Melbourne & Geelong Wedding & Portrait Photographer Robb Duncan

“I get emails all the time from different people asking similar Photography, Wedding and Portrait related questions, and Ask Your Photographer is an attempt to answer them.”

Question. “Do you photograph the groom getting ready?(And if so, is it extra..?)”

Answer: – Yep… (and its not usually extra… it just all comes down to time.)

As with most things, it all comes down to time...

I really enjoy spending some time with the boys as they get ready before the ceremony, its an integral part of any wedding. And If your wedding day has the flexibility to allow me to travel to photograph both the Bride and the Groom getting ready, then I am more than happy to do so and I wont charge you extra.

Most of the couples who book me do have this flexibility and they also make sure they have enough hours of coverage as well.

Now if you want both the Bride and the Grooms preparations covered and there isn’t this flexibility in your wedding day due to location or time, I am more than happy to arrange another Photographer to cover the Groom getting ready. And of course an additional photographer will incur an additional expense, but for most couples another photographer isn’t necessary.

A quick "Boxed" ring shot before the groom leaves for the ceremony

There are so many moments that will be forgotten, if they are not captured…

A quiet moment

Waiting in the Hot Rod.

So there you have it.

I want to shoot the groom and the rest of the boys getting ready, so lets make sure it happens.

“I get emails all the time from different people asking similar Photography, Wedding and Portrait related questions, and Ask Your Photographer is an attempt to answer them.”

Question. “Do you Travel? (And if so, do you charge a travel fee..?)”

Answer: – Yes, I do travel, and for the most part, I do not charge for traveling.

I love to travel, and don't see distance as being a barrier at all, even if we do get home a little late some times.

I do need to break this post into 2 parts though, because there are different rules for Weddings and for Location/lifestyle Portraits.

1. Of course if your wedding is not really local, that is to say its more than a few hours away, then travel will be something that needs to be considered. Having said that, Outback Queensland, or Tasmania are hardly what I would call local, neither is New Zealand, but that certainly hasn’t stopped me in the past.
So within the bounds of reason, I don’t consider distance or travel to be an obstacle… and feel that travel expenses complicate things unnecessarily. I don’t see the Dandenong Ranges, Point Nepean or The Great Ocean Road to be that far away. To be honest, I am more concerned with who you are as a couple and what the plans are for your wedding day, than how many kilometres there are between here and there. It’s important to me that I photograph the kinds of weddings and the kinds of couples that interest me and that I photograph people I have a connection with.

2. When it comes to Location and Lifestyle  Portraits, I do look at it a little differently. If you live on the other side of town, or wish to have your shoot at some far out location, then time and travel needs to be considered. And its the TIME, not the $$$. Long time readers of this blog will know that at certain times of the year, time is in SHORT supply, making it very difficult to find an additional 2 hours in a day that would be needed to travel to a distant location (as an example). If I can do it, I will, but its not always possible!!

So, there you have it, I have traveled, I do travel, and I will travel !!

And I love it !!

“I get emails all the time from different people asking similar Photography, Wedding and Portrait related questions, and Ask Your Photographer is an attempt to answer them.”

I have received quite a few blog comments and an email or 2 regarding my recent purchase of a Canon 5DmkII. The discussion got a little heated between 2 readers, and I had to close the comments. Either way, I thought it a good idea to bring the topic up again!!

Question. “Why did you choose to get a 5D mkII…?” etc…  (Including “why do you need a 5DmkII?” and “what do you like about the 5DmkII?”.)

Answer: – For my Clients, they deserve the best.

And isn’t that the most important reason a photographer purchases anything?  -  YES !!

I have arranged a "sit down" between two of my more outspoken readers... Should I sell tickets?

And while some might like me to feebly attempt to state in a clear and concise manor all the reasons why the 5Dmk II is better for my clients… I wont. Because nobody really wants to read my raving on about something as simple as a camera body, now do they? Nope.

But many of my regular readers will remember my strongly worded post regarding Back-up Equipment and may recall me stating that Camera’s Fail, and nothing lasts forever. Yes?

Well, before the 5DmkII came along, I still had perfectly good equipment, with my trusty original 5D as my main camera, and a 30D as a back-up. But due to their age, I made the decision to retire my 30D and use the older 5D as my backup and purchase a 5DmkII as my main camera.

But thats not the only reason I have just spent nearly $4000 on a new camera.  

The higher resolution sensor allows me to easily print much larger images, which is great for Family Portrait sittings as well as Weddings, and it gives me more flexibility in cropping an image for use in a wedding album (especially the larger 15″ – 17″ Albums when you are running an image as a full page) and it handles higher ISO much better, allowing me to shoot indoors without flash if I want to.

Like I said, I could go on and on and on, but thats what Camera Review sites are for, so if you feel you need more, check out the best 5DmkII review on the web.

And in case you are wondering, the image above was captured with my 5DmkII & 17-40mm lens @ 21mm. ISO 3200 – 1/30sec @ f/11

Please feel free to comment nicely!