Richard Watkins Photography based in the Midlands provides a professional event and wedding photographer who also covers parties, corporate events, balls, formal dinners, etc. Check out his tips for choosing a photographer for your event.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

The date of the wedding is crucial to check if I am available, the venue is also useful as some locations may incur travel costs or potentially an overnight stay.
How much of the day you want photographed, do you want all day from getting ready through to late at night, just the ceremony or something in between?
How would you like the photographs delivered? Album, prints, digital only?

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

Once you have a shortlist of photographers you like the look of, check they have backup equipment in case something fails and a file backup procedure after the event too.
Try to meet or video chat to see if there is a personal connection with them.
Ask to see lots of their previous work, not just a few selected images. For weddings specifically, try to see a full album of photos as delivered to the couple to check the quality is consistent throughout the day.

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

I've been interested in photography from a young boy, starting with film and printing in my dad's garage darkroom.
Doing photography as a business was a natural progression from there.
My aim is to create images that families will use for generations to invoke memories and emotions from their past.

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

Josie and Dave's wedding. When they posted on Add to Event, they were living abroad. As soon as they returned to the UK, we arranged to meet face-to-face (who knew there were two Costa coffee shops in Birmingham New Street Station!!).
They were impressed with my sample materials and agreed to book me there and then. Their wedding should have been in April but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been postponed. My experience with Add to Event has been positive so far.