As a London wedding photographer I speak to lots of couples as they start making plans and it’s not unusual for the same wedding photography questions to come up again and again. Some of them are pretty essential, but some can be a little redundant, and how will you know what the ‘right’ answer is – or if there even is a right answer?

Worry not, I’m here to help!

These are the main questions I’d be asking myself if I was looking for a wedding photographer:

  1. do I love their style of wedding photography?
  2. do they have the experience it takes to get it right?
  3. would I like having them around for our entire wedding day?

The first question and second questions can often be answered by looking through websites and some full wedding galleries – always ask to see some full galleries!

But for the third question there’s really only one way to find out, and that’s by spending some time chatting in person, or these days most frequently over Zoom. It’s good to talk! That’s why I always offer to meet enquiring couples on a video call before they even consider booking.

It’s also why I ask for just a teeny weeny bit of personal info about you both on my contact form, such as your favourite movie, podcast, or TV show. And there’s really no wrong answers to this question, apart from trying to dodge it. I can honestly say nobody that dodged that question ended up being a good fit for my style or personality, and that’s fine! It’s much better to find that out early than on the day of the wedding.

(January 2025: I’m still a big fan of Top Gun Maverick, Andor, and the Tape Notes podcast…)

So, in an effort to help you make the most of a first meeting with your potential wedding photographer, here are…

Answers To Wedding Photography Questions That I Am Frequently Asked!

(there’s got to be a quicker way of saying that…)

• How many weddings do you typically photograph in a year?

I typically book around 12-15 full day weddings a year, and prefer to cap it there. I could do a lot more but this gives me plenty of time to focus all my attention on each couple, and to shoot some smaller ceremonies and elopements midweek and in quieter seasons.

• How would you describe your photography style?

This is one of those questions that I’m not sure is terribly useful to ask – what really matters is whether you love the way they shoot weddings! That’s why I always share full wedding galleries with enquiring couples, so they can make their own mind up.

That said I’d call myself a story-driven documentary-style wedding photographer, so that’s what you’ll see on my website. That means I want your photos to capture real moments and real memories, so I don’t get involved dictating your day, ordering people around, making people do stuff they don’t want to do etc – I leave that to the videographers out there, “One more time, with feeling!”.

I prefer to be a bit more like a guest with a camera, looking for stories and lovely candid moments where and when they happen. I’ll do group shots, of course! But I won’t kidnap you both for hours to make them, I try to limit those to 40-50 minutes out of your whole day, and the rest is entirely candid.

• What packages do you offer and what deposit do you require?

By the time we meet on a Zoom call I’ll have sent you my full wedding photography Investment Guide so you’ll already know the answer to this one! I also share typical guide prices on my website, to give people an idea if I’m in their budget.

Bear in mind it’s not usually possibly to directly compare wedding photographers on price alone as their packages may be different, not to mention their own business costs. There’s also things like experience, location, and demand to take into account.

• Do you have a second shooter with you (or for getting ready pictures, if you offer these)? If not, can one be arranged and if so, what would the additional cost be?

It can be useful to have second photographer in some circumstances, but speaking personally 100% of the weddings on my website were photographed by me alone.

With my style of photography it’s all about how I saw your wedding day, so I don’t like to dilute that too much with someone else’s perception of it. And I like there to be as few lenses on you and your guests as possible so you feel comfortable and relaxed. But, if there’s some coverage you want that I can’t get alone, such as shots of the guys and the girls getting ready at the same time, I can add a second photographer.

The price will depend on how long you want them to stay, but expect to pay at least £300 for a few hours in the morning. Some photographers offer much cheaper seconds but they’re seriously underpaying that photographer, who probably isn’t very experienced. I would only work with experienced photographers I can trust, which is more expensive.

• What time would you expect to arrive and stay until on the day?

I don’t have any expectations, it’s your wedding day! But, typically for a full day I like to start 2-3 hours before the ceremony so I can capture the atmosphere leading up to it, and stay until 1-2 hours after your first dance so we end with awesome party shots.

• How many photos should we expect to receive from the day?

For a full ten hour day at least 500, usually more. I don’t make any promises, it’s entirely down to what happens on the day, but I don’t set any limits – I include every photo that makes the grade during editing.

• How long after the wedding should we expect to receive the photos?

During the height of wedding season expect it to take 6-8 weeks, sometimes a little longer if I’m shooting more than one wedding a week. In quieter seasons expect 4-6 weeks. But if you need or want them back urgently, for a small fee I can usually bump you to the top of the queue!

• What format do the photos come in? Can we get the raw files? Do we get every single photo you took? Will images be accessible online?

All good questions to ask! The photos you’ll receive from me will be high quality JPGs converted directly from my edited raw files. You’ll get one set in high res for archiving and printing, and one set in low res for emailing or sharing on social media (smaller = quicker to upload).

I don’t deliver the raw files as they’re actually pretty ugly and useless without professional editing software. I compare it to asking a chef to deliver a plate of raw ingredients – I think you’ll prefer the finished dish!

I’ll take thousands across the day, but the majority are duplicates to ensure I caught the moment. I only deliver the photos I think are the best, rejecting those that are technically unusable, or lesser examples of better moments I already included.

And finally, the gallery is accessible online for six months after release. If you’d like to keep it online longer you can purchase a very affordable 12-month extension before it expires (January 2025: it’s currently around £50). That way you’ll have an online backup for longer, and be able to easily view them from anywhere with a network connection.

• Do you offer retouching and is this included in your package rates?

My editing covers adjustments for exposure, colour, contrast, sharpness, vibrancy etc, all in my personal style, and I’ll give your couple portraits a subtle polish too so you look your best.

Beyond that I don’t usually include cosmetic editing like whitening teeth, making people thinner, removing double chins etc. This is because some people are offended if I ‘correct’ them, and it’s also too time-consuming to edit everything to that level if it’s not been asked for.

But if you’d like to have additional cosmetic editing on certain photos that’s no problem! Once you receive the gallery, pick out the photos you’d like to be edited further and if it’s outside my skill set I’ll commission a retouching expert to do the work for you. They charge per image depending what’s required.

• What is your refund / cancellation / postponing policy?

You probably don’t want to be thinking about this, but it’s important to understand from the very start where you’d stand if the worst happened. I’m happy to quote the relevant clauses in my contract for you to check out, just get in touch.

Generally speaking, if you cancel entirely then the booking fee at minimum is non-refundable, and up to 100% of the balance may be due depending on how much notice you give. If you want to postpone then depending on how far away the new date is you may need to re-pay a booking fee.

In terms of pandemic related postponements and cancellations it’s entirely dependant on the circumstances at the time. For example, cancelling or postponing because the government specifically bans weddings would be treated differently to cancelling because you’re changed your minds about the risks involved.

• What is the backup plan if you are unable to shoot our wedding for an unexpected reason (sickness etc)?

This is another essential question that you probably don’t want to think about but absolutely should ask about!

With the sole exception of one fateful week in 2021 when I got Covid and had to step back from two weddings that week, I’ve never dropped out of a booked wedding for any reason, sickness included.

That said, I have a plan! I’m part of a group of truly excellent wedding photographers around the country, and would turn to them as soon as I know I’m not able to attend. I’ve seen last minute miracles performed by members of this group, including multiple photographers racing into central London with spare cameras and batteries because one of our number messaged to say he’d accidentally left his bag in the taxi that brought him to the church!

So if I got sick I’d put the call out, and send you links for anyone who’s available. You could then decide who you’d like to take over – although you’re not committed to choosing any of them. If you decided against booking any of them I’d refund you entirely.

• Would you post about our wedding on any websites / social media or submit our photos to any magazines / blogs etc?

I only post examples of my best work on my website and on my Instagram, so that other couples can see that I’m active, and making the kinds of wedding photos they’d love to have themselves. I usually share some images with suppliers so that they can have a few examples of their recent work too, and I work with my couples to ensure any sensitive photos stay private.

Beyond that I’m often contacted by wedding blogs and magazines who want to feature one of my weddings. When that happens I introduce them to the couple and if it goes ahead I’m happy to supply images for them to publish so it’s one less thing for you to do.

I’ve photographed celebrities and people in sensitive roles, such as the military, so I understand if you want to keep your images private with an NDA. If this is the case please let me know before booking and I can share my NDA options.

And that’s everything!

If you’ve got a call booked in with me this should save you having to spend time on basics when we could be getting into all the details of your big day. But if you’re still just looking around generally, or you have a call booked with someone else and don’t know what to ask, this should set you off on the right path.

Whoever you choose to photograph your wedding, I hope you have a great day – and remember to take a moment now and then to just enjoy it!