This is how i photograph
YOUR WEDDING DAY
As the Norfolk wedding photographer for your special day, my goal is simple – to tell the story of your beautiful wedding day as it happens so you can re-live those fabulous memories over and over again.
I capture incredible moments that are natural, fun, emotional and perhaps even tearful (but only the good ones). Oh, and those crazy dance floor moves as the party rocks the night away! The best of the best are then delivered to you to treasure forever as print-ready high resolution digital photographs, in a balanced mixture of genuine colours and timeless black and white.
What I can promise to never do, is to dig up some awkward cheesy poses that I’ve used at every other wedding, fake a cake-cut when you’re going to do the real thing, or get in the way of your day to stage “moments” when the real ones are so much better.
Settle In and
RELAX
Wedding photography doesn’t need to be complicated – especially not on the big day itself. Have a look through Your Wedding Booking Experience to find out how I make booking me as easy as possible, and then read on to find out how I photograph your wedding day.
Every element of your day is important – from the smallest beautiful moments during your preparations all the way through to crazy dancefloor moves when the party’s rocking.
Shall we take a look?
LET’S GET READY!
Every wedding day begins with those fabulous preparations! Whether you decide to get ready surrounded by your awesome bride-tribe & bridesmaids to kick-start the celebrations or by jumping in a hot-tub with your trusted groomsmen – bridal and groom preparations are always one of my favourite parts of the day to photograph!
They are a time for special moments, beautiful memories and flying champagne corks. From heartfelt gifts and cards from the person you’re about to marry, to crazy rooms full of family, no two are the same. I’ll be there for the emotions, laughs, craziness and occasional tears – never getting in the way and shooting unobtrusively to capture these most vital bits of your day.
Wedding days are jam-packed with moments – soooo many amazing things happen during a wedding and there’s nothing I love more than being able to capture them all.
Relish the calm
embrace the excitement!
GENTLEMEN…. START THOSE SUITS!
I’m often asked if I can photograph the boys getting ready too. My answer’s always yes, as long as we can make timings work.
Obviously if they’re planning an easy morning and getting ready 10 minutes before the ceremony, or hoping to be putting suits on at the exact moment a dress is going on, we might need to have a little chat about timings so everything fits together. Otherwise, let’s do this!
I DO’S, WE DO’S
Ceremonies are wonderful things and every single one is beautifully unique. From traditional churches & woodland ceremonies, stately homes, gorgeous gardens & beaches to beautiful barns and stunning castles – there are so many unique and inspiring places to say “I Do”. You’ll know when you find the right place for you.
As your photographer I’ll be there for every moment. Whether you arrive down a majestic staircase, via boat on the Norfolk Broads or by walking through the woods with your wellies firmly in place, I’ll be right there with you. Shooting silently & respectfully, I’ll capture the look of wonder when your partner sees you for the first time along with the reactions of family and friends gathered to witness this special moment. Most importantly of all, I’ll capture both of you as you say “I Do” and take those very first steps on the journey of married life together.
Needless to say, I’ll work with your registrars, vicar or celebrant and of course any videographers to ensure we all get the best possible results, without taking over the day or getting in the way.
For Church weddings, I’ll also always ask you to check whether there are any restrictions on locations or movement that I need to be aware of ahead of the day as it’s best to avoid unexpected surprises.
Get that knot tied, then we celebrate!
Bring on the CONFETTI !
If we’re sticking with traditions for your wedding day, confetti has to be pretty high up on the list of things to have!
Through the years I have reached one conclusion though… It’s always better to have too much confetti than not enough! Plenty of it please.. Lots of handfuls for your guests and we’ll get it all chucked at you at the same time. I can also promise you that it will go absolutely everywhere… sorry about that!
Huge fun though and I’ll be right there, in the middle of it all with you.. getting just as covered in it as you – but we’ll capture all the fun, craziness and special bits that happen along the way too. Wave bouquets, have a quick smooooooch in the middle or just close your eyes – it’ll be ok!
As for what type – biodegradable paper or large colourful petals looks fabulous; bubbles are awesome too; the only rule is to have plenty of it or them for maximum effect.
CELEBRATING YOU
Over to you two!
With that knot firmly tied, it’s really important that we try and take some time out during the celebrations for you two, to well – spend some time with each other! Wedding days shoot past in the blink of an eye, so the last thing I want to do is to pull you away from your guests for hours.
I normally recommend we split time for couples photos, formals or portraits into two 15-20 minute sessions; one generally during the afternoon reception, and the other ideally in the hour before sunset – “golden hour” – where the light is much softer, richer and all-round perfect for beautiful wedding photos. Weather on the day obviously comes into this and we’ll work out a plan B if we need to.
Together we’ll go and explore your venue’s grounds, track down the light and generally find somewhere fabulous. I won’t pose you or tell you what to do – other than maybe suggesting you have a cuddle (or ten) and enjoy spending time together. Genuine unposed wedding photography!
Couples often tell me that they don’t want a wedding like their cousin had, who was dragged away for hours by their photographer and told exactly how to stand, or given instructions on where to place their hands etc; all while their guests were left wondering what to do. I can promise you that this won’t happen.
The time we spend together for couples photos is a really precious time for the two of you – wedding days can turn into a blur of hellos and hugs yet spending time with the person you’ve just married, celebrating together the start of the next exciting chapter in your lives is so vitally important. This is all about celebrating you! Let’s take the time, you two have a cuddle and a giggle; really look at each other and then head off back to the reception or party – full of love and emotion to go celebrate with the special people you’ve chosen to spend the day with.
Beautiful photos. No cheese!
MOMENTS
Let’s Celebrate
Whether you’re throwing an intimate wedding reception with an exquisite tasting menu for your closest family & friends, or hosting a jam-packed party with the works from outdoor games to bouncy castles, afternoon tea and garden parties; wedding receptions are wonderfully varied and unique!
When it comes down to it though, they’re all amazing celebrations and packed to the brim with action and special moments! I’ll capture the raised glasses, the sneaky tears & raw emotions. I’ll get the reactions to speeches along with plenty of laughter, joy, funky moments and fun whenever it happens.
Things is, every wedding is unique. Yours isn’t the same as anyone else’s – and capturing all of that beautiful unique awesomeness is exactly what I set out to do!
It’s also during the Wedding Reception that I usually recommend we tackle family group photos. We’ll talk about this on our pre-wedding call but group photos are almost always part of the day. It’s essential to come up with a list of the groups you’d like to do, including people’s names, and to keep the list to around a maximum of 10 groups. Each group will generally take 3-4 minutes to setup, arrange and shoot so the more you have, the more time it’s going to take out of your day. It’s also vital to have someone nominated in your wedding party to help too – that means we can focus on shooting one group, while they’re tracking down people for the next.. just helps keep everything moving along nicely.
AFTER DARK
Creative Portraiture
Creatively-lit photography after dark is something I absolutely love to do! As much as I adore shooting in beautiful sunshine or making the most of an incredible sunset, once the sun has gone down there’s something a little extra-special about crafting light and creating magical photos to treasure forever. Also…. if the weather’s missed the memo that it’s your awesome wedding day, then it really is ok as we can create something fabulous.
Just on rain, I’m often asked what happens if it rains and the answer is that we go ROCK it right out of the park! Rain during your wedding day is something we’ll work around (as weddings don’t stop just because it’s raining) and it normally doesn’t rain continuously all day so we can generally wait for a gap and then dash outside. However, if the weather’s been truly awful then sometimes, if we’re feeling brave, we can go create something special in the dark.
The pace of these sessions is naturally a little slower as they’ll often involve setting up and adjusting lights, smoke grenades, haze and anything else we want to play with – but if you’re up for it, then we can create more or less anything! You won’t be outside for long as I’ll always set lights up so that everything is as ready as it can be and if the weather’s not playing ball, always suggest we bring along a handy bridesmaid or groomsman to hold some umbrellas !
Once it’s dark, we’re also right into the perfect time for wedding sparklers or fireworks to bring some fire to your wedding day. For fireworks, assuming you have a professional company booked to run your display, I’ll have a chat to them beforehand to make sure I find out all the vital details I’ll need to ensure I can photograph both you and your fireworks.
In much the same way as our couples shoots, we’ll get you two in the perfect position and depending on the display might add a little extra light (just to help see you in the dark).
Sparklers are normally best just after dusk, while there’s still a little light left – mainly as it means everyone can see what they’re doing and also might be a little less “merry”… which rather helps with safety. if you’re thinking of having sparklers, I’d recommend checking out my blog on how to get the best sparkler photos.