Weddings
South Coast, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands wedding photographer
I think I take a pretty decent photo… but it takes more than that to photograph an entire wedding and produce the goods. I know you’re here because you don’t just want photos of your wedding. You want amazing, genuine moments, and you want it to be the easiest and most enjoyable part of your day!
By all means, make sure you look through my photos and ensure you love my style… but make sure to read on below to find out about the whole experience you’ll receive with me.
How do you go about photographing a wedding?
So, I’m a wedding photographer. But really, that job title totally undersells what I actually do with my clients!! As you’ll see below, choosing your wedding photographer commits you to a journey and a relationship that can span a year or more! There is also a huge amount of planning that goes on behind the scenes, so that I can provide you with helpful advice and a seamless experience overall.
I feel it’s most important to choose your photographer for who they are – just as much as for the photos they take, and certainly more than how much they cost! After all, you wil be spending your entire wedding day with them around.
And while every wedding is (and should be!) different, here is a typical overview of what you can expect from working with me.
F$#@in’ Awesome Questions!
Planning (aka the stressful part)
- Planning a wedding is fun, but can be stressful as hell. That's why I don't just rock up on the day and take photos... I'm there with you from the moment you first get in touch, until well after your wedding photos are delivered. In fact, one of my recent brides emailed this through after she booked: “I was dreading finding a photographer for our wedding, it seemed like such a daunting task! But you made making that decision really easy for us (and we love your photos - the landscape ones included!), so thank you! .”
Let's catch up
- So after you’ve discovered my website and have Facebook stalked my page, the best next step you can take is to get in touch and organise a catch up. We can talk about details of your day, but most importantly – get to know each other, and make sure we’re a good fit. If a physical catch up won’t work, then Skype is our best friend .
Engagement shoots
- Engagement shoots are probably one of the best things I can recommend before your wedding. If you’ve never had professional photos taken, then consider an e-shoot as a dry run for getting comfortable on camera. I can give you stacks more reasons why they rock – read more on engagement shoots here
Videoing your wedding
- If you’re thinking video coverage is also the go for your wedding, then it pays to ensure that your photographer and videographer play well together. Similar shooting styles will ensure a more consistent result, but will more importantly mean a more seamless experience on your day. You may also need to allow a bit more time during the location shoot to allow both professionals to do their thing. I’m happy to recommend videographers I’ve worked with before – just ask.
Recommendations
- Speaking of recommendations, there’s also no need for you to reinvent the wheel and start from scratch! I know plenty of amazing wedding professionals who I’ve worked with before, and am happy to recommend these guys to you.
Getting ready
- Photos of you and your partner getting ready are awesome to show the building anticipation of what’s to come. There are also lots of genuine and emotional moments with your close family and the wedding party.
- I approach this part of the day purely candidly… letting things unfold naturally. It’s also a great opportunity to capture some special details in what you’ve chosen to wear.
Ceremony
- My aim is to be as unobtrusive as possible during the ceremony, yet capture all the important moments.
Family photos/group shot
- After the ceremony is a natural opportunity for your guests to congratulate you as a married couple!! It’s also a good chance for family photos, before people wander off in the direction of the bar…
- An entire group photo (i.e. all the guests at your wedding) is a bit of a controversial one… in my honest opinion, this is one of those shots that people think they’re supposed to get. But I’ve never known anyone to get overly excited about the result! Smaller, more meaningful family groups are a much better idea :).
Location photos
- I love this next part of the day – the location photos :). Partly because I still love to photograph landscapes, so it’s an opportunity to get out into some epic places! But it’s also a really fun part of the day :). You, (and perhaps your wedding party) are free to just bask in the moment, and have a drink or two before the reception kicks off.
- I like to reassure my couples by letting them know that it’s going to be a totally relaxed and fun part of the day, and most likely a little bit random! And really, there is no right or wrong way to go about it - you just need to be yourselves.
So Instead of suggesting cheesy, cliched poses, I’ll provide you with some general direction on where to stand and which way to face, but then I just let you roll with it. So if you feel like dancing - dance! If you want to tickle each until you both can’t breathe - go for it 🙂
The most genuine, natural photos come from you being who you are, so I encourage you to simply be yourself during the location shoot.
- I love taking suggestions from my couples on locations that are special to them. I am also a huge fan of exploring the area before the wedding, to find some hidden gems!
- The most important aspect to this part of the day is timing. I’ve been to weddings where the location photos are happening in the harsh, unflattering afternoon sun. Then, when everyone is in the reception eating or listening to speeches, the most amazing afternoon glow goes unnoticed. Except by me, and my heart is breaking a little bit…
- I’ll discuss timing with you in more detail early on in the planning stages, and this will be what takes your location photos from being great into being epicly ahhhh-mazing!!!
Reception
- For the rest of the evening, I’ll busy myself documenting all the details and styling elements of your venue. There are plenty of elusive, human moments which I look out for while circling the reception like a ninja.
- Once night falls, I LOVE getting out and finding somewhere for an epic night shot, so I’ll steal you for about 10 minutes at some point during the night.
File delivery
- A day or two after your wedding, I like to pop a few cheeky previews up on Facebook and Instagram and tag you both, so any friends and family that couldn’t make it can get a preview.
- Within 3 weeks your photos will be ready! None of this hanging around for 6 months business… you deserve your photos as soon as possible :).
- You’ll receive your photos in a gorgeous online gallery, from which you can easily download and share your images.
Printing your photos – Albums and Wall Art
- I honestly don’t consider my job done until you have at least one of your wedding photos printed!! Digital is awesome, but nothing beats holding a physical album, or seeing a framed print on your wall.
- All the printed products I supply are of the highest quality, and designed to last a lifetime. And of course you’ll receive all your files in high resolution, print ready JPGs, so you can organise prints yourself too.
Anniversary shoot
- Experiencing a couple’s wedding day with them often leaves me feeling like I have a new set of friends. So it’s always nice to reconnect for an Anniversary shoot down the track, and keep that relationship going :).
For all couples
The simple version is that you get me, and you get an experience :). I value experiences above all else, but at the end of the day you do need something tangible to take away as a memory of your day. So, all my couples, regardless of how many hours of coverage they book, will receive:
- Me as your photographer!
- Flexibility to customise my packages to suit your wedding.
- Edited, high resolution (i.e. print ready) JPG images from your day. These are the same files I send to my printer.
- Files delivered to you in a beautiful online gallery. You can download and share your photos super easily from here.
- Easy, online print ordering included through the gallery.
- And, quite a few little surprises along the way ;).
Inclusions or optional extras
Depending on the package you choose, the following items are either included, or available as optional extras:
- Amazing hand-crafted albums, which are so luxurious… don’t feel weird if I keep asking you to touch one!
- A variety of styles of wall art, once again printed and mounted with the utmost love and attention to detail.
- A second photographer. If your wedding timeline will benefit from having a second photographer, I’ll bring along a trusted professional, not some work experience kid.
Learn more
Find out more about my pricing, packages and information on the Pricing & Information page.
