Info and FAQs.
Got some questions? If you can’t find what you need, please do get in touch.
What do you want to know?
Don’t worry, I have photographed many a beautiful wedding where it rained all day. Sometimes it results in some really fun and different images. Most venues have indoor options and there are always undercover areas where you can get lovely photos. Sometimes on a wet day you have to be a bit flexible with timings, like waiting for a break in the weather to do confetti or group shots. Checking the weather forecast a week before and ordering some umbrellas is a good back up plan. Outdoor ceremonies can often be decided on at last minute, depending on the venue and registrars. Keeping the seats dry is the challenge.
Uncle Bob, with his expensive camera, doesn’t do this every week for his job. You may never see the images, least of all in a beautiful gallery that you can share with your friends. The quality of the photos may not be good enough to print/make albums. If you value making lasting memories you need a good photographer who is excellent at what they do and anticipates moments before they happen, never getting in the way of the day.
Your wedding day is the one day in your life when everyone you love makes a big effort and one of the rare occassions they are all in the same place at the same time. You have spent a lot of time (and money) choosing the food, venue, style, music etc for everyone to have a good time. It’s often one of the few times people hire a professional to photograph their life. It’s special. And these are often the most treasured photos in a family’s history and the ones your kids / grandkids / nieces / nephews will look back on.
Some people don’t realise this until after the wedding whereas others seem to understand the generational importance and that when the memories start to fade, it’s all you have to look back on.
I have never had anyone regret hiring a photographer, in fact the opposite is true. Several grooms who were not keen at first, now absolutely treasure their photos.
Yes, I am fully insured for public liability and all my gear is insured worldwide. I am happy to share this should your venue ask for a certificate.
I also have a back up camera, back up memory slots in my cameras and I back up all of your images as soon as I get home.
I send a few sneak peeks over a few days after the wedding so that you have a few great images to share. I focus more on quality rather than shooting a high number of weddings. I put a lot into the experience for each of my clients and work hard on the day to ensure that you get the best images possible that will mean something to you down the line. I then put weeks and weeks into editing each couples photos, carefully curating them and paying attention to the details. I don’t just get an AI to batch edit them and Bobs your uncle. So you won’t receive all of your images in the week after your wedding. It takes approximately 6 weeks for me to deliver a full gallery, sometimes a tiny bit longer in peak season. They are all delivered via an online gallery which you can share and download from and order beautiful products. I also design a slideshow to music of the highlights.
I offer the pre-wedding shoot with a meeting/chat for free as part of my full day package and I only do them between September and April to avoid busy wedding season. It’s not something that you can remove from the package as I have not added on any extra charge for this. It’s also only available within a 1 hour radius of where I live. Often couples tie it in with a venue visit if they are getting married in Devon. If you live further afield and are willing to travel to me, we can still do the pre-wed shoot, or if you are willing to cover travel costs/time I could meet you somewhere.
I will arrive when you are getting ready and leave when I feel from my experience that I have got enough evening shots of the party, unless there is a specific late evening event to stay for, like fireworks. As long as I can also get home. If you want me to stay super late I will be happy to if you can arrange accommodation for me. There are no set hours but I do ask that they are humane and I will need some breaks and a hot meal during the day.
So far in 10 years I have never missed a wedding, but on the rare occasion it could happen I am part of a network of local experienced wedding photographers who are on standy for each other should the need arise. We tested this system well during Covid.
I usually bring my own lunch, and for shorter 4 hour weddings I do not require a hot meal, but for longer days, a hot meal would be very much appreciated. I will be able to work with renewed energy. I often find a quiet spot to sit and eat and charge batteries, set up equipment for the evening etc. I photograph the food coming out but I don’t tend to photograph people while they are eating so its a good time for me to take a break. Saying that I am always close by in the event that everyone bursts into song or theres an impromtu speech or something interesting to document.
Within Devon and Cornwall I do not charge travel expenses. If you want to book me for a bit further afield then I charge a standard rate per mile, plus accommodation, if I can’t drive there and back in one day. It often makes sense to stay at least the night before, in-case of bad traffic or other travel issues.
Yes. Lots of couples would like more coverage, and in particular a photographer to cover both partners getting ready especially if one is in a separate location. Having two photographers means you will get a wider range of images too and it does help to free up the primary photographer to be more creative. It is especially useful in very large weddings and where there is a lot going on and I highly recommend it for weddings with 100 people or more. I have a network of photographers that I work with regularly, who shoot in a similar style to me and I enjoy working as part of a team. All correspondence will be with myself and they will be working for me. The images will also be edited by me. The add on cost to have a second shooter all day is £400.
Yes, planning from the start to print your images is the best way to go. So many people never get around to it and life always seems to get in the way. I include a 20 page fine art album in my Unlimited package. Printing an album soon after my wedding was one of the best things that I did. My kids love looking through it. I design a bespoke album for all of my clients to save you some time and you can choose to order it or not or add/remove pages as required. Getting your photos in print is the best way to get the maximum amount of joy from them every day. They also make great Christmas pressies for family.
Yes, you will not find many examples of it on my site but yes I do always get photos of everything that you have set up on the day, from the table decorations to the treasured family heirlooms etc. Be sure to tell me if you have something really special that you would like photographed.
Fill out my contact form and if I am available on your date we can arrange a zoom or whats app video chat. I will send my booking form and details of how to pay the ‘save the date’ deposit with a agreement for us both to sign online to secure the booking. We can then get a date in the diary to meet up and have a pre-wedding chat and mini photo session if its possible. Throughout the run up to your wedding I will send you useful info and be available should you want to discuss anything. A few weeks before your wedding we will check any last details and the timings of the day, usually best over a phone call.
I ask for a £300 deposit to save the date and you will get an agreement with that to protect you.
Yes, I am very comfortable with using off-camera flash to help light darker venues or in winter when the light is low. It can also make for some really dramatic dancefloor shots and creative night shots. It is not constant lighting, it will only go off as I take a shot and they are either clipped to something or put on a couple of stands and you will likely not notice them.
Yes. I personally do not do videography within my business but I regularly work with some great videographers that I can recommend to you. It’s important that you choose a videographer who works in a similar way to you photographer, ie, discreet, documentary, as some videographers work in a way that requires a lot of posing which can make it very difficult to get natural documentary shots if this is happening. Make sure that you are fully aware of the way that they work and that they are happy working alongside a documentary photographer and that you are happy with the extra presence.
Yes, your wedding photos are yours and you have full license for all of your images for printing for personal use. You can download and print wherever you like but if you are short on time and want to guarantee high quality products I can recommend ordering directly from the gallery for print products that are only available to professional photographers. Please don’t print them at a chemist or supermarket. The colours may not turn out as they should, and after all the editing to make them look perfect, a little bit of me will die inside.
Yes, if family or friend group shots is something that you would like, then I encourage it. There are not many examples on my site but I can send you some in a full day wedding gallery. I try to work quickly and efficiently with these so that you dont have to spend much time away from your guests and will give you more advice in the run up about number, timings, ordering them etc.
