Photo & Video Ltd

Starting Out

In 2003 Photo & Video Ltd was established in London, UK and began offering the British market a South African standard of service. What this meant was that we would always go the extra mile for our clients, giving them VIP attention and service.

During the three years we have worked on weddings and events for a wide variety of cultures and societies including intimate London civil ceremonies to 700 large Asian weddings in the English countryside. But no matter the size of the wedding, we have always been able to maintain the constant high level of service and quality end product that our clients have demanded.

The English Market

Being in the UK exposed us to the latest trends in both Photography and Videography. We made a point of visiting all the major wedding shows and staying in direct contact with our competition and people at the top of the industry. Every season brings in a new trend and with the constant development of software and equipment available to the industry, we were forced to invest and grow to stay ahead of the game.

The level of excellence expected by UK brides demand the photographer to have strong technical skills, an artistic eye as well as physical endurance to capture those perfect images on a very fast moving day. Due to the cultural diversity in London, there are many cross culture weddings. Such weddings will begin with a civil or church ceremony, followed by an array of Asian ceremonies, stretching the wedding day from 6am to 12pm. The Photographer not only needs to have a good understanding of vastly different ceremonies and traditions, but must also be able to adapt to the humour and mood required in order to succeed.

The Wedding industry in the UK is worth ??5.6 Billion a year and ??20 000 is spent on average per wedding. A couple will easily spend ??1500 on their photos and a further ??1500 on their video. The long tainted image of wedding videos has been restored and this product is now an essential part of the wedding day. New editing styles and better equipment has caused a revival in videos and rightly so. A good wedding video can capture those speeches and kind words said during the day as well as give you the ability to see those moments you missed on the day. The modern video is filmed and shot by professionals and edited into a very watchable hour to the music and mood that reflects the couples?? personality and character.

In the UK most if not all our marketing and business comes directly from the Internet. The British bride is an educated bride and usually knows exactly what she wants when she approaches us. It is our job to create the final product that meets her high standard and deliver this in the most effective and streamlined way possible.

Our Product

Photography
It has always been our intention to offer something unique. We were at the forefront of offering our clients the storybook album, which we design in-house. The print and bind is done by GraphiStudio in Italy www.graphistudio.com . The storybook album is definitely taking over from the traditional leather album and it is here to stay. In the United States, nearly 50% of brides now opt for this way to display their wedding photos. The quality, durability, practicality and lifespan of this album beat the traditional album by far. Images are printed directly on the page and book bound ?C no more photos coming loose and fading over time! And should you spill a cup of coffee over you precious album, you can just wipe it off again without leaving visible marks behind. GraphiStudio also keeps your album on file digitally, so reprinting or duplication is a breeze.

We have a photo journalistic style ?C we look to tell a story, to make every photo a window into an experience. Every face reflects the mood and intention of the moment. Our clients demand more than just a documentation of their day ?C They come to us to help them realise a dream and create an end product that will mean something in many years to come.

Videography
Our video services have always set us apart. We offer unique editing styles like the Pop Video and Kribs Style, spending that bit extra on each client to ensure they get a product true to the day and they personalities. Clients can choose their shooting and editing style, ranging from a very interactive video with the bride and groom talking to the camera, to an unobtrusive style, just documenting the happenings and forming it into the fairytale day you would like to remember.

South Africa

At the beginning of 2006 we opened another branch in Cape Town, making Photo & Video an international company. We are excited about entering into the South African market with the skills, latest trends and experience we have built up in the UK. Our SA service will be on par with what we still offer in the UK, giving the local bride the opportunity to get a product that is a step above the rest.