20 Questions

Details:

we are very proud of our service here at 'the studio, colby'.

here are a few questions we feel you should be asking, not just us, but any photographer to which you are entrusting your wedding day, portrait session or function coverage.

how would you describe your style in just three words ?: Art ...
Passion ...
Laughter ...

(if you had asked for four words, i would have added "different").
how long have you been a photographer ?: approximately forty years !
(i know, i don't look old enough).

i photographed my first paid wedding in 1977.
i took a brief holiday and attempted to 'hang up the camera' as the digital age came along, but it didn't last long.
curiosity had the better of me, and i soon succumbed to buying my first digital camera.

"experience and training, are the most valuable commodities in our camera bag"
why do you have a 'Qualified Member' logo on your home page ?: because we can !

David is a qualified member of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers ... possibly the largest professional photographers association, outside of America.

qualification is attained via a submitted photographic panel of images, for judging.

the same panel must show a high level of competence in a variety of situations throughout many wedding days.

at the time of writing, we understand David is the only Island based photographer to have achieved this meritous award.
are the images on your website, your own work ?: yes, 100%

they are not taken from workshops seminars and training courses (or the internet !).

you should be mindful of this whilst choosing your wedding photographer.
ask yourself "do the images on his or her website match those we see in their sample albums ?"
do you supply your prints ready framed ?: we would be pleased to supply your images mounted and framed.

but,
we value the quality of our own work, and our presentation reflects this.
our framed work will include museum quality mounting boards and glass.
the mounts will not fade and the printing will not be attacked by those nasty UV rays.
as a result, this optional service is not cheap, but please contact us for further specific details.
are you an 'Award Winning' photographer, like many others claim to be ?: well, we have to hold up our hands and say "yes" to that one.
we have won prestigious Gold Awards within a few societies of worldwide reputation.

we are cynical, just like many others, and we also see so many photographers claiming to be 'Award Winning'.

as you shop around for your photographer, we recommend you ask your short listed parties, "is your award from a creditable society/association, or simply some 'mickey mouse' outfit !"

small print: "we, at The Studio Colby, wish to add (upon the advice of our lawyers) that we wish no disrespect or harm, to any mice that may just happen to be called 'mickey' "
do you supply image files on a disc ?: generally, no.

imagine this:
we give a customer a disc of wedding day images.
the next day, the local chemist is asked to produce a 10x8 print from the disc.
with all due respect, the printer is neither colour balanced nor calibrated.
the resultant print is a ghastly mess of reds, blues and greens !
the print then visits the stationery shop next door, where a dozen copies are run off for friends and family.
now we have a further compounded mess.
the same photograph is framed within an 'off the shelf' unit, unsealed against dust and humidity, and duly placed over the fireplace.

six months later:
visitors arrive and view the aged, framed print.
they think, "what a mess ?"
they say, "who took that ?"
reply: "those people at The Studio, Colby".

i think you are beginning to see the message.

admittedly, our framing costs do not compete with the high street, for reasons stated above.
but our print costs are very competitive.

we are very proud of our work.
... and our desire to keep standards high should only be appreciated by our valued customers.
are you insured ?: another silly question !

what potential client would approach a wedding photographer, (to entrust them with their big day) without the knowledge as to whether they were insured or not ?

i'm sorry, on reflection, it was actually a very good question.
yes, we are.
we are covered for almost any unfortunate eventuality ... details are available upon request, as they say.
do you rate Uncle Bob as a wedding photographer ?: ha ha ! ... an excellent question.

for those unfamiliar, 'uncle bob' is the term given to the amateur photographer, who is (let's say) the girlfriend's son of the bride's mother's uncle's sister's boyfriend.
he (or she) was lucky to have been given a digital camera, for Christmas, two years ago.
now he (or she) has conquered the task of putting the batteries in the correct way round, they are ready to take on the wedding world, by storm.

if you would like to send us your email address, David will put you in touch with many, many potential customers who decided to save a few quid, and go with uncle bob !
and then to go on and say, "I wish we'd have stuck with you, Dave !"

all we ask, is that you think (very deeply) about who you are going to entrust, with recording the events, of the greatest day of your life !
how should one value family photographs and portraits ?: remember the shoebox where grandma used to keep the family photographs ?
spanning generations ?
unfortunately, nobody is able to foresee what is 'around the corner' for us all.
what will you have to remember loved ones by, and how will you record your family members for future generations ?

not the happiest paragraph i've ever written, but one that should provoke a little thought.
how much do you charge for a sitting ?: an excellent question.

every sitting is different, and every client is quite unique.
everybody wants something a little different.

how can anyone possibly present a fixed price scenario for such occasions ?
but having said that, please don't be scared off ... come along and talk to us.
you will find our rates very competitive.
but,
we will always ask for a small, non refundable deposit.
are you CRB checked ?: Yes !
David is our proprietor and principal photographer, and passes the test.

for your benefit, the following is an extract from the UK government's website:
"The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) helps employers in England and Wales make safer recruitment decisions. A number of roles, especially those involving children or vulnerable adults, are entitled to a criminal record check.
Our aim is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by providing a first-class service to support organisations recruiting people into positions of trust".
where is your ' testimonials' page ?: come on !
hands up ?
who was it that asked such a stupid question ?

let's just suppose for one minute, that 'the studio, colby' had an unhappy customer.
let's also suppose, that the same customer wrote to us, with a few lines of dissatisfaction.
do you really believe that we are going to publish such words of a negative nature ?
of course not !

and so, we offer an alternative.
take a peek at the list of customers upon our 'your photographs' page ... select any one, and we'll happily put you in direct contact with our client.
our clients are happy to agree this for us, as we would expect you to, if we are selected for your project.

besides, most people write their own testimonials, don't they ?
do you work from a studio ?: yes.

however, the newly refurbished facility will not be ready for appointments until march 2012.

please keep abreast of updates within our blog pages.
how do I order prints from 'The Studio, Colby': Simply click on the 'your photographs' tab at the top of the website home page.
Select your event, and type in the supplied password.
You will then be taken to our image sales page.
Our standard print range commences at an 8" by 6" photograph, and increases up to 30" x 20".
Larger sizes are available to special order.
Shopping is easy and straightforward.
We currently accept cheques and Paypal payments, as well as good, old fashioned, cash.
do you work with video people ?: now that's a difficult question.

we do, but with limitations.
please talk to us and understand how we will record the big day for you.
and also, please ask yourself, "do i want a video man (or lady) in the background of all of my key photographs ?".

we respect anyone's decision to incorporate a wedding videographer into their wedding day celebrations, but David's reputation is to shoot something a 'little more adventurous' in the timescale between ceremony and reception.
i'm afraid that David prefers to keep this particular element very private.
maybe a groomsman as helper, maybe a bridesmaid to help the bride, are most welcome, but video people and camera phones are frowned upon ... sorry !
do you shoot events and parties ?: most certainly !

we are happy to attend your event and bring along studio lights, background and props, if needed.

our experience and expertise allows us to print and mount your images 'on the night' for you to take home with you.
is your equipment reliable ?: we think so.

however, sometimes, these things happen, and we may assure you that we have back up equipment to cover our back up equipment.

we use Canon cameras and lenses ... as 'platinum' members of Canon's Professional Service, we enjoy a two day turn around on service and repairs to our mainstay equipment.

our image processing is carried out using Apple's Mac technology ... simply the best !

our image printing is entrusted to a professional laboratory in the UK.
we have used the same 'lab' for many, many years ... they know our habits, and we know theirs.
besides, they're much better at it than we are !
how much time will you spend with us on our wedding day ?: ... as long as you want !

David is yours for the day ... from whatever time in the morning, until you're happy for him to leave
do you sub contract any photography ?: no !
will you meet up with us before our wedding ?: yes, by all means.

your initial consultation will take place here at the studio.
we will look at some images, discuss style, procedures, and albums etc etc.

the second meeting may take place at your home.

should the venue, minister or registrar be unfamiliar to us, we will be expected to attend the wedding rehearsal (with your permission, of course !)
do you believe in photographic training ?: yes !

despite David's years in the business, i'm sure you will be shocked at the amount of time, travel and expense he invests in further tuition.

he is always first in the queue at the annual SWPP convention, held in London, each January !
what if it rains upon our big day ?: simple, we move proceedings inside.

David will always carry out a recce visit to both ceremony and reception locations.
he will have spoken with the people there.
he will have spoken to the guys at the 'met' office (hi adrian !).
he will always have a plan b !

(this is where we rather hope you have read the three questions relative to qualifications, training and experience, above).