Here are some of the questions I am often asked by couples:
Are you professional? I shoot Weddings, Portraits & Events. It is my full time job, not a hobby, I make a living from it and love what I do, I have invested many thousands of pounds in equipment and training and spent many thousand hours more learning, researching and defining my own style, so as a simple answer – Yes.
What’s your style? I shoot in a photo journalistic style, I tell your story as it unfolds and like to capture all of the details of your day, that said I work in a fast efficient manner, after all photographs are only one part of your day, the formal group shots I do in a logical manner, starting with the largest group and working my way down to just the two of you, 24 years in the Army has taught me well on how to arrange large groups quickly! I will also organize a couple of key shots such as the confetti shot but in the main am unobtrusive and discreet. You have spent a lot of money on your wedding day so I want to show off your dress, venue details in the best possible way so being a fly on the wall and not working some situations wouldn’t produce what you want, I have lots of experience capturing weddings so anticipate most shots before they occur.
How many photographs do you take? On average, in the region of 600-800 images will be included on your DVD, if a second photographer is included in your package this number will almost double.
Are your photographs copyrighted? Absolutely not, they are your images, your paying me to capture your day, I have no legal hold over the end product.
Can I print your photographs? All of the images on your final DVD will be print ready, in high resolution and good to go, I will include all images in both colour and black & white.
Will you be my photographer? Yes, your paying me to take your photographs in my style, all of the work on my website, albums, slideshows is mine, what you see is what you get, I shoot in a consistent style and will only employ a more creative edge once I have captured your safe shots.
What happens if things go wrong? In the unlikely event that things went wrong, i.e. an accident on the way to the church etc I hold full insurance to cover the cost of a re shoot etc, clearly this cant recapture your day but it would go some way to remedy the situation, you could of course have a full refund if required. If I was taken seriously ill I have a professional network of photographer friends who would provide cover in my absence if required, this would however be your choice and again, a full refund would be available if you weren’t totally happy with the arrangements.
Can I get a refund of deposit? Sometimes things go wrong, I am human above all other things, you pay a deposit in order for me to save your date, if I am able to fill your date with another wedding I will always attempt to refund your deposit.
Can you do video? I don’t, I stick to what I’m good at, I do however often work with videographers and can recommend a couple of good ones who have competitive pricing. I occasionally set up a video camera to capture your ceremony and a couple of clips throughout the day, these are purely to add short clips into the Fusion Slideshows that I produce, I do this at my own discretion and only when time/resources permit, photographing your wedding is a full on day for both of us, working with a couple of cameras is enough without compromising quality by dividing my attention.
How do I view my photographs after the wedding? various options exist, I now upload all of the images into my client viewing area where they can be password protected, in this area you are able to select your favorite images and email me the details so that I can commence building your album. you are also able to download your entire photograph collection easily as one file. Alternatively we can arrange a face to face viewing session where I show the images to you and we work through the entire collection with a view to building your album.
Do you Photoshop my images? All of your images will be colour managed, sharpened or noise reduction prior to uploading to the client viewing area. I will no doubt edit a few of your images as I work through them however this is a time consuming process, once you have selected your favorite images they will be edited in some way to enhance them, I would never be able to process all of your images for initial upload as it would be fruitless to do so. Brides usually get a little enhancement on each photograph which will be consistent throughout your album and selected images will undergo my artistic flair to some degree!
What equipment do you use? I shoot Nikon, I am far from technical, my cameras are my tools and I understand “Photography”, I always shoot on manual, that way I get the image I want and not the one my camera thinks is right, my cameras are full frame professional models and are excellent at shooting in low light situations, i.e. churches. I also have some spot on lighting equipment that is beyond the scope of normal flash. All of my equipment is tried and tested, having been put to use at lots of weddings, I know what lighting to use when the weather isn’t quite what we expected or the building isn’t as bright as we would have hoped.
Do you keep my images? Yes I do, hopefully forever, I have every wedding, portrait and event I ever photographed saved to my storage, After your wedding they will remain on my storage for a couple of years until being archived to the dusty room upstairs, I generally backup both onsite and offsite so that If I was unfortunate enough to suffer fire or flood I can still access my images at a later date.
How do you make our album? Once I have uploaded all of your images or we have met for a viewing we select your favorite 100-120 images, these images are then added to your storybook in a visually stunning way, all images will be edited and enhanced to tell your story, I create your album in Photoshop as I am able to build your album the way you want it, I will build a double page at a time then upload it for approval and comments before final print, The final album will be absolutely stunning and totally customized for you, I don’t use templates as they stifle my creativity and build every album in a unique way.
Do you use my photographs for marketing? Absolutely, I constantly update my website with weddings, you found me and looked through my images no doubt, I will however at your request omit your images from my website should that be your wish. If you are happy for me to use your images I will ask you to sign a model release document that governs what I can do with your images, pretty straight forward stuff and I will explain clearly and easily what I would do with your images, most couples are actually quite flattered that I have asked to use them.
What do you wear? Funny as it sounds, couples do ask, I wear trousers and shirt, I don’t wear ties or jackets, I will often lie on the ground or climb onto walls so restricting my movement is the last thing I want to do. I will always be smart, shaven, polite and considerate.
Can I speak to past couples? Yes, I have no doubt they would be delighted to share their experiences.