Our preferred stye of photography is for the images and people present to document the natural emotions of the day, rather than contrived poses that makes you feel uncomfortable. We will obviously ensure that you are photographed in nice lighting, avoiding drain pipes coming out of heads and being conscious to subtly direct where needed, to ensure you look at your best. However this doesn't mean enduring longer than necessary for directed photography at the expense of missing out on time with your guests. Your timings and preferences and dislikes will be thoroughly discussed with you prior to any event to ensure that you received that tailored service.
We do not sub-contract to other photographers, so you can always guarantee that Paul Walker will be the lead photographer. For all but very small weddings, Paul will also accompanied by Kathryn who will also take photographs and assist the bride and groom throughout the day when needed. This will give you the assurance that you will have the photographers that you met prior to your event and the photography style seen represented in our albums and wedding galleries.
Our classic style of editing is timless so your images won't look dated in 20 years time. They won't look as though they have had a pint of milk spilled over all of them or a teabag squeezed over the entire set - yes, such trends in editing or the latest filter may look different today but will date quicker than the average chocolate cake being eaten by our family. All of our post production work is conducted by Paul, (so no sending away to a third party) and this ensures we have that consistent look.
Like all photographers, receipt of the booking fee and completion of a booking form is confirmation that that the date is reserved.
We have no restrictions on travel and have previously covered weddings in all reaches of the UK, and two international weddings to date.
1. Ensure that you have seen complete weddings with less than ideal weather, rather than any best of wedding season collections. Ensure that you are also looking at actual real wedding images, and not some model bride and groom captured on a workshop or faraway destination that bears no resemblance to a real wedding! Also ensure you have seen lots and lots of images on any website to acquaint yourself with the style of photography being delivered.
2. Just remember that discount or wedding package incentives, will NEVER make up for poor photography, and it's far less likely to be a tailored service, if you are just one of another 100 bride and grooms in any year on the conveyor belt.
3. Does the photographer hold any qualifications, have years of experience or BOTH. All professional photography institutions have a qualifying structure commencing with Licenciate, moving to Associateship and finally, Fellowship.
4. Remember you are paying for the skill, experience and communications skills of your chosen photographer to make the day run smoothly, give the guests a great experience and not to mention all of the planning or after care steps that occur post wedding to make you feel that you have had a great service.
5. The industry is over-saturated with "photographers" so it's really important to look carefully at any shortlist of photographers that you are considering. Make an appointment if you can and ensure you feel comfortable in the presence of who may be spending a big part of your special day with.
6. Have you ever noticed how the majority of photographers state, "Award winning photographer" yet don't actually state what their awards are? The only reason we list our awards is to be transparent to our clients that these are all from the main photography institutions, i.e. MPA, BIPP, RPS or SWPP, and not "industry awards." Industry awards have risen in recent years due to an over-saturated market and they have a reputation for being fake and are often run by syndicates wanting to sell tickets for big events. In return, photographers, choose to use the phrase "award winning" - certainly a case of elastic stretching to a general public that may be none the wiser.
We have many international couples that have used our photography services particularly for wedding elopements at some of Scotland's finest castles such as Glenapp Castle and Culzean castle that have been based in the following countries: America, Canada, France, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda to name just a few. Modern methods of communication, allow that you will certainly will not feel thousands of miles from us and we will do our utmost to help you with any logistics you may face with a wedding in Scotland or elsewhere in the UK. We also have experience of international weddings, so if you wish for us to travel to you, that is also possible.
Yes, Paul is a full-time professional photographer and has qualified with three photographic organisations. He holds "Fellowship distinctions" from the Master Photographers Association, the British Institute of Professional Photography and the prestigious, Royal Photographic Society. The Fellowship distinction is the highest attainable qualification from the any of the professional photography organisations.
We have both public liability and professional indemnity insurance. This is also a mandatory requirement of being a member of the Master Photographers Association, the main photography organisation for full time, professional photographers.
Yes, we have more than one back up, so rest assured, it would take an extraordinary clumsy day before we ask Grandpa if we can borrow his camera equipment?
We have worked with many companies now both across Ayrshire and Scotland, and have many listed videographers on the links page that we respect highly for giving you a "balanced" account of your wedding day with no little or no compromise to the photography. Our preferred style for the couple's shoot, is to work uninterrupted and many videographers will work alongside us for a period of this time to capture a flavour, though it is worth checking whether any videographer specifically needs any dedicated time. If this is the case, this time will need to be planned in to the schedule. There are companies that can provide both photography and videography, yet often its at the expense of the quality of one discipline, a "jack of all trades".
Yes, many bride and grooms include a gift certificate on their wedding list for their guests to contribute to. This can either be deducted from any chosen wedding package or used after the wedding for any of our fine art wall products.
I'm afraid not, and sadly that legendary Paul Walker is no longer around. You may see me in Monsters Inc. though (only joking!)
We can reassure you that all of our bride and grooms featured throughout out wedding galleries are from real, actual weddings and not simply model commissions hired for boosting a portfolio.
I'm afraid not, you'll need to speak to the band.
I'm afraid we cannot hold any specific dates, unless a wedding booking fee has been paid. This applies to potential bride and grooms that may have visited us. We receive many expressions of interest in certain dates of the year and it is only once a booking fee has been paid (either in-person, over the phone, or via bank transfer) that any date is securely reserved. After many years in the wedding industry, this is the fairest system and is used by all of the photographers we know.