Wedding Photography: Frequently Asked Questions

Of course! In fact I recommend it wherever possible. It's an important opportunity for me to find out more about you and what your tastes and ideas are. It also gives you a chance to get to know me a little and be sure I'm the right person for your wedding. I usually suggest meeting in a coffee shop or a quiet pub which helps make sure the meeting is very relaxed

Yes. I try to meet every couple around 3-6 weeks before their wedding. It's important to me that I know what you are expecting of me on your wedding day. Your wedding photography should be about what you want, not whatever ideas I have as a photographer (though of course I would be happy to share those with you).

The best thing to do is to pick up the phone and give me a call. Alternatively you can drop me an email(which you can do using the form on the right). Usually I will suggest meeting up over a coffee to talk through what you're looking for and to give you a chance to meet me and see some of my work in print.

The best thing to do is book your photographer as soon as possible - there's nothing more disappointing than setting your sights on something and then finding out that somebody else got there first.

The only way to find out is to give me a call - as long as the date is available I'm happy to photograph weddings at short notice. To reassure you when planning your wedding at short notice - the quickest turn-around from booking to wedding I've had so far is four days.

Great! I'm always excited when couples have interesting ideas about their wedding and their wedding photography. Get in touch and we can talk about the possibilities.

In my view there are two key things to look for: examples of photos from whole weddings that look like the sort of photos you want from your wedding day and a photographer that you have a rapport with. As far as I'm concerned personality is every bit as important as photographic skill, and I find couples routinely praise me for both.

The main reason that people don't look good in photos is poor photographic technique and poor lighting. Having an experienced and professional photographer at your wedding gives you the assurance of having lasting and appealing photos of your wedding to treasure for life.

It is (and can be great fun) - I just don't include it in the example packages because I want couples to have the flexibility to choose what they want. Get in touch and I can suggest some options for an engagement shoot.

That really comes down to what you are looking for. It's quite typical of me to be at a wedding from the bride's preparations through to the first dance. As I will keep reminding you, it's your wedding so I'll be asking you what you want!

There's no limit to how many photos I will take of your wedding. I'll simply take as many photos as I need to tell the whole story of your wedding day.

It's your wedding, you can do whatever you like. Most couples, even those more interested in casual and candid wedding photography, tend to want a small number of group photos. I see a small number of group photos as an appropriate way of recording the significance of the day, and limiting the number to around six to ten groups mean it can be done in a matter of minutes.

As with most areas of life, the more time you put in the better the end result. Having said that, you certainly don't need to set aside hours! If you want any arranged group photos it's best to allow about 3-5 minutes per group to allow time to get people together. I also usually suggest to couples that they allow some time for me to get photos just of them without the distractions of other guests. A few minutes away from your guests will help you to relax in front of camera - and might be the only few minutes you get together for the whole day!

When people use the word 'posing' they are usually imagining being asked to get into awkward, contrived or embarrassing positions. That won't at all be what I'll be trying to do on your wedding day. My aim would always be to ensure that you look natural and relaxed - and that you have fun while doing it.

Rain on your wedding won't spoil your wedding photos - but it might change where they are taking (unless you really want to go out in the rain!). I have the experience, skills and equipment to ensure that you get the same standard of photography whatever the weather.

For a lot of brides, the preparations before the ceremony are an important part of the story of their wedding day and they want photos to remember it. It's also a good opportunity for the bride to get used to having me around - I find brides tend to be more relaxed throughout the day when I've been there for the preparations. During this period of the day the photography will be very discrete and relaxed.

Of course! I wouldn't dream of asking your friends not to take photos at the wedding (and more than once I've taken photos with guests' cameras so they can be in a shot!). I usually suggest that for the photos of the couple on their own that I have a little time without guests photographing, but that's because I want to make sure you are relaxed.

Your photos will be individually processed to ensure accurate colours and optimum quality. As you will see from the photos on this site, my style is very much based on natural colours rather than trendy effects - but achieving that style takes some time to ensure consistency. I may make some minor edits to remove unwanted distractions from backgrounds of photos. I'll discuss the issue of 'airbrushing' of any blemishes individually with each couple as I'm aware that it can be a sensitive issue.

Your will normally receive your photos within two weeks of the wedding - although for many couples it is much sooner than that. At the same time your photos will go online for friends and family to see. Your album will take a little longer - it's usually around 3 weeks after the layout of the album has been agreed.

All of your wedding photos will be place on a personalised website for your friends and family to view. They will also be able to order high-quality prints from that site at very reasonable prices. Alternatively you can send your friends and family photos off the disc you will receive.

Normally I will produce an initial design for the album using my skills and experience to tell the story of your wedding day. I will share the design with you and then make any changes to the layout that you would like. Alternatively if you would like to take a more hands-on approach to the design of the album, such as by choosing individually each photo for the album, I'm happy to work with you in that way.

You can have as many photos as you like in your album. The albums I use can have up to 100 two-page spreads - which is more than enough for even the most extravagant of weddings. Most couples opt for 15 to 20 two-page spreads in their album and have around 50-100 photos in them.

I generally find using terms like these to describe wedding photography is unhelpful - very often they are used as little more than marketing slogans to fit in with what bridal magazines and forums are currently talking about. My style doesn't fall neatly into any of the categories, as I feel that to properly capture the story of a wedding you need to use the best elements of all of these styles.

It's my belief that anything but the largest of weddings (by which I mean 250+ guests) doesn't need multiple photographers and assistants. At most weddings having so multiple photographic staff can run the danger of making the day feel more like a photoshoot than a celebration. Working as an individual allows me to blend in and build a rapport with guests that ensures the photography is very relaxed, whilst still managing to get all of the photos that couples are looking for.

I always preface my answer to this question by saying that having good equipment doesn't make someone a good photographer any more than having top quality paint brushes makes you a brilliant painter. Having said that, I do use some of the best professional equipment that is available, including backup equipment lighting for indoor use in the event of terrible weather. For those interested, I use Canon 5d Mark II with a series of Canon L series zoom and prime lenses.