With some useful advice thrown in for good measure…
Hire a photographer whose work and storytelling you adore but most importantly than that, hire a photographer you like. You should aim to work a photographer who you'll see as a friend on your wedding day, not just another vendor. If you can do that, good things will happen. You will have fun, be relaxed, you won't be second guessing your photographer's decisions, you'll trust them and encourage them to take risks and you'll be more inclined to reveal the real you.
Remember, this is all about you guys, your story, your truth, your moments. Do everything you can to make sure your relationship with your wedding photographer allows that to be the focus.
If that partnership is with me, I promise that I will do everything in my power to tell your story in a beautiful, meaningful and authentic way. I want to capture the moments that really matter, making images that will make the hairs on your neck stand up when you view them for years to come. I won't shy away from your truth and will tell the story in an honest way.
I promise I will arrive early and stay late. I'll put in so much effort you and your guests will comment. You'll never be in doubt you made the right decision to hire me.
The first step is to get in touch with me. I’ll then try and meet you both via a Zoom call (or in person, logistics allowing) to hear more about you, your story, your plans and how you want the story of your wedding day told.
You’ll get a feel for whether I’m the right individual, personality and the best photographer for your specific needs and vision.
After that, booking is done online and is so very simple!
I keep it really simple with a couple of coverage options starting at 8 hrs minimum, to which you can add options dependent on your needs. My standard package includes access to all the edited, high res files (with associated print rights) and an awesome slideshow set to music. I also make myself available to you for a pre-wedding Zoom chat, if required.
Firstly, I love to travel for weddings, so don't hesitate to contact me if you are planning a destination wedding. I charge based on your specific requirements, every wedding is different, and there are obviously extra costs such as travel and accommodation that must be covered by you guys. That being said, I'm open to exploring options for certain locations, so don't be shy.
For local UK weddings, in addition to a signed contract, I require a deposit of £500 to secure the date. This is non-refundable and the remaining balance is due 14 days prior to the wedding date.
For all international weddings, I require 50% of the total agreed fee as a non-refundable deposit.
My average delivery time for the full gallery of images is currently around 4-6 weeks. I also do my best to deliver a few teaser images within the first week. Every wedding is different so I can never commit to a number, but I tell clients when we meet that I usually deliver between 600-800 images for a 10hr + wedding day. Most of my weddings are 10+ hr days so I often deliver over this amount. I never release RAW files.
Absolutely, I would never deliver any RAW or un-edited JPEGs to a client. After I have selected the final images for delivery (600-800 files), I then edit each file individually before converting to a full resolution jpeg file, which you will receive via electronic download from your private gallery.
None of the images are watermarked and I'm cool with you sharing online as long as you credit me!
A family photo list is encouraged, it helps us ensure we get the family shots you need & want. A shot list of moments (staged or otherwise) is not encouraged. Weddings are crazy, fluid, dynamic things and working off one of those shot lists is a non-starter for me. I'm not there to manufacture moments, re-create images of other photographers from Pinterest or to commit to achieving every expected shot. I'm there to document your story as it unfolds.
Unless you purchase a 2nd photographer option, yes. I'm very used to shooting alone but I do regularly work with a selection of very talented 2nd photographers as required. The larger the number of guests the more reason to have a 2nd photographer but there are other advantages to having 2 of us shooting your big day. I will walk you through these if/when we meet.
All 2nd photographers I work with are fellow professionals with their own flourishing businesses. No juniors or assistants are ever asked to 2nd shoot.
This obviously depends on the location and duration of the coverage required, particularly for destination weddings.
UK pricing starts at £2400 for weddings (up to 8hrs)
Average investment with me is £3-3.5k given most clients opt for longer days with additional options (albums etc)
International destination weddings will be more and quoted on a case by case basis.
I say this in other places on this site because I think it's so important and sometimes overlooked - hire a photographer whose work you love but also make sure they are someone you'd be happy to hang out with on your big day. You can only figure that out if you meet and talk at length with your photographer before you book. Get to know them, ask lots of questions and if you get to the point where it feels like you're hiring a friend to shoot your wedding, and not just another vendor, then you're in a good place.
