Bom began her photographic career in 2000, launching her successful portrait studio, Aislinn Photo Art. Specialising in classic black and white portraiture, she has photographed thousands of newborns, children and teenagers in her signature style over the past eleven years.

Jennifer Stocks – http://www.jenniferstocksphotography.com.au/index2.php?v=v1

Jennifer is a dynamic baby, child and family photographer based in Bathurst, reginonal NSW. With a background in journalism, writing and PR, Jennifer takes her storytelling perspective to each session, providing her client with a mix of authentic, stylish, colourful and connected portraits.

Kristen Cook – http://www.kristencook.com.au/index2.php

As a relative newcomer to the industry, in three short years Kristen Cook has quickly become one of Australia’s premier newborn and baby photographers. She is drawn to the honest beauty of newborns – their fragility, infinite possibilities and power of worth. Her strength lies in her love of connection to the honest, the pure, the exploration of tenderness, and the simple beauty and authenticity that comes from human connection.

Kate Buechner – http://www.uberphotography.com.au/#

Kate began uber photography with her husband Chris in 2004. As a mother of three young children Kate has a special affinity with children and family portraits and her unique talent has been recognised through several awards, including NSW Family Photographer of the Year 2011.

We are excited to announce the launch of our new fine art book, the Belle D’Arte, a wonderful baby brother to our amazing Vivaldi D’Arte fine art album. You can now stop and take a big clean breath of fresh air as your search for an environmentally friendly fine art book with museum grade archival characteristics is finally over. Our Belle D’Arte fine art books are the perfect solution.

We have combined age old binding techniques with exquisite organic cover materials and unique museum grade archival quality paper to create a rare but beautiful art book, with an appealing near seamless finish.

Inspired by Japanese and French bookbinding techniques, all books are hand bound using our own unique style of stitching with a superb patterned lace that is stitched through both cover and book to give the book a combination of strong support and exquisite presentation. Available in two binding styles, the books come with options of ribbon, hemp string, or leather strapping around the spine.

Printed on industry specialised digital offset printers, the Belle D’Arte fine art book provides you with not only superior printing on 3 distinctive varieties of textured art paper, but also provides you with the peace of mind knowing this is museum grade archival quality. Your book will last through generations.

All papers used are from FSC certified mills; these mills ensure that the harvest of timber maintains the forests’ biodiversity, productivity and ecological processes. Papers used have been sourced from mills in Italy, France, and the United Kingdom, and come with these recognized ISO standards:

• ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems in use

• ISO 9706 Long life – Guaranteed to last up to 100 years

Manufacture begins January 16, 2012. Please contact us today to find out about our introductory offer for the entire month of January.

To View Brochure please click on the link, “Belle D’Arte Fine Art Book Brochure“

Form all of us at Photo Mounts & Albums Aust, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas, wishing you and your loved ones peace, health, happiness and prosperity in the coming New Year.

We will be closing on Friday 23 December 2011 and reopening Monday 9 January 2012.

On special occasions we normally treat ourselves to some of the finer things in life, and our Vivaldi D’Arte is the piece de resistance of our album series.

We recently created some new samples for our showroom with the help of Stewart Ross who allowed us the honour of showcasing his wonderful images in our new albums.

The pages are printed on exquisite art paper and hand scored to create a seamless lay flat finish.  Each page is then carefully sprayed with an archival museum grade varnish that will provide your album with strong archival characteristics, to ensure it is with you for generations to come.

There are endless cover option choices that you can discuss with your photographer, from Genuine Leather to Linen and Photo Covers, I am sure you will select the best cover option to compliment your home décor. You can also order a beautiful designer box to co-ordinate with your album, it will protect your album from the elements as well as create a showpiece in your home.

Our Wedding Suite is the latest addition to our Suites family, initially designed as a wedding product this boxed album and DVD combo has been used for portrait photography and videography. Showcaseing a DIY Flushmount Album along with a DVD Folio, the Wedding Suite may be covered with any of our leatherette range. As an alternative to a “disk only” package, the Wedding Suite offers great value whilst greatly enhancing presentation. Click on the link below to see a our video of the Wedding Suite along with our Portrait Suite. Wedding Suite clip by Photo Mounts & Albums

Six degrees of separation is the theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. The theory was first proposed in 1929 by the Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy in a short story called “Chains.”

This beautiful two volume flushmount style, white leather boxed set was created by Reyment Photographics for Kate & Michael McDonald. It is amazing how connections come together and I am so pleased to able to share this story with you.

Kate has been my hairdresser for many years now, and over the years we have become good friends, I can remember when she met Michael and we have chatted about her wedding day on many occasions.  I couldn’t wait to see the photos of her special day, and when I heard her photographer was John Reyment I was so excited, I knew that she would have a Photo Mounts Album and John would create the perfect keepsake for her wedding day that she could treasure in her home forever. 

Kate told me how hard it was to pick the photos for her album as she loved all of them.  As soon as the prints arrived in, I have to admit, I had to take a sneak peak and all my thoughts were confirmed, this was going to be one beautiful set of albums.  So I wanted to share this with you.

Kate very kindly shares with us her thoughts on her album “Being a hairdresser you quickly come to realise what a small world we live in! And getting married this year was such a highlight for my clients, with all the questions like what colour bridesmaids? What flowers? And Michelle asked who’s your photographer? ” John Reyment” I proudly replied! Well that’s where the small world comes in! Michelle works for Photo Mounts who I then discover is making our wedding album! I was so excited to go pick it up Mum came with me as Michael couldn’t make it! We sat there and the album took you right back to the day! I was thrilled at everything John had captured on our special day!  It was everything I could have imagined and more! I clearly love all things white so we chose a white leather cover for the album and because we loved so many photos we had to have 2 volumes and to my surprise it came in a beautiful slip case to keep them together! It’s become such a centerpiece in our house! My maid of honour told me I’m more protective of our wedding album than I was of my wedding dress!”

A big thank you to Reyment Photographics for allowing us to share this special moment when a bride sees her album for the first time.  This is truly a special moment.  We would also like to thank Kate & Michael for allowing us to share their magical day with everyone.

Custom designed album for S Viertel Photography – Black dupion silk boxed Wedding Album

This beautiful album was designed for Sean from S Viertel Photography with his clients Shane and Corinne in mind, it is a timeless creation that we know they will display with pride in their home and treasure forever.  The Flushmount album was covered using Black dupion silk with beaded lace contrast and an acrylic photo strip featuring the bride & groom.  The custom designer box was also covered in the black dupion silk to display and protect this family treasure for many, many years to come.

Sean writes a few words about this gorgeous couple and their special day:

I have known Shane (the Groom) for over 20 years, we grew up together. Shane met Corinne, (who is from Malawi a small Southern Africa nation, which is known for poverty above all else) at university where they studied to become psychologists.  She loved Malawi so much that she managed to organize a western style wedding to take place in a remote African location.  Not without much heartache.  The finishing touches were being put on the lakeside location and the pontoon on which they were married, just hours before the ceremony.  In the end it all went off without a hitch. The ceremony took place on the beautiful Lake Malawi, which is a 550km long inland sea in front of 100 guests.  A lucky group of Shane’s Australian friends and family stayed on to visit a national park in neighboring Zambia.

We hope you enjoy looking at this beautiful album and it will inspire you to ask your photographer to create a bespoke album for your special day.

Our Guest / Signature book is the perfect way to display your engagement or pre-wedding photos at your wedding, just slip your photos into the photo mats provided.  Your guests can sign your book and add their personal messages and thoughts on the printed pages and together the images and words will create a beautiful keepsake of your day you can cherish forever.

Our custom hand made Guest / Signature books come in a variety of sizes and cover styles, and for that special couple, we can even incorporate elements of your invitation stationary into the album.

Tip: ask a friend or family member to make sure everyone signs it, as there is no use for an empty book!

Yet again the Aipp Nikon Event proved to be a great success, thank you to all the attendees who visited our stand at the Hilton.

Our Wedding and Boudoir Suites received a lot of interest along with our Vivaldi D’Arte albums, for those that did not get a chance to see them at the show we will be highlighting these products in our blog next week.

I must say that the highlight for me was having the honour of seeing David Burnett. David’s photographs are iconic but what I found fascinating was listening to the stories he had for each image. These stories were not a narrative of the image but a historical account of events from a man in the centre of the storm. If you are interested please take a look at some of David’s images at http://www.davidburnett.com/

When going away from home I always like to take a few shots of my trip its one of my little personal projects. Unfortunately when attending an Event the days are long and tiring and the nights are long and cloudy….

I managed to find some time Tuesday afternoon after the trade show had finished to take some images, my only problem was that I was absolutely exhausted.

Anyway for anyone interested here are some images I took during my 30min stroll around Adelaide city.