Ian Arthur Photography

I can’t wait for things to warm up again.

Well at least the thaw has started – which is indicated by the berries growing nearby. Roll on spring…..

Have you ever heard the expression “Doesn’t time fly when you’re enjoying yourself”? Well the past few weeks have flown by for me. It seems as though just a short while ago we were in August – and now we’re in November. Where has all that time gone! There’s so much to do but not enough time to do it all. The past few weeks have been really busy for me, both with my wedding photography and with my other photography. Fortunately things are slowing down in November, as I have no weddings this month. I wanted to leave this month clear for a rest and also to do some other things in my personal life. I only have three weddings in December, and then its back to work again, though I must admit, January will be a little quiet.

I have lots of pictures to put on here, but at the moment I’m some sorting out my galleries and very soon I hope to be able to move my portfolio galleries to a different server, plus introduce slideshows of weddings and portraits. I’ll be able to show these at higher quality, as I have much more space on the new server. The problem with having better quality, it means you have to have bigger files, which in turn means more server space. It never stops. Anyway, hopefully next week will see new galleries, new slideshows and new blog images.

Well, no doubt many of you are aware of the recent coverage of the Yorkshire couple who sued their photographer after he completely ruined their day by lying about his ability and producing both amateur and unprofessional images. I don’t mind anyone wanting to be a photographer, but one of my pet hates is amateur photographers who pretend to be professional photographers. I feel that to be a photographer, and as a minimum, you should have some vocational qualifications to prove your ability. Just because I can service my own car, do I call myself a mechanic? Then why does anyone with a camera call themselves a photographer? I look at a website and can tell immediately if the photographer is “pro”, “part-timer” or “pretend”. I have nothing against the part-timers, in fact I’ve had to do this myself from time to time, but again, I still believe that you should have qualifications to reinforce your skills. After working this industry as a fully qualified, affiliated and full-time photographer for over 27 years, I’ve seen them come and go but in the past two years I’ve seen the numbers of “photographers” double as many amateurs think they can make an easy  ”few bob” from weddings from their 8 or 10 megapixel camera.

They never seem to last, either they mess up, or they actually realise that shooting a wedding is not easy. Its a very difficult task and one that takes a lot of stamina as well as commitment and experience.  I am so glad that they sued him, and so glad that it made the national news as this is a wake up call for those “photographers” who live on the periphery and for those bride and grooms who are looking for a photographer.

The problem is, the photographer who shot this wedding appeared by all accounts to be a professional wedding photographer. He even had sample albums to prove it. It appears the albums were not actually his own work. His price was not so cheap as to raise alarm yet low enough to be more than tempting and whilst I don’t know too much about his character, I assume he came across fairly well – at least enough to convince the couple to part with their cash. It appears that he may of been a member of the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers). Let me tell you that anyone can be a member of the SWPP. Anyone. All they have to do is pay £99, and they instantly become a member and are able to use their logo. This is utterly wrong and completely misleading as it gives people the (false) impression of validity.

To join the BIPP (British Institute of Professional Photography) or the MPA (Master Photographers Association), each applicant has to provide a portfolio and evidence of their vocational ability to a marking panel consisting of established Fellows or Associates of the institutes. Depending on their portfolio or ability, they can be awarded with Licenceship, Associateship or Fellowship to the organisation and are allowed to join. Both organisations have a code of practice, and can even act as arbitrator for client/photographer disputes. This is what a professional organisation is all about. Unfortunately, there are still many genuine photographers in the SWPP and I feel quite sorry for them. I even joined at one stage as it was another organisation to join, but it didn’t last long as I resigned over the very principle of allowing non-examined photographers to use the logo.

Is there really a way find a reputable photographer, if it’s their own work, and if the photographer will do what you expect on your day? Yes, all you need to do is interview them as you would for any person you were hoping to employ. Look at their sample albums, sample work, discuss photography styles, their experience, lighting, cameras or what they would do if there were any problems on the day. Are they insured? Do they have backup cameras? Do they backup their data? Are they affiliated with a professional organisation  such as the BIPP or MPA? If not, why not? I’m not saying that you must use a BIPP or MPA photographer, all I’m suggesting is that its a starting point because these photographers do have a reputation to maintain. Look at their website. Are the pictures recent? Do they change often? Is there more than one wedding? Does the photographer have a BLOG (another way of seeing their current work) and does the website appear professional?

If the photographer is above board, and above all else, decent, confident and knowledgeable, they would be happy to talk your socks down about their photography and answer your questions. To be honest, when I visit a couple, if they don’t ask me many questions, I actually get a bit disappointed. Maybe its because I talk too much…

Genuine and professional photography is like a wedding cake. The lower third and biggest part has the most photographers, the lowest prices and the wider market. The middle tier has fewer photographers, higher prices and a middle market. The top tier has few photographers, the highest prices and the smallest market. This being so, please don’t be fooled by the prices you are given and be on your guard for exceptionally high or exceptionally low prices. If you do your research you will soon understand the market rate for genuine professional photography. By using common sense and taking the time to ask questions and meet your photographer face to face, hopefully something like this won’t happen to you. I only hope some genuine lessons have been learned from this and the people start to appreciate the work of real professional and experienced photographers.

Remember, photography exists to capture that moment in time. Once that moment has gone, its gone.  This is why you must use a genuine photographer to capture those moments.

I recently shot the interiors and exteriors of the holiday cottages on the Inverbeg Estate for next years brochures. The estate, which overlooks Loch Lomond offers several exclusive and highly refined  self-catering holiday cottages. It was hard work photographing the cottages as I had to get in there to shoot the pictures in between change-overs, but we managed it and I was really happy with the results. I have two more cottages to photograph on Monday, as we have another window of opportunity. if you want a comfortable and refined holiday cottage experience, look no further than: http://www.lochlomondhideaways.co.uk. Here’s a taster.

Millburn Cottages

Light and airy

Good enough to sleep....

I was lucky enough to get to take pictures at the Edinburgh Tattoo again this year. Its a fantastic spectical. Even more remarkable is that the servicemen and women who do this don’t get paid any extra, and put on such a wonderful performance. As usual there was the QVS, plus bands from Switzerland, China and Fiji. When I see the Tattoo, it makes me so proud to be British.

The band marches on

Proud to be, and proud to serve...

The finale...