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News
& Blog 
If anybody wishes to Contact Us with any topic that would be of interest or take issue with anything here we will be happy to publish it.
2010
We wish all clients and visitors to this site a very Happy, Peaceful & Prosperous New Year.Peter Jones 28/12/09.
The Wedding of Vicky & Lee
You would have to have been in hibernation not to have noticed the appalling weather we have been enduring lately; perhaps hibernation isn't such a bad idea?Vicky and Lee were married on the 19th December 2009 in the circumstances of a truly white wedding in all senses of the term; it is testament to the friendship and loyalty of their friends and family that they all turned out despite the appalling travelling conditions; unsurprisingly Vicky and Lee were great clients and their friends and family were lovely people and great supporters of the newly weds.
Any ideas I had like the bride running through the snow they went for! Lovely venues were St Alban Church in North Harrow and the Tudor Barn in Burnham, Bucks.
The snow presented new challenges and opportunities for Pretty Pictures; the light provided by the snow acting as a huge reflector was absolutely stunning.
Many thanks to Vicky and Lee for booking us and wish you both all the very best for Christmas, 2010 and your future together.
Peter Jones 23/12/09.
Wedding Insurance
When couples book their wedding photography via Pretty Pictures they can be assuredly safe that their funds are safe; Pretty Pictures is run as a well funded business and we are beholden to nobody except our clients.We accept payment by most credit cards therefore any amount over £100 is protected by the credit card companies; however we are aware that many clients for good reasons of their own prefer to pay by cheque or cash.
We have negotiated with a top wedding insurance company to be able to offer insurance plans to couples who are worried about their wedding plans and in particular money paid to wedding suppliers as deposits or payments in advance
We will be able to offer these plans to Pretty Pictures clients at a preferential rate; more details will be given to couples who come and see us.
Peter Jones revised 19/02/09.
A plea to Toastmasters
Toastmasters do an incredibly useful job at weddings; generally coordinating matters and ensuring a smooth flow of events at weddings.May I make one request? Please do not stand directly behind or adjacent to the speaker at wedding day speeches; sometimes it can be impossible to angle oneself so that you do not appear in all the photographs with the speaker.
Many sincere thanks to all those Toastmasters who have been a personal help to me especially in rounding up guests for group pictures.
More .... the best toastmasters are really helpful in making a wedding flow; one of the best was at Claire & Rob's wedding at the Ponsbourne Park Hotel in Hertfordshire on the 17th January 2009; Des works mostly at the Ponsbourne Park Hotel however if you would like him for your wedding please Contact Us; he made the wedding flow like a dream.
Peter Jones revised 19/01/09.
Personal Work
Many people particularly potential clients ask me what I do when I am not taking photographs of weddings; answer is that I take photographs of other subjects as well.I have many images online at the Alamy photo library here; just click on Images by Peter Jones on the Alamy page.
Please feel free to Contact Me about any of the images or if indeed you would like to buy any.
Peter Jones revised 18/08/08.
How safe are our Wedding Images?
This question is asked a lot by potential clients; we can honestly say very very safe indeed; we use cameras that write images simultaneously to two cards i.e. the camera automatically backs up every image immediately; as soon as we return home after a wedding the files are uploaded to a laptop not a PC as the laptop will continue to run even if there is a sudden power cut thus not corrupting your images; once the wedding is uploaded then two DVDs are written and stored in separate locations one being off site; we store the files indefinitely as we often have clients come back to us years after a wedding for reprints; Pretty Pictures will do absolutely everything possible to ensure your wedding images are safe.Peter Jones 09/01/08.
Getting Ready for the Ceremony.
At your leaving venue naturally everyone wants to get involved however it is my experience that here less is most definitely more i.e. the less people you have at the house the faster proceedings flow. I do not advocate the decision of one bride to clear everyone out of the house except her chief bridesmaid and herself but certainly try to avoid the scenario once that I came across where there were about 45 people in a tiny house.The family pet will also pick up on your vibes during the wedding preparation and get overexcited, budgerigars, canaries, fish and hamsters rarely give cause for concern; cats will have the good sense to make themselves scarce however an overemotional dog is a different matter; you will have enough to do to contend with your own and the emotions of others so I suggest delegating a non participating friend or neighbour to take your dog for an extremely long walk.
From a photographer's point of view the getting ready part of the day gives us massive opportunities for pictures especially the unguarded candid moments known in the industry as "reportage". Of course some clients don't want these pictures and prefer to have the more formal shots with the Bride, Bridesmaid and family freshly dressed and ready to go. These pictures will not hold up proceedings for long.
When the proofs are presented the Groom is always pleased to see these pictures as it is a part of the day in which he has no experience whatsoever.
Peter Jones revised 04/11/07
The things that happen to a Wedding Photographer.
A wedding photographer has to take things in his or her own stride and be prepared for any eventuality that may happen; nothing must prevent him or her carrying on with the job at hand and most of all be on excellent terms with the clients, their families and guests.Peter Jones 24/09/07
Image by Graham Rudge.
Rain
We have all noticed that good weather has been a scarce commodity in the Summer of 2007 and also so far in 2008, rather like a good old fashioned British Summer, the kind we used to have before we were all aware of global warming.Poor weather is no excuse for poor wedding photography although you the clients would wish for sunny weather bad weather is easier in some ways for us photographers to contend with. In fact rainy weather sets us new challenges to contend with; we at Pretty Pictures always have a "Plan B" to fall back on; where clients would like formal group images churches almost always have a lovely altar background also almost all reception venues have a very attractive interior.
When booking your venue keep the prospect of inclement weather at the back of your mind just in case ....
Peter Jones revised 18/08/08
Testimonials
A few potential clients ask us for references from former clients and we are happy to arrange this; however here are a few testimonials; to preserve the client's anonymity names have been blanked." Dear Peter, Happy New Year! We just wanted to thank you for our lovely album. The pictures are delightful and you have certainly captured the moment! Have a good year, kind regards, xxxxxxx.
"Dear Peter, We have just received the photos of xxxxxxxx’s wedding and we wanted to thank you very much – the photos are lovely and brought back lots of happy memories. Thank you xxx and xxxxxx xxxxx"
"Dear Peter, We are just back from our honeymoon and I wanted to let you know how pleased we are with the photos you took on our wedding day. I visited the internet cafe several times while we were away to look at them! I especially like the pictures you took of xxxxx & I in the field up the back of the hotel. They are superb. Also, thank you so much for your support and calming influence of the day. You kept me calm at the house before we left for the hotel, especially keeping me on track with the time! A big thank you for that. We are so pleased with so many of the photos that we are thinking of having more than the planned 24 in the album and upping our package.Would this be OK? We would also still like the CD with all the pictures on it. I'll wait to hear back from you as to what we should do now. Many thanks xxx xxxxxxxx"
Peter Jones revised 02/01/07
More questions to ask your wedding photographer ...
To be up to the latest trends, do you travel and meet other top wedding photographers worldwide, to discuss and share information, work together with international models, in order to develop and learn exclusive styles and techniques. Do you do this a couple of times every year?Have you made a deep study of all the equipment on the market and invested in cutting edge cameras, lenses and computers? Have you bought the finest of it's kind to create superlative pictures and in order that everything is totally reliable? Have you then purchased back up gear?
Do you know exactly what a fine print looks like with no obvious colour cast, sharp with plenty of detail? Are you expert in composition and be able to pose your clients so that they look their best in your pictures? Are you able to do this with upwards of at least 100 people and sometimes considerably more? To be sure of the best printing quality have you chosen a professional photographic laboratory which will give the finest prints consistently?
Have you absorbed up 25 years of wedding photography experience combined with 15 years of Digital Imaging practice and consultancy to make sure your equipment is used correctly (there are some tricky operations), minimising interference on your concentration for creativity? Are you working towards and have you gained some professional qualifications within the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers, the Royal Photographic Society, the Master Photographer's Association and the British Institute of Professional Photographers?
Of course you will have insurance i.e, Professional Indemnity and Liability insurance and no doubt you will be aware that some venues will not allow you on their premises without Public Liability insurance?
Finally, in the unlikely event that the weather is not as good as you hoped, have you anticipated a “plan B” so that the bride can still have some memorable pictures taken indoors?
We have done and are continuing to do all the above!
Very few ever regret buying quality after the event!
Peter Jones 13/12/06