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Surprisingly it’s not about the camera gear or the technical side like you might think - it’s about the same stuff as any other couple getting married - about finding the right person to connect with, have a fantastic wedding day and capturing those special images that magnify the “moments” turning them into memories - whilst also enjoying the day and having FUN!
After the disaster of our original wedding photos where we based our decision on price alone - see an earlier blog post about our wedding day photography disaster https://www.westcoastweddings.com.au/post/what-s-the-biggest-mistake-couples-can-make-on-their-wedding-day-choosing-a-photographer-on-price, when it came to planning our wedding vow renewal in Scotland, we had learnt the hard lesson and set out to find the right person to capture our day and give us the wedding photos we should have had the first time! Expense wasn’t even on the table in my hunt to find the right person this time.
As it was to be a destination wedding in Scotland, and we live in Australia, the logistics alone were daunting to say the least. This coupled with the fact our anniversary is New Year’s Day, presented unique issues in trying to secure services on what is the most sacred of all Scottish holidays, Hogmanay! I did what most brides do, checked out Pintrest and Googled my heart out to find the ideal venue, celebrant, cake, dress, flowers, bagpiper and the list goes on as I am sure you already know if your are planning, or have ever planned, a wedding. This is where a great photographer is worth their weight in gold, they are more than just there to take photos, they often have NETWORKS of other quality suppliers they work with and whose service and quality they can recommend!
We found PENNY HARDIE - I loved her portfolio and her copywriting was dripping with her extroverted, fun personality, which helped us personally connect with her. She wasn’t the cheapest, but she wasn’t the dearest on offer and the cost of $2000 for half a day coverage was well worth the money. She also helped us out with those other networks on the beautiful but remote Isle of Skye in the magnificent Scottish Highlands, for flowers, cake, venue even down to providing me with a wonder-all “fixative” to help my makeup withstand the harsh, wet, elements on Isle of Skye in Winter! She shared her invaluable local knowledge and experience of weddings on the Island, and explained the distances involved between locations we were considering so we could have realistic expectations. She encouraged me to have 3 different shoes - wedding shoes for the reception indoors, hiking boots for some of the more arduous outdoor location shots and Hunter Wellingtons for the others! She gave me the instant-no-holds-barred-heads-up to be prepared that my wedding dress would be completely trashed by the outdoor environment to check I was up for it in getting the shots we wanted. She was happy to share ideas and work together to create a dream day for us - it’s about the whole experience of the day, not just the photos at the end (although they are obviously very, very important!).
Penny was the ideal fit, and such fun, she even introduced me to Gin for the first time - now I don’t get tidily I get “Gintastic!”. We had the most amazing wedding day, and our photos were nothing short of absolute stunners! We were given a beautifully presented gift boxed thumb drive, engraved with Pennys branding and all our images (almost 400) were professionally edited ready for us to create our own album back home. I had told Penny I would be happy with just one good photo of us, and we got loads!!!!
She admitted that photographing the wedding of two professional photographers was a bit daunting at first but the whole experience was amazing for us all! She even put together, a value added, little video to share on social media - so our families back home in Australia could share in our joy on the day. FANTASTIC! The right fit is TOTALLY soooooo worth the money!