Melanie Hart Photography

Back in April I ran a competition to search for a creative bride to be, with the prize being free wedding photography. I love photographing any kind of wedding with all the emotions, excitement and occasional mayhem! but I particulary love a wedding that is a bit quirky, unique and personal.

When Clare emailed me details of her wedding I was pretty sold already. The reception will be decorated with homemade tablecloths & runners using reclaimed 70’s fabrics and Clare's collection of retro 60’s & 70’s tea sets. Throw in a VW camper called Dolly and white Dr Marten boots for the bride and it's all sounding delicious...... When I met up with Adam & Clare as competition shortlisters their warmth, humour and appreciation for creative photography shone through and told me I’d found my winners. Congratulations Adam & Clare! Delighted to be covering your big day on 6th September 2013 at the Park Hotel Preston…… x

The winning package is a full days photography coverage - details of which can be found on my website

http://www.melaniehart.co.uk/prices/

Today’s digital world means that people rely on storing digital photographic images on a disk etc, without feeling the need to print them. Or, believe just having a disk of images is a simple and economical way of owning professional quality photographs.

Whilst images on disk have their place, where professional quality photography is concerned images on disk should never be seen as a replacement for a printed end product. I am also passionate about the photographer being the one to source and supply the end products on behalf of their clients. Here’s why………

“Why is a disk is not enough”?.....

1. Technology becomes defunct.

Facebook, websites, email all serve to share and spread images quickly and easily. I personally love how the internet allows me to share my work to a wider audience. But what happens when the current social media sites, software and technology becomes obsolete? You might be left in a few years time with a disk of images you can’t view anymore. Or worse still, what if you accidentally delete or lose your images off your PC. What happens then? If you have invested considerable money in professional quality photography how would you feel if you suddenly ”lost” those images?

I have amazing photographs that were taken by my grandfather over 70 years ago, some of which are now in a national museum. I have them now because they were brought to life as prints. You must print your photographs in order to preserve and enjoy them for years to come. The only technology you need to view a print is your eyes…..

2. Taking the images to the next level.

There is a world of difference between a professional quality photograph that has been enlarged and printed by experts and the low resolution version that has been modified for web / screen use. Without taking the photographs to the next level you simply cannot fully appreciate them.

OK, I understand it’s important to print my images, but I’ll just do it myself at Tesco / Asda / use that Photobook offer on internet that’s cheap…….

1. Firstly, will you really get round to organising the printing?

Will you? Really!....

2. If you do eventually get round to it - will you know where to have them printed for the best results?

There is a huge selection of consumer photographic services on the high st and internet, at seemingly cheap prices. But not all of them have exacting technical standards or offer high quality products. To get the most of professional quality photographs they need to be printed by experts who understand the product. I recently printed some black and white images as an experiment at a supermarket and also professionally. The supermarket ones were simply not as good, all the lovely shadow details and tones I had carefully preserved in my editing – all lost in a block of solid black! But the professional copies were perfect and retained all the artistic elements I had worked hard on……… As with most things, you do get what you pay for….

3. Access to professional suppliers

Professional / semi pro photographers have access to suppliers that the general public don’t. This means you will get high quality durable products that will withstand years of use, as well as a larger range of photographic papers and display options to choose from.

4. Protecting your investment and my work

I invest a lot of time and love creating / editing my images and I want to ensure that your images get printed exactly as I made them, without any loss of quality or artistic intention. The only way I can do this for clients is to be involved in sourcing the end product.

5. Providing a full service and experience for clients

Put simply just putting images on a disk and not doing anything more with them doesn’t feel right to me. It almost feels it is devaluing the art of photography and what I am trying to achieve as a photographer as well as for my clients. Capturing and editing the images is just the beginning of the process, turning them into printed product is the end.

So, if you have some important photos currently sitting unloved on a disk, make a promise today to have them printed and work with your photographer to get the best products and results for you.