Ask The Experts - Marcus Bell, Studio Impressions

Photographer Marcus Bell of Studio Impressions, shares his advice on telling a story and "bringing photography to life".

How did you start your business?

With a dream.  I started Studio Impressions 13 years ago with a vision to give people wedding photography that told the story of what actually happened on the day and that really captured them as people.   Back then, there wasn’t a lot of photojournalism in wedding photography.  I was attending the weddings of friends and seeing the same posed photos over & over again.  The images just never really seemed to reflect the day I had experienced or the people I knew.   I wanted to change that.  I wanted to create wedding images using the same approach that my photographic idols, like Cartier-Bresson & Erwitt used in their people photography (not that I can anywhere near compare) – just create wedding images that were more of an observation than a planned portrait.     I had also learnt a lot about great customer service from my past jobs, and I could see an opportunity to create a studio that not only provided great images, but great service.   So with a lot of passion, hard work, persistence, the support of my wife and a good business plan, Studio Impressions was born and steadily we have created the studio I imagined.  We are still committed to the same principles, and we have done more than I dreamed….but I’m still dreaming.  Oh there is so much more to do!

What is your style?

Someone once called it “weddingscapes” – a fusion of wedding photography & landscape photography.   Others say it is emotive, photojournalistic, candid.   We do use a documentary approach to capturing the day, and our work does have a particular look & feel that is uniquely Studio Impressions.

What is your business and/or creative philosophy?

“Bringing Photography to Life”.   Because a photograph captures a fleeting second in time, sometimes you get the chance to see things that you would never have ordinarily noticed – including feelings & emotions.  I want our photographs to allow my clients to see how much love and wonder they have in their own life, amongst their friends and family.  How special all this really is.   It is our job to glimpse their life and tell their future great grandchildren a story in images, about their family. 

We also work on the basis that regardless of how many awards you have won, you are only as good as your last wedding, and so I aim to do the absolute best I can at each and every wedding.   It is like my own creative test.   My job offers me the very exceptional privilege of sharing some of the most important moments in the life of my clients.   And you don’t get a second chance to capture these moments.   In that way, all of us at Studio Impressions know how important & how special our job is, but that the day is still all about our clients – so everything we do in our business is aimed to do two things:

1)      make sure they have the absolute best time possible without worrying about the photography for a second, and

2)      give them images that simply blow them away.   If they cry happy tears when they view their photos, then we have done our job.  

What sets you and your work apart?

Timeless imagery, quality, consistency, experience.   There is very little we haven’t come across at a wedding & we can handle all of it with ease these days!  Also, creative vision.    Creative vision sounds silly, and it is a little hard to explain, but at Studio Impressions, wedding photography isn’t just about photographing someone’s wedding to a formula of poses and overused locations.   When Adam & I are photographing a wedding we are looking for the little stories within the story, the relationships, the connections between people & we want to capture them all.   The images we take on location we take with an end vision in mind, which usually comes to us when we just see the shot because of the light or the landscape or the way the groom looked at the bride in that second. We happily spend time in post production to make sure the images of our clients aren’t just beautiful, they are breathtaking – because that is how that moment felt to us on that day – breathtaking.

What is the process for a bride and groom to work with you?

All they need to do is simply enquire by calling or emailing us at Studio Impressions.   We will send them some examples of our work and information about our packages and invite them to visit us at the Studio to view our albums and meet either Adam or myself – whoever may be their chosen photographer.   If they can’t visit, because for example, they don’t live locally, we are happy to chat with them on the phone or via Skype – but I always like to talk to the couple because they need to make sure they like me before them book me!   I will be following them around all day after all!   We will discuss a package that is best suited to their particular wedding and then, if we tick all the boxes, they will book us.  From there they have complete access to me (or Adam) as their photographer and to my team for help on anything they may have questions about, including referrals or ideas on timing or even what colour to put their bridesmaids in. Before the wedding I try to do a pre-wedding engagement shoot so that I can get to know the bride & groom and find out how they like to be photographed.  If they aren’t available for a pre-wedding shoot, I will always meet with them again before the wedding to go through all the finer details of the day.  On the wedding day, I like to blend into the background as much as possible so they can just enjoy the day and their friends & family.    After the wedding we will see them a few times to view their images and complete their album, although often this is now done online as our couples live all over the world.     It really is a very simple process.  

What advice would you have for engaged couples?

Enjoy your engagement, planning your wedding & your actual wedding day.  It really is one day you will remember for always.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, just fun and full of love.

To reduce stress, book early.  The best venues, photographers, designers & entertainment, all book out quickly for popular dates.   Decide what your budget priorities are – that is, what are the most important things to you, for your wedding?   Spend the money on getting reputable quality for those things and save on the things that aren’t as important to you.  That way you will get the things you really want.  

Visit studioimpressions.com.au