The Windsor Wedding Photographer
Mike Elford | The Windsor Wedding Photographer
I love shooting Weddings!! And who wouldn’t? They say that shooting a wedding is the ultimate in the trade, and with the most responsibility. They also say its the most stressful… but I thrive on the stress. I love the pressure of being responsible for capturing those memories. And to be honest I have never felt the stress. Being a goalie in hockey growing up, I have always felt the focus was on me to deliver…. so its no different here. In fact the hockey life may have helped me today because I anticipate EVERYTHING. I always have a plan, or a solution to a situation. I anticipate the first kiss… so I never miss it. Things like that. Those little moments that great wedding photographers capture… it’s about being a few steps ahead predicting what’s about to happen. And it works well for me.
But that is part of what makes me great.. not why I love shooting weddings. There is no bigger reward than hearing the comments, or seeing the smiles, or the tears as people talk about my images. The reaction far outweighs any amount of money for me. It’s like a high. Working a wedding -to me, is like an adrenaline high. It’s a great feeling. I have to work hard of course but… There is no better feeling when mom and dad (the bride and groom’s parents) hug me goodbye as I leave. When an uncle comes up to chat about photography because he’s never seen anyone work as hard as me. Or when a new couple come to me as they’ve “heard” about me….. That is the biggest Thanks I could ever recieve. And that is why I love shooting weddings.
It’s all about the Experience…
I am well aware that there are alot of photographers out there. Some of them just might be cheaper than myself. But there is soo much more to choosing your wedding photographer than price. It’s more than just the images too. It’s about the complete experience.
The experience includes a great site to demonstrate my passions, quick email repsonses confirming the date is indeed available. A meeting to meet and review our conversations, find out if our relationship is the right fit. When choosing me as your wedding photographer, it has to be the right fit. Just remember that no one else will be by your side for the entire day!. We had better get along…
But the experience doesn’t stop there. It continues with my personality keeping the mood light on your day. The more you are relaxed the better the images will be. From the signing matte, to the address cards, to the private online gallery hosting your wedding images JUST 72 hours after your day!
And all images on disc delivered within the month? Yup I do it. Because I believe its the right thing to do. That is what sets me apart from my competition.
Nobody in {city} {province} gives you more quality, more quantity period. At a price that few can touch regardless of quality.
That is what I call the complete experience.
Is it Posing or Directing?
I have always taken pride in saying that I don’t “pose” my brides. And its true. But I do direct. And there is a difference!
And to begin, I do not bring a shot list. I don’t. When I first observe my brides, I make mental notes of what I’d like to see from her in my images. And I am always watching – almost studying my brides and their interactions with their family and of course the interactions with their new husbands. If I see something – a look- or a gesture and I need it to be recreated, I will recreate the situation, not sharing the precise shot I was looking for. This way the shot is entirely natural. It is emotional, and I didn’t “pose” it. It did happen naturally. I just saw something I really thought was a great moment, and set out to capture it. direct the bride to re create a situation etc. . And it always works. It just does. If I told her that I liked the look she made, and re do it please, I think we all can agree, it just won’t happen, regardless how much we try. I keep the flow going, constantly observing the nuances that occur naturally. My images are beautiful, because of the couple, because of the moment, because of the technical skill needed to achieve the image, but most importantly because of my vision. It’s a vision of “what is beautiful”… “what should be wedding photography”, that make my images great images.