Hello everyone! In this article, I’ll be shining a spotlight on wedding photographer TLGraphy.
With many readers commissioning tailored suits for their weddings, I sometimes get the question: “Do you know of any wedding photographers you would recommend?” To me, that would be TLGraphy, which currently has a perfect 5-star rating on Google.
Imagine spending four figures on a sharp-fitting suit for your wedding, only for the photos to come out looking like it was shot by a $300 Xiaomi phone. Poor photography can ruin even the most striking of outfits. Needless to say, choosing a competent wedding photographer for your big day is paramount.
However, wedding photography isn’t cheap – the market rate for a 10-hour photo shoot is $2000-4000. There’s also plenty of wedding photographers around, ranging from more renowned individuals like Andri Tei that charges a whopping $3300 for a 10-hour shoot, to freelancers on Carousell that costs only a mere $1188 for the same duration. As such, it can be difficult to understand how much one should pay, and to whom. Hopefully, this article helps you with understanding what you’re paying for, and why some photographers cost thrice, if not quadruple as much as others.
What to look out for – Wedding Photography
In my opinion, there are three main aspects of the job that competent wedding photographers should be proficient in.
Firstly, the photographer should be adept at posing the couple, and capturing their natural expressions. In other words, the love between the couple should be evident in the photos, as shown above. This means the photographer should be able to put the couple at ease (especially if they are camera shy), and give them tips on poses they could do. In the above photo, TLGraphy suggested for the couple to bump their behinds together while maintaining eye contact, resulting in the cute shot above that captured the couple’s clear affection for each other.
Secondly, a good photographer should be able to frame shots well, creating complex shots with visual depth. In the above photo, TLGraphy did a stunning job of using natural surroundings to create leading lines that draw the viewer’s eye towards the couple.
Lastly, editing should be an essential component of a photographer’s arsenal of skills. Ask any photographer, and they will tell you that editing makes or breaks a shot – editing the photos for a 1-hour shoot could take anywhere from 2-4 hours. Editing is as crucial to photography as seasoning is to food. Just like how a perfectly cooked Wagyu steak can taste bland if unseasoned, a well-shot photograph can still look dull if unedited. That being said, the photos shouldn’t look overly edited, and should still come across as natural. In the above photo of myself, TLgraphy took great pains to heighten the contrast of the grey vest and navy trousers so that the clothing doesn’t blend into the background.
My experience – TLGraphy
A while back, TLGraphy reached out to see if I would be open to a collaboration. Apparently, while researching for suit vendors for his clients, Titus (founder of TLGraphy) came across Wah So Shiok and suggested a proposal whereby he would help me take some photos for one of my shoots, and if I like the photos I would promote his brand in return. As my regular photographer had just left, I figured there was no harm in trying out TLGraphy, especially since its portfolio mainly consisted of wedding photography. As such, when I had a shoot for a Perfect Attire outfit a few weeks back, I decided to have TLGraphy along for the photography work.
When we first met, I noticed Titus scouting the location, looking at several areas and noting them down. When I enquired about his actions, he replied that he was looking at places with good lighting. To him, good lighting is of utmost significance – it’s essentially the backbone of a photograph. He explained that one should, in most cases, want light to be shining on you, instead of being behind you, as the latter scenario may cause overexposed shots.
After deducing the spots with good lighting, Titus proceeded to take a few shots of me in varying expressions. He then relayed to me that he prefers the shots of me smiling as he felt that a smile suits my personality better than a stern look. Of course, there’s a bias here at work, since Titus generally prefers smiling subjects (see the above wedding shots taken from TLGraphy’s portfolio) over stern, “model-esque” shots. Still, if you’re looking for a wedding photographer to capture you and your partner on your big day, you’re most probably going to smile a lot – perfect for TLGraphy’s style of photography.
Titus has over 5 years of experience in photography, and that shone through when he suggested I angle my torso away from the camera so as to appear more broad-shouldered. When I asked how he learnt this posing tip, he replied that it was through many trial-and-errors with suited grooms previously. After reviewing the photos, I was quite amazed at how such a simple change in posture resulted in a drastically different look – I’ll definitely be angling my body in my future photos from now on.
My favourite shot from my shoot with TLGraphy would probably be the above shot, which captured me coming down the stairs. To me, all the quintessential elements of good photography were present here. The photo features good lighting, there’s visual depth, and I love how the leading lines of the stairs naturally draw attention to me. As it’s a shot of me in motion (clearly seen by how my left foot is in mid-air) there’s a sense of dynamism to the photo as well. The icing on the cake is my natural expression here, instead of some awkwardly forced smile. All in all, it’s a well-composed photograph where all the aspects sing. I’ll probably be using it to update my Tinder/CMB profiles – perhaps I’ll be able to engage Titus on an actual wedding shoot in the future, who knows…
Conclusion – so TLGraphy “shiok” or not?
I enjoyed my shoot with Titus of TLGraphy. Titus is an easygoing chap who put me at ease almost immediately when we met. I think that’s an important trait that’s often not highlighted – a good photographer should be able to make his clients comfortable, making them feel more natural in front of the camera. Titus was also kind enough to share with me some tricks of the trade, allowing me to come out of the shoot with a deeper knowledge and appreciation of photography. And above all, I think the photos turned out great – just compare the photos in this article/my recent Perfect Attire review to those in my previous review of Perfect Attire, and the difference is night and day. This proves my point that a good photographer makes a substantial difference: both articles featured me wearing clothing from the same tailor, but I definitely look much better in TLGraphy’s pictures. That’s the power of photography.
Readers can enjoy a 5% discount on actual day wedding shoots with TLGraphy. After the discount, a 10-hour wedding shoot would cost roughly $1500, which is well under the market rate of $2000-4000. I find TLGraphy to be a great value proposition, and would wholeheartedly recommend its wedding photography services.
P.S Do check out the new “Discounts!” page for exclusive discounts for Wah so Shiok readers! More brands will be added very soon – stay tuned!
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P.S.S.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
