“Wedding Photographers Near Me”
Did you know that “wedding photographers near me” is a top Google search term?
Yet many or most wedding photographers will offer to cover weddings all over their country – or even their continent. Indeed half my enquiries are from couples marrying more than 50 miles away from my studio. So why are couples looking further afield for their photographer? Often they’re looking for a particular style, or shopping for the best price, or just have a global/travel mindset.
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Quality of service
The key to my approach to wedding photography is to offer a high-quality experience and service to my couples. Something that can seriously hamper this is not knowing the local area, or travelling several hours on the morning of a wedding. The chances of getting lost or getting stuck in traffic increase the further the travel distance required. With a local wedding photographer, you can rule out these two problems.
When choosing your wedding photographer the paramount factor is of course how you feel when you view their photos. When you look at the photos you should feel a connection, and be able to visualise yourself in those photos. This should always be the most important influence on your choice.
But coming a close second should be the level of service they offer – including their reliability, organisation and punctuality. If a photographer is travelling a long way to a wedding, couples should ask what steps they are taking to ensure they will be punctual and prepared.
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Traffic problems
You might be shocked by the number of wedding photographers who do not allow for (predictable) traffic delays on a wedding morning. I’m a member of a number of photographer-only Facebook groups. Don’t get me wrong, it’s right to use these contacts and of course emergencies do happen. But it occurred to me recently how often traffic delays seem to come up, and how this could be avoided by booking a wedding photographer near your venue.
For this reason the venues I partner with are all a 30-minute drive from me, or less. I will be there with bags of time to spare. I always aim to arrive at least an hour before the agreed time, and because I live so close I know I can achieve this.
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When you type wedding photographers near me or the name of your venue into Google, I recommend using the Google Map it loads up. Take a look through the local photographers’ websites, linked in blue on the right of each listing. Enlarge the map box and zoom into the map to see more photographers in the area.
Peace of mind
If you simply cannot find the right photographer near your venue, check you’re happy with their plans for being fresh enough to shoot your wedding. I don’t like to drive more than one hour on a wedding morning – and 1.5 hours is my maximum. It’s not rocket science to expect busy traffic on UK roads. It may sound alarming but some photographers are counting on your wedding prep time as a buffer! I’ll be leaving at the crack of dawn to allow more than double the travel time to take in any delays. Your wedding prep is a key part of your day and should not be sacrificed.
For UK weddings beyond that 1.5 hour drive I will be treating them like destination weddings. That means I will be booking into a B&B the night before (and probably the night after too for a safe drive home). Bear this in mind, and consider that an extra ÂŁ100 or so is not much to add to the package price. It buys you peace of mind, knowing that your photographer will be well-rested and on-time.
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Beautiful Wedding Venues just 30 minutes away from me
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Searching “wedding photographers near me” is popular for good reasons. I welcome all types of enquiries for weddings local to me. Are you planning a wedding at one of the venues listed, or a garden wedding in Somerset? I would love to hear about your plans. You can also get my guide to planning your own fine art wedding sent to you completely free – when you request your no-obligation, personalised quote.
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