WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER PRICES & ADVICE

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY PRICES NORTHERN IRELAND

Wedding Photography Packages Northern Ireland

I’m guessing you’ve arrived on this page because you are researching a Northern Ireland wedding photographer for your wedding.

Congratulations on your engagement. It’s an exciting time in your life but now comes a little hard work, choosing your wedding suppliers.

On behalf of the wedding photography industry in Northern Ireland, I apologise for the potential torture you are probably going through. Hopefully that torture has come to an end, now that you have landed here. Hopefully at worst, you’ll get a little advice which will help you choose your a wedding photographer in Northern Ireland.

Why is it so difficult to choose a wedding photographer in Northern Ireland?

Your wedding day is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the photos are a lasting memento of that day. For couples, the pressure to get it right can make the decision-making process more stressful than it needs to be.

When researching your photographer, you’re forced to play the comparison game. It should be easy, but truthfully, most bend the truth and say they are the brilliant photographer you have been searching for but it’s more like comparing a brand new luxury car with a beat up car from the eighties although both look great on the surface.

It should be easy to tell the good photographer from the bad but it’s not and that’s why you have to do your research and why I’ve written this piece.

How to choose my Northern Ireland wedding photographer?

The following list is in order of priority. You’ll notice, pricing is not at the top and in my opinion should not be your number one priority.

How important is a wedding photographer’s experience & premises?

How long have you been a wedding photographer and are you full time? Do you work from your bedroom or do you have professional premises? I think this is important, nothing beats experience. It has helped me on many occasions down the years.

Have you worked in my wedding venue before? Are you familiar with the surrounding area? Northern Ireland is a bag place and I’ve heard stories of suppliers getting lost on the day of the wedding.

Personally speaking, I have been a full time wedding photographer and have been shooting weddings since 2010. Hopefully by this stage I know what I’m doing. An inexperienced wedding photographer might not. I also have worked and continue to work from brilliant premises since I began.

I also know my way around this lovely country and if I’ve never worked at your wedding venue or area, you can be sure I’ll do my homework prior to your wedding. This wedding photographer won’t be getting lost on your wedding day.

Why is a wedding photographer’s reputation and trust important?

It's crucial to choose a Northern Ireland wedding photographer with a solid reputation, positive reviews, and a portfolio that demonstrates their skill.

Please don’t be fooled and do your homework when choosing your wedding photographer. A good way to find this out is by checking online reviews.

Make sure these are personalised and not generic and are from real accounts. Friends and family writing reviews doesn’t count but does increase the number of reviews.

If you are unsure, it’s good to get an opinion from someone you trust.

Wedding Photographer Northern Ireland Prices

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER NI

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY NI

Why is a wedding photographer’s personality so important?

You’ll be spending a lot of your time with your wedding photographer. If they don’t have a personality, things might not work out.

If you don’t click, it’s going to be a long day for you. That’s not what you dream about when you are planning your wedding.

Make sure that you get on really well with the wedding photographer you choose. He or she should be able to make you feel at ease and comfortable.

They should also be able to make you laugh when the time comes. This can be difficult so meeting your potential photographer should be a priority.

This wedding photographer will no doubt be falling over himself to make you feel comfortable on your wedding day.

Is a portfolio for a style of photography important?

The Northern Ireland wedding industry is saturated with photographers of all skills, shapes and sizes.

Some are amazing, lots are good and some aren’t. This makes it difficult for you. If all the wedding photographers in Northern Ireland were of a high standard, I wouldn’t have to give out any advice.

There are lots of photography styles, from traditional to reportage to modern. Each couple has their own ideas for their own wedding day. Choose the photographer who shares the same vision as yourself.

Personally speaking, this is the first question I ask when I speak to potential couples. A photographer saying that they can do what you want is not the same as showing you a portfolio of what you want.

Affordable Wedding Photographers Northern Ireland

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER NI

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY NI

Are the portfolio images real and do they belong to the photographer?

This seems like a ridiculous question to ask but I have seen it all.

This practice involves some truly awful photographers (and people) stealing images from great photographers and showcasing them as their own. I know of a local photographer who stole images from various brilliant Dublin wedding photographers and in their hurry and frenzy of stealing, they forgot to remove a logo from the corner of one of the images.

I came across this person at a wedding show and knew that the work on display was not theirs as it was all completely different styles. I knew right away, I feel sorry for the poor couples who chose this person for their wedding day.

I’m sure they got an awful surprise when they got their wedding photographs. Unfortunately by that stage, it was too late.

For me, all of my photos are from real weddings taken on the wedding day. You’ll not find any staged shoots or models dressed in wedding dresses here. This is another minefield with photographers trying to build a portfolio on workshops and letting on that they are from weddings. Unless you know that it was a staged shoot, it’s not obvious that it’s not a real wedding.

Ask to see a full real wedding.

My niece could take at least one half decent photo if she spent the day at a wedding so an average wedding photographer could theoretically create a decent portfolio if they did enough weddings.

Again, with so many beginning photographers building portfolios on workshops, choosing the right photographer is so difficult.

Please don’t be fooled by seeing just the portfolio.

Ask to see full weddings or even better, choose a wedding photographer that boasts blogs of real weddings with lots of images.

My recent weddings on my blog had around three hundred images each and give a good idea of what you can expect for your own wedding.

Best Wedding Photographers Northern Ireland

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER NI

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY NI

Should I be thinking about a wedding album?

I get it, it’s 2023 and a wedding album might not be high on your list of priorities.

Digital photos can be used as slideshows on huge televisions but nothing beats looking at your wedding photography in an amazing wedding album.

This might sound obvious but not all wedding albums are the same. I usually compare them to cars. Do you want a Mercedes or a SsangYong?

Some wedding albums are cheap and will fall apart whereas the best are made to last and will be adored by you and your generations for years to come.

I supply albums from the finest wedding album manufacturer in the world and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Do you see clear pricing?

Everyone likes transparency and absolutely nobody likes to be shaken down for an extra few quid.

The wedding photographer you choose should be upfront with pricing and all potential future costs.

From my own experience, I go through everything at the time of booking with my couples when I agree the cost with them.

My cost will never change unless something gets added to the collection. I will never move the goal posts.

Wedding Photographer Cost Northern Ireland

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER NI

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY NI

What about budget?

Think of your wedding photography as a restaurant. Do you want McDonalds or do you want Michelin five star?

Amazing wedding photography is expensive and rightly so but I do understand couples must balance their budget with their desire for high quality wedding photography. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should just settle for average or worse, at a low cost that sounds better.

Personally speaking, I offer smaller wedding collections with less coverage to keep the cost down whilst ensuring that the couple get excellent wedding photography without breaking the bank. Some couples are adamant that they get full coverage right up to the dancing and settle for a cheap wedding photographer. What would you rather have? Amazing wedding photography of all the important parts of the day or below average wedding photography of the entire day.

Wedding Photography Packages Northern Ireland

At the end of the day, if you choose your wedding photographer based on the points raised above, you’re sure to have brilliant photos to cherish from your wedding day. You’ll notice that cost came last on my list of priorities when choosing your wedding photographer. My prices are available here. If you choose me, great I can’t wait to chat with you. If you are going in a different direction, I hope you have an amazing day and thanks for looking at my work.

Below, you'll find my specially crafted wedding photography collections, each thoughtfully named after your favourite coffee sizes. I considered naming them after Taylor Swift songs, but let's be honest, who doesn't love coffee?

If you're seeking a wedding photography experience that's as unique as your love story, (Sorry, couldn’t resist a Taylor Swift pun!) get in touch via WhatsApp to check your date.

When necessary, I specialise in crafting tailor-made photography collections exclusively for you, ensuring every moment of your wedding day that you want to cherish is beautifully preserved.

Upgrades from the previous collection are highlighted in bold.

Prices correct as of November 2023.

How to book your wedding photography?

The next step is to get in touch to see if your date is available.

The quickest way is to text your date to Shea on WhatsApp.

Once Shea confirms if he is available, you are good to pay your booking fee of £250 (which will be deducted from your chosen collection) and reserve your date. Just select any of the buttons above for the collection that you’d like.

Once your date is reserved, Shea will be in touch with your order confirmation.