Your Kent Wedding Photographer
About Heartfelt Photography
Introducing myself on the internet is a very weird experience. If talking and making people feel comfortable in themselves was an olympic sport, I'd have the gold, but to try and convey my thoughts, feelings and enthusiasm about how much I love being a wedding photographer in writing is not my forte......that said I am about to try so please bear with me.
I am Petra Navarro-Clark, Heartfelt's wedding photographer. I say that with great pride as taking photos is my one true love in life (apologies to both my current husband and 2 ex-husbands for that comment!). I always feel priviledged that I have been chosen to be part of a couple's wedding day and strive to make your time with me fun, romantic and basically full of smiles and laughter. A wedding day passes so very, very quickly, which means that any time given over to me for the capture and creation of photographs is treated with great respect and viewed as an opportunity to make your day even more enjoyable.
Those who have met me will tell you that the first thing I champion when choosing your wedding photographer is that you all need to feel comfortable with each other, (as well as like their portfolio). A good raporte leads to great wedding photography, that is a fact and one that I whole heartedly believe in. If you feel comfortable with your wedding photographer you smile more readily, laugh easier and instead of focusing on the great big camera that they are pointing at you and freezing like a deer in the headlights, you spend more time interacting, laughing and taking direction (where needed) and those elements of trust and love shine through.
I do not believe that one style of wedding photography truly captures a wedding day. I do believe that great interaction between a couple means that height, weight, age and beauty are not important, but I always strive for a mix of informal shots to be used with reportage/journalistic photography, a few traditional shots (usually for the parents) and some creative and directed photography to give you those exceptional images that your friends just don't have. All this can easily be achieved with very minimal disruption to your day (about 1/2 hour devoted purely to your wedding photography) with the right planning at a face to face pre-wedding chat where we talk through EVERYTHING together. The different mixes also means that you end up with an album that tells the story you want it to and isn't just a series of formally posed images or that you end up missing the one photograph that you really wanted to take with your mum, sister and nan etc.
Being a female wedding photographer definately has it's advantages as I love to make women look good and know how to do this really well. I bring the feminine touch and emotion to your wedding photography and you don't have to be embarrassed about ME seeing you in your underwear. As I hate being photographed myself I also bring a sensitivity about how women want to be seen by their friends and family and am therefore very discreet.
I do believe in a well presented, quality wedding album and not just digital image packages in order to showcase your day. You spend so much money on dresses and suits, cakes, flowers and food, that it seems a shame to take the only memories you are likely to have down to Asda's or Boots and print them off at 15p per print and stick them in a peel and press album that somebody gave you as a wedding present. You can of course buy all of the images on disk to print for your family and friends but all my packages include an album so that I know you have something beautiful to remember your day with.
On a professional note, I am an active member of both the British Institue of Professional Photographers and the Master Photographers Association which means that not only do I have all of the idemnity insurances necessary to operate as a professional photographer, but I have a professional code of conduct too (which I take very seriously). In March 2010 I won my first professional photography competition, earning the title of 'Award Winning Photographer' and have been judged to produce a consistent level of professional work by my esteemed colleagues, mentors and peers. I also like to mention that I am in a local (to Kent) network of photographers who, should anything happen in the lead up to your wedding, will step in and cover me should I be too ill to attend on the day. This has NEVER happened but like most things in life it's good to have a back up plan and is one less thing for you to worry about.
I could talk forever on what it means to be your wedding photographer but hope that in the first instance this is enough to make you pick up the telephone and talk to me in person about your wedding day. If you as a couple want creative, fun, romantic wedding photography then I am most definately one person you should call to arrange a no-pressure EVENING appointment to talk about your wedding and for me to show you my work. No decision is required on the night and all dates are held for one week after the appointment in order to give you the opportunity to interview other photographers and make the right decision.