FAQ's
BEFORE BOOKING, YOU NEED TO CONSIDER AND GET TO KNOW A FEW THINGS ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER & THE SERVICE.
YOU’RE PUTTING A LOT OF TRUST IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER. SO YOU WILL WANT TO FEEL ASSURRED THAT YOU’RE MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION WHEN MAKING YOUR CHOICE.
HERE’S A FEW HELPFUL FAQ’S THAT I’D EXPECT YOU'LL LIKELY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ME, HOW I WORK AND THE SERVICE I OFFER:
The best time to book your photographer is immediately after you book the venue. Ideally you’ll want to get to know and feel comfortable with your photographer. A good idea is to have a pre-wedding engagement portrait shoot together. Prepare well so as to feel relaxed and look your best on your wedding day.
It’s good to meet, so ideally yes. Get to know each other and build that confidence and trust before booking. You’ll need to discuss the plans and details for the wedding day. An experienced wedding photographer will help guide you into making wise decisions some of which will help with timekeeping. If it’s a challenge meeting up you can meet on a video conference call like FaceTime or Zoom and afterwards decide whether to book.
Smooth! I shoot in a relaxed and informal style. Mostly candid photos along with some posed of the couple, wedding party, the family and friends. I include as many group photos as you want. On the day itself, you may decide to have a few more group photos taken than you’ve had listed, or for some reason fewer. That’s fine with me. It’s your wedding day. I’m flexible on the day itself and the photographer should not be the centre of anyone’s attention. If I think you’re missing something out or we have to hurry to keep time, I’ll discreetly mention this to you with some options and you decide. No stress, no worries.
The best wedding photographers all have a backup plan. I am in a small network of wedding photographers who, on the very rare occasions that require it, can cover for their colleague due to illness or an emergency. This has never happened in my experience, but it’s there if ever required. I am also covered with business insurance for any extreme scenarios. Again, I have never been in a situation that it has ever been required to call on.
Yes. Order your album or any additional albums after you receive your photos. This way you can take the time to decide from a range of albums, storybooks, wall prints and other photo displays that you may think would look fantastic in your home after you’ve seen them. Framed prints and storybooks are also a perfect surprise thank you gift for parents, family and friends. Maybe a framed print of mom and dad together, or all the family? Now that would be a wonderful surprise for them! Save your money for now and look into all this later.
After returning from honeymoon, it takes anything from 1-3 weeks to process the digital photos and have them ready for you on a USB drive. For albums, after choosing the photo’s going inside and ordering, it takes approx. 4-6 weeks for collection.
Yes. My usual service is to provide you with some of the photo’s as black and white, instead of colour. There’s also no additional fee this way. If however you prefer all colour then let me know when booking. You can have two copies, so everything is in both black and white and colour. There is a charge for doing all the extra work involved, so ask me for the price.
Yes. There’s a large selection to choose from. You can order these anytime.
Yes. I always have at least two cameras on the day (sometimes three). If I feel the need, I’ll often utilise both cameras simultaneously, otherwise the second camera will be safely stored in my car.
I’ve continuously been a full time professional photographer since 1990. In this time I have always photographed weddings. My assignments vary to include weddings, portraits, engagements, celebration events, parties, corporate dinners and black tie events and much more. I like the variation of my work. It helps me visualise an image even before the elements are in place and think creatively.
Just contact me and let’s have a chat first. I never pressure anyone to book me and I want to make sure you’re happy with your decision first. To book, the reservation-booking fee of £250 is required. This fee is deducted from the overall package total. The outstanding balance is then due at least 28 days before the wedding date as booked.
If you’re having photos taken getting ready, then a second photographer is needed if you’re both are getting ready at separate venues and want coverage for both. Some couples also want more choice with photos from other viewpoints that aren’t possible to have taken with just one photographer. If it’s a large wedding then it may well be wise to have a second wedding photographer. Even with the best of experience, some weddings can be a long day for any photographer to maintain energy and the creative instinct 24/7. Your photographer will need a break and may need to take moments out to assess the landscape and decide whether to make minor alterations in the schedule due to fluctuating conditions, such as the weather.
You do get the usage rights for all your private and personal use. As it is with all photographers, I also maintain all rights to use the photos for the purpose of marketing and so forth. Some may appear at times on my website or elsewhere. Images will not be used that are clearly more personal and inappropriate to be used for public viewing.
The average wedding, with picturesque venue receives anything between several hundred to around 1,200 photos, the larger weddings likely more. Every wedding, couple and venue has differing scope for photography. No photographer can guarantee a set number of professional looking photo’s in all scenarios, unless the photographer takes a lot of the same and you just end up with that. Good quality with plenty of choice is what I provide. I try to avoid unsightly looking backdrops such as car parks and lampposts behind. It only takes a moment longer to move to another spot for much more pleasing images.
No. The photography is spread out throughout the day. It’s important that your photographer bears in mind that everything keeps to as close to schedule as possible. I work with your venue-wedding planner to make sure that everyone is happy, the experience is enjoyed and the food doesn’t go cold.
Ideally, yes. I always recommend you put the Best Man, or maybe one or all of the Grooms to task. They’re there to do a job for you both and not just to look handsome for the gals. You may wish to ask one of the men in the wedding party to keep a copy of a short orderly list of some group photo’s that you want capturing. He can then gather each part together ready for the next group photo. This will help speed it all up for everyone and you’ll more likely have all the group photo’s you were hoping to achieve. I can help you put together any list you may wish create. Doing them in a certain order will help everyone.
No problem! I adapt my style to the couple. Most of the photos can be natural and candid. I can gauge how well someone feels in front of the lens and see what can and can’t be captured on the day. You can also whisper in my ear if you get the feeling we can attempt a few quick formal photos at the time or not. I’m flexible.
Ideally, please do. It can be a long exhausting day, especially if the weather is warm. You’ll want your photographer well watered and fed to be on top of hs game to enable energy, creativity and the quick thinking needed to capture the images you want. Some couples have the photographer sit down with the guests, but I recommend feeding your photographer behind the scenes so as to have a stretch and a bit of privacy, maybe even change his shirt. Food and drink can either be the same as the guests, or a meal / sandwiches you’ve had arranged and ordered from the bar. As a heads-up, I have no specific dietary requirements other than if it’s spicy I like it mild and I don’t drink alcohol, so that’s a bonus.
Yes. They’re your photos and you have the full copyright to use them for your personal and family use.
Good question! When you book any tradesman to do a job, you expect him to be kitted out with all the best tools to enable him to do a top job. Which, in part, is what you’re paying for when you book a professional to do any job.
Now I always like to have some banter with the Canon photographers. So for me, it’s Nikon. I’ve used both over the years and both are excellent, but I opted for Nikon.
This bit may bore you, so don't read on if you're not interested in the technical side of photography and why I chose Nikon.
In brief, the quality of the Nikon lenses is the decisive factor. The camera is really just a black box with a light sensitive sensor to record the image (along with a few other technical bits and bobs). The important object with any camera is the quality of light.
Wthout getting over technical, Nikon have the better lenses. Nikon lenses are generally the best for consistency of the process-quality of the light entering through the lens and from there onto the sensor, it’s processing on computer and to the final digital result on screen or print. If this process is controlled throughout for the highest quality photos, then that, along with the experience you have on the day, is what you are receiving from your photographer. A quality service throughout, from the things you see and the things you don’t get to see.
Nikon’s Nikkor lenses are genrally more expensive and they give professional consistency throughout. I have an array of Nikkor lenses that I shoot with. Nine of Nikon’s best lenses, with four of the latest professional Nikon camera bodies. You can't beat having the right tools for the job.