March 07th, 2023

Darwin Wedding Photographer Thompson Photography journey and who is Oliver Thomspon?

What’s my secret sauce I haven’t built my business with duck tape I’m here for the long haul.
my extremely good client experience is my part of my picture for a 5 star level.

WHY BOOK ME?

So many people just seem to ask this when I meet them, and fair enough your problem only going to do this once, so here are some reasons I share.


No two shoots are same just as Art is. All my work is hand edited no robots fake Artifactual intelligence gets a say in your photos all hand edited with love some images can take over a hour each to become the wow factor you would expect from a seasoned wedding photographer.


Family: My grand mother was a photographer, My Dads a full time Painter, my Mum is Film maker, my wife is a photographer & make up artist and I’m a professional photographer.


Pardon me if this comes off as a brag session but I love what I do and it’s all I want to do, till I retire and then be a full time Teacher or Artist or live with the animals in the jungle. 


Experience & Goals - I have photographed professionally over 1000 weddings & family portraits in several states and a few countries. I have worked for magazines, I run photographic workshops both personal and group sessions every year since 2007 and currently organising photographic wildlife safaris in North Sumatra of wild elephants and the endangered Orangutan’s for 2024. Photographs of animals are my hobby however professionally my trade is in Portraits there is no other higher commission.

I have followed my dream and turned it into a full time journey that has taken me all around the world. Worked with L’Oréal Paris on 6 product releases in the Whitsundays Island along side the Audi Sailing Cup week at Hamilton island. Published by ABC, Serco, Coles, Pfizer and Hearts On Fire Diamonds to name a few. I have NT postcards currently available in Darwin tourism locations. Done photos for International campaigns for “Do the NT” for NT tourism and images for Wings magazines Matt Wright and most tourism marketing has my images and it all started in 2002 as I started as a music event photographer for six years at one the worlds largest online music magazine at the time. WorldDJ.com. I worked with the amazing talented artist landscape photographer Paul Arnold.

My workshops I have attended included learning with the top wedding/fashion/documentary photographers in the world. Including small exclusive workshops of internationally acclaimed Magnum Photography. Learning off 6 of there best documentary’s photographers in the world. I spend a lot of time energy and effort to stay current with editing trends and love collaborating with everyone’s ideas. Famous Wedding Photographer Jonas Peterson with hands on workshop in Byron  bay, Peter Eastway in Melbourne and online workshops  with Gerry Goilins KT Merry to keep up with current trends and learn new cool stuff to always make my work stand out.

All this experience comes to every wedding I photograph. The Fashion, rings, shoes, dress, the event the formal photos and main shoot also the party are all covered by my experience being at the highest level. 
Combined with photographic equipment means nothing however with out my artist soul and passion combined to produce high quality workmanship every time all the time, personally guaranteed.

Half the fun is getting there, and your going to probably only do this once, let’s make it easy not harder. 

Personal Service - Clients meet with me, get hold of me on my cell number 0424732929 anytime and I make myself available for advice on timelines, logistics and so much more ideas you will love the start of this experience, it will all click into place once we chat and you will feel at ease and relaxed your in good hands.
 
Adaptability - I have shot weddings in rain, near hurricane winds and blistering sun. I don’t stress, I adapt and I love the challenge. I just smile and roll with it, no worries.
 
Quality - I'm not egotistical enough to claim to be the best of the best, but I am confident enough to say I am good at what I do and produce work comparable to many photographers charging way more than I do. My portfolio is as diverse as any other photographer I have run across. I take tremendous pride in my work to be commissioned as your photographer.
 
People Person - I love people. I really do, and I love family. Hearing peoples story can be life changing.
 
Passion - I love what I do. I look forward to my next wedding as soon as I finish the last one. Photography was a hobby for years before it became a job and I still love it. In fact it's still a hobby and I photograph as much wildlife as I can in my spare time. Call me over the top, but I even have a totally separate camera, set of lenses and gear just for wildlife trips and daily fun so I do not wear out my wedding gear.
 
Professional - I'm not a weekend warrior! This is all I do. 90% of photographers shooting weddings have a week day job. I take what I do very seriously. Despite being laid back in personality. Every camera I use has two cards, I carry way more gear than anyone I know and I backup photos to two drives as soon as I get home. The only organized thing in my house is where my photos and gear are. 

Weddings are a one shot deal and I cannot do a redo. So I plan and plan and prepare for all I possibly can. I have had a camera die at a wedding and it was no big deal as I had two more. I can share horror stories of "pros" with one camera and they had a camera issue and bam no more photos. I filmed a wedding once and the photographer had their camera battery go flat and did not have a spare.
 
Candid and Classic - I shoot most of every wedding with an unobtrusive style. I will not stop a couple mid first dance and say "look here". But I do pose the formals and family times. I use poses I feel will suit couples and we are not all models looking for huge dramatic poses. ( I do them though when they fit). I love that often couples say they never saw me take a photo they love. Those are genuine feelings and captured moments forever adored.


WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
 
Do you have backup photographers and gear?

Yes! I have a great backup network and always carry extra equipment including batteries SD cards and camera body’s.
 
Do you have payment plans?
Yes, you can make payments online when ever you like that suits just come to me with a plan and I am flexible and open to anything. However I usually ask for a thrid deposit to book the date and halve way another payment and before one more at the end the final payment about 2-6 weeks after the wedding. There is also a 10% discount for payment up front and preordered wedding albums.
 
How many photos do we get?
Depending on your package, usually 100 per hour is the average.
 
Are the photos edited?
Every photo I deliver is hand edited, cropped, straightened, color corrected and edited by myself with my personal attention to selection of which photos to edit and maintaining the consistent style I have developed. Some might be in black n white but please let me know if there is any requests.
 
Can we print our Photos?
Yes they are delivered as free downloads with print release.
You can also buy prints on the gallery directly, prices are reasonable and of top quality delivered to your door for $16 postage on average.
 
How long till we get out photos?
Photo galleries are normally ready within 4 to 6 weeks.
 
Do you have liability insurance?
Yes I do and every professional should! Many venues require it also my photography gear and tax is included.
 
Should I book a second Photographer?
If you are having multiple locations or you just want
mor details and have over 80 guests a second photographer is
a good option. I do about 75% of the weddings I cover alone.


I hear two comments about some photographers often..


My Photographer wasn’t that good but they were cheap.


I love my wedding photos but the photographer was expensive but very good do you want his number? 


Phew thanks for reading, I am thrilled you got this far don’t worry about packages Albums prints and canvas. the most important part is to capture the images of your special wedding day.
the next step to sit down and break down in simple steps the best running sheet plan of one the best days ever! 
I hope I have answered a few questions and the next stage is for me to hear back from you to have a meet n greet.
Sound good?


Can’t wait to meet you both, have a great evening!


Kind regards 


Oliver Thompson 
0424732929