The title of this entry has become something of a running joke amongst us wedding photographers.  It’s invariably said by a well-meaning, but somewhat misinformed guest who thinks all we do is turn up on a Saturday, take a load of pictures and then run off home to count our mountains of money.

Sadly, this isn’t the case.  And this has really been highlighted to me over the past few weeks which have been probably the busiest I’ve had in two years.

As the summer weddings started to wind down, our attention has shifted from the activities that revolve around the actual photography work and more towards post-shooting tasks and the onset of the Autumn wedding fayres.

Wedding fayres are still our preferred method of getting ourselves known to the public and this season we’ve managed to get into seven fayres spread across the normal areas we work in. All the fayres cost a not-insubstantial amount of money and require a certain amount of work if they are to be done right – collating brochures, price-lists, information packs, to say nothing all all the demonstration material we have to bring along, set up and show to people.

For this season’s fayres we’ve prepared no less than four new demo books, including our new Premium Storybook range which offers traditional ‘matted’ pages with a contemporary fit and finish.  We really take time and care on designing albums.  A bad layout, inconsistant image quality or a lack of ‘storytelling’ can very easily ruin a perfectly good book and turn it into a mediocre one.

We also have new brochures, new demonstration DVDs and a new portfolio of large prints, all of which have had to be designed, ordered and paid for.  I do feel though, that our presentation to potential clients is a step up from the fayres we did earlier this year.  We have upped our game a bit and I think the results are well worth the effort.

The next task on my to-do list is a revamp of the current website.  This is something that has been long overdue but until now I just haven’t had time.

However, as much as a nice website and a flashy brochure can provide a taste of what we offer to clients, it isn’t until people actually get their hands on our albums and see our large prints that the quality of work can be appreciated.  It doesn’t matter how big a computer monitor you use, a good picture will always look more dramatic, more tactile and more ‘real’ when seen in print.  This is why we try to get into as many fayres as possible and take as much time as we can to engage people on the day – the fayres are just too important.

Of course, the fayres give us a chance to meet the clients, to talk with them about their wedding plans and try to get a feel for the kind of pictures they’d like taken. There is then the inevitable tense few days before the phone starts to ring  and bookings are taken.

We enjoy wedding fayres a lot.  If you haven’t yet met us, come along , say hello and taken a look at our stuff.  We still have two fayres to go before they all finish – at Highbury Hall in Moseley on Ocotber 26th and at the  Avoncroft Museum in Bromsgove on November 16th.

Rob