We are almost fully booked for 2011 and 2012 bookings are rolling in! Which is a great feeling for all involved at Celynnen Photography because we know and appreciate all the different things you have to take in consideration and how many pictures and albums you have probably had to look through before you make that final decision. Because after all, the relationship you have with your photographer is the most important of all your wedding suppliers! You are not only hiring a service provider, but, to an extent, you are “hiring a guest” who will be there at every moment of the day! So you need to make sure you feel comfortable with them as much as with their style of photography!
But here are a few tips we hope will help..

Qualified or Accredited Professional Photographers.
One way to choose a photographer is to look on the website of different governing bodies and photographer associations. There is of course the SWPP which we are members of and we are of course very proud to be members of the Digital Wedding Forum and Qualified members of the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP). Though some rightly argue that there are a lot of great photographers which are not qualified or associated with any such body, one of the advantages of choosing a qualified photographer is the comfort in knowing that they have to adhere to a code of conduct, had to have their work assessed by a board of professional photographers and that some of these associations offer consumers a mediation service, in case you are not satisfied with the quality of the photography.

Click here to search for your wedding photographer on the BIPP’s directory or the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) Directory)

Photographers recommended by Venues
Another good way to find a wedding photographer is to ask your venue who they recommend as venues only recommend photographers which they have seen at work at their venue and know will provide you with a standard of service that they are comfortable with. We are grateful for being the official photographer for the Chester Grosvenor Hotel and Spa as well as being recommended by the Grosvenor Pulford Hotel and Spa, Holt Lodge, Seiont Manor, Bron Eifion and have a privileged relationship with Portmeirion, just to name a few. Though again, even if a photographer has not worked at a venue before, don’t discard them just yet! Like every good professional photographer, Celynnen Photography will always make a pre-wedding visit to your venue which will ensure you have the best possible images of your very special day!

Word of Mouth and Testimonials
Did your friends get married recently or even in the last year or 2? Ask them who they hired and ask how they felt about the whole experience! Not only the images, but did they do a hard sell? Did they reply to queries in a timely fashion? Expect the same level of service from a professional photographer as from any other professional you would hire! If you are the first in your circle of friends to get married (congratulations!), looking at a testimonial page on the photographers website, such as this one, is always of great help and insight!

Talking about word of mouth recommendation I have a few for you myself! I’ve just come back from the Digital Wedding Forum’s convention in San Antonio in order to get some training from some of the world’s best wedding photographers and I’ve met a few very special people which I believe will give you the quality and service your big day deserves!

Celynnen Photography have started to make a name for themselves in Northern Ireland for wedding and portrait photography, but if you are getting married in Ireland, why not give my good friend Liam Kidney a call! His great personality, skill and dedication to his wedding clients have made him a favourite on the green isles!

We also have good friends on the other side of the pond! Hollie and Brian Hull from Hull Portraits are portrait and wedding photographers based in Mississippi! Their skill and friendliness will put you and your family at ease, making sure you get beautiful pictures you will treasure.

Finally, Los Angeles based Dina Douglass has developed a world-wide base of clients thanks to her skill and passion for her art and is a renowned Indian Wedding photography specialist .

Hope this helps and hope you have a wonderful wedding with images that surpass even your wildest expectations!

Hello!

Sorry for the delay! Yours truly is also studying with the Open University which is why I’ve been a bit off the blog..

Besides studying, I’ve been pretty busy! I have a few very exciting boudoir shoots and news coming up very soon! First, we are associating ourselves with some of the nicest hotels in Chester and the area in order to offer the most comfortable and luxurious setting to make one of our most fabulous photographic experiences..even better! All our boudoir session include free hair and makeup as well as…a 20% discount for lingerie! More on that later..

Wedding season is coming soon as well and we have quite a few pre-wedding (or engagement sessions) booked! These shoots are not only great fun, but a great way to get to know each other…and get a few extra tips for the big day!

And, to celebrate our recent gold award in Contemporary wedding photography, we are still offering these session for free!

Our most recent bookings are getting married in some of Cheshire and North Wales best venues, including the Grosvenor Hotel and Spa in Chester, Nunsmere Hall in Oakmere, Cheshire, Portmeirion hotel, and Meifid Country Hotel in Caernafon!

I’ve also been busy doing some family portraits in Ellesmere, Shropshire and in Chester. The weather being so beautiful, it was great to get out and about taking pictures of beautiful families!

All those to come online soon! Until then, have a look at the latest shoot I did with House of Cain, a fantastic band based in Northwich, Cheshire that play a great variety of rock, blues and pop.

Hope to hear from you soon!
PS: Don’t forget to join our Facebook Group for special discounts!

Hopefully, if you are reading this, you probably have an interest in working with us. And that’s GREAT!

But if you’re unsure or just happened to stumble upon us, here is an article I’ve written recently to help brides choose a wedding photographer.

Hope it helps!

Ioan

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Choosing a wedding photographer can be a daunting task for any bride. Simply type “North wales wedding photographer” or Cheshire wedding photographer” and literally over a hundred thousand website addresses (with hopefully Celynnen Photography not being too far from the top) will appear. The choice can be made rather simpler if you stick to a few criteria. Our contemporary wedding photography has allowed us to win some accolades, and you will find quite a few award-winning photographers out there, but the first thing to ask yourself is: do I like the style of photography that this photographer is displaying online. If you don’t, no matter how many times they have been awarded gold for a picture or wedding album, simply move on.

Second tip: give them a call! I get often emails simply asking for a price. It’s not to say that price and photography style are not important, but you need to remember that you are effectively hiring someone with who you will share one of the most important and intimate days of your life. So getting a feel for the personality of your photographer is important and making sure that you get along and understand each other well is absolutely crucial.

Third: Ask to see the most recent wedding pictures. Some of us can shoot anywhere between 30 and 50 weddings a year (and some even more..). But I like to say that you’re only as good as your last wedding. As proud photographers, we like to collate our very best shots in an album to sway you. But, if all you see is less than 5% of the pictures shot by that photographer, is that showcase album really representative?

Finally, go with a photographer that is part of an association. There are quite a few out there. SWPP, BIPP, MPA. The difference between them is not really important, but what is, is that membership to one of those by your chosen photographer offers you some amount of insurances as a consumer, such as impartial mediation in case of dispute between you and your chosen professional.

That’s it for me! Hope you all have a wonderful 2009 and a very, very happy wedding day!

Ioan Said from Celynnen Photography is a SWPP member and recipient of a Gold Award in December 2008 for his contemporary wedding photography.

This month was a good month for us as we have won not 1, not 2, but 7 different prizes in the monthly competition held by the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP-BPPA)!

The categories we won prizes were:

Children
Digital Art
Family Portraiture and Groups
Fashion and Beauty
Pets
Contemporary Portraiture
Science and Nature

To celebrate we will offer a 25% discount on all bookings done this month!

Last weekend, Nickie and I went to the SWPP & BPPA convention in London.

Not only did we have a great time meeting fellow photographers, but we got to meet great people like Michael Ayers, Doug Box, Bjorn Thomassen and Marilyn Sholin who were all kind enough to share their knowledge with us.

It was also the first time that we got to meet our good friends at Phosys and other suppliers that will allow us to give more quality products to our clients.

I’m also in the final negotiations that would land me a contract to be event photographer for a charity race as well as possibly doing some work on behalf of the tourism industry in another European country… but until the deal is sealed, my lips will be!

And of course, this Saturday, I’m lucky enough to shoot Lara Christina. A wonderful model that can be seen amongst other places on Net-Model

It’s been a month already since Christmas has passed and it’s time for us to prepare ourselves for the next rush, taking portraits of beautiful babies, weddings and the prom season!

If you or a friend need any kind of photography, whether it’s for a commerce such as hotel, B&B or Restaurant or again some family portraits, baby portraits, weddings or boudoir photography, just let us know and make sure to let us know you found us on Myspace and you’ll get a 10% discount!

Visit us on http://www.celynnenphotography.co.uk