Your Wedding Photography Memories

For most people their wedding day only comes around once in a lifetime and, for this very reason, it is vital that the memories from that day are captured professionally and presented to the happy couple after the event.  It is essential then that couples planning their wedding go for the best service that they can afford.  Some companies are able, through partnering agreements, to provide photographers wherever the ceremony takes place – even abroad.

How to choose a really good wedding photographer

A good option is to choose a company that has a number of photographers on the staff along with a comprehensive array of recording and editing equipment.  While the one-man operation can be a perfectly good option you might feel more confident about the whole arrangement if backup plans are in place.  Theoretically the larger the organisation the better chance you have of getting those precious memories faithfully recorded for you.  You have enough to think about on the day without worrying about the photographer’s equipment breaking down or that some technical hitch might ruin your day.

Choosing your wedding package

So, having decided to employ the services of a reputable wedding photography firm, what kind of package do you think you will go for?  Ultimately the choice is yours and wedding packages can be tailored to comply with your needs down to the smallest detail.  You will be asked for a few basic details, such as the location of the wedding and reception, what date it is taking place and some idea of the numbers attending.  The company should then come back to you straight away with verbal and written confirmation that photographers are available for that date.

A popular idea these days is where the entire day is recorded.  It starts with those joyful, maybe frenetic, early morning bridal preparations and continues as the bridal party sets of for the wedding venue.  Continuing with the arrivals at the venue then the wedding ceremony; then there is the reception, meetings and greetings, the speeches and cake cutting. Finally we get to the happy couple’s first dance and guests enjoying the occasion.  All of this can be captured for you in a variety of ways. A collection of still photographs, presented in a beautifully bound wedding album, is the traditional method but you can also have the happy day’s events on a DVD or memory stick or even loaded onto a tablet.  Video with full sound is a popular choice as well and this can be loaded onto digital media for you.  Hopefully you will find a company that is flexible in their service and competitively priced.  You just have to decide what you want and they will put it all together for you. It is as simple as that!

Whichever wedding photographer you choose, have a fantastic wedding day.

To check if Duncan is available for your wedding - CLICK HERE

Weddings in Cleveland

Weddings in County Durham

Weddings in Newcastle

Weddings in Essex

Weddings in Italy

Weddings in Cyprus

Wedding in Florida

Wedding Photography Packages

In life everything is a balancing act, wedding photography packages also require getting the balance correct between on the one hand price, and on the other the depth of service you want. The one thing you should not have to balance is quality. The one thing in life that’s a guarantee is that low prices equals low quality which in turn equals very upset brides. So whichever package you decide to go for make sure the quality is there in everyone!

The Very Best Wedding Photography Packages:

As you would expect these packages contain everything you might want, at a price tag to match. So what kind of things does a bride expect, when the budgets run to a couple of thousand? Most would be looking for full day coverage from two photographers. Full wedding coverage would include things like the Bride getting hair and makeup done in the morning, commonly referred to as “Bridal Prep”. From here your wedding photographer would also capture pictures of the Grooms party and then guest arrivals at the church or other venue. What the wedding is all about, (officially) is the ceremony, two photographers here, can get the emotional shots from in front and the beautiful shots of your wedding dress and laid out train from the back. As you emerge, there follows confetti shots, maybe some more formal group shots and definitely some fantastic posed and natural shots of just the Bride and Groom together. In most weddings these photographs would make up the bulk, but for the Bride who wants everything there is much more. Photographs of the wedding breakfast and the speeches, then there’s the cutting of the wedding cake. As the evening draws on the photography takes a more informal role where guests are captured enjoying themselves and finally the newlyweds take to the floor for the first dance. This is usually where the wedding coverage ends, but it has been known for the photographers to attend more informal celebrations on the day after the wedding, maybe a barbecue or a pool party perhaps.

With all these photographs what would be the best ways to show these off? No we are not talking about key rings or mugs with your pictures on, but individually designed and lovingly handcrafted wedding albums. When all the very best pictures are assembled together, they become greater than the sum of the individual photographs. They all come together beautifully to tell the story of all that happened on the day you were married. Printed and then bound together on the best photographic paper available, embraced by covers available in fine leathers, metals, silks and other gorgeous materials. Various sizes are available to adorn the biggest of coffee tables.

For the most exclusive packages one wedding album, as stunning as it is will not be enough. Perhaps some items of wall art such as canvas prints or beautifully framed prints will bring more memories back to life. In today’s high tech world everyone loves mobile. Your wedding memories can be mobile too! Imagine having then available on your lap top, tablet pc, ipad and mobile phone. Instantly available to show friends and family when and wherever you may be.

Other Wedding Photography Packages:

To swing the wedding balance so that your investment in the photography is less, then there are photography packages where you can trim off some of the services you don’t need.

Maybe you feel that you could miss off the Bridal Prep, or the first dance perhaps. You could certainly down size on the album and go for something smaller, or with fewer pages or less luxurious covers. Many couples love having at least one framed enlargement around their home, a permanent reminder of this special day. So you could cut down on the amount of wall art and perhaps having the benefit of carrying your wedding photos is something you wouldn't miss either.

Can you see that by chatting with your wedding photographer, you should be able to pick the services you need and at the same time make your wedding package affordable? It is worthwhile noting too, that additional items such as parents albums, canvas prints and printable DVDs can normally be acquired after the wedding and don’t have to be included in the initial wedding package.

Duncan Malloch has been a professional wedding photographer since 1984, has owned his own studio and has taught at an arts college and adult learning center. He has written many article and blogs on wedding photography for the benefit of couples and inexperienced photographers. He still undertakes wedding commissions in the UK and abroad and he can be contacted through the following web links:

Portrait Wedding Photographers

Wedding Photographers Leeds

Darlington Wedding Photographers

Kent Wedding Photographers

Palm Beach Wedding Photographers 

Ormesby Hall Wedding

Photographs from a Wedding at Ormesby Hall, Middlesbrough

All photographs taken by Portrait Wedding Photographers on 2nd August, 2013

Rear aspect of Ormesby Hall

Ormesby Hall sits in acres of beautiful, landscaped gardens, not far from the center of Middlesbrough. As you will see these fantastic ground make a wonderful backdrop for your wedding photographs. Ormesby Hall is also available to hold your civil wedding ceremony too.

Ormesby Hall Bridesmaids

Here we have three gorgeous Bridesmaids at the front of Ormseby Hall, with the Mother of the Bride standing in the doorway.

The Bride arrives at Ormesby Hall

The waiting is over, as here comes the Bride, arriving in style in her wedding car.

Confetti at Ormesby Hall, Middlesbrough

After the ceremony the Bride and Groom emerge to be greeted by all their guests, showering them with confetti, bio degradable of course!

Wedding Party at Ormesby Hall

After the confetti our Bride and Groom lead the way into the magnificent garden to the rear of Ormesby Hall for a mix of formal and informal photos

Formal wedding photos at Ormesby Hall, Middlesbrough

With beautiful blue skies and Ormesby Hall as a background, this central flower bed made a great position for a few of the more formal group photos

Jumping for joy at Ormesby Hall

Couples today love having a mix of formal and more relaxed, fun photos, here the bride and the hens jump for joy, with Ormesby Hall as the backdrop.

Natural features at Ormesby Hall

Wedding photographers don't have to look far to find natural items at Ormesby Hall to use as backdrops, or as here as a frame.

Bride and Groom in front of Ormesby Hall, Middlesbrough

Before our Bride and Groom head off to their wedding reception, there was just enough time to capture them by the side of their wedding car in front of Ormesby Hall. 

Portrait Wedding Photographers would like to thank Erin and Mark for allowing us to publish a select few of their wedding photos. As always this wedding was full of smiles, fun and laughter, made to be that way by two very special people who were made to be together, forever.

If you would like to see more wedding photographs of weddings from across the UK, Italy, Cyprus, USA and the Caribbean, you can do so by visiting our wedding photography site:

www.portrait-wedding-photographers.co.uk

Chief photographer for this Ormesby Hall wedding was Duncan Malloch

Explanation of Camera Operating Modes for Wedding Photography

First of all this guide is not intended for professional photographers, who with years of experience will have their own preferred settings.

Many of the camera users I know, including those I spot at weddings taking pictures have their cameras permanently stuck in auto mode. I am not knocking auto mode because a lot of knowledge and electronic wizardry has gone into making this a “best fit” option for many photographers. I just wanted to let you know how you can use some of the other settings to perhaps take an even better picture.

TV – Shutter Priority. When you select this mode, you are telling the camera which speed to use, the electronics in the camera then work out the best aperture for a perfect exposure. So why is shutter speed important? If  you are taking pictures of motor cars racing, or your children running in the park, if you have a fast shutter speed you are more likely to stop the action perfectly. If you had a slow shutter speed then you would find that the cars were blurry and perhaps the arms and legs of your children.

“At a wedding” – I choose speeds faster than  1/60^th to ensure there is no blurring. However during the first dance I switch between speeds and I prefer slower than 1/10^th as this captures the movement in the brides dress as she is swept across the dance floor.

AV – Aperture Priority. When you select this camera mode, you are instructing the camera which aperture to select. Once again the cameras electronic circuits work out the best shutter speed for a perfect exposure. The most common use of aperture priority is to control the amount of background blur.

“At a wedding” – I choose a wide aperture f16 or above to ensure everyone in a group shot is in focus and so is the background. I would chose an aperture of f4 if I wanted to blur the background.

M - MANUAL . You set both the shutter speed and the aperture. There is no need to fear this setting. You use the light meter indications inside the camera viewfinder to either expose correctly, or under or over expose as necessary.

“At a wedding” – I would use manual mode sparingly. Preferring to use either TV or AV.

P – Program.  If you are a beginner and haven’t got time to work out the best settings for shutter speed and aperture, then please use this mode. The camera adjusts the settings for you automatically. Keep an eye on them though, as shutter speeds can drop down and cause motion blur at lower light levels.

“At a wedding” – If I wanted to get a lot of general shots in similar lighting conditions I would use Program. Why? Because sometimes getting “the shot” or “capturing the exact moment” is more important that twiddling knobs!

ISO – This is the one important factor, not controlled with the mode knob, but is heavily interlinked with its use. The higher the ISO number the more sensitive the camera senor is to light. So you would choose a higher ISO number when shooting inside a church, for instance. Be careful though, because the higher the ISO the grainier or noisier your pictures become. Try taking a series of pictures at different ISO settings. When things get too noisy, go back a setting and then try not to use the higher settings unless it is a must have shot.

Photography either as a professional or as an amateur should be fun. Get out there and experiment, using the different modes and see what effects this has on your pictures. There are still lots of camera clubs about and certainly lots of forums to help you on the internet. Take lots of photographs and do print the ones you like. Photographs look different in print, than on your computer screen.

Duncan Malloch has been a keen photographer since the age of 9. At 10 he was taking, developing and printing black and white photos in his own darkroom. In 1984 he shot his first wedding as a professional. Since then he has won awards from the master photographers association and taught photography at a local college.

Portrait WeddingPhotographers  his wedding photography company can be found on Google

Jersey Farm Wedding

Jersey Farm Hotel Wedding

In July of 2012 Portrait wedding Photographers were commissioned to capture the wedding of Glen and Gemma at the Jersey Farm Hotel, near Barnard Castle in County Durham. This wedding was perfect, for us as photographers in so many ways.

Firstly Gemma and Glenn appreciated the real value of our photography and had but a lot of thought into how their wedding would look. To increase efficiency and to get even more wonderful photographs they also decided on a two photographer package, together with one main Graphistudio album and two, smaller parents albums. Having worked frequently at the Jersey Farm we knew that getting those wonderful images for this deserving couple would be relatively easy given its excellent location.

The 28th July soon came around and the day started with Bridal Prep, at the couple home in Hartlepool. While David attended to the Bride, Duncan was busy with the Groom and the guests at the Hotel.

Needless to say the day went perfectly, our photographers mingled with the guests and got the wonderful wedding photos Gemma and Glenn wanted. If you are new to wedding photography, you might think this is the end of the story. But no, this, from a wedding photographers point of view is just the start.

THAT VERY EVENING

With memory cards in hand, Duncan's first action on arriving home was to begin downloading all the images taken that day. Only when they had been safely transferred to computer and backed up to an external hard drive could any editing begin.

THE NEXT DAY

Editing begins. We are amazed at how many photographers, so called professionals, leave the editing for months! First of all the images are graded and then separated out. Next the 5 star rated images are individually sized (cropped), the exposure, colour balance, sharpness, contrast and saturation are all adjusted. Once each image has been adjusted to our high standards of quality, they are then saved again in a seperate folder. When every wedding photo has been edited and saved, they are then backed up again, this time to an external hard drive and to the cloud. Portrait Wedding Photographers offer a free online gallery to all our couples and to prepare the images for this they need to be resized again. Once this has been done they are uploaded to the client are and are ready for viewing. All this less than 24 hours after the wedding!

THE NEXT WEEK

A thank you letter together with instructions on what they need to do next is sent by first class post to the couple. Included in this letter is a DVD containing all their proof images in both full colour and black and white. It is worth noting that the DVD comes with a picture of the couple on the front and every image on the DVD is free of watermarking. So, if you wish you can upload to facebook, twitter or simply email to your friends and family.

GRAPHISTUDIO ALBUM DESIGN

Once the couple have picked the wedding images they want to go into the album our Graphic artists start to design their album. This process is the pinnacle of everyone's hard work so much time is spent refining the design in full consultation with the couple. Yes here at Portrait Wedding Photographers, all our couples have to OK the final design before it is sent off to Italy to be printed and bound. Depending upon the time of year this can take up to 6 weeks for the finished album to be returned to our head office in Darlington.

DELIVERY

Remember the date of this Jersey Farm wedding? 28th July wasn't it. How long do you think, considering it takes 6 weeks to produce the album, the couple had to wait for delivery? Well this couples album delivery - which is always done (where possible) by hand, was delayed slightly by their late honeymoon. So they actually took delivery on October 4th 2012. Less than 11 weeks after their wedding.

SUPERB SERVICE

This is the standard of service you will receive when booking your wedding with Portrait Wedding Photographers. An unbeatable, fast, efficient, friendly service by photographers and graphic artists that are at the top of their professions. The truly amazing fact is that this world class service is great value for money too. At the moment, wedding packages similar to this one here can be booked for as little as £795 or even less. But don't take our word for how good we are, see what Gemma and Glenn have to say:

Telephone: 01325 244 796

Mobile: 07795 681 507

Web: www.portrait-wedding-photographers.co.uk

Email: info@pwpuk.co.uk

Duncan and David are highly gifted, award winning wedding photographers available for weddings across the UK, Europe and other faraway destinations, call today to avoid missing out on the best around.

Wynyard Hall Weddings

New Website created to showcase weddings photographed
at Wynyard Hall

Arriving at Wynyard Hall

Today our website design friends at PWP Web Design in Darlington have published a new online gallery showcasing wedding photographs taken at Wynyard Hall.

Portrait Wedding Photographers were one of the first local companies to photograph weddings at the Hall when it opened up for wedding ceremonies. Since that time we have photographed in every corner - and every corner at Wynyard Hall is delightful!

The entrance to the Hall is through the equally impressive Wynyard housing development. Then past some playing fields and over the bridge, guarded by Lions! Then laid before you is the Hall, still set back along a sweeping gravel drive. The full height, majestic stone columns catch your eye immediately.

For couple thinking about getting married in a venue like this, there is usually compromise to be made. That compromise is that in order to have your whole day in a splendid venue like this, you have to make do with a civil wedding ceremony. Not so at Wynyard Hall. Just off to the right, and still attached to the main building is the Chapel. Ideal for couples who cherish a religious marriage ceremony.

Ornate Ceiling

Inside the decoration is second to none. And you can include in that as many palaces as you like. Sir John and his staff have turned Wynyard Hall into the most impressive wedding venue I have seen in the UK! The sculptures, the stained glass, everything is gorgeous.

Even if you are not getting married here, you simply must pop in, sample a cream tea and just take in the lasciviousness of the surroundings.

As you may be aware Portrait Wedding Photographers travel all over Europe and the World, such is the quality of their work. You can still achieve these high standards and because you are local, take advantage of some spectacular Wynyard Hall wedding packages.

For only £695 (at time of publication) you can have from Bridal prep to first dance, covered by not one, but two top notch, expert wedding photographers! Add to that a guarantee of at least 400 images and a high resolution, printable DVD and you are on to a winner.

WARNING: These wedding photography packages are quickly becoming over subscribed. We only carry out one wedding per day and currently taking bookings two years in advance. Having said that some dates, including Saturdays are still available so it is worthwhile giving us a call. Local number 01642 699 018

Bride at Wynyard Hall

Your local Wynyard Hall wedding photographers are Duncan and David. Both have over a thousand weddings under their belts and have won many competitions and awards

Duncan: 07795 681 507   Email: duncan@pwpuk.co.uk

David: 07980 412 752   Email: david@pwpuk.co.uk

Click here to go to: Wynyard Hall Weddings

Gisborough Hall - July 2012

Gisborough Hall July, 2012

Details of Photography Provided at Gisborough Hall:

2 Photographers, 9 Hours coverage, over 1000 images taken using Canon 5D and 5D Mk2 both with Canon L Series Lenses and dedicated Canon Flash guns.

Gisborough Hall Wedding of Stacey and Kevin:

Gisborough Hall Panorama

The dresses are here. The Brides gown supplied by Tara of Exclusively Yours in Wingate

Bridal Gown and Bridesmaid dresses

There is also a stunning arrangement of flowers too!

A Florist in Billingham supplied the wedding bouquets

And the bestman even remembered the rings

Bestman guards the wedding rings

Proud Dad with his beautiful daughter

Father and Bride at Gisborough Hall

The nervous walk, down the aisle at Guisborough Hall

The ceremony was held inside Gisborough Hall

Its' nice to know that at the end of that long walk, there is someone there to
hold your hand

Holding Hands before getting married

After the ceremony there's enough time to capture some beautiful shots of the couple in the lovely grounds that surround Gisborough Hall

Wonder how many couple have posed under this tree?

Because the tree is quite shady, we have to use a little flash to capture all the details.

Guisborough Hall Bride and Groom

Our bride smiles, naturally, and that is the trick to capturing people as they really are.

Radiant Bride

The beautiful red bouquet was placed in the foreground, while we focused on the couple.

Red floral bouquet

One of our signature shots. A favorite of ours because it captures the rings, the bouquet and the

detailing on the brides gown.

The ring shot at Gisborough Hall

No wedding would be complete without the cake

A happy cake cutting

Now it is time to really let your hair down, and time for some Dad dancing

First dance

The very last photograph we took at Gisborough Hall

Nice to end the day with a kiss too

Kiss by the fountain at Guisborough Hall

Duncan and David the photographers at this wedding day at Gisborough Hall would like to thank Stacey and Kevin, their families and guests for a truly wonderful day. We wish you good luck for a long a healthy marriage.

Portrait Wedding Photographers are locally based, but often travel throughout the UK, Europe and USA on wedding assignments. We welcome any requests for any information regarding wedding packages or prices, which are also available on the website: www.portrait-wedding-photographers.co.uk

Wynyard Hall Wedding of Amy and Craig

Wynyard Hall Wedding of Amy and Craig
There have been so many great weddings that we have photographed over the years and Amy's stands out as being a really nice one. Maybe it was the friendliness of the guests or the good weather. Whichever it was, this Wynyard Hall wedding was delightful.

Drive leading to Wynyard Hall

Grooms party next to Rolls Royce at Wynyard Hall

Told you it was a Rolls Royce

Old Rolls Royce, Young Beautiful Bride

Proud Dad walks bride down the aisle

Who says wedding shad to be all serious?

A toast to each other

Wynyard Hall Bridesmaids

Natural smile

Confident and happy groom

Cutting the wedding cake at Wynyard Hall

Duncan Malloch has been a master photographer since 2005 and a professional wedding photographer since 1984. Well known around the Tees Valley area, his company, Portrait Wedding Photographers are regulars at Wynyard Hall. Often asked which wedding venue to recommend Duncan will list Wynyard Hall in his all time top 2!

Because he loves Wynyard Hall so much, he has announced a special deal for couple getting married here:

2 top quality wedding photographers to capture the action from every angle. Full wedding day coverage including bridal preparations. All this with a guarantee of a minimum of 400 images for the heavily discounted price of just £695. Yes £695 is surely the best wedding photography price you will see for this amount of quality and expertise.

Call Duncan now to check availability and to book your fantastic wedding package 07795 681507

Wynyard Hall Natalie & Phil

Another Beautiful Wynyard Hall Wedding
With its magnificent Hall and surrounding countryside beautiful wedding photographs are expected at Wynyard Hall near Billingham in the Tees Valley. Portrait Wedding Photographers have been taking photographs at this beautiful wedding venue for years now and know all of its secrets.


Duncan Malloch has been a professional wedding photographer since 1984 and was awarded the status of master photographer at his first attempt in 2005. Since then, Portrait Wedding Photographers reputation has grown and Duncan along with award winning photographer David Howard undertakes assignments across the UK, Europe and USA. Even more surprising then, is this unbelievable Wynyard Hall wedding photography offer:


A wedding photography package consisting of two award winning photographers, full wedding coverage and a guaranteed minimum 400 images, with free previews online within 7 working days. All this for a budget friendly wedding photography price of just £695!
That's right just £695 for everything! When I asked why such a give away price Duncan said it was simply because they believe Wynyard Hall to be one of the best wedding venues in the UK and it was always a pleasure to capture couple happy days here at the Hall. To take advantage of this amazing offer call 07795 681507 or email info@pwpuk.co.uk to check availability and book before it is too late.

Natalie is getting ready

The guests are here

The boys make their way to Wynyard Halls Chapel

The Beautiful Bride arrives by VW Camper

The deal is set as wedding rings are exchanged

Here come the confetti

The boys are happy!

A whispered secret

Bride by the lake at Wynyard Hall