Last updated 1st September 2024
Coverage and Timings
My normal full day coverage starts from brides/grooms preparations , this would normally be approx. 1-2 hours prior to leaving for ceremony to allow me to capture makeup / final touches , dresses/suits being put on and brides/bridesmaids/bridal party /family naturally as the day begins. In cases where travel between the houses/locations is possible I can also photograph a second brides/grooms preparations if wished – this needs to be arranged before the day so I can make sure the timings fit, bear in mind also I need to arrive at the venue and park up and be in position before arrival of the bride - hence I would leave the last persons house if at one with at least half hour to spare getting to the venue in case of traffic. I would continue through the day as far as just after the first dance where the day for me at least is complete. If during the long days of the summer months you decide on fireworks or lanterns etc. for very late at night and it runs after your first dance I can arrange additional coverage for that with you just let me know.
Please be aware it is not unusual for weddings to overrun –
where this happens and 30 mins or more is taken past the package
priced timings and as long as agreed with myself at the time, a
charge of £100 per hour will be applicable and be invoiced post
wedding for payment. Its always good to remember this when
booking by the hour leave yourself a little room for overruns.
During mealtimes I gratefully accept any offer of food from
yourselves or the venue if this is not possible I will make my
own arrangements but may have to leave the venue for a short time
to do so. Please remember in some cases including travel my day
is 12 hours long so will need to take a break
Please also take into consideration when planning your day
positioning of décor and props especially relating to their
position during the ceremony. It Is important I have a clear and
unobstructed view of the couple from my position during the
ceremony which is normally facing the couple and to the side of
the couple and in some case with churches etc may be behind a
rail or enclosure. If décor / atches / plants / trees etc are
obstructing where I need to see/be then they will be moved within
reason to allow me to work effectively without any prior
agreement with decorators / suppliers etc and I will do our best
to inform you if this needs to happen.
On the point of ceremonies and to try and help you get the best
from your photos from our experiences in the past here are some
pointers – try and relax during the ceremony as shots where
you are smiling and looking at each other are always the best
– nothing wrong with emotion and tears so have a hanky handy
!. Try to be close together when standing and hold hands where
possible. If you’re wearing a veil don’t forget to ask
someone to remove it at the appropriate time. Don’t worry
about your words if you go wrong the vicar/registrar will repeat
and help you out (hint – “lawful impediment” is
the most often mispronounced phrase). Civil Ceremonies are
generally short and last 15-30 minutes including photos at the
end, Church services can be longer dependent upon the number of
readings /hymns etc.
And don’t forget I am here to help! – With over 500
weddings photographed and a wealth of experience if you are not
sure about anything just ask.
Editing and Supply of Images
For a full day I would expect roughly 500+
final edited shots which we supply to you copyright free on USB
in high res Jpeg format, this can be used by yourselves to print
anything you like pretty much to any size you want A4 / A3 / A2 /
A1 etc.
Edited images online gallery and disk are normally ready within
4-6 weeks of the date depending on the time of year, we take time
with editing and spend around a week from start to finish on each
set of photos ( full day weddings )
Please note we take great pride in our work and spend a lot of
time on editing so we do not offer a service of providing the
unedited RAW shots nor do we show photos on screens on the
evening of the wedding or give out proof albums so you can have
the photos a few days later . A question we often answer is why
it takes 4-6 weeks when it only takes a week to do a wedding -
simply answered in some months we do 10 weddings and therefore
need the overspill time - in quiter times of year we can get them
done quicker. We also only edit in the order of the weddings
dates so a small wedding would get no preference or be any faster
at being finished as it would still be down to how many we
currently have to do.
Copyright Free is a general term used to describe the use of the
images by the client ie there is no copyright logo on the images
, in legal terms the photographer retains the copyright but
licenses the client to print the images or use them for their own
purposes as long as it is not used commercially or given to other
companies without our authorisation.
I will supply you with a usb disk of the final edited images in
full resolution without copyright marks or logos for your own use
around 4-6 weeks after the wedding, also on the disk will be a
Facebook and supplier optimized gallery which has our logos and
can be used online and given to other suppliers etc. With the
disk will also be a certificate authorising you to use the images
to print for yourselves in case you are questioned in any of the
major supermarkets etc.
Equipment
Photography as an art form requires the
photographer to be proficient in the use of many pieces of
equipment , and all photographers differ in the makes and types
of equipment they use , we personally use Canon 5Dmk4/3 cameras
with a range of professional L and Prime lenses ranging from
Ultra Low Light lenses for non flash use in church etc , to
telephoto lenses for long distance capture of natural shots. We
have two camera bodies and lenses in use in case of breakdowns.
We do not use additional lighting setups other than flashguns to
remain discreet and natural. We have full indemnity and public
liability insurance.
Booking and Payment
To book our services normally requires a
non-refundable retainer of £300 payable by bank transfer or
cash, we do not as part of any package offer meetings or
engagement shoots as standard but these can be arranged at our
discretion and may attract an additional charge depending on
location.
Final payments are due 28 days prior to the event and we will
send you an invoice around then including any balances travel
costs etc. and requesting any information we need. Failure to pay
the balance in the time period without prior agreement can result
in the date being re-opened, further charges or in extreme cases
court action and without payment we are released from any
commitment to photograph the event in the contract.
PLEASE NOTE – We no longer accept cheques as payment
Photography by Guests and Videography
There are no problems with us allowing
guests to take photos and we encourage it during the day as it
all adds to your memories. There are occasions during the day
especially during set shots and ceremonies where we may need to
ask people to wait whilst we do our work to prevent spoiling the
images and on the odd occasion if we feel the quality of our work
is being hampered by a guest or relative getting a little over
enthusiastic we would have a polite word as after all we want the
best for you on the day ! We would also ask that specifically
during the walking in to the ceremony people are not hanging in
to aisles with cameras as it spoils and in some cases completely
blocks our photos as we cannot move from position – this
should be noted to your registrar/vicar etc so they can announce
this. One exeption to guest photography is when a member of the
wedding party or guest brings a camera and wishes to take photos
for their own promotion ie starting a photography business or
promoting their own wedding photography, we spend time and effort
in training and practise to set up shots and know how to make
them work so we would not allow our posed shots to be used by
anyone for those reasons. If this is happening then we will
politely ask that it is stopped as too many cameras and people
trying to direct shots does not work.
As far as videography we goes we can happily recommend
Videographers we have worked with who wont spoil the whole
natural and candid approach we have to our work, there are also
those who might so we would ask you let us know if you are
booking a pro videographer so we can liaise with them or ask us
for a recommend , in the case of guests the same applies if you
have someone taking video for you we will talk with them so there
are no crossed wires and everything runs smoothly.
Online Gallery
This will normally be the first stage in
your photos being shown via an online gallery which we will host
online for 12 months for you and your relatives / friends to see.
The online images are compressed to fit on the internet and are
not representative of the final quality of the images supplied on
disk.
Albums
We use the Italian Graphi Studio company
for our albums and only supply albums to our own clients, we
cannot make albums for other clients or photographers. The normal
turnaround time for albums is around 6 weeks from receiving the
final proof and sending. There may be a postal charge if your
album needs to be posted in the UK or abroad please check with us
for details. For accounting and logistical reasons we will allow
a maximum of 18months from the date of receiving the photos to
order and finalise any Albums / Products within the purchased
package price. Please check our website for further details on
albums.
Weather !
We are used to the English weather and have
taken photographs in everything from fog and blizzards to
blistering sunshine and will be happy to advise on the best
courses of action during the day for you to make the most out of
the weather should it be less than favorable. We do have wedding
Umbrellas and would also suggest some nice wedding wellies for
winter or times when the ground may be very wet or muddy ! And a
top coat or cover for the bride if it will be cold. In our
experience it never rains for a full day and there are always
breaks in bad weather so it is simply a case of being well
organised and using the time to the best advantage and also
getting some creative shots ( think singing in the rain and
snowball fights ! ) Most venues have places where photography is
fine inside too and we will check on the best locations for
indoor formal shots if they are needed.
Cancellations and Date Changes
In the event of your venue cancelling or
date changes we will do our best to accommodate any changes
please give us as much notice as possible if you change venue or
date.
If you decide to cancel your wedding photography then you
automatically forfeit your retainer and we reserve the right to
charge a fee to recoup our losses dependent upon the situation as
we may not be able to rebook the date. Each situation would be
dealt with on an individual basis and we will investigate any
information we are given to come to an honest and fair solution.
In any event of cancellations or changes please contact us asap
so we can make necessary arrangements.
Cancellation Fees
Within 3 months of Wedding - 50% of total cost of wedding package
Earlier than 3 months of Wedding - 20% of total cost of wedding
package
Payment and receipt of retainer represent a legally binding
agreement between ourselves and yourselves. We carry backup
equipment and have backup photographers and are insured to cover
all eventualities and allow you a worry free experience. If you
have any questions on anything please do not hesitate to ask.