Oxfordshire-based candid wedding photographer
I’m a nomadic artist and photographer, currently based in Oxfordshire. I’ve been photographing daily since the age of 12, photography was the first art form I truly fell in love with. When I’m not shooting weddings I exclusively shoot in film, although it isn’t practical for weddings I still put a huge amount of film photography inspiration into my wedding photography. It gives me such pleasure to document your special day, it really is a huge honor and I absolutely love what I do! After everything is over, all you have left is these images and I want to make sure they are truly stunning and ones you will cherish forever.
So, why candid wedding photography?
I could write an essay on why this style of photographing is so great, but what it boils down to is this: you will really get to enjoy your day. You will barely even notice my presence as I move about photographing the details and the interactions that make up your special day. I’ve been to weddings where the bride has spent hours posing for pictures to the point her cheeks hurt. Not only are these kind of images outdated, but often do look posed and awkward. This is not how I want you to spend your wedding day, you should be laughing, crying and everything in between and I will be there to document that raw, real emotion. That’s what it’s about!
As every wedding varies so much I don’t charge an hourly rate, but I offer full day coverage for £975. This means I arrive whenever you want me to, I often photograph the bride getting ready and I leave just after the first dance. If you are after additional hours of coverage I can do so, I charge £100 per hour.
If you have a list as long as my arm of group shots you would like, then I probably am not the photographer for you. I’m happy to do a few, but no more than 5.
So how does the process work? Most people have (understandably) never hired a photographer before, so here’s a little run down for you…
Booking
So if you’ve had a good mooch around my website and you like my images and the way I shoot awesome! Get in touch with me and let me know the date and where you are getting married and I will normally respond within a day letting you know if I’m available + approximate travel costs (if there are any, I always keep these to an absolute minimum). If you are local we can meet for a coffee, or if not we can have a chat on the phone or Skype. If after all of this you are still interested in booking me let me know and I will request a (non-refundable) 10% deposit and send you my bank details, in by paying this sum your booking is confirmed. Yay! A relaxed pre-wedding shoot can be arranged around this time if you are a couple less comfortable with having your picture taken, I offer these for £300 (travel costs not included).
In Between
After this, you probably won’t hear much from me until nearer the big day. I normally get in touch around 2 weeks before to have a final Skype where I ask a series of questions which helps me photograph your day to the best of my ability. I always require the timings of the day and addresses of venues as well as key phone numbers to be emailed over at this time. 2 weeks before the big day the remaining balance is due, I’ll send you an email reminder about this so don’t worry!
On The Day
I will turn up at the agreed time and get shooting straight away! You literally won’t even notice I’m there, and you can just get on with your day! Later in the day, when the lighting is good I will steal you guys away to do a quick 15 minute (or so) couple shoot and if you have provided a list of group shots I will make sure these get done. I normally stick around until just after the first dance, so around this time I will say my goodbyes and head off!
Afterward
I often take around 4,000 images so post-production is a huge amount of work. I always do a sneak peak within a week (which I post on my Facebook page) of my 20 favorite images. The remaining editing normally takes around a month and I normally end up with 200-400 images which I have edited to a professional standard. When it’s all done I upload all of these to a password-protected online album which I will email over to you, from this album you/your guests can browse, download images and order prints. I will also ask for your address to send a USB stick which contains the high-resolution images. If you would like an album made do let me know, prices for these start at £350 and vary depending on size and number of pages. I’m also a graphic designer so I make these with an impeccable eye.
ALSO, I offer a referral program: any upcoming or past clients who then refer a friend who goes on to book me can receive 10% off/back from their wedding photography costs (this doesn’t include travel or album costs).