** COVID 19 **
En Vogue Wedding and Portrait WILL survive the current health situation and WILL emerge through the other side of it regardless of the duration. Despite the current situation I will be upgrading camera gear in the next few months and am getting assistance with album building.
The current trend amongst industry providers is to move dates to the same day/weekend in 12 months time. At this stage I do not have any overlaps in bookings and have been able to accomodate all couples who have provided a date.
How do I book?
A deposit of $400 is required to secure your date as well as commencing planning for your wedding, this involves questionnaires, compiling sample images and other behind the scenes work.
The deposit is non-refundable. The deposit is transferable to another person or for another photographic service should unforeseen circumstances arise pending availability of the new date.
How far advance should I book?
Our wedding appointments book up very fast, especially Saturdays between September and April. There is a current trend for winter weddings in the Coffs Harbour area, many couples have clued into the weather being kinder and less harsh on family, friends and makeup. From a photographers point of view it is also fantastic because the sun isnt as harsh which makes for beautiful photos. Autumn weddings can also be brilliant because of the colours that the change of season brings.
Once you have a date and the venue is secured, contact Simon as soon as possible to secure your date. Your booking is confirmed subject to availability, completion of the Service Agreement and the deposit being received.
When is payment due?
Weddings are a significant investment and providers like myself prefer to have accounts settled one week prior to your wedding day. If it helps reduce your stress penalty free payment plans are available. These payments are completely flexible – you can pay as much as you like, when you like to suit your budget via direct deposit. It doesn’t cost any more to pay this way, it is simply an option to keep your wedding stress to a minimum.
The balance of funds for your package is due 5 working days before the ceremony, it is important to note that non-payment will be considered a breach of the Service Agreement resulting in a forfeiture of the deposit.
Payments for photographic goods such as prints, albums and including high resolution images must be made in full prior to delivery.
Do you travel?
Hell yeah! Based in Coffs Harbour, I am available interstate and worldwide. Over the last few years I have photographed up and down the NSW East Coast including Sydney, Byron Bay, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart and many places in between. Travel, accommodation and meal expenses may be incurred outside of 100km if required but this will be discussed and agreed upon at booking.
What is your photographic style?
I hate being photographed – it feels unnatural and awkward to me and I kind of assumed that most people felt that way so I have applied that feeling to the way I shoot. My approach to wedding photography is to be minimally invasive, capturing most of the photographs in a candid way and then making the set shots as quick and easy as possible. After all – it is your wedding day, not a wedding themed photographic shoot.
The feeling of my shots could best be described as candid, intimate, with minimal clutter. Importantly, I like to tell a story with the images rather than just push a button and hope for the best. I have always been a “People watcher” (not in a creepy way), I am constantly looking for stories to capture.
How many images will I receive from the day?
The amount of images varies according to the number of guests, length of coverage and many other factors. In saying this we usually deliver between 50-100 images per hour. Please rest assured that we deliver all photos which meet Simon’s artistic standard and only get rid of the blinking and blurry photos. There will definitely be some bloopers for your viewing pleasure!
The number of images is a funny thing. EVERY image that is presented to you has been edited, unlike filters you can get on apps and social media each image you see has been finely tuned and this takes time, it also tends to be overwhelming for couples to look at and it becomes unwieldily. The best analogy I can give you is if I were to make you 20 tables it might take me a year to build, you as the client can have as many of those tables as you want if you’re happy to wait that long but how many tables do you need?
Clients see all the shots from the day except those that have issues with focus, are unflattering or those used to enhance other images – ie where one element is taken from one image to add to another image.
How much photography coverage do we need?
I dont shoot “ceremony only” weddings, I can do it as a photographer but its not my style. Weddings are a story and I document that, this means photographing the lead up and preparations you have with the special people who form your Bridal party and Groomsmen, the ceremony and your wedding guests and family and the celebrations after.
It is important to tell you that you do NOT have to choose a package upon booking, normally couples are in the very early stages of planning so making a choice at this stage just adds stress. My suggestion to couples is make plans for the day and avoid tight schedules – place your emphasis on a stress free, enjoyable, easy going wedding rather than a tightly run and stressful one.
Most couples allow 6 hours to avoid having any delays or unforeseen circumstances impact their coverage, again, allowing the extra time means you can just enjoy your wedding rather than having a wedding themed photo shoot that you have to rush through.
Do we photography LGBTQI Weddings?
YES! En Vogue is all for love – if you love someone and you want to marry them then I will be honoured to photograph it for you.
Do you offer engagement sessions?
Yes, we strongly suggest couples consider an engagement shoot – it gives everyone an opportunity to work out the most natural and flattering poses and it is an excellent way to minimise nerves for the big day. Whilst grooms in particular can be reluctant to participate, we have found that it has made them far more relaxed and natural on the big day.
Can I have a second photographer?
Yes. Having a second photographer creates many more opportunities and an unbeatable level of coverage that will capture the very best of your day. For large weddings or where there are significant distances between wedding parties, a second photographer is highly recommended.
I’m really awkward in front of the camera!
Many people feel uncomfortable or don’t know what to do in a formal photograph setting, but that’s why we are here for you. Simon shoots candid moments in a minimally invasive way so that you won’t even notice the camera and won’t feel awkward or uncomfortable. When it comes time to the posed portraits, Simon has plenty of simple techniques to have you feeling as wonderful as you look.
My family member also wants to photograph our wedding!
Most photographers have a clause to cease coverage if friends, family or others start taking photos – even if only using a phone! My approach is that weddings are an important family celebration and people often want a photo of the day – that is completely cool, I can normally manage this.
The issues with other people taking photos are;
1) they can ruin my shots (the professional photographs) that need to be nailed as they happen – ie the first kiss, I normally put myself in a position to stop this but it does happen and it is much better to get the genuine photo the first time rather than have to reenact it.
2) where people are supposed to be looking at the camera for formal photos you can often find people looking in different directions (which looks terrible). Sometimes I can Photoshop this but it takes considerable time to fix and unfortunately these fixes need to be paid for by the client.
3) damage to my seriously expensive camera gear and delays to your day whilst trying to fix/work around that.
If a guest does get a bit over zealous I use good manners and reason to remind them that you have paid serious cash and NO ONE wants to be the one explaining to the bride why they ruined her photos – again, I am very diplomatic and I dont like to cause dramas. In the event that someone continues to put your investment at risk I will approach you or talk to that Aunty that everyone is a bit frightened of for her to sort it.
How will the photos be delivered?
All of the images we deliver to you are edited and delivered via an online gallery and a customised USB. The online gallery provides you with download options suitable to share on social media and the USB has images that are suitable to print.
Every wedding package includes a print/album voucher which provides a high quality, Australian made, archival quality album or archival quality prints.
How do you retouch the photos?
All images are delivered as a final product. This means that basic exposure, colour correction and temperature have all been adjusted to get the bold and timeless images seen in Simon’s portfolio. We do not deliver RAW images.
Thanks for reading 🙂
Have a question we haven’t answered? Please feel free to get into contact with Simon via email or phone to ask any questions you may still have.
