The kindness of {virtual} strangers.

I’ve been so lucky over the last 4 years to have become friends with some amazing women. Women that have followed my journey from engagement to marriage to motherhood and all the traumas that these life-altering events take. I’ve laughed with them often, and cried with them at times as well. I’ve experienced, through their stories, things that I hope never to experience first-hand. As a community, we’ve offered support to women who’ve lost pregnancies, full-term babies, husbands and other loved ones. We’ve pulled together to support friends who’ve had awful diagnoses of PND and cancer (amongst others). These women were, at times, my lifeline.

I’ve not even met most of them. They’re all people that I met online, through a pregnancy and child raising web forum. And yet, I’d drop everything to help any one of them if they needed me – and I know that they feel the same.

The world has become a smaller place, thanks to the wonder of the internet.

My life is changing right now – I’m beginning to relax into motherhood far more and, as a result, I’ve been broadening my outlook, focusing on me again, my hopes and dreams. It was out of this re-focus that eliza claire photography was born.

I’m continuing to get support and encouragement from these friends, and I’m discovering even more ‘virtual’ friends through flickr . I had a bit of a crisis of confidence earlier, and posted on one of the flickr groups I frequent. I was truly touched by the kind, insightful, and helpful advice I got from my fellow photographers.

I also want to publicly thank Stacy Reeves for her blog post from yesterday – she’s produced an amazing price guide for wedding photographers which is going to help me in my pursuit of a successful business. Stacy is so kind and generous, giving her advice and time freely to help her fellow photographers. And an amazing photographer to boot. Doesn’t she sound just too perfect?? Thanks, Stacy x.

To all my virtual friends, here’s a great big virtual snog xxxxx

Greenwich’s Old Royal Naval College – Great venue for a wedding.

I met a very good friend of mine for lunch today in Greenwich. We both have children the same age, and met online when we were expecting our first ones. She’s been fighting breast cancer for the last 9 months, and has been fighting with so much dignity and grace that her story reminds me every day to be grateful for everything that’s good in my life. Her story is here.

We share a love of photography, and both brought our cameras along today. This is my favourite shot of the day, the only thing missing is the bride and groom! Greenwich’s Old Royal Naval College is available for weddings, and would make an amazing backdrop. Information about the venue.

What questions should you ask your wedding photographer?

Booking a photographer to record your most important day is a big challenge – you want to get someone that you can trust, someone that understands how you imagine your day flowing, someone whose ideas gel with yours.

You also need to ensure that you’re dealing with a professional, someone who is reliable and trustworthy.

So, when you meet someone for the first time, you’re interviewing them to see if they’re a good fit. No photographer should mind being asked questions, and no photographer should ever mind if you decide that they’re not the right fit for you.

Here are a few questions that you could bear in mind:

• Will s/he be doing the photography on the day?
• Does s/he have an assistant?
• What cover is in place in the event of illness/accident preventing him/her from covering your wedding?
• Does s/he have insurance?
• If you’re getting a CD of images, what resolution? What print size will you be able to go to?
• If you’re not getting print rights to the images, how much does s/he charge for extra prints?
• What album(s) does s/he use? Can you see examples?
• Look at a whole wedding if possible, not just a select few images from each.
• Does s/he back up your images? Offsite backup?
• How long will it be before you get your proofs? Images? Album?
• Travel fees – make sure you dont get stung, either pick a photographer who includes all travel in the price or agree a price upfront.
• Ask to see examples of their previous work
• Ask if you can see references from previous weddings.
• Price – your photography – good photography – should last a lifetime, which is why you should consider your photographer very carefully, because even bad photos will last a lifetime, but who wants to show them to your children and grandchildren? You can pay anything from £99 on ebay for a photographer to more than £5000 – the rule here is – if you pay peanuts, you will get monkeys.

I hope this helps. Remember, shop around – find someone that you are completely happy with, someone you trust with the huge responsibility – and honour – of recording your special day. I’ve felt a connection with every one of my brides, and I think this really comes across in my work.