082: Does having a Good Brand actually matter?

We’re back with another episode and this time we’re turning our attention to the branding side of what we do. There’s plenty of chat out there about what makes a good brand and how that helps build visibility, recognition and loyalty with clients.   But when we’re mostly dealing with one-time buyers, do we actually need a super strong brand to thrive in the wedding industry?  The idea of this episode was spurred off the back of Chris recently giving his website a new look, as well as a little shift in the way he brands himself.  In this episode we talk over his reasonings for the shift, what made him take on the task of re-branding and what that actually entails.   Your brand is so much more than just the colours, logo and font on your website.  It’s the message that’s behind everything you use to communicate as a business.   If you’re looking to make changes to your brand as we enter booking season, or don’t really feel you have a set voice behind your work, this episode is for you.As always, we’d love to know your thoughts on this topic, either in the comments below or slide into our DM’s, we love to hear your perspective.Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/weddingcapture.coWatch along on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WeddingCaptureCoPodcastKeywords: Branding, Squarespace, Colour Theory, Logo, voice, style, wedding photography, wedding videography, website design.

I know what you’re thinking;  another episode about AI?   But honestly this landscape is changing so quickly that we think it’s needed to bring you up to speed.  Today’s episode isn’t just about shouting about what’s new though, it also comes with a very valid question..  Is AI really necessary when running a wedding photo/video business?It only feels like a couple of years ago that we were chatting about how cool Imagen AI is and how you can ask Chat GPT for a bolognese recipe,  but fast forward to today and there’s some HUGE things happening in the AI world that are both amazing and also genuinely terrifying for people’s jobs.AI is now not only able to help with the day to day running of your business, but also has the power to completely overhaul and rebuild the software you use to run it.  That feature that you really wished your CRM or editing suite has? You can probably get that built pretty quickly after a chat with Claude. Whatever your feelings are around AI and how much (or little) of it you use in your business; this episode is both the education you need to know what’s possible and the voice inside your head that questions whether it’s all just gone too far. We’d love to know your thoughts on this topic, either in the comments below or slide into our DM’s, we love to hear your perspective.Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/weddingcapture.coWatch along on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WeddingCaptureCoPodcastKeywords: AI, Claude, CRM, reverse engineering, vibe-coding, open source software, wedding photography, wedding videography, Chat GPT.

It’s a bold question, isn’t it? What is it about one photograph or wedding film that elevates it from being ‘good’ to the level of ‘truly great’?  As award season approaches, maybe you’re selecting work for an entry, or even just picking work from the summer to add to your portfolio.  If that’s you and you’re struggling to know where to begin, this episode will 100% be right for you.   That said, if you’re diving into this looking for a quick fix, or the secret recipe to making great work, you might be a little disappointed. This conversation is more about looking at your work, affirming the values you stand for as a creative and then beginning the quest to greatness with your vision realigned.   It’s a really interesting chat; as along the way we discover that the measures of greatness from the still image and moving film are actually quite different.  Add to that Tom & Chris’ own personal views of how they decide what they think is great wedding photo/film and you’re left with is a pretty deep conversation that actually asks more questions than it gives answers.   As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts from this conversation, either in the comments below or slide into our DM’s. We really do appreciate it.Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/weddingcapture.coWatch along on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WeddingCaptureCoPodcastKeywords: Great wedding photography, Great wedding films, light, composition, sound, moments, award season, portfolio. 

These days you can get pretty much anything you want, delivered within the hour or the next day, for very little cost and it’s just become the norm.   In recent years that’s crept into weddings; next-day previews and teasers have gone from being something to separate you from the crowd, to being almost expected.  More recently, it might’ve even become a race to beat a content creators in delivering something first.  In some cases, I’ve even heard of some individuals delivering photo or video, before they’ve even left the wedding or whilst the day is still unfolding.  In an industry that’s based around legacy and making something that truly lasts, it’s become about doing exactly that, but at a very rapid turnaround.   This conversation won’t be for everyone; it’s also not saying that anyone is right or wrong for doing previews or teasers in the way they currently do.  It’s more an honest conversation to say that there is an alternative. What if you abandoned the idea of immediacy and chose suspense and genuine excitement instead?  Hopefully you’ll finish the episode with more questions than answers about the way (and how quickly) you currently deliver photo/video from a wedding, as it certainly left us that way making it.   Please share your thoughts from this conversation, either in the comments below or slide into our DM’s, we love to hear your opinions on these topics too.Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/weddingcapture.coWatch along on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WeddingCaptureCoPodcastKeywords: Immediacy, Sneak peeks, teasers, wedding photography, wedding videography, legacy, timelessness, content creators.

We’re back! It’s been nearly 2 months after we sat down to record the last 2 episodes, but we’re both very glad to be back behind the mics.  This episode is a big summer catch up’ bringing you right up to speed with what we’ve been doing and why we haven’t had time to make new episodes for you all.   We talk about our holiday in Tenerife and why taking time out over summer is important. Tom shares some of the knowledge and realisations he had after attending a very special retreat in Surrey with legendary wedding photographer John Dolan and Chris fills up in on his recent destination job back at Villa Ciprissi in Lake Como.   We also reflect on the realities and struggles of shooting weddings in record temperatures for the UK and the effects that’s had on the weddings as well as what we’ve made.   It’s all the usual fun you’ll expect from a WCC episode and bring you right up to speed with everything that’s happened over the summer.  If you have any great stories or wisdom to share for your hot summer weddings, be sure to let us know as we always love hearing from you!  In the meantime, don’t forget to like, subscribe and share, it really does help get the word out and spread the word of what we’e doing with this podcast.   Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/weddingcapture.coWatch along on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WeddingCaptureCoPodcastKeywords: Tenerife, Holiday, John Dolan, Lake Como, Destination wedding, wedding attire, summer weddings, hot weather weddings. 

This week’s episode is a follow-on from episode 74; Tom & Chris both wrote some questions for each other in private (so answers couldn’t be thought about or pre-prepared) and pitched them to each other live on the episode. We enjoyed the honesty and variety of that episode so much, that we knew we had to give it some more air-time and share the questions that got missed in that first episode.This time around we dive into topic such as:- How often do you watch your own wedding film?- Would you prefer to always work with a videographer or never work with one again?- What’s your greatest fear in this industry?- Do couples care about kit & specs, or do just want great photo/video?It’s a great chat with lots of interesting takes on a variety of topics, making it the perfect thing to listen too whilst editing or driving to your next job.We’d love to know your answers to some of these questions too, so make sure to drop them in the comments or slide into our DM’s.Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/weddingcapture.coWatch along on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WeddingCaptureCoPodcastKeywords: Legacy, Longevity, working solo, wedding photography, wedding, videography, camera specs.

Believe it or not, we’re pretty much halfway through the year, so this episode is a mixture of catching up with recent weddings and reflecting on how we’re feeling 6 months into 2026.   Things are looking pretty symmetrical for Tom with half of his weddings already shot and pretty much the same left to go.  Chris is a different story altogether with only a handful of dates under his belt so far and a much bigger number left to come.  From there it rolls into the usual stories about why that is, how we’re feeling and some comments on the state of the Instagram algorithm lately.  Be sure to listen to the end as Chris presents an interesting take on sunset portraits from a recent wedding and Tom shares the story behind his first blank roll of film.  As always, we’d love to know how your 2026 is going so far and welcome all of the comments, DM’s and messages about that.Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/weddingcapture.coWatch along on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WeddingCaptureCoPodcastKeywords: Instagram, Hot Takes, Summer Solstice, summer weddings, sunset portraits, analogue film photography, wedding videography.

There’s no denying the enquiries are harder to come by and ghosting is more prevalent than ever, but have you ever considered that we might actually be the problem here?? Put yourself in a couples shoes; they sit down to plan a wedding and contact vendors - they’re met with huge enquiry forms to even get pricing, insistence on video calls before they book and that’s after they’ve navigated through the sheer volume of suppliers that exist.  In this episode (after a brief catch up on life lately) we share our opinions on the ghosting epidemic and arrive at the conclusion that maybe the way to stop the ghosting and boost the bookings is simple: Make it as easy & concise as possible for couples to book as you can. It’s a bold statement and something we’re both still toying with in our own business’ but if you’ve been listening to us for a while, you’ll know that we’re not ones to spend time moaning about the current state of the industry, without trying to do something about it.  If you’ve found yourself getting down about lack of enquiries or your inbox becoming a house of ghosts, give it a listen and maybe give it a try. As always, we love to hear all your feedback and encourage all of the following, comments etc. Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/weddingcapture.coWatch along on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WeddingCaptureCoPodcast Tom’s Pie Tax App Referral Code: https://pie.tax/app/sharing/tom/pie-tom_g93uKeywords: Picture 2.0, Pie Tax App, Ghosting, enquiries, Gen-Z, AI, Vidflow, booking habits, wedding industry.

It’s another guest episode, and this time Tom & Chris are joined by Steve; a wedding videographer under ‘Blue Ridge Films’ and also the creator of the super-handy Mic-Mags and the brand new Prelude app for wedding suppliers.  In this episode we dive into how the ideas for Mic-mags came about, what they are and how a simple coloured magnet has become an absolute game-changer for videographers using the old faithful TX650 mics during weddings. From there, we move onto Steve’s latest creation; a brand new mobile app for wedding schedules called Prelude. With just a simple screenshot of your questionnaire or timeline, it uses the latest Ai technology to build a complete schedule that notifies you of each event without even having to unlock your phone. It also has loads of other handy features that make it a real ‘all-in-one’ solution for keeping on track on a wedding day. Steve is a complete open book and explains how even with next to no developer or coding knowledge, he managed to build, develop and publish this app on the Apple App Store, all with the use of various Ai platforms. The rest of the episode is a full rundown on vibe coding, how easy it is to build your own app and the future of software as we know it, before we round things off talking about some of our own favourite apps we use to help run our businesses. Huge thanks to Steve for coming on to chat to us and if you want to buy mic-mags, prelude or just say hi, his link are here: Videography website: https://www.blueridge-weddings.com/Buy Mic-Mags here: https://micmag.store/Download Prelude: https://www.prelude.day/As always, we love to hear all your feedback and encourage all of the following, shares etc. You can find us here:Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/weddingcapture.coWatch along on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WeddingCaptureCoPodcastKeywords: Mic-mags, TX650, Prelude, Claude, vibe-coding, Chat GPT, Ai developing, Arran Kenny, wedding videography.

It’s a bold question and not something that we’d probably want to admit to ourselves, which is why it’s a conversation worth having. When you’re photographing something like a wedding, that’s a fairly repeatable structure, it’s easy to shy away from being creative and relying on  consistent ‘easy wins’ that might keep our couples happy, but leave us feeling creatively empty and tired of the same old, same old.  This episode is definitely a spin-off of Episode 71: ‘Don’t be a Crab’ and in this one we offer some ways to stop that from happening. Sure, there’s times when consistency is 100% needed to build a brand, win trust from clients and tell the story; but when those ‘easy wins’ overtake the creative edge that drew you to this job, it’s not long before you’re being overtaken by the new forward thinkers coming in around you and moving with the times. This episode will definitely make you take a long look in the mirror of yourself and your business and hopefully give you that creative wake-up call you need as you enter another busy season of weddings. It’s designed to make you think, be honest and make changes to evolve your creativity and business. Thanks as always to everyone who listens to these conversations, supports what we do and helps spread the word of this podcast. Follow us on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/weddingcapture.coWatch along on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@WeddingCaptureCoPodcastKeywords: Consistency, volume laps, stale, Bryson DeChambeau, wedding photography, wedding videography, business, evolution.