Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What happens if you’re ill and can’t work on our wedding day?
A. I’m part of a huge wedding community and within that we have a lot of support groups for emergencies. These groups are incredibly effective and have been amazing reassurance for both photographers and couples knowing that there’s a quick way to contact other professionals and make sure work is covered in case of an emergency.
This ranges from a flat tyre en route to the wedding, to leg breaks.
Q. Do you have insurance?
A. I sure do! I carry both liability and equipment insurance.
Q. How much is the deposit and when are payments due?
A. Bookings require a £400 deposit and the remaining balance is due a month before your Big Day.
Q. How long does it take to receive our photographs?
A. I deliver your photographs as quickly as I can, to the highest standard I can. I say between 8-10 weeks - editing takes a lot longer during peak wedding season as there’s a lot of weddings in the editing queue. We photographers spend so much more time editing your wedding than we do actually shooting it - I promise it’s worth the wait!
Q. Do you offer printing or albums?
A. Yup! I never push albums as you get print rights with your photographs and I’m well aware that a lot of people like to make their own, however I do offer photobooks, from £200. They are beautiful thick paged handmade books.
You can also purchase prints and wall art pieces on request as well.
Q. Do you do engagement shoots?
A. I do indeed! I charge £250 for Love Shoots which generally take around an hour to two. They are a great way for us to get to know one another, have a big old gossip about your Big Day and for you to get used to being in front of the camera - and realise that it’s not entirely terrifying!
Q. Who is the second shooter for The Big One?
A. I have a group of photographers that I work with for seconds shooting - they are always a professional wedding photographer that just happens to be available of your Big Day meaning they can work alongside me. I always use a second shooter who’s shooting style is similar to my own and I edit all the photographs so that it is completely consistent.
Q. Have you shot at my venue before?
A. When I started out, I thought that visiting venues before a wedding day was a good idea. But I very quickly realised that visiting a venue before the day, for me at least, doesn’t have any particular bearing on how I end up shooting on the day. I might visit a venue on a bright sunny day but come the day of the wedding, weather conditions and more importantly, what the light is doing, could be very different. What is going on during the wedding day itself - weather, light, the people, the atmosphere etc is what drives how I’ll shoot that wedding. An empty venue on a day that doesn’t have that buzz, really doesn’t help me all that much.
It also can reduce creativity a little if it’s all planned out. What I do, is make sure that I turn up in plenty of time to an unfamiliar venue to have a good look around before I start photographing the day ahead. That is when I’ll find places for group shots and portraits. At least that way, I know what the light is like, or, is likely to be like that day.
Q. What areas do you travel to?
A. I cover the world if invited – visa’s permitting! Things to consider are, if the location is beyond 30 miles from Frodsham then I charge 45p per mile. If it’s abroad, travel and accommodation expenses will need to be considered.
Q. Can we see full galleries of other weddings?
A. Of course - it’s a great way to get an idea of what a full day looks like rather than just seeing a selection of my favourite photographs. I try to show one from a similar time of
Q. Can I have a different package to those that I’ve seen?
A. You can indeed. The three I offer are my most popular requests but you can add on extra hours to any of the packages or have shorter coverage if that’s something you’re looking for.
Q. Can we request any specific shots?
A. I generally suggest a maximum of 10 group shots - the longer we spend doing them, the less time you have celebrating with your guests and enjoying your cocktails and canapés, although I do appreciate that the ‘mantlepiece shots’ make the parents happy!
Q. How many weddings do you shoot per year?
A. I shoot between 20 and 30 weddings per year, the main bulk of that is typically between April and September.