What is your most memorable wedding?
Well that's easy, it's our wedding! Absolute best day ever!
What about your business are you most proud of?
I'm very proud of my portfolio, but more importantly I'm proud of the 350 or so weddings I've shot with an equal number of very happy couples.
What is your No. 1 wedding planning tip for couples?
As soon as you've got your date set, start booking your suppliers. If you get onto it nice and early you'll have the pick of the best!
Describe your typical process with a couple.
If you feel I am the right photographer for you I'll book off your wedding date in my diary and no other engagements will be planned for that day...my focus is on you. Leading up to the wedding I'm available for phone calls and e-mail discussion to help answer any questions you may have about the photography. Before the wedding I like to arrange a meeting at your venue to allow me familiarise myself with the location and also to discuss the schedule and any photo requests you might have. Also if we haven't yet met it's nice to get a chance to get to know the couple I'll be spending the day with. I usually do this on the day before the wedding so it's all fresh in my mind the next day. However, the day before can be very hectic for a couple about to get married, so if you feel you'd like meet on a different day that's not a problem.
On the day I'm booked for 10 hours (more hours can be added if needed) so it's up to you when I start and finish (time starts on arrival at first photo location and doesn't stop for any travel time or breaks thereafter). For both bride & groom coverage I recommend I start 2.5-3 hours before the ceremony (we can fine tune this depending on logistics). If I'm capturing both I'll usually visit the guys first as they can get in their suits a little sooner (and easily take the jackets off after photos!). I'll then get myself to the bride & bridesmaids to catch the atmosphere of the bridal preparations. Usually I finish just after the first dance to capture a little bit of the dancefloor action, but I can stay for fireworks, sparklers, whatever else you might have planned!
Throughout the day I'll be concentrating on capturing the story of your day as it takes place, occasionally pausing the action or posing images where necessary or requested. I believe a good selection of posed images are a great additional to a wedding photo set, but am also happy to just shoot what happens if that's what you prefer!
After the wedding I'll present you with 350-500 images in an online gallery. This is usually 1-2 weeks after the wedding, but can be longer in peak season (I don't think I've ever taken any longer than a month). These images can be provided digitally and/or you can choose a selection of these to create one of our stunning photo albums. I'll do the design work myself and provide you with a proof before it goes to print, that way you can check it's all to your liking.
What is the No. 1 photo that you think every couple should take?
A photo of the couple springs to mind as reasonably important!
What do you recommend for a rainy day wedding?
Umbrellas, a contingency plan for a photo location and a carefree attitude to having a great day. Rainy weddings can be as good, if not better than sunny ones...nothing like jamming all the guests onto the dancefloor at the end of the night while the rain pours down outside!
Describe how you got into photography.
I actually got into photography as a teenager because I enjoyed capturing our skateboarding exploits! This pushed me to get better at using my camera and understanding how to take a good photograph. In my early 20s a friend asked me to photograph their wedding, aside from the overwhelming nerves and anxiety I really enjoyed it. My photos got noticed by a few couples and next thing I was flying to the USA to capture a wedding out there...at that point I started to realise this was the career for me. That was 15 years ago!