Wedding and Portrait Photography

Dtales Photography & Design is based in Melbourne, Australia, and has been photographing people since 2002.
We're a team of Melbourne wedding photographers that specialize in portraits and wedding photography. We take a bespoke approach: every piece and every album we work on is unique. Tailored to the client's desires and personality. Our emphasis is on artistic quality, emotional honesty, and warm personal service.

EVERYTHING YOU HOPED, EVERYTHING YOU DREAMED FOR YOUR WEDDING

That's our proud motto that we strive to live up to with every project we take on.

Frequently asked questions: 

	General FAQs:
	What makes you different to other studios?
		Dtales is a contractor-free zone. Many studios sub-contract out to Melbourne portrait photographers to do the actual photography, often without the client being aware that this will occur. Dtales does not employ sub-contractors for wedding photography or portrait photography assignments. You get the Melbourne wedding photographer you want. The Melbourne portrait photographer you hire at Dtales is the one who turns up to make sure the photography is done right. The  Dtales  photographer  you  deal with at the start of the process will be there with you all the way to the completion of the project, and will personally supervise it. Dtales offers a very broad range of services (wedding photography, wedding album design, child portrait photography, family lifestyle portraits, Melbourne corporate portrait photography, website design, graphic design, business branding and logo design) yet maintains  close  personal relations with each client – and each client is equally valued no matter what level of budget they have. Dtales has grown in Melbourne simply through our reputation for quality portrait photography and design – we barely advertise, and rely instead on previous satisfied customers to spread the good word around.
	Do you have a philosophy about your work?
		A very simple one: Dtales photographs everything as though it were our own. Our wedding photographers “place themselves in your shoes” and ask: “If this my wedding, what pictures would I like to see afterwards?” With  Melbourne portrait photography, we see it from your side, and ask: “What pictures would I like to have on my wall and show to others?” Dtales finds this a useful way of ensuring quality outcomes. Plus, we love it here! Melbourne wedding photography is blessed with a highly accessible and location-rich environment.
	Can you photograph a (fill in the blank) ?
		Yes. Dtales can photograph anything, anywhere, not just Melbourne wedding photography and Melbourne portrait photography. We’ve done landscape & architectural photography, as well as cars, dogs, and products. We also do Melbourne corporate portrait photography, website design, graphic design, business branding and logo design.
	Wedding FAQs:
	How can I make sure my wedding pictures are a success?
		No Melbourne wedding photographer can guarantee  perfect  results,  but with some the chances of a happy outcome are much higher. It’s no use asking for a particular picture after the event. At Dtales, we believe that planning ahead and having clear communications are the most critical steps in wedding photography. At Dtales, we take the time with each wedding in Melbourne to plan a thoughtful itinerary that will satisfy your desire for a care-free day of pleasure and also deliver a variety of pictures that will ensure that pleasure is captured forever. An experienced Melbourne wedding photographer from Dtales will also make a big difference. Sometimes a beginner gets lucky with wedding photography, but experience means consistency of results, and a good variety of poses and pictures.
	Do wedding photographers get over-paid?
		Some are. Some Melbourne wedding photographers set their price depending on what car you drive, or what suburb you’re from. But everyone has a different idea on what it means to be too expensive. Melbourne wedding photography has an enormous variety of prices. Usually, there is a vague connection between price and quality – the more you pay, the better the Melbourne wedding photographer’s work. But not always. Careful shopping around will reward you, and certainly, booking Dtales for your Melbourne wedding photography will save you a lot of money and deliver incredible value. Wedding photography can be a great investment, in the sense that years from now, you’ll be smiling about the results from Dtales, rather than remembering the expense.
	Why are good wedding albums so expensive?
		Note that we deliberately used the word “good”. Dtales believes that in order to understand the economics of high-quality wedding albums, it helps to understand the concept of “embedded value”. It’s not just the actual cost of production, but the Melbourne wedding photographer’s equipment, the years of experience, the skills and the time. Then there is the wedding album design process at Dtales – the cost of equipment and software, the skills to run them, plus the skills necessary to tell your wedding story with clear graphic design. Then it’s a similar story with the highly-regarded wedding album manufacturer (based in Melbourne, not China), and then the photographic printer (again, done in Melbourne, not China). All these components go into a Dtales wedding album, not just the material. If you were to produce just one wedding album, to the same standard as a typical wedding album from Dtales, and had to buy all the camera equipment, all the printing equipment, and all the book-binding equipment, you’d have to outlay several million dollars. Looking at it that way, Dtales' prices are refreshingly affordable.
	Business FAQs:
	What is an open-platform business?
		This is the unique business model that Dtales invented and operates under. It allows other Melbourne portrait photographers and Melbourne wedding photographers and designers into the studio, and to represent their work through Dtales. Unlike many studios (both in Melbourne and world-wide), we don’t use anonymous and poorly paid contractors who aren’t emotionally invested in the outcome. Our Melbourne portrait photographers are working directly for you. The advantage to you is that you get an experienced and professional photographer who is completely invested in a quality outcome -- for himself, and for you.
	I’m interested in portrait photography – how can I make a career of it?
		Breaking in and staying in is very tough – the Melbourne portrait photography industry is brutally competitive. We are all lucky to have hundreds of Melbourne portrait photographers here, several of which are as good as you’ll find anywhere on the planet, and this has driven up the quality of Melbourne portrait photography. It is simply not enough for a newcomer to be an expert with cameras, or to know lots about photography. While a formal photography course could be beneficial, Dtales believes that ultimately, initiative and drive would reward a Melbourne photographer with exciting and artistic assignments. If  you  believe  you   have those abilities, you are always welcome to apply to join the Melbourne team. If you’d like to find out how the founder of Dtales, Joshua Winterson, got his start, you can read this article (It’s a must-read for those wishing to pursue a career in portrait photography, and pretty funny as well.)