I love to hear feedback from all my clients. As a result I entered The Wedding Industry Awards 2012 for which I was shortlisted for Photographer of the Year 2011 for East Anglia. This is the only wedding industry competition that solely relies on the feedback from past clients over a period of one year. Below is the feedback that was gathered from The Wedding Industry Awards Website. As the website likes to keep anonymity only what each client wrote is available to me. This is a direct copy of the text that was given to me after the wards had closed.
General Comments (in random order)
“Both me and my wife found Paul to be reassuring, helpful, informative and professional at all times. He talked us through every stage and made the whole picture taking experiance fun. Our day lives on thanks to his fantastic pictures. I would not hesitate to recommend Paul to friends, family and collegues. From start to finish it was a pleasure to have such a dedicated photographer.”
“Our photos were the most important thing for us to get right on our wedding day. Paul was fantastic at our friends wedding in 2009 and they couldn’t recommend him enough to us. Once we saw their pictures we booked an appointment with him straight away. He is incredibly easy to talk to and discuss what you want and keeps a really open mind, he just seemed to know exactly what we were after. Many of his pictures are natural and modern but he still keeps the traditional feel. On the day he was really professional, I am really self concious but I forgot he was there most of the time! The after wedding service was excellent too, he kept us up to date with his progression with our album, which was breath-taking when he hand delivered it! Everyone has commented on how wonderful our pictures are and lots of friends and family have asked for his details. We have been to several weddings since, and none of the photographers have come any where near Paul’s standard. I am the first to moan about bad service, but I cannot sing Paul’s praises enough and I hope he wins this competition, he certainly deserves it in my opinion! We feel so lucky that we found him!”
“When we got married we decided that the photography was high on our priority list – this is what you have to remember the day. Paul was recommended by a friend who used him for their own wedding. He did not disappoint! From early planning meetings going through running orders of the day, Paul was very thorough making sure he knew the names of key guests, the types of photos we like, the settings we were looking for and was always very informative and happy to give his opinion. On the day, other than the ‘scheduled’ photos, you would not have known he was there – but at the same time snapping away throughout the day making sure to catch every moment! The result of the photos are fantastic. We have been given access to view online as well as receiving all the photos (over 300) on a disc to view in our own time. We have now finally narrowed these down to 100 for the creation of our wedding album. All in all – Paul was very professional and made an excellent job on our day.”
“From the moment we met Paul we were reassured and looking forward to having him part of our day. He covered every aspect of the day with us. On the day we didnt even notice him there, none of us felt like we were being photographed and the result was so many natural shots and moment captured that we didnt even realise until the photos came through. During the group shots Pauls managed to get everybody relaxed and being themselves. As we requested nothing came out posed in every photo I can see my friends personalities, again a lovely surprise when we got the photos through. The feed back from our guest was really positive, alot of people commented on how Paul was descreet when needed and a great personality when needed too. Alot of friend have since asked for his details for their forthcoming weddings. The photos themselves were more than I ever could have expected and the feedback from family and friend has been brilliant. We are so proud of them. We have had our venue and my dress shop ask if they can use the photos on their websites and brochures. All in all Paul didnt just capture the day he captured the way it all felt and all the individual personalities perfectly. We received our photos promptly and presented beautifully. Paul was always on hand leading up to and since the wedding and honestly the best thing we spent money on out of the whole thing!”
“Paul was the best photographer I have ever come across, he was reasonable and did exactly what I asked of him on the day and afterwards. Would recommend anyday!”
“Paul did exactly as I requested and was a pleasure to work with I would recommend him every time”
“Paul was fantastic throughout the whole process- easy to contact and very quick to respond. On the day everything went very smoothly and Paul managed to take lots of informal photographs which we had requested without being obtrusive. We were provided with a CD with over 300 photographs and there was no pressure to buy other products or albums. We did however buy a photobook of our selected photographs and the finish is fantastic.”
“Everything that was done for us by Paul/PJA photography was brilliant. He was very friendly and helpful. I would most defiantly recommend him to anyone I know getting married or looking for a photographer for other occasions.”
“Paul Armes is an amzing photographer. All our wedding pictures we absolutely gorgeous and his customer service was outstanding. I would recommend him for any occasion.”
“As soon as I met Paul I knew I’d chosen the right person to take care of my wedding day. From the outset Paul was calm, relaxed and approachable, and I trusted him implicitly to ensure I would have photographic memories to treasure for ever. On the day itself I was made to feel like the most important person in the world, and Paul captured amazing pictures from the whole day, yet, this was done in a discreet unobtrusive manner. Once we had chosen the photos for our album we gave Paul the theme we wanted for our album… roses, colour theme – red and green. Within days appeared individually crafted and designed roses and vines, each unique, adorning our sample album. Everyone that sees my album instantly requests the details for PjaPhotography, and I now have many jealous friends who had already married using an alternative photographer. PjaPhotography truly enhanced our wedding experience and it is with great joy and pride that I show people our amazing album.”
“The photography was really special and captured all our special moments along with many more. Paul offered outstanding service, he travelled to Scotland four our special day with no quarms. Nothing was too much to ask Paul was so helpful down to tiny details on the day.”
“have already recommended paul to a couple of friends getting married next year and any family that get married in the future will use paul”
“Paul’s photos are simply amazing, natural and modern and we love them all. On the day Paul was great to have around, making everyone feel relaxed. His natural shots are superb, you don’t even notice he is there. The service before the wedding was great, coming to our house and always available to call/email with extrememly quick repsonse. Our images were ready and waiting when we returned from honeymoon.”
“We were very pleased to employ PJA Photography for our wedding. We were impressed with the smooth and profesional progression with meetings and paper work before the wedding and on the day we were very happy with how the pictures were organised. We were ever so happy with the finished results, the quality of the images and the story book were just beautiful. PJA had taken the time to produce hand drawn birds to follow the theme of our wedding. We would gladly recommend PJA to friends.”
“From the moment we spoke to Paul he could not be more helpful. We were stuck on a low budget and he worked magnificently around us. I can not speak highly enough of him. He knows exactly what he wants to get the shot you have indicated saving valuable time on the day.Everyone at the wedding has spoken about how good the photographer was and how pleasant he was throughout the day”
“Paul was fantastic and professional from the moment we got in touch with till to date! His knowledge and ideas are exceptional and I would highly recommend him to any close and very dear family and friends.”
“Paul is a very pleasant and friendly person who made ourselves and all our guests feel at ease, he just seemed to blend into the background and managed to capture every aspect of our day. The album he produced is of top quality and really tells the story of our perfect day. He did everything we asked and was more than accomodating to our requests.”
“Excellent Photograher!”
“We struck Gold when we found Pja Photography, we were recommended everything else we booked for our wedding but nobody recommended a photographer that we liked the images from. We found Pja on the internet and loved his images and when we met with Paul he made us feel relaxed and that we had found the right company. I find that if you have a good feeling about somebody then you have made the right choice. The whole process with Paul was very professional and felt very personnel. The wedding day was just perfect and we never felt any pressure to do anything we did not want to do, Paul took the shots he wanted and looked after us very well indeed he kept making sure we were ok and made sure we were always ok for drinks. The photographs we received were just amazing I am not an expert but I can tell that these photos are something different and that so much time has been spent making them right!! Would I recommend Pja Photography……That is a very big YES. I run a marquee and events company and I will be putting a link to Pja on my website as I will be recommending them to my customers.”
“Paul has such a great style, even the venue were we had our wedding commented on how good he was – he managed to capture our day with a mix of informal / natural photos as well as some staged shots. We were really lucky to have him as our photographer, the overall end result was better than I could of wished for. I have since recommended him.”
“Organising a wedding is a stressful job; you need a professional you can trust to listen to what you want and be confident that they will deliver. Paul of Pja Photography did all this and more, a very professional service, but with real personal touch. He made sure that both bride and groom were comfortable with the proceedings in the meetings leading up to the wedding. On the day he arrived promptly, looking smart and immediately set to work. He made sure we didn’t feel rushed, and made sure I (the bride) was happy with everything, and that I felt like the most important person in the world! Most amazingly at the ceremony and the celebrations afterwards I almost wouldn’t have known he was there. He was very discreet to make sure he didn’t impose on our day, but from the photos it was evident he was always in the right place at the right time. Our photos were ready to be viewed within a week – just as we arrived back from honeymoon… perfect! The way he captured the day was incredible, the fact that I had to choose photos for the album was a near impossible task. We suggested a theme of roses to match with our red and green bridesmaids and best woman, a preview returned with individually designed roses and vines adorning each page, each one unique!! It is with great pride and delight that I show off my wedding album to friends and family (anyone that will look!), and without exception brides to be said they’d found their photographer, old brides wished they’d heard of Pja Photography before their wedding!!”
“Paul Armes really puts himself at the couple’s service. From the first email contact, through several reviews of what we wanted to achieve both at the church and the reception venue, Paul made time for us – often outside of normal hours – to discuss, advise and suggest. Paul took the trouble to find out about us as a couple (including our own fads and fancies about being photographed) and ensured that he was familiar with all the key members of the wedding party. This allowed him to be comfortably present throughout, and to integratre as if a friend. The happy informality of the photos is testament to how unobtrusive his way of working is.”
“paul was just like friend on our wedding day. He made you feel relaxed from the very beginning which is what you need on a stressful day. At times you didn’t even know he was there but captured the most wonderful pictures.”
“We saw several photographers before we made our decision but when we after we met paul we did not see anyone else, His portfolio was exactly the style of photo’s we wanted for our wedding. On the day you never would of even known he was there all the guests said how good he was. We are very happy with the final outcome of our photos, i will definilty use paul for any other occassions i need a phorographer for.”
“Paul was an absolute star taking us through the whole process and helping us make informed decisions about our day. The photos are truly stunning and we can’t wait to see our album. Paul is a true pro from beginning to end and a great person to be around – he truly brought out the best of us in his shots.”
“Paul was a pleasure to work with. Really calm and unobtrusive on the day, but a great support and he captured many, many, lovely shots without our guests even noticing. I would recommend him to anyone”
“The photographs were of such an amazing quality and he really captured every special moment, and everyone I wanted. He lead us strongly through the group photos with great directions so that everyone knew what to do – very efficient and kind with it. What was key was that everyone felt so comfortable with him that the photos are real, and the smiles and laughs spring from each face. He really went above and beyond and pre and post care has been exceptional. He really deserves to win. Please do email me if I can help further.”
“THE BEST WEDDING ALBUM EVER COULD NOT FAULT IT HE MADE US FEEL AT EASE HE TOOK PHOTOS WITH GREAT CARE IN FACT YOU REALLY WOULDNT KNOW HE WAS THERE ONLY WHEN YOU SAW THE SUPERB PHOTOS”
“I couldn’t imagine a better wedding photographer than Paul – in the lead up to the wedding he was always avaliable to answer any questions. At the pre-wedding consulation he ensured he knew exactly what we wanted – and spent time asking about the guests and wedding party so he knew who people were on the wedding day. On the day, he seemed to know everybody by name straight away. I had booked 8 hours coverage with him, but when we spoke on the consultation day, it turned out that i was more comfortable with 9 hours so he could get more photos of me getting ready. He added in this hour without a charge, and also as the wedding ran slightly late, he ended up staying later than our original time with no charge or complaint – in fact, he insisted he was staying until we got all the photos we wanted. As soon as he arrived at the house on the wedding day, he quickly introduced himself to everyone, then got on taking the photos. He spent a few minutes with my 2 year old flowergirl helping her feel comfortable with him by taking silly photos, then immediately seemed to blend into the background taking photos of everything that was going on. While I was getting my dress, veil, shoes, etc on, I was actually completely unaware that Paul was even there – but the photos he got were amazing. He captured the moments perfectly. This fantastic service continued throughout the day, he was professional, but friendly, always avaliable. I had a few photos that i had told him i definately wanted – mainly with my niece and nephew – and we hadn’t been able to get one of them in the gardens as my baby nephew was screaming. Later on in the day I was holding my nephew, looking at lights, and Paul saw this from across the room, and almost came running in order to ensure he got a photo of us together. It was this sort of commitment throughout the day that made me so delighted with him. My friends and family also commented on how friendly Paul was, but also how they were surprised he got some of the photos he did as they weren’t even aware he was there. The photos that he took were exactly what we wanted, and we were so impressed with them all. By the time we returned from honeymoon, 2 and a half weeks after the wedding, we had our fully edited and retouched image CD waiting for us. I was amazed at how quickly he had got these ready. They were perfect, i love every photo. I will recommend Paul to everyone I know – and I know that off the back of his work on our wedding day, my sister has recommended him to her friend for a wedding, and my other sister is booking him for portraits. We could not have been more pleased with the service, photos and Paul himself.”
“Paul most definately deserves this award. I researched 38 different photographers for our wedding in June and only 1 stood out from the start. We narrowed this down to 5 to meet in person. Paul was the first person we met and the others failed in comparison to him. His value for money is incredible and on the day he stayed much longer than our package allowed. You can tell Paul does this job because he enjoys it and he is absolutely brilliant at what he does. The service we have received before, during and after the wedding has been faultless. I emailed him to ask him to edit a photo before it went onto our online gallery – 10 minutes later it was edited, uploaded and a reply sent to me. All on a Sunday too!”
“We were initially impressed by Paul’s enthusiasm and technical knowledge of photography and it was fantastic that he came to the venue beforehand to discuss what we wanted and explore the grounds so he knew what types of pictures we were wanting. It gave us great reassurance and peace of mind to have met him and walked round the venue with him prior to the big day. On the day he was very professional – dressed smart, worked extremely hard for all 8 hours Plus – I’m sure he stayed later than we had booked him for), constantly snapping away and running around to capture the best images. We found Paul very friendly and easy to get on with. Post wedding he promptly sent us our photos online within a few weeks. We have yet to select our pictures and choose an album but so far he has been helpful and responsive to our queries. We are very pleased with the photos – he has captured the spirit of the day and the Suffolk countryside beautifully. It is nice he has put his ‘stamp’ on his work – demonstrating he is creative as well as technical. I have no doubt his ability and reputation will grow. Glad to get him before his prices get too high!!”
“Paul was very easy to deal with both before and during the wedding. On the day itself, we weren’t really aware of his presence and yet he got some fantastic shots. We are really pleased with the results and would have no hesitation in recommending him to others.”
“Pja photography were fantastic all the way through from booking to receiving our wedding album. We highly recommend Paul to all our friends and family. We get fantastic feedback from friends about our wedding photos and album and we would hire him again without hesitation. Thanks to Pauls images we can look back on all the highlights of our day, he didn’t miss a thing the images reflect exactly how we remember our day. The album was personalised and the colours used in the album matched perfectly the colours of our day. We couldn’t have asked for more.”
“Not only did Paul create fantastic photography for our wedding, it is also Paul’s caring nature that I found most impressive. As I was extremly nervous before going to church Paul asked if I was ok, his way with people is great.”
“Paul is just superb! Warm, adaptable and so relaxing to be around on what is a very emotional and often stressful day at times. Our family and friends also commented on how wonderful he was with the guests.”
“Friendly, professional, thoughtful, well presented, thorough, calm, easy to work with, fantastic photographer!”
Why They Booked (in random order)
“We loved PJA’S Photography website and the wedding photo’s advertised on it. We also appreciated the prompt, professional and clear response via emails as we organised our UK wedding from overseas.”
“Your wedding truly is the most special day of your life. It goes so quickly and you need memories to last you forever. In order to create these memories you need to be able to trust and be at complete ease with your photographer. Paul was simply the only man for the job.”
“Through seeing another person’s wedding picture and I was just blown away with them”
“A friend of my mum’s used him. My now-husband and I looked through their coffee table album and simply loved what we saw. So we got in touch and thank goodness he was able to do us. I will be recommending him to all of my friends.”
“The photos on his website were the type of photos we had in mind. When we met him, we thought he was very professional, non-pushy and very friendly. We also wanted to have someone local.”
“A recommendation from a friend – she had had Paul take her photos for her reception. I loved the unique and original album that he had designed for her taking into account her style of wedding and the couples personality. His style of photographer was also the mood we wanted to capture on the day – very natural and not over posed.”
“Had seen a friends pictures and as very impressed. Arranged a meeting with Paul and knew straight away we would choose him.”
“An Internet search showed us his website and aftyer meeting with Paul it made our mind up.”
“Having worked closely with Paul’s sister I was one of the first people to see her wedding album (produced by PjaPhotography). As soon as I did I knew this was the photographer I had to have for my wedding.”
“My husband and I agreed that his images were the best after an extensive internet search.”
“As soon as we met Paul we felt comfortable with him, he was professional, but also relaxed and friendly. He listened carefully to everything we wanted, and then talked to us about how we could achieve this – giving advice, but always making sure that we were happy with his suggestions. He showed us his previous work, which was exactly the look and style we were wanting. I also spent some time looking through his website, and the mix of candid photos and posed photos really seemed to capture the mood of the weddings he had photographed. His pictures were also always colourful, bright and modern which is exactly what we wanted. His prices were also very competitive. We had met other photographers previously, but as soon as we met Paul, our decision was made and we booked him that day.”
“he is really friendle and makes sure gets the pictures that you require and makes you feel at ease even for those of us that do not like being infront of the camera”
“Saw his webpag and photos after scrawling through photographers on the internet for my area and he was by far the best photos”
“We were wedding guests in June 2009 at another wedding he was photographer for. The bride and groom said he was fantastic on the day, and the results were fantastic. We then booked an appointment straight away without even bothering to shop around. His prices were very competitive too.”
“When we first met Paul both my partner and I felt at ease with him straight away – we don’t like to be photographed but he put us at ease instantly and we felt confident he would create some wonderful pictures.”
“I took one look at my friend Jo’s wedding album and I knew I’d found my photographer. After meeting Paul I had complete trust in him to ensure I had a truly captivating memory of my wedding for ever. He did not disappoint! (See above)”
“His personality, his fantastic images and his modern approach.”
“We loved everything about the examples of Paul’s work before we hired him, he was polite and professional and made us feel at ease and we thought his packages were reasonably priced and he was available on our chosen date so it sealed the deal.”
“BY A FAMILY MEMBER AND RECCOMENDATION”
“The initial introduction was a friend that had used Paul. We contacted Paul and he made an appointment to come to our home and introduce himself, at this stage he ran through his portfolio and i must say we was very impressed with the picture quality. After a long chat about what we wanted to achieve we had no hesitation in booking Paul. We was confident that he would deliver what we wanted. (AND HE DID)”
“Great portfolio and very friendly. Also great value for money.”
“Was a bit of a gamble as all the photographers recommended to me were booked up so I had to go with an unknown on the internet. I wanted a local photographer and once I had spoken to Paul decided he fitted the bill and crossed my fingers that I had chosen someone decent.”
“Quality and style of photography suited what we were looking for i.e. modern and a good mix of formal/informal. Very good value for money. Easy to contact and quick to respond which reduced the stress when there are so many other things to organise!”
“We’d seen a ‘storybook’ album from a friend’s wedding, and he was recommended without reservation by them. He offered both great value for money, and was easy to discuss bespoke tailoring of packages with.”
“His personality, and ability to understand what we wanted. His organisiation and smooth running. His style of photography. He clearly loves what he does and cares about what he is providing.”
“Because I had seen his work already”
“Because paul the photographer was nice and made us both feel at ease, the package we received was what we wanted, He was flexable and the photos we’re brilliant.”
“Because he was so patient with me when I lost my father very suddenly a few days after we had initially spoken. He waited for his deposit without complaint and saved the booking for me regardless. When we finally met up he was just the best person for us, we both liked him a great deal. I would always recommend Paul.”
“His work is world class”
“Loved his work and Paul is a really lovely person to deal with.”
“Service”
“Because the style of his photography was exactly what were looking for!! even at first contact he was very well organised and always understanding”
“Because of his professionalism! He meets my very high standards. During such a hectic day as a wedding come some times be, Paul was able to still capture those very special moments with attention to detail. He work is great value for money and all our friends were extremely impressed by his work.”
“We booked PJA because we were impressed with the wedding sample photography. We liked his unique style and that fitted with our personalities. We felt PJA offered very good value for money comapred with other companies and we loved the story book and the individual ‘hand drawn’ elements PJA took the time to produce.”
“Our Wedding day. Good recommendation and good packages to choose from.”
“I had seen his website and been to weddings he has done before and the photos he produces and takes are excellent.”
