ECO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
Helen has developed an Eco Philosophy to Weddings that, as well as helping the environment, is very helpful and convenient to the Bride and Groom too.
* Helen doesn't have glossy brochure packs. All the information is intially on the website and more can be obtained by email. Images can be seen in the online galleries and kept more up to date than in a brochure. This avoids all unnecessary printing and postage which help the environment.
* Helen does not request or expect a prospective client to have to drive to an appointment to meet her before a securing her to shoot their wedding. The date can be secured without an appointment. Helen also appreciates how busy Brides and Grooms are in their every day life, never mind how busy they get when they start having to visit wedding suppliers. (However, if the prospective client wants to then that's fine and Helen is happy to make an appointment for them to come and meet her).
* Securing of the date and paying the booking retainer payment can all be done over the phone, thus avoiding the use of paper and the postal service and it's associated impact on the environment. All confirmations are sent by email and when paying by credit or debit card the client receives an email from the payment system confirming the payment too. This process makes it very convient for the Bride and Groom and can all be done from the comfort of their home or from their work. (Of course if a prospective client would like to pay by cheque posted to Helen, then that's fine).
* The Booking Form, which includes the T&Cs, is in the form of a PDF which is emailed to the prospective client before they secure the date. This avoids the use of paper, the postal service and associated environmental impact. If the prospective clients have a scanner then they can print off the booking form, complete, sign and scan the signed form then email it back to Helen. When Helen signs the office section to confirm the booking she can scan the form and email back to the Bride and Groom. (Of course, if the client doesn't have a scanner, then they can post the booking form back and that's fine).
* Unless the Bride and Groom actually want to meet Helen between securing the date and the actual wedding, there is no obligation to have to drive to an appointment to meet her. Some clients do and some don't, depending on whether they want to see the Sample Wedding Books in person or not, but the option is there either way so if the Bride and Groom want to save on the fuel and help the environment, it won't be frowned upon at all:-)
* The 'Print It Yourself' Bundle or the option of buying the Wedding Photography coverage before the wedding and, if you want to, buying the High Resolution Printable Images on Discs later are all options to have a more Eco Friendly Wedding. This means that rather than all your images being printed, you have them digitally and can freely print 'just what you want, when you want it' and you have them to do that forever.
* Helen recognises that some clients DO want a Pro Wedding Book showcasing some of their favourite images and sometimes there are times when being Eco to the max doesn't fit in with getting something special that you really want. So clients can have a Pro Wedding Book with just their favourite 30 images from their wedding displayed in it to keep the amount of photographic paper being used to a smaller amount. If clients want more images that they would love to be displayed in the Wedding Book then they can add pages to their order, the number of pages being their choice.
* In keeping with the Eco Philosphy, Helen recently changed the car she uses to travel to shoot weddings, from a big estate car which was not as economical on fuel to a smaller car which has a much improved fuel economy and is better for the environment.
* After the wedding Helen does not ask the Bride and Groom to drive to her for an appointment to see the images. For the convenience of the client and to reduce the fuel used in the environment, all the images are available on an online gallery for the Bride and Groom to see and following on from that for their friends and family to be able to view and order from if they wish. On top of that, a few days before the gallery goes live, a Pro Slideshow of the Highlight images from the client's wedding is made avaialable on line for the Bride and Groom to see and share with friends and family. So the entire viewing and choosing process can be done from the comfort of their home without the inconvenience of trying to find time to make an appointment and saving on fuel too!
Helen is always looking for new ideas and ways to be more Eco Friendly when shooting Weddings and welcomes any ideas from anyone who visits this site.
So if you have any good suggestions please contact Helen on the Contact page of this site.