My secret recipe for unique wedding photography?
Are you next in line to get married in Belgium or The Netherlands? Congratulations!
Within 20-30 years, photography will be the only tangible memory of your wedding, so this should be at the top of your to-do list.
But there are 1001 photographers and their styles are all similar; it makes sense that you feel like you can’t see the forest for the trees and that’s because engaged couples often have wrong preconceptions about wedding photography.
Discover on this page why I can provide you with a unique wedding report, where – thanks to my NINJA style – you don’t even feel like there’s a photographer present…
Contact me without obligation for more information! What’s the harm? It could just give you beautiful memories. Let’s make YOUR memories together!
“We definitely have to get our photographer from our wedding area!”
Myth! Many couples have the prejudice that your photographer always has to come from your own region. Because they know the town hall inside and out and know a nice location where you can take couple photos. This idea is no longer up to date, because ‘coming from the region’ is no guarantee that you have a good photographer. Did you know that your creativity as a photographer is always better in places you have never been before!
‘But then we have to pay extra travel costs!’ You get 300 km of travel completely free, so most wedding reports already fit in here. Are you still worried? Discover in the price list that the extra cost is peanuts…
‘We don’t feel like sitting in the car for 2 hours for an intake meeting!’ No problem! I can always show you my presentation via a video call and we can just meet each other online. If Maldegem is not too far for you, it is always more fun to come by in person of course…
“We don’t like to pose, but a photographer MUST provide guidelines all day long to be able to take nice pictures.”
It can be done differently! I actually NEVER wanted to become a wedding photographer, because in my mind these were the most boring images you could possibly make. Looking straight into the lens and not forgetting to smile. Posed stuff throughout the day. A day of telling people what to do and where to stand; and selling this as āspontaneousā photography…
Give me National Geographic documentaries, street photography or conflict reports. Images that immediately have an impact on the viewer. Images where the photographer tells the story of what is happening in front of him/her, because they are not able to let their subject do what they want. THAT is spontaneous photography! Storytelling at its best!
So I decided to approach wedding photography completely differently. Like a documentary photographer! Without playing the conductor. A unique approach that is guaranteed to give you authentic memories with a story. No āitās because the photographer told us to do thisā memories…
Apart from the couple shoot (which is only 5% of your day) you can be yourself, without any posed stuff. 95% of your day without guidelines on what to do, where to stand,… Does this sound like music to your ears?
“Let’s get a hobby photographer to cut costs.”
Mistake! Actually, the photographer should NEVER be the supplier where you want to reduce costs, because we are the only tangible memory of your wedding! Often 1/3 of the guests do not remember what you ate or which flower was on the table the day after. You can still enjoy an album full of beautiful memories 40 years from now. Look back on it with pleasure instead of having this feeling: ‘If only we had provided a bit more budget for photography instead of buying that balloon arch or if only we had not chosen those expensive oysters at the reception…’
If photography is at the top of your to-do list and you think it is important to have beautiful memories, choosing a hobby photographer is the biggest mistake you can make! These people do indeed take a smaller bite out of your budget, but the difference is here…
“A documentary wedding photographer does not take couple and/or family photos. Or is open to a posed image…”
Not true! Of course we do! We always make sure that you have out-of-the-box couple photos that you want to hang on your wall in large format. And now that the family is together again, we can take new images so that that old family photo gets an update. But this is NOT an obligation! This is a fixed part of most wedding reports, but some couples prefer to skip this or want to keep it as short as possible.
This is the ONLY moment of the day where I will guide you as a photographer and the rest of the time you can be yourself.
By the way, throughout the day your guests can always tap me on the shoulder if they want a photo of a group of friends or want to be on camera with their loved one. But they have to ask for it themselves! A classic photographer starts lining everyone up, without your guests asking for it or wanting to…
Many colleagues have a quota regarding the number of images you receive upon delivery. This is often between 400-800 images, with the option to pay extra if you want more photos…
You will receive ALL successful images from me!
With a full day wedding documentary you will often receive over 1000 fully edited images. You will receive these in your private, online photo gallery; in which you can download everything in high quality, invite other people to view the gallery, email a photo directly to someone from the gallery,…
Kristof Claeys Photography
Deisterweg 7, 9991 Adegem