Reportage or "Snapography"

We often have this discussion with couples. There is a strong preference for natural pictures amongst many couples and it is easy to think that these are taken naturally - snaps. For those who have either tried themselves to take natural pictures or have looked at different styles it will be very clear that this is a much harder ask than it may seem. For those who have not, it is easy to think that natural pictures are simply taken with little effort, after all they are just natural pictures.

Taking snaps is one thing - and you can tell when photography is portrayed as natural but in reality it is just some snaps. No, good reportage photography is a whole skill on its own. Much of this skill is about learning when NOT to photograph - it is easy to go around taking 'natural' snaps, but many if not all of them will be that, snaps.

We take the view that couples will have many guests with digital cameras and they will not be short of snaps. They don't pay us to take even more - so we don't. Our time and effort is spent getting great natural pictures. I'm not blowing my own trumpet, because simply that is what people are paying for - a professional service to provide professional images of their wedding, and good reportage photography is a skill in its own right.

One of the problems with wedding photography is that it is relatively easy for someone to buy a digital camera and set themselves up as a professional - it can make for a nice part-time income, but I'm sorry, you can tell the difference between a snap and good reportage photography.

So what makes a good reportage picture. Composition has a large part to play, taking the picture so that it is not cluttered or confusing, so that it tells a simple message not a crowded one. Second, use of different lenses makes a large impact, whether using a wide angle, shallow focus, low light or telephoto - they all have their role dependent upon the situation. Most of my lenses cost around £1,000 each and they are all professional grade - which means they are big and heavy as well as expensive. Being in the right place at the right time is a large factor and this is about being able to anticipate where the best shot will be, from what angle and using what lens.

So the next time you are looking at natural photography, why not pause for a second and ask if this is a snap or something more.

We've just chosen our wedding photographer

I'm so relieved and absolutely thrilled to have found and booked Glen for our wedding. Everyone else we looked at was either booked, too expensive or not quite right. When I saw Glen's pictures I knew he was the right one, I just had to hope my fiance felt the same way. You can see from his pictures that he likes weddings, he likes taking pictures of people's weddings and he has a natural empathy with everyone involved. I'm really thrilled he'll be there because I know he will get a fabulous result and I don't have to worry in the slightest.

posted by Natasha

Guest posts

One of the joys of wedding photography is getting to meet so many people; one of the frustrations of being a wedding photographer is that you have to meet so many people! You see, there is very little repeat business - for obvious reasons. So I have very many, satisfied but once time only clients.

So, I have asked couples who know something about me to send in a post. It is entirely their words not mine. Over a period of time this will build up into a collection of comments, and useful tips and advice for prospective couples. A big thanks in advance to all those who are kind enough to set a little bit of time aside and send in a post. If you would like to and I've not asked then simply send me an email and i will tell you how.

best wishes, Glen

Designer Package

More on the new business with Samantha Hook Photography – Samantha and I started to work together last August. We covered around 7 weddings together last year and we were really pleased with the pictures. We work well together at a wedding and our mixture of styles makes for a good balance of coverage on the day. So one of the reasons why we created a new, joint business is so that we could offer a true two-photographer offer – which we have called the designer package.

The benefit of doing this as a joint business is this approach uses two professional photographers who have established a good working relationship – and this is different from just hiring a second photographer for the day. Just putting people together does not make a team, the team comes from working together over a period of time. There is no personal connection between Samantha and I, so people really are getting two professional photographers, because the only basis is a professional one.

Many of our bookings for next year have opted for the designer package, which is a real encouragement to us. We like to shoot together and we love the pictures we create, but obviously not everyone’s budget can extend to two professional photographers.

In essence, the designer package means you get both Samantha and me at your wedding day, with no restrictions on time on the day. The other main element is the photography and the package are built around the couple. The concept is different – because we spend more time with each couple to understand in some depth their day and what they want from their photography. It is more a case of commissioning creative professionals to work with you rather than buying an off-the-peg package. We get more involved in your day and you, which means more time for us and hence a higher cost, but the resultant photographs are the best we can produce. We would like all our weddings to be the designer package, because that's when we take our best pictures, so we don't charge silly amounts but obviously we have to pay two wages from the one wedding.

We often say to couples that good wedding photography is a partnership between us and the couple. We can do our best to photograph the day, but how the day is planned, the setting, and the contribution from the couple and their guests are big factors in the type of photographs we can get. And in short, that is what we do in the designer package.

How much should I spend?

Weddings are expensive at the best of times and deciding how much is the right amount to spend is a tiresome task, especially when it comes to photography. This is not helped by the advent of digital technology and the internet, which means there is even more choice and therefore a much greater spread of abilities and prices.

The largest cost item is by far time. Living and working in the UK is simply very expensive. The more involved the photographer is for your wedding - before the day, on the day and after the day - then the more time he or she is allocating to your wedding, which has a cost.

However, equipment and professional development is important too. It is not just a case of getting an expensive digital camera. My main investment is in a range of professional camera lenses and flash, all of which I simply would not purchase just for personal use. You will have many guests at your wedding with their own cameras and they will take many snaps for you. The reason to hire a professional photographer is to get some truly great pictures, not just more snaps.

If you are reading this and your budget is for £1,000 or less then my best advice is to look around hard. Many traditional wedding photographers – the type of pictures your mum and dad will have had – charge less than £1,000. There are some more contemporary photographers who are prepared to charge this, but it is not enough to justify a full time profession, so the chances are they relatively new or have some additional source of income and are happy for this to be a labour of love. That’s no bad thing but just have a good look at their work first and satisfy yourself with what you see.

If you are looking at spending between £1,000 to £2,000 then it is worth thinking hard as to whether you are at the £1,000 or £2,000 mark, because there is a lot of difference in terms of choice. You will find many photographers with a price in this area, as it is the upper limit of the cheap photographers, the main price for the middle ground and the lower price for the high-end photographers. It can get really confusing, so it pays to do your homework.

If your budget is more like £2,000 and above, then this where you should expect to get real quality, both in terms of the photography and the choice of albums. There are some great wedding albums but they are expensive and it will be difficult to provide these albums at much less than this amount.

The general advice is to allocate around 10% of your total budget for photography. This is good advice, as the larger the wedding in overall budget then the more you will want to capture this with the photographs.

The Meal and Speeches

The speeches can be a great time for informal photography. The day is in mid-flow, the nervous parts of the day are over - well for some at least - and people are generally much more relaxed. In many weddings the photography stops when the meal starts, it is the traditional divide that signals the end of the day for the photographer. I normally stay through to just after the end of the meal. It means a few more hours but I find photographs during the speeches in particular - of the guests and the bridal party - can make some fantastic pictures.

Here are some of my favourites:-


(above) This is a candid potrait of a bridesmaid taken during the meal. There is something about this picture in black and white that I like.


A classic reaction picture. The bride is holding her hands at some youthful story told by her dad!


This shot makes for a relaxed picture. It was during the speech by the best man.


One of those 'corker' moments - when I believe the best man came out with a great line. Being in the right place at the right time is key to getting these shots.


Again, a candid portrait. This is the bride's mother at the table.

Traditional or contemporary?

Are you better going for traditional wedding photographs or reportage wedding photography? The answer to this question depends upon a number of things. The typical cost for traditional wedding photographs will be around £800 to £1,500, depending upon the photographer and the package. You will get a limited number of very well taken and well presented photographs. The people in the pictures will be you but the setting and the type of picture will be a familiar format. So if you just want a few traditional wedding photographs and your budget is within this range, then traditional may well be for you.

If traditional wedding photographs are not your thing, if you really want a selection of natural pictures from you wedding day, along with some more formal pictures, then you need to do something else. However, the cost for good quality contemporary photography is more - and typically you should expect to pay at least £1,500. The reason is quite simple, the task is much more involved, a photographer will only do 1 wedding on a day, he or she will be taking many more photographs, and therefore the albums tend to be fuller - and this all means higher cost. You pays your money and takes your choice.

Be wary of packages at low prices offering natural photography. There is a huge difference between quality natural photographs and snaps. One of the regrettable features of the current trend towards natural photography and the abundance of good quality digital cameras is that taking snaps has never been easier - but snaps do not make timeless memories from your wedding day - they just make snaps.

Here are a few photographs that caught my eye:-


(Above) This image was taken with an ultra wide lens - then lens alone costs £1,500 to purchase. I saw the composition of the best man (who looks like the groom in this picture) and the bridesmaids waiting by the door of the church. I realised the lighting and the composition, combined with this extreme wide angle lens, would make a good shot. It is not a 'snap', that is for sure.


This image was taken without flash in what was a relatively dark church, although I know it looks well lit. I used a special lens that lets a large amount of light into the camera - again this lens costs some £1,000 to purchase - so that I could take the picture without camera shake and without a tripod. The quality of the lens means the picture is sharp and rich in colours. The composition provides a balanced picture. It captures a special moment in a special way.


This was a set piece photograph. Set piece in that the walking was done only for the camera - but they still had fun doing it. It makes for a great, relaxed shot. I used a professional zoom lens for this picture, so I could adjust the lens as the group walked closer to me. The difference between a professional zoom lens and one you might buy in the high street is the sharpness of the image and the focusing speed. This is also a £1,000 lens.


There is much more to this picture than you might think. I was doing this wedding with Samantha Hook Weddings, so there were two professional photographers - Samantha Hook and me. Samantha was setting up a formal shot of the the boys and during the set up they were having a laugh and some fun. Whilst Samantha was busy setting up the formal shot I was able to focus on the boys having fun. The lens is again high quality and hence the sharp focus on the groom and the feeling of depth in the picture. This is another £1,000 lens, but different from the ones above.


This is a slightly different group shot. I was standing on the church wall for this picture - only about 4 feet from the bride and groom, although it looks further - and had arranged the group and the bride and groom. I was using the same extreme wide angle lens mentioned to above.