We are so very excited to tell you that after a mammoth 5 hour judging session at last night’s MPA Awards for the South Eastern Region, Matt Pereira Photography picked up no less than THIRTEEN awards.

The MPA (Master Photographers Association) was Established in 1952 and with over 2,000 members, it is the United Kingdom’s only organisation for full time, qualified and professional photographers.

The Master Photography Awards are the most prestigious awards for photography in the UK.

You may remember our marvellous success at last year’s SE Region Awards, where we won a whole host of accolades.

Well, this year we may not have managed overall photographer of the year but maintained a very good consistency in several areas. The categories are slightly different this year, but essentially the same really.

Here is a list of what we won …

WINNER – MPA Pictorial, Illustrative & Fine Art Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Pictorial, Illustrative & Fine Art Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
WINNER – MPA Press, PR & Stock Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Press, PR & Stock Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Fashion Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Award of Merit (3rd Place) – MPA Family Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region

Followed by …

One Award of Merit in Children’s Portraiture
One Award of Merit in Family Portraiture
Two Awards of Merit in Contemporary Weddings
Two Awards of Merit in Wedding Photojournalism
One Award of Merit in Contemporary Portraiture

Had the decision fallen to award the Overall Photographer of the Year Award on a points basis (5pt for 1st, 3pt for 2nd, 1pt for 3rd) we would have taken that win as well, for the second year in a row – but, alas, it was not to be on this occasion.

Nonetheless, we are thrilled again to have scooped so many wins and merits. Here are all of the winning images:

WINNER – MPA Pictorial, Illustrative & Fine Art Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Taken in a backlit alley in Brighton as a bit of an experiment!

Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Pictorial, Illustrative & Fine Art Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
My gorgeous girlfriend, Helen, in Lanzarote earlier this year. She endured this jump with a really sore and stiff neck, but knew that I was on to something …

WINNER – MPA Press, PR & Stock Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
This image was taken as part of a set for Helen Nathan, mother to four gorgeous daughters … you may think that there are only three in the image, but there is one more. Namely Flossie Crums, featured on the McDougalls flour packet !

Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Press, PR & Stock Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
This is one of my all-time favourite shots from the last 12 months – you have heard me talk before about the amazing singer/songwriter Rachel Golding. This is an “accidental” shot from her PR shoot, taken as I was just doing a lighting test !

Award of Excellence (2nd Place) – MPA Fashion Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Having won this category last year, it was a shame to only come second this time around, but I am pleased with another ‘podium finish’. This shot of the gorgeous Anna Quirk from Bookings Models, was taken for a Yarwood White bridal fashion shoot.

Award of Merit (3rd Place) – MPA Family Photographer of the Year 2011, SE Region
Another podium finish in the Family category, which we won last year – a beautiful and intimate family portrait taken for a Baby Surrey magazine Welcome to the World feature..

Award of Merit in Family Photography
Just outside the top three – a cracking family shot of Sian and her boys!

Two Awards of Merit in Contemporary Wedding Photography
Rachel and Simon, seemingly on a destination wedding, but very local indeed!

The lovely Sarah and Richard, partaking in their first dance.

Two Awards of Merit in Wedding Photojournalism
Two completely different days, weather-wise – the first was Katrina and Richard on a nasty day, down on the South Coast …

… followed by a gorgeously hot day for Emily & Rich, at Chiddingstone Castle.

Award of Merit in Children’s Portraiture
Just William, on the sand dunes in Northern France …

Award of Merit in Contemporary Portraiture
And the final award, once again with the very talented Rachel Golding …

All in all, a fantastic day in the company of some very, very good photographers. A massive thanks goes out to all of my models, parents, subjects, babies and everybody involved in helping make each and every one of these images. Without you, the people, none of it would ever be possible …

And of course, a big thank you to Ray Lowe, our judge for last night … what marvellous taste he has!

However, there’s been a good reason for being a little quiet on the blogging front and that’s due to the fact that i’ve been working on a new website, in conjunction with the ever fantastic Flourish Studios.

I wanted something that looked similar to my old website, but more Google friendly, and a little faster, too. As a photographer it’s all about the images, and so as the previous layout worked well, there was little point straying from that design too much. Of course, with the funky new branding that Flourish have created for me over the last year or so, we needed to update the look and feel of the website too, and I think that’s been done rather well.

Why not go take a look and let me know what you think ? The URL has not changed and so it is still www.mattpereira.co.uk. I’d love to know what you think !

Modern Bride is “The UK’s new too-hot-to-miss wedding event modernbride is the glamorous, fun, and hassle-free way to find every perfect essential for a unique wedding. It’s where you’ll find a great range of hand-picked companies, offering everything for brides who want great style and quality for money with an essential hit of glamour.”

The show is open from 10am til 5pm each day. Catwalk shows are at 10.30am, 12 noon, 2pm and 3.30pm
Nearest DLR station is Prince Regent.

I will be exhibiting at stand 108, along with a selection of lovely assistants throughout the weekend.

We also have a number of Free Entry tickets available, so if you would like one, email me at enquiries@mattpereira.co.uk or call me on 01252 416 431 and we’ll arrange to meet at the door.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The image in question only brought me 3rd place in the regional judging, but I was lucky enough to hold off the other entrants at a national level. The winning image is this one, Archie, a gorgeous Bengal kitten, who belongs to Caroline, my amazing graphic designer and studio manager of Flourish Studios. Archie had never been out of the house before, and so trying to photograph him at the front door was interesting, as his inquisitive kitten nature kept enticing him outside. The sun was very strong on that day, which allowed the vibrant colours of his fur and eyes to glisten.

This is an enormous achievement and my first time of asking at the national awards. Against such stiff competition too. Next year I will be going for a few more categories, so watch this space!

One problem that this creates is an increase in the promotion of this low quality work, and, if this continues, I feel there is a real danger that the overall acceptable standard will be lowered and will suffer as a result. The people who will really suffer, however, are all of those brides, grooms and families out there who will be led to believe that “average” is the best they can get.

It is hugely important, therefore, that those of us who strive for good quality imagery ensure that we continue to evolve in a way that keeps us ahead of the competition – whether it be new or old. This will not only ensure that we continue to develop our own skills, but hopefully it will also allow us to bring fresh, new ideas to the market and we thereby fulfill our roles as ambassadors of this profession by raising the bar to demonstrate what should be the acceptable level.

A few years ago I attended a Brett Harkness Funky Flash training course. This was a life changing day for me, and I am not joking. This was the day that I learned about controlling off-camera flash, taking full control of my camera and started my journey into something very special. That course allowed me, over the last few years, to produce some very special shots and formed the basis for the fundamental understanding of lighting that I used this year to win my Fashion Photographer of The Year award.

Brett’s gritty style and technical approach was perfect for me two years ago – I was revved up for some real nerdy technicals. Now that some time has passed, however, I started to feel that I needed a bit of ‘realignment’ in the right direction. I wanted a similar but alternative approach to the same type of lighting, to serve as a “creative update”.

Enter another Master of the Speedlite, Damien Lovegrove. Damien’s friendly and relaxed approach to teaching is key the the success of his courses. There were only only five students in attendance so we all had ample time to shoot throughout. After starting the day with a coffee and a chat about how the sessions would develop, we headed out into the gorgeous sun and got started. Within an hour I was quite literally drooling over the images on the back of my camera. As the day unfolded, I was blown away by the simplicity of the setups and the resulting imagery – just amazing.

Damien has a relentless enthusiasm and unwavering patience. Although i’m not sure he needs too much of the latter, as his very simple explanations made it easy to understand what he was doing at all times – even the most complex of setups were easy to follow.

Our gorgeous model Natalia, from Gingersnap Models, was an absolute delight to work with – very friendly, very happy and very beautiful – so easy to photograph.

As you view the images which follow, it’s important to bear in mind that Damien set up the lighting but the poses were mostly directed by me, and expertly followed by the ever-willing Natalia.

These were taken at 10:30am in bright daylight.

A similar setup here, below, in the long grass, as the sun toyed with us:

Totally loving the ruffled hair look below:

These two following shots were taken with an on-camera Orbis Ring Flash. Very similar to the style of light used in an FHM-style shot …

This shot below was lit just from behind – initially I thought that it left Natalia’s face too dark, but it looks nicely moody though..

and see how her face pops with the extra light…

The final setup of the day …

Checkout Damien’s website for upcoming courses – highly recommended!

Last time it was all about Fashion, Families and Babies … this time it was in the Mario Acerboni 3-from-1 Wedding Category. A successful entry in this category requires, as the name suggests, three images from one wedding; one photograph from before the ceremony, one photograph during the ceremony and one photograph from after the ceremony. It was a difficult decision, but I chose the very classy wedding of Bridget and Nick which took place at Stoke Park Club last September.

All entries in this category were first judged across all 14 Regions, with a single winner being announced for each of those regions. I was the Winner for the Southern Region. All 14 winners will then go head to head at the MPA National Awards in Birmingham on October 17th and the images will be judged against each other for an overall National winner – fingers crossed please!!!

I also received notification that I have been award three merits in the other, yet unknown, categories for the National Awards – a merit is awarded for any image that scores above 80% and any image that does receive a merit has the possibility to go on and become National Winner in it’s category – toes crossed as well please!!!

So, here are the winning images in the Mario Acerboni 3 from 1 Wedding Category, MPA Southern Region 2010;

So, here we go – my first five tips to help your wedding photography flow a little more smoothly on the day.

Is it allowed ?
To ensure that there are no last minute surprises at the ceremony venue, it makes sense to speak to the vicar, priest, registrar etc ahead of time and check out their “rules” on photography during the ceremony. Unfortunately, it can often be the case that, based on a bad past experience, the officiant may not be too supportive of photographers … it is something that comes up time and time again, and the wonderfulness of a wedding can sadly be overlooked by the concern that wedding proceedings may be disrupted by a disrespectful photographer. It’s best to have the conversation as early as possible and reassure the residing officiant that you have booked a respectful and professional photographer (hopefully you have!!) and that it is your wish for the ceremony to be photographed freely. (I have been told that church donations can sway even the most stubborn vicar, but you never heard it from me!)

The Recessional
When you are both walking back down the aisle, remember that it’s not a race! Take your time and take in all the friendly faces, tears and all. If you feel like stopping and hugging and kissing a few friends and family members, that’s fine by me, as it all makes for great photography!

Confetti
If you have dreamy visions of the two of you coming out of your venue to a beautiful storm of confetti, be aware that this can often fall flat if your guests do not have more than a single handful each. If you want a good set of confetti images, then, as with anything, it’s all in the planning! Natural and bio-degradable petals are a good choice (Shropshire Petals, as a suggestion) and do not cost a lot at all. Have your ushers / page boys / page girls hand out cones as your guests leave the ceremony venue – oh, and make sure they’re all standing with the wind behind them too!

Keep them lips luscious
Don’t forget to keep a tube of lippy and a powder compact with your chief bridesmaid (or anyone you trust to be close to you for the majority of the day) and give them the responsibility to make sure you are topped up and looking lovely!

Table Decorations
Large table decorations are great and can look wonderful, but, have you ever given consideration to their height ? Not many people think about it, but it can be quite frustrating trying to photograph the speeches, and the resulting reactions, when you cannot see your guests’ faces! It’s not just the floral arrangements i’m talking about, but table name holders too. If you are going for tall table decorations, it might be a good idea to move them off the table during the speeches, to ensure that faces aren’t hidden and your photographer doesn’t miss a key reaction.

That’s it for this time, but over the coming months i’ll be jotting down some more tips for you to ponder over. Let me know if you come up with any and i’ll include them in future posts!

I met said couple, along with a future mother-in-law, several weeks ago, to discuss wedding photography and prices. After showing them a beautiful Queensberry sample album and discussing my role as their wedding photographer, before, during and after their big day, we got on to talking about money.

After glancing at my price list for less than 30 seconds, the mother of the groom looked at me and declared, “that’s far too much!!” …  As it happens, she was looking at my entry level cost, which I know full well to be very reasonable, and certainly inline with other quality photographers.

So, where is the problem here, you may ask? She just doesn’t have the budget, you might suggest?

Well, I don’t believe, in this particular case, that it is a question of budget. I believe that it is a question of ‘perceived value’, and after some more conversation it was quite clear that I was the first photographer they had spoken to, and they had done absolutely no research whatsoever. No wonder they thought it cost too much, as they had a particular figure in their minds (possibly in line with what they might have paid in their home country – no, they were not from the UK) and simply were not expecting to pay any more than that.

I was a little put out during this discussion, as I felt very undervalued and unappreciated, but maybe the problem was mine and not theirs?

During the journey home I thought that it would make a good article to explain some of the reasons why “good quality” wedding photography costs what it does – if you think that it’s just a case of turning up with a camera and knocking out some snaps, burning them to DVD and moving on to the next couple, then read on, you’re in for a surprise.

So, the first thing is to pose you a question; how much are you going to spend on (amongst other things) your dress, shoes, food, flowers, alcohol and cake ?

And the next question; how many of those things will you still have in five year’s time? Ten years?

And, on the day of your wedding, when you look utterly stunning walking down the aisle, when he wipes that tear from your eye, and when you have your closest friends and family together for the first time in ages … how will you make sure those memories stay with you forever ? How will you record that moment he first sees you, the expression on your faces as your eyes lock in that single moment? How will you remember just how proud your dad looks when he sees you in your dress for the first time … ?

Ok, so i am labouring the issue somewhat … but i am trying to make a point.

As important as all those material things are (cake, dress,shoes etc.) none of them will last. In the years to come, the one thing that you will have to remember the day by will be your photography. I promise you, from the bottom of my heart, if you cut corners here, you will seriously regret it later.

There is little point having all the lovely extra bits, and making everything and everyone look amazing, if you cannot remember all of those details in the years to come. And there is little point in not doing the correct research when searching for the right photographer for you – and when I say research, I mean researching the prices as well as the styles and the actual photographers themselves.

To give you a bit of an insight as to why good quality Wedding Photography costs what it does, read on …
So, let’s start with our investments. Firstly there is the equipment. A good quality photographer will come to your wedding armed with an array of kit, and it won’t be expensive just because we like gadgets – it needs to be up to the job. At least two, if not three, camera bodies – one or two will be backups in case of breakdown. These need to be regularly cleaned and serviced to maintain a good working order. A variety of good quality lenses, able to cope with both normal and low light situations. These types of lenses cost close to, if not more than £1,000 each! As with good quality photography, good quality equipment does not come cheap. There are also the flash guns (to be used properly, mixing ambient light and flash), memory cards, back up devices etc all of this investment in equipment is required before we even start shooting.

Training & experience
Then comes the training and experience. Good photographers regularly attend training courses, to ensure that we’re constantly challenged with new ideas and techniques, as well as discussing ideas and critiques with fellow photographers. As with any job, training is important, as it keeps you fresh and up to date, and more importantly, evolving, so you don’t get stuck in the rut of doing the same old things time and time again.

This invariably leads to the experience that we have gained over the years, which gives us the knowledge of how to confidently handle any issues that may arise – broken equipment, low light problems, rain, crying brides/mothers/bridesmaids, etc etc

Consultation time
An initial wedding consultation can take up to 2 hours, during which you will go over all the options for the wedding day. Imagine dealing with 10 enquiries per week and all the time that takes up … it all needs to be costed.

Pre-wedding shoot
Not all photographers include a pre-wedding shoot, but we do, and it is an essential part of our wedding photography preparations. With the travel to and from the shoot location, the time taken for the shoot proper, the post production and the viewing this can easily amount to an entire half-day.

Wedding day
Then, naturally, there is the wedding day itself. This is a given, and so there is not much to discuss here, apart from the fact that whether we physically spend 6 or 12 hours with you, the day is still pretty much dedicated to your wedding.

Back up devices
After the wedding, and often ‘during’ too, we need to ensure that all your images are backed up, in several places. No respectful photographer will rely solely on DVDs as a means for safe and secure backups. External hard disks, on-site and off-site, as well as special arrays of redundant disk storage are key to the safety of our imagery. This is a huge investment, and can amount to thousands of pounds if done properly, as well as the time taken for the data transfers and verification.

Post production
So, the all important post production … as a rule, at Matt Pereira Photography we don’t like to over-Photoshop any of our images. We much prefer to get it right ‘in camera’, and the initial post-production is limited to tonal balance and colour correction. However, the time taken to select the images for viewing and prepare these for our couples can equal an entire morning.

The Viewing
Next comes the viewing itself and this is something very important to us. There is no way on earth that, after spending all that time, love, effort and money, we would ever want you to see your wedding images for the first time on anything less than a big screen presentation. What we create on your wedding day is art, naturally and beautifully and it’s shocking to think that your first viewing of those gorgeous images could be in the form of an unflattering little thumbnail on a website, or a tiny little proof in a book. Absolutely no way, José! And so, this level of service that we provide is a mini-event in itself, and should be treated as such … but again, whilst this is so very worthwhile, it does take up several hours of our day.

Album Design
Once the viewing is completed, and we have helped you choose the right images for your album, then comes the album design, and this is an art in itself. A good album design, which tells the story of the day, can easily take an entire day to complete – some of the larger albums can even take two days!

Album Cost
Finally, almost, there is the cost of the album materials themselves. We do not use cheap books from a local high street photo store. The album manufacturers we use have been carefully chosen for their exceptional quality, and all of our albums are hand made and imported from across the other side of the world.

And, so, if you are still reading, you should now be able to appreciate some of what goes in to a single wedding, and just why wedding photographers charge what they do. It’s a skilled business, and as with any skill, to become half decent it takes dedication, training, practise and commitment.

Of course, we have only touched on the immediately obvious things related directly to the art of wedding photography. We have not even started to think about marketing, wedding fairs, promotional materials, advertising, book keeping, accounting & travel costs, as well as a whole load of other things I’ve probably left out … but maybe that’s for another article!

Last night I attended the MPA South East Region Annual Awards. The MPA (Master Photographers Association) was Established in 1952 and with over 2,000 members, it is the United Kingdom’s only organisation for full time, qualified and professional photographers.

The Master Photography Awards are the most prestigious awards for photography in the UK

Every year, each of the 14 different regions hold an awards ceremony, allowing photographers from that region to submit images in several different categories, all of which are then judged against each other.

Last night, the South East Region awards consisted of some 300 images, across several categories, which included :
Classical Wedding, Contemporary Wedding, Reportage Wedding, Classical Portrait, Contemporary Portrait, Pets, Under 5’s, Family Portrait, Fashion & Beauty, “Pictorial, Illustrative, Fine Art, Landscape & Travel”

Quite a few categories, and a lot of scope.

I am so thrilled, proud, and excited to announce that I received the following awards :

A merit award (3rd place), in the Pets category.
An award of excellence (2nd place), in the Fine Art category.
An award of excellence (2nd place), in the Under 5′s Portrait category.

WINNER – MPA Under 5′s Portrait Photographer of the Year 2010, SE Region !
WINNER – MPA Family Portrait Photographer of the Year 2010, SE Region !
WINNER – MPA Fashion Photographer of the Year 2010, SE Region !

… and with that, I was ecstatic and over the moon … but then came the icing in the cake … I was also :

WINNER – MPA Overall Portrait Photographer of the Year, SE Region !

That means from ALL of the entries in all of the portrait categories, my image was chosen as the best! But, it didn’t stop there, I also won the cherry on the icing on the cake !!!

WINNER – MPA Photographer of the Year, SE Region !

The highest award of the night – the best of everything.

I was overwhelmed, speechless and somewhat tearful, and I only slept for three hours last night because I am still buzzing from such fantastic news.

So, I guess that now makes me a Multi-Award Winning Photographer – what a nice sound that has!

Here are the images which brought me the awards.

A Merit in the Pets Category.
This is Archie, a gorgeous Bengal kitten, who belongs to Caroline, my amazing graphic designer and studio manager of Flourish Studios. Archie had never been out of the house before, and so trying to photograph him at the front door was interesting, as his inquisitive kitten nature kept enticing him outside. The sun was very strong on that day, which allowed the vibrant colours of his fur and eyes to glisten.

An Award of Excellence in the Fine Art Category.
This is an image of Finn, a stunning animal belonging to Kerry, whose family shoot I did just a few weeks ago. I had never photographed a horse before, and it was hugely challenging, as she kept bobbing her head all over the place (the horse, not Kerry!). We eventually managed to keep her still with some feed, whilst I very quickly composed and cracked out some shots – this was the best of them.

An Award of Excellence in the Under 5′s Portrait Category.
Charlotte is a beautiful little lady, and was a delight to photograph. The light in this room was right where the dining room table stood, and so we sat her down and I deliberately moved the vase of tulips in front of her. We gave her 2 minutes to investigate the flowers, but then she was distracted by the dogs running around, and I just caught her peering around the vase, in this honest and natural pose.

WINNER – MPA Under 5′s Portrait Photographer of the Year.
I am so pleased with this win. Having now worked with Baby Surrey and Baby London magazines for just over a year, it has given me a chance to hone my skills in this area, whilst meeting some gorgeous children and producing some lovely images. This little darling’s name is Jasmine, and the image was produced towards the end of our shoot – in fact, almost the last one I took. I had seen this big chair and loved the idea of her small little body almost dwarfed by the size of the furniture. The expression was all her doing, with the help of mum, Sharon.

WINNER – MPA Family Portrait Photographer of the Year.
This shot of James and daddy Mike just takes my breath away – and, incidentally, seems to make the ladies go a bit weak at the knees! We had finished the session in the house, and were just about to move to their wooden toy shop, Woodn’t It Be Lovely when Mike picked up James to head out – I saw this shot from the corner of my eye, composed and clicked the shutter, all in less than 1 second, before the moment was lost – and what a moment. That single instant won me Family Portrait Photographer of the Year!

And finally, the big one. This single image has netted me the following :
WINNER – MPA Fashion Photographer of the Year, SE Region
WINNER – MPA Overall Portrait Photographer of the Year, SE Region
WINNER – MPA Photographer of the Year, SE Region

This is Isabelle. My incredible part-time wedding photography assistant, my stunning part-time fashion model, and my wonderful full-time friend. What can I say ? She has this natural ability to charm and to strike such a natural and confident pose, she makes the job easy. This shot was taken toward the end of my first ever hair fashion shoot, for Capella, a hair salon in Frimley, Surrey – it was also the first time I had ever shot in a studio with artificial lights, so it makes these wins even more special indeed.

MPA Fashion Photographer of the Year,
MPA Overall Portrait Photographer of the Year,
MPA Photographer of the Year 2010.

There is not much more to write. Apart from a huge THANK YOU to all of my models, parents and owners for allowing me to use all of these images … and, of course, a huge Thank You to Desi Fontaine, the MPA judge from last night who has a wonderful eye !!

I was lucky enough to meet and hang out with some of the event staff on the very eventful Saturday night – all good fun! (Mostly!)

Congratulations to Vicky and Dan from Maida Vale, who were the lucky winners of our wedding photography competition. Dan was thrilled when we spoke earlier today and said, very excitedly, “I’ve never won anything before!”. They’re not getting married until December, so their pre-wedding shoot images will be up sometime late summer.

Thank you to the couples who booked us at the show, and those who have called and booked since. We’re really looking forward to meeting you all again !

None of my shows would be complete, or possible, without the help of some very special friends … this time around, i’d like to say a huge thanks to The Wedding Community, namely Kim for her wallpapering expertise, and Dave for his lifting and van packing expertise.

Thanks also to my little helpers for the weekend; my trusty, cheesecake-loving assistant, Isabelle, my lovely bride, Kate (who helped out for the final time this show) and my good friend Binky.

So, below are some images from the stand setup. The first was taken on my little compact camera, but the remaining gorgeous shots were all taken by Binky.

The beautiful furniture and wallpaper were kindly supplied by Laura Ashley.