Wedding Frequently Asked Questions
How experienced are you in photographing weddings?
I’ve been photography weddings now in London and across the UK for about 18 years. I’ve photographed 3-hour weddings, 14-hour weddings, multi-day weddings, small intimate weddings with 2 guests and large epic weddings with 200 plus guests. I’ve photographed in churches, hotels, clubs, town halls and registry offices, marquees, stately homes, woodlands, fields, gardens and beaches. I’ve covered weddings in every season and every kind of weather and light - from 100-plus degree bright midday summer weddings to winter weddings with minimum light. I’ve attended weddings in hail, gales and with snow thick on the ground. I am experienced and confident, know how to read a wedding, behave with people, and many many tricks of my trade to ensure that I get the very best for you in the pictures I produce.
Are you a full-time photographer?
Yes, I am a full-time professsional photographer. I live and breathe photography as a business and career choice giving it 100% of my time, effort and commitment.
Do we need to meet you before the day, will you hold our date and how do we book?
No we don’t have to meet before the day but you are welcome to visit me at my studio or, more often these days, meet up on zoom or on a call to help you decide. I can't hold dates I’m afraid as I often receive enquiries for the same date. So to keep things fair, I work on a first-to-book basis. Your wedding date is booked and that date in my diary is yours once I have received the signed terms & conditions and your booking fee.
To make a firm booking, I ask you to read and sign my contract/terms and conditions and pay a booking fee (£300 for full wedding coverage or £200 for smaller coverage). The balance for your wedding photography will be due 1 month before your wedding day.
Can we discuss our schedule with you and will you help us to work out how much coverage we need?
Yes, we can meet up via a zoom link up so I can help and guide you. About eight weeks before your day (or earlier if you request it) I will send you a very comprehensive wedding questionnaire after which we will follow up with a final online meet up or call to ensure everything is set.
By the time your day arrives, I will be ready to get on with taking the photographs leaving you free to be with your guests and enjoy your day, apart from any moments when we may have planned to come together. I am always flexible on the day too so you can change things or come to me for a photograph at any point.
What time will you put in before our day?
Wedding photography requires a very organized and dependable photographer as well as a creative one. Apart from my own preparation, before the day we will have everything organised with regards to the photography. My wedding questionnaire and any zoom meet ups or calls we have will help you with scheduling, group family portraits and couple portraits you may desire, confetti moment etc. By the day I will also have worked out where we will do any group family pictures in the event of rain etc.
You can have as many chats or meet ups via zoom with me as you would like before the day.
How much will our wedding photography cost?
The price of your wedding photography will depend on the coverage (the length of time I am with you) and the location.
Please visit Pricing where there is also a Contact Form to get in touch and check my availability. I can then send you a link to my full Pricing and Information.
With your wedding photographs, you will be investing in my creativity, experience and my time before, on and after the day in my post-production work and full rights to the pictures in colour and black and white. You can add a book or album before your day at 10% discount, or after your wedding day once you have seen your pictures. Your online gallery of final pictures will have access to a professional online lab where you and your guests can order prints.
Will we have high res print-ready versions and screen resolution for sharing online?
Yes, You will receive two sets of images of your wedding – one screen resolution for all online sharing, and one high resolution for all printing purposes. All the images will be in colour and black and white.
Will we have the copyright to the images?
I technically retain the copyright in the images but you will have a full license to print, share, copy and use images and they will be yours to have and to hold forever in your own archive. I only guarantee to keep your images in my archive for 12 months from the date of your wedding so backing them up yourselves safely will be important.
What work will you carry out to our images after the day?
The post-production work I undertake with your wedding images is a crucial part of the service and creative skills I bring to your wedding pictures. As soon as I get home from your wedding, I will back up your images securely. Then I start to work through them editing processing and perfecting every image that makes my edit as I pull together the visual story of your day from start to finish. It is very important to me to produce beautiful print-ready results and to produce a strong, moving visual narrative and record for you. Every image will also be delivered to you in both colour and black and white.
When and how will we have our pictures how many images can we expect?
I aim to have this ready for you within 2-4 weeks of your wedding day, much sooner in less busy periods. In very busy periods it can be up to 4-6 weeks. It is important to allow me time for the post production so please bear with me if it is a little longer.
Your pictures will be uploaded to your own wedding gallery where you can download them in high-resolution format for printing and social media size for sharing. I guarantee to keep your wedding images for 1 year from the date of your wedding but it is important that you download and back them up as soon as possible once you receive them and is your responsibility.
For a full day wedding coverage, you can expect at least 5-600 images but not thousands - which is a good thing.
For shorter day weddings less but usually at least 200.
Are you insured?
Yes. I have all the required insurance as a full time wedding photographer: full public liability and professional indemnity insurance.
Can we see reviews from couples whose weddings you have photographed?
Yes of course. Please see Reviews for some kind words I have had from couples. There are plenty of google reviews too that you can read.
We want to have photographs during our ceremony. Can you help and advise us to ensure that this will be allowed?
This is a very important question and part of my planning with you before the day. I want to ensure that I am able to photograph your ceremony discreetly and quietly for you, but also respect your wishes and those of your vicar, priest or registrar. I have a great deal of experience photographing ceremonies in all venues and I will have some useful tips for you in the planning of this. I completely understand the importance of quietness and respect as I create pictures for you during the ceremony.
We would like to have some formal group photographs at our wedding, but we want these to be done super fast. What will happen if we choose you?
On your wedding day, you will want as little interference from me as possible. Many, but not all, couples choose to have some group family photographs. I suggest no more than 6 which, with my pre-planning (for rain or shine) can be swiftly executed. This will ensure that you come away with a record of the key people without it hijacking time with your other guests. This decision is entirely up to you.
The key to good formals is being organised prior to the day. I will work out the best place to take them and make a plan in case we have rain. By the time your wedding day arrives, this element will be completely sorted and you will not have to give it any thought at all.
Will you do a group photograph of everyone?
Yes if space permits it, I can do this. Usually, I ask that a member of each of your families help to gather folk to speed the process up so that on average this takes just 15 mins. The best shots of this type are taken from an upstairs’ window depending on the numbers involved. Do bear in mind that this image will take extra time out of your day. However, it is a good solution for those couples who want to ensure that they have a record of everyone who attended their wedding.
We are camera shy but would ideally like some relaxed portraits of just the two of us. How can you help us with this?
Almost every couple I meet brings this up with me. In fact, there are not many people who relish having their photograph taken or who want cheesy posed shots together.
Being a portrait and people photographer, I am entirely used to this and have learned what usually works best at a wedding. So, as long as you both want it, I encourage you to plan with me just 10-15 mins away from your guests on a little walkabout taking some relaxed portraits of you together. Almost all my clients choose to do this and end up appreciating this little break away from the throng to have a breather and just be together. I keep direction to a minimum perhaps just moving you into great light or where I see a place for a quick photograph. The idea is for you to just be yourselves and for me to capture the happy togetherness between you very naturally.
Do you use an assistant or 2nd photographer?
No I generally don’t. There are two reasons for this.
Firstly, I am confident in shooting your wedding and telling the complete story on my own unless you are planning a very large number of guests or locations that I can’t get to and from easily within your schedule.
Secondly, I want the photography to be something that is happening in the background of your day and for you and your guests for the majority of the day to not be aware or interrupted by it. If there are two photographers, you will be and this could also affect the natural, candid nature of most of the images I want to capture for you.
Having said all that, if you have very large numbers attending your wedding, or would like a second shooter for specific parts of the day, I have some great second shooters and I can add this to your quote.
How far afield will you travel from your base in West London for a wedding?
I am happy to travel anywhere for a wedding. I love to shoot at new locations and venues. If your wedding is more than an hour or so’s drive from my base in Teddington, I like to arrive the day before. Sometimes I can stay with friends nearby which means you won’t have to provide or pay for any accommodation. I charge travel expenses for weddings outside the M25 5 at cost only and don’t charge for any travelling time.
Do you require food and drink on the day?
I do not expect any at all though it is always appreciated and especially for a full day’s coverage. I will usually take a break when you and your guests sit down to eat so if there is a small meal available from your caterers that I can have, this is very much welcomed and plenty of water available on a hot day!
What happens if you are ill on the day and can't cover our wedding?
I am fit and healthy and I have not missed a single wedding I've been booked for in all these years of shooting weddings. This is my profession and livelihood and I will be there.
If however I am not able to attend, I have a small group of highly experienced creative professional wedding photographers like me who I know and trust and who work in a similar way to me who are always ready to be briefed and to step in for me last minute.
Will the images be in colour or black and white?
Yes all your images will be delivered to you in colour and black and white fully processed and ready to print.
Do you offer cosmetic retouching and airbrushing out distracting elements from images if we desire it?
As part of my processing of your images, I may at my discretion do some basic retouching work but any small cosmetic retouching will be carried out on any images that you include in an wedding book or any physical fine art product I make for you. You can, of course, ask me to retouch images for you and I am skilled at this but this may incur additional fees as it is very time-consuming.
I’m interested in you as our wedding photographer. What are the next steps?
Please go to Pricing & Contact Form where there is a form you can fill out and send to me and I will get back to you within 24 hours. You can also call me or request a time for me to call you if you’d like an initial chat.