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Its an absolute pleasure to showcase the work of my fabulous sponsors here on the wedding blog, without whom the success of Brides Up North would just not be possible. This afternoon we meet fabulous photographer and cheeky chap Andrew of Photography By Andrew Scott Clarke, who shows off some of his favourite images and tells us what makes his tick. There is bags of personality behind this lens.
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How did you get into wedding photography?
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I’ve always been into photography ever since having the idea to use photography in some of my artwork while I was at school many moons ago!. My teacher was ace and lent me an SLR which I put to use. I was hooked from then on in! No formal training I’m completely self taught, however I am also a trained electrical engineer and used to design lighting schemes for high end retail stores (before going pro) which basically taught me a huge amount about lighting, which is the key ingredient for great photography! I fell into wedding photography quite by accident really but absolutely love it.
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Why wedding photography specifically?
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Wow, I love weddings! I do photograph other things but weddings is where its at for me. i love the pressure to get the image in a very short period of time without having the safety net of studio lighting etc. You really have to use your imagination and ingenuity on the day. Plus I want to give people a choice with their photography as I’ve seen so many so called photographers out there that are really quite dull and unimaginative, i want to bring a bit of zing to the day!
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What is your favourite thing about being a wedding photographer?
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The food.
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Not really… I love giving the photos to the couple afterwards and looking through them with them, there is so much that they don’t remember from the day, its like reliving it all. I love smiley people.
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How do you get couples to relax on the day?
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Drink and if that doesn’t work…basically my experience and being able to help diffuse a situation before it happens. I always carry things to help out too from umbrellas to packets of Emergen-c which give a natural boost of energy, amazing things! The biggest thing is that I always give a free pre wedding shoot (for those that book me for the full day) this gives the couple a chance to see how I’m going to work with them on the day and I will also know how they are in front of the camera so can direct them accordingly.
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Any advice to any brides who don’t like to have their picture taken?
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A pre wedding shoot either with your photographer or another professional is the best thing for you. Being photographed by a professional is different as they know how to get people to relax. It’s not like being photographed by your Uncle Bob who has a big camera! There’s a reason why we work with people and that’s because we know how to work with them.
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Anything to avoid which might look bad in the wedding pictures?
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Hopefully i can make most things look good, it all depends on how formal/informal you want to be. I’m not a big fan of the traditional formal photographs, they always look stiff and uncomfortable. I much prefer relaxed happy people in group shots.
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Which celebrity wedding would you most like to photograph and why?
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It would have to be Carrie Bradshaw’s from Sex & The City (yes I know its not real!). I love American weddings and Carrie’s in real life would be amazing, probably in the big Apple, and we could get loads of cool photo’s in New york and Central Park.
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Any really memorable weddings that you have captured?
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To be honest I’ve photographed quite a few beautifully stylish weddings around the world. it would be hard to pick just one out. I’ve just shot one wedding in Sheffield where the groom (who was in a band) whipped out his guitar for his speech and sung his bride a really beautiful song about the way he feels about her, there was plenty of tears in the crowd.
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Are you married?
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I am married, yes. Our wedding day was very relaxed and informal. we basically invited all of our friends (we banned kids) and had a very boozy party with a few surprises as we ended up with two extra impromptu speeches which turned out to be the best ones! We had a video diary room which as you can imagine got crazier the drunker people got.
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Any funny stories to share?
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There are a few but I’ve been sworn to secrecy, if I told you I would have to kill you.
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What sets you apart from other wedding photographers?
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Hopefully a fair bit. I’ve tried to model myself on the New York style of photography and mix in loads of flash and other lighting plus i use a few off beat techniques too which you definitely don’t see very often. I am definitely not a hum drum boring photographer and I’ve had my clients doing all sorts including dodging traffic in the middle of the street in a city centre to get a cool photo, anyone booking me be warned!
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What can a couple who book you expect on the day?
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A full day booking means just that! I arrive early in the morning and leave really late. I hate to hear that photographers leave straight after the first dance because that’s when the party is only just staring and there is so many great photo opportunities to be had, even impromptu hip hop dance offs!
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What is included in your "package"?
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I try to be very basic when it comes to pricing, I offer either a half day or a full day’s photography (without albums) and supply edited images on DVD (I’ve gone this way from public demand really). If couples want albums they can choose one to their specifications and pay as an add on extra. I offer albums from Graphi Studio, Jorgensen and Ribblebox, plus any other extras you can think of.
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Can you give us an idea on price?
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I am an absolute bargain!
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I currently charge £1300 for a full days photography and £800 for a half days photography. Look at some other photographers who charge a similar price and you will see what i mean.
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Can you do a discount for Brides Up North readers?
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Its your lucky day! I will give a 10% discount to any Brides Up North reader.
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How can Brides Up North get in touch with you/ see more examples of your work?
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You can check out my websites at www.andrewscottclarke.com & www.yourweddingphotographerblog.com or give me a call on 07816071167 and I’m also available (very high tech) on face time.
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2012 Photography by Andrew Scott Clarke
Photography by Andrew Scott Clarke is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
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