Why Choose Tartan Portraits for Your Wedding Photography?

We understand how stressful wedding planning can be. We have a standard FAQ section but for weddings but here we have added a little more info below on some of our most asked questions and some little details that go beyond the basic info.

You don’t have a huge presence on socials, why?

We are a family team and across everything that we do our clients are always the most important detail. We are kept super busy and for us socials are something that do require a lot of input. We sacrifice our socials time to ensure our clients’ needs are met first and foremost, to enable quick responses so you aren’t left waiting for info and using our studio time for edits and consultations. Let’s face it, how annoying is it when a company is posting on socials but hasn’t responded to your emails!! Equally important, privacy is becoming more important and not all our client packages include social use. Our priority will always be ensuring our clients receive the best images rather than prioritising sharing them.

You have a gallery, but with not much on socials I would like to see more?

Absolutely, we can share a gallery with you. We are super happy to share more images with you, we normally try to match up some images that we feel will best help you understand more about our offering that would fit for you. This may be a mixed gallery with a few weddings, or a full gallery from a single wedding. Let us know what you are thinking and need and we will get your sorted.

Are your images from real weddings?

OK, so this is something we often see mentioned elsewhere but in fairness we are never really asked. We only share images that we have created, and these are all from weddings where we have been hired as a photographer for a fee. You won’t find images from shoots where we have paid to participate in the shoot or offered potential clients huge discounts to gain portfolio imagery. The reason you won’t find these types of images on our site or in our galleries is because we don’t do this. Our images are real, of real people, on real wedding days where we have been hired and paid to be there.

You edit fast, how is this possible and is there a compromise on quality?

Average waits for completed wedding photography galleries can be long with some taking as long as 4 or 5 months. We normally deliver some teaser images within 48 hours or 2 working days and most galleries will be completed within 10 working days. You will always be given a timeline at booking. There are a few reasons how and why we do this.

1. We set our schedules to enable editing to be completed directly after your wedding. We do this to ensure your day is still fresh in our minds, that the joy and special moments are uninterrupted. We want to remember whilst editing how things felt in that moment, for us a lapse of time can lead to muddy memory and impact the overall edit feel.

2. Every image we take/add to your gallery has been individually checked and edited. We do not use mass cull software or AI editing tools. Whilst we are not opposed to these imaging tools and they work for many, our preference is for each image to be reviewed individually. You are paying for our skills and expertise in photography, and this includes all aspects from capture to edit and delivery. Whilst bulk/batch tools can be super handy it truly is impossible to achieve the same level of critical skill and expertise without individual review. Imagine in the context of a crafted home baked cookie v’s mass made shelf fillers.

3. On testing batch tools, for us, we just found there were too many removals that we would have left in. For example, a closed eye moment can be a beautiful and dreamy image, but batching may remove this, we rely on our visionary experience, nothing is left to chance.

4. You expect the best from us, it wouldn’t be right for us to charge and not fulfil at a speed that is achievable for us. Justification of a long wait is not something we could truly back up due to the way we handle our workflow, so we just don’t do it!

5. Finally, we are good at what we do, we work fast, control our workflow and know what we are doing.

I can’t always see a set style in your images, why?

Weddings are as individual as the people getting married. We do not preset images to the same aesthetic or shoot in the same way at every wedding as you are truly unique. A large part of your booking process and our skill in photography is in understanding our clients and what they are looking to achieve in capturing memories. You can read more info where we discuss, for example, candid imagery. Some clients and settings lend themselves to a more black and white aesthetic, others to a fully documentary unfiltered (this does not mean unedited!) feel. Many clients love a mix of styles within their imagery, combining fun with romantic, relaxed but with some set formals or colourful and bright with some dreamy black and white. Whatever your style or combo of styles we aim to achieve a blend that truly reflects you as individuals. If you have thoughts of a style or examples of what you imagine then let us know, as we will be delighted to hear your thoughts.

How many images?

Another thing we see promoted or are asked often, we find it bizarre, but understand it’s “thing”. We work to an individual brief for you and your day. We can of course provide averages and estimates however these are never truly set. The reason being this can lead to an inauthentic experience. Making a quota for example can lead to delivery of the same image in 5,6 or 7 formats to bring up a count or inclusion of images that don’t really work. There isn’t anything specifically wrong with this but we prefer to be truly authentic in what we capture, edit and include in our galleries. We capture, edit and format in a way that best suits the clients overall brief. It isn’t always the case that less is more but what is important is that all images added to galleries have a purpose and are there on merit not on a count. We are professionals and can be relied on to capture a professional number of images delivered in a professional way otherwise what would be the point. Quantity other than approximates and averages along with an assurance that you will receive plenty of what you expect is our focus.

How candid is candid and what do you mean by relaxed documentary?

It is a huge myth that images you may view to be candid are in fact that! Candid, documentary and relaxed do not all mean the same thing and can be wildly different. It matters to us that we understand what a client is asking for and trying to achieve. Example would be a group photo with everyone in the image doing their own thing, and the client asking for this to be candid. Be it hands in the air, shouting congrats or silly poses these are generally not fully candid. An element of organisation exists in achieving this type of image, bringing people into the same space, at the same time with some info on what is about to happen, but a relaxed image can still be achieved. Take this against a group shot of your attendees milling around at a reception whilst the photographer moves discreetly amongst them, capturing laughs, smiles and interactions, this would normally be truly candid and relaxed. Whilst the two are not the same they can both be achieved in the same shoot and with minimal disruption and full discretion.

You would need to travel for my wedding, is this OK?

Travel for us is never an issue, in fact we love it. We never quote or offer our services if we feel travel, is going to be an issue. We travel far and wide and we will be clear with you of any costs relating to this. We always allow plenty of time to arrive and be ready for when we are needed.

Are you inclusive, we have some delicate circumstances to consider, how does this work?

Absolutely and it feels strange that this is even something that needs to be noted. We have no real interest in personal circumstances, situations or backgrounds unless you feel they are relevant to us and your big day. We have an interest only in what you need from us to get the most from your experience and any help or guidance you think we should know that would benefit your comfort and ease on the day. If you feel there is something relevant that we should know or would help, make your day flow well then please tell us. We aim to put you at ease and want you to feel comfortable with us. We are non-judgemental and, have and do work with a huge variety of clients, you can speak to us in confidence.

We have never had a professional photographer take our photo before, we are nervous?

We are a super relaxed team. Our aim first and foremost is that you feel at ease and are relaxed. Being photographed should be fun and enjoyable not awkward or stilted. We bring a friendly vibe, most clients say they were so surprised at just how much fun they had with us. If you would like direction or help to prepare in advance we can offer this too, please just let us know.

Pricing, you feel inexpensive compared to many of our quotes, why is this and am I compromising?

We charge our fees based on a full understanding of our costs. As a professional (Post Grad qualified) photographer we see some unqualified or less experienced photographers charging fees more than what we would charge or indeed less than. This does not make them or us right or wrong neither does it make them or us better or worse, just different (although we like to think we are the best ha!). We craft our fees based on a fair pricing policy that works for us and our overheads but gives our clients high service levels without compromise every single time. We are fully aware that the mention of the word “wedding” when booking any services can result in premiums being added. For us our work is our work, from a pricing perspective it doesn’t matter what occasion we are shooting, every client is as important as the last and the next, regardless of fee paid, length or purpose of shoot or number of people involved. From booking and planning to delivery of images we will treat you like family, we believe in the philosophy of engaging with our clients the way we would love to be treated.

Why do you not ask to be fed and watered?

This is a simple one! when we book a plumber to work on our bathroom of course we will offer them a cuppa, to us that’s just polite and hospitable, however we would never expect them to come into our home and demand or expect one neither would we expect or feel they would expect us to pay for their lunch and dinner regardless of the fact we may opt to offer this! We are more than capable of bringing sustenance with us, from water to sandwiches, a sugar burst to a flask of coffee we can sort ourselves out. We are generally very grateful when clients are unnecessarily hospitable but we certainly don’t expect it and it has zero impact on our fees, we genuinely just expect to look after ourselves just as if we were working in the studio. Additional fees to feed and water us on site can be high (that wedding word cost again!) so it is far more economical for all involved that we just sort ourselves out. We do also find that being in control, flexible and autonomous with any breaks/sustenance times required ensures we also don’t miss anything important, especially if schedules slip or bend a little.