Tips for the camera shy on being comfortable in front of the camera?

One of the most common things that couples tell me is that they’re not comfortable in front of the camera, which is a perfectly understandable position to hold. I’d encourage you to think about this as follows. If we look back, nearly all of the times that we’ve had our photo taken through our life, have been under sufferance!

School photos, family photos, and all that.

But you also know that if you’re out with your partner, and someone rips up an iPhone in the middle of you having a good time, you’re generally pretty comfortable. The secret to feeling comfortable in front of the camera, is having it not feel like a photo shoot, which is what I specialise in.

And you’ve got two things on your side on your wedding day, that will make this a non-issue, I promise: firstly, you’re getting married! How rad is that. You’ll have your hands so full with all the goings on, you just aren’t going to notice a photographer roaming around.

Secondly – you’re hiring me not just because I know my way around a camera, but because I know my way around a community: making folks feel comfortable is what I do, and the answer to that anyway, lies in you just enjoying each others company, instead of feeling like you need to pose for me.

Click!

Should we have a meeting?

I always suggest we meet at my studio, local cafe or wine-bar in Thessaloniki, or if Thessaloniki is inaccessible, we jump on a Zoom/Skype/Whatsup conversation to get to know each other.

Feel free to take a look at my photo gallery to first get a feel for my style, and the cherry on top of course is that you get along with the human you’ll be spending the day with (me!) and that’s done by connecting in person or over a video-call.

Every wedding is different, so catching up to learn more about you both and talk through a unique plan tailored specifically for your wedding day is always useful.

Once you’ve booked, i’m also available to meet as many times as you need to in the lead-up.

Will you customize a package?

Each package is different, so each package is able to be catered to you. The nature of weddings change rapidly, with large weddings, adventure weddings, elopements, experiential weddings, and everything in between being a viable option.

You are able to add coverage as required, add beautiful print products, additional photographers, video and more, as you see fit to match to your wedding day. To enquire about my packages, head here.

Do you do destination weddings?

Destination weddings make up about 40% of my wedding bookings. I’m thrilled to be able to travel to all corners of Greece and the planet to photograph weddings, and it’s often just as affordable as hiring someone local, with all of the benefit of a wedding photographer with fresh eyes in a new location.

I’ve photographed destination weddings in Greece, Turkey, the Netherlands, India, Germany and more.

As a destination wedding photographer i’m familiar with all of the other requirements, including the ground planning and contingencies.

Typically when photographing a destination wedding, i’ll arrive a couple of days earlier to acclimatise and meet, and maybe even do a pre-shoot.

What do your prices start at?

My prices for wedding photography start at 856€. Full weddings that include photography, videography and prints start at 1438€.

Do you have a weekday discount?

Yes and no! Unfortunately my wedding photography pricing reflects my years of experience, and the extensive work required in post production. While weekday discounts are not available, shorter weddings and elopements are available on weekdays, but not weekends.

This means you can book me for a small wedding or elopement on a weekday and a shorter number of hours, which is not available on peak-weekend dates, which are reserved for more extensive coverage.

To book me for your weekday small wedding or elopement, you can enquire here.

How long does it take to edit wedding photos?

The turn around on your digital wedding files is generally 4-6 weeks but you should see a few, shortly after, to get all gushy over. This might seem like a long time, but this post on editing wedding photos might give you an insight into why editing matters.

Do you offer Albums?

I offer handmade albums produced by Greece’s best fine-art lab owned by generations of the same family.

They’re available in a range of sizes, but the default size is an incredibly endearing format that you have to check out for yourselves.

Do you charge for travel?

I do not charge for travel inside Thessaloniki, and weddings in other states in Greece may have a nominal travel fee built in.

My wedding photography pricing is competitive for the quality images you receive, and so whether photographing weddings in Thessaloniki, Santorini, or Crete, you’ll find the pricing is usually pretty competitive and comparable to hiring someone local, with all the benefits of a fresh set of eyes on an enthusiastic traveller.

How many images do I receive?

You receive a curated collection of 400-500 images without watermarks and in high resolution.

You receive all your images high resolution, print ready for you to print off freely, and share with your family and friends.

How fast do you edit photos?

On your wedding day, i will typically take around 3000 photographs initially. With so many things happening, it’s essential that I work hard and give myself plenty of options of the best version of a moment.

This is obviously way too many for you to receive, so from there, I cull this down to around 400-700 winning photographs, that each stand out strongly in their own right.

After that, this set is edited into a preview selection, as well as your full collection. There is several days of work involved in this entire process, which I split up over several different editing sessions. I aim to have you your finished collection of wedding photos, beautifully edited from start to finish, within four weeks.

When is the final payment due?

Your final wedding payment is due 7 business days (1 week) before your wedding or on the actual day.

I want to book, what now?

Just send me a confirmation email stating that you would like me to photograph your special day, we will book in a video call. I then will send my Terms and Conditions to you with all the deposit and payment details enclosed. I require a 50% deposit to confirm a wedding date.

How many weddings have you photographed?

I’ve photographed over 500 weddings all over Greece and the world.

How much do wedding photographers in Greece cost?

The average wedding photographer in Greece costs about half as much as twice their full rate. In euro terms, it depends on what sort of wedding photographer you are after. For folks that are less experienced, expect to pay about 300-600€ for full-day coverage.

Most of my couples book me for 1400-2500€, which also covers all of the client care around the day, several days of post-processing and delivery and storage of all your beautiful images.

The average wedding photographer in Greece that is experienced might cost you anywhere between 1500-4000€

It’s important to work out what is important to you from a product point of view, and whether you even need full-day coverage.

How far in advance do you have to book?

In order to book me as your wedding photographer, it really varies: most couples book me 12-18 months out, and sometimes they enquire just two weeks out!

You’ll never know if you don’t enquire: reach out to me for your wedding here.

What are the different styles of wedding photography?

There are so many different styles of wedding photography. If you’re googling around, you might see “photojournalism” and “fine art” and “candid” and wonder what it all means. Generally speaking, fine-art photography might feel more “dreamy, and occasionally have very staged moments.

Candid and photojournalistic style photography might appear to be a more “fly on the wall” style of capture.

I like to think my style, is something of a bridge between them all. I don’t interrupt the flow of the day, but know how to make the best of all situations.

Do you have to buy products as well as photos?

Not at all. They’re only there if you wish to add them in. You can hire me just to photograph your wedding and deliver your photos on a USB and via an online gallery.

You can then get creative with the high res photos to make the prints or even books yourself.

What do you wear to our wedding?

Sounds like an odd question to have listed here but I think it needs to be a-dressed. What I wear depends on what I am going to be doing and what locations and conditions we are going to be shooting in:in most cases, I have to be practical. They are long days, with many wedding days up to 15 hours by the time I add travel and back up time when I get home.

Sometimes I am kneeling, sitting and lying down on sand, dirt and road and so a pair of nice suit pants might not be the greatest idea. Generally – I aim to mix in with your guests, with a dash of jazz on top of that. Whether you’ve got a city wedding, a farm wedding, a beach wedding, a cocktail wedding, or a houseboat wedding, will all affect what I choose to turn up in.

Most city weddings I’ll rock up in something super classy. But then when I photographed a wedding on a string of houseboats in Halkidiki, I turned up in shorts and thongs! So it all depends.

How much “photoshopping” do I do?

Firstly we need to establish what we mean by photoshopping. When people say photoshopping, normally they mean things like adding fake looking filters, altering body shapes, or removing things that were a part of the image.

My approach to wedding photography is natural, and i focus on great moments and using my skill to anticipate things happening. I do not do any photoshopping, but instead make sure i’m getting the best possible version of a moment as it happens, in-camera. With that said, i’ll of course make an effort to remove things that might not be there in the days either side of your wedding, such as acne if requested etc.

What are the advantages of hiring a professional photographer?

When hiring a professional wedding photographer, you’re hiring someone with years of experience in weddings, and so years of experience in anticipating all of the things that happen on the wedding day, as well as providing a plethora of support before, during and after your wedding.

A professional wedding photographer has a thorough backup system, and ensures that this beautiful little moment of time is recorded in an incredible way, with no risk to you.

Do I work with an assistant or second shooter?

I have second photographers available for anyone wishing to book one in. I have photographed weddings of up to 250 guests alone comfortably, and with 500 guests with a second shooter with me.

Generally, for the sake of guaranteeing the widest amount of wedding coverage possible, my recommendation is that if you are going to have over 180 guests, that you consider booking a second photographer with me.

It’s a nominal fee, and one of the most inexpensive ways of broadening the amount of coverage you’ll receive.

Video slideshows at the wedding?

No – because your wedding is not about me, it’s about you. Back in the 90’s it was common for video slideshows to be displayed at weddings, and while i’ve seen it done, and the guests loved it, in my opinion the guests should be interacting with each other and having a great time, not looking and images and videos of things that just happened.

I do not offer same-day slideshows.

Are you insured?

Yes, I have the highest level of public liability insurance.

Why is a professional wedding photographer so expensive?

A professional photographer doesn’t just bring years of experience to the table, but all of the hours or work around your wedding day too! In my experience, a single wedding, when all is said and done, is about four long days worth of work, once all of the consults, planning, editing, delivery, and of course the wedding day itself, are considered.

Aside from the physical time involved in a professional photographing your wedding, a professional will back-up your photos for at least four years, as well as have various insurance, software-subscription, hardware and marketing costs associated with being a professional wedding photographer. A great way to think about it is to think about how much it would cost to hire an A-grade electrician for an entire four full days, or if you want a really wild comparison, a lawyer.

What all this amounts to though, is not only beautiful images for you, but someone reliable who is there with you and for you before, during, and after your wedding day.

What equipment do you use?

I use the highest quality Canon and Sony digital cameras, and a selection of their industry leading prime lenses. I also have a professional, modern suite to edit your finished collection of wedding photos.

Aside from those, for folks who love the old-world of analogue, I have a selection of analogue cameras between 20 and 100 years old that I am also able to bring to your wedding if selected as an add-on.

What are RAW files and do you get them?

Think of RAW files like this: when building a home, you want the completed home – not necessarily piles of bricks, concrete, and disassembled fittings.

A home is the product of these things, in the same way that the finished images you receive are actually the product of taking the RAW file – the bare image-data captured by the camera – and then applying a decade of experience into bringing that raw up into a finished photograph. In the old days, labs took a negative, and interpreted that through a complex machine that brought out the colours buried in that negative.

So as much as we like to imagine people didn’t edit film photos, the reverse is most definitely true. RAW files are much the same: in their native format, they’re dull, flat files: the pure camera data.

My job is not just to take the photos on the day of your wedding, but use my experience in colour and tone to ensure the edited files reflect your day.

As such, RAW files are not delivered or available as an option, but the finished, edited files, made with love and care. To get a little insight into my editing process, see this post about editing wedding photos.

Do you save our wedding photos?

I keep copies of your RAW files and edited jpegs for a minimum of 5 years, in case you lose your copies. This way I can provide you with a free backup in case of emergency.

While I make all efforts to keep things indefinitely, I cannot guarantee availability of your files after 5 years. There have been, unfortunately, several scenarios where my lengthy backup policy has come in handy: with couples who have either lost their images, or had their house broken into (i’m not sure why you’d steal anyone’s wedding photos, I mean I know they’re lovely photos, but what a weirdo), and it’s been an incredible treat to be able to save the day in those instances.

What happens if we need to cancel?

If you need you cancel your booking with me, please see my cancellation policy, which goes into lengthy detail about your cancellation options and any implications.

Can your friends and family take photos too?

Yes! As much as your wedding day is about you getting married, it is also about your community feeling a part of it. As such, it’s perfectly natural for your family and friends to take photos on the day. I encourage this!

With that said, there are only two parts of the day where you want to consider what this means for your coverage, and where i have to place a caveat, to ensure that I can deliver the world class product of me that you have booked.

During the ceremony, consider having an unplugged policy – so that all of your wedding guests are present with you and making eye contact with you, and not through a device. I’ll be there to ensure beautiful coverage of this, anyway.

During the portrait session is the only other time where I present a caveat: this is a moment for just the two of you, and in order for me to deliver the beautiful work you’ve booked, it’s essential that noone else with cameras (except your videographer) is present taking photos during this time – which is generally only around 30-45 minutes.

Can I “pencil” in a date to hold a spot?

Unfortunately not. With bookings coming in often, to lock in a date requires a secured booking form. Holding dates can be a sticky situation and very hard to manage when you have multiple enquiries and meetings with couples for the same date.

Unfortunately, this is one of the only parts of this job I don’t have much flexibility on, just because of the unique nature of booking work so so far in advance.

Do you shoot with digital or film?

Digital and film have slightly different aesthetics, and I love photographing using both digital and analogue film. For most of the coverage you will see on my website, i use digital. It’s reliable, fast, and ideal for great coverage at scale.

With that said, I love analogue, and if you appreciate and prefer the aesthetic of analogue film (check out this post on why I use analogue film at weddings), I am often able to arrange either partial or full coverage using analogue film.

Do you edit all your photos?

I edit each an every one of your finished wedding photos, individually. Your wedding photos should be timeless, while still reflecting the flair and style that your wedding day had.

As such, all photos are gently, carefully, and painstakingly edited to ensure all tonality is consistent throughout the day, and that the story of each image is clear and punchy.

For information on why editing wedding photos is important and why only edited files are supplied to you if you hire me as your wedding photographer, please see my post here on editing wedding photos.

How many weddings to you take on each year?

In order to ensure extraordinary care and attention, I book a maximum 20 couples per year.

This ensures that you receive the highest standard of images and care before and after the day, which reflects itself in the premium product that you receive.

Where are you based?

I am based in Thessaloniki, Greece.

I regularly travel all over Greece, as well as all over Europe and beyond.

Do you travel Internationally?

While my home base is Greece, typically destination weddings represent about 40% of my work, as couples from all over the world have commissioned me to photograph their destination wedding in Greece and beyond.

Travel gives me the opportunity to meet new people in interesting locations, and as a result gain a broad understanding of all of the brilliant and wonderfully varied ways in which a wedding can be held.

Every wedding that I photograph internationally gives me a new skill and way of seeing that I am able to take into other weddings. To enquire about your destination wedding anywhere on the planet, reach out to me.

Do we need to provide meals for you on our wedding day?

Most wedding venues will have an option for vendor meals, so count me in for one of these please. Providing a vendor meal means I can duck away, inhale some calories to recoup my energy, before rejoining and kicking ass for you.

What happens if you are sick?

After nearly a decade of photographing weddings, i’m fortunate to be well connected to community groups of wedding photographers all over Greece, in nearly every city I could possibly work in.

In the highly unlikely event that I am too sick or injured to photograph your wedding, I will immediately engage these communities and arrange a suitable associate shooter to photograph your day, so that your coverage and booking is entirely unaffected.

This associate photographer, of which is selected on a strict set of criteria to the highest standards, will act as a proxy of me, potentially with better or more hair, and then pass me their files.

These files will be edited in my style, so you receive exactly what you had originally paid for. In the unlikely event that you are unsatisfied with my replacement option (who would be thoroughly vetted, so this is again unlikely), my liability is limited to your deposit and booking fees being returned.

Will my photos make your website, social media or blog?

I try my best to update my website, social media platforms and blog wherever possible, however it is usually up to my discretion as to whether or not a particular image from an engagement session or wedding will be published.

Recently, it was only through Covid hitting us that for the first time in years I was able to update my site.

Should you have any concerns about this, please let me know and I am happy to explain or discuss this further with you. Images I share online are done with utmost sensitivity to you first and foremost, and if there are any images you do not want shared, this will be of course honoured.

Tell us a bit more about you?

I’m a life-long creative, having worked as an illustrator, animator, creative director, music video director, upholsterer, credit-card-maker, and salt packer. Over the last decade i’ve turned my interest in the arts to the craft of photography, and it’s led me on adventures in many places.

Most of all, i’m fascinated by all of the small, quirky little parts of being human, and found that many of them exist at weddings.

So naturally, it’s there that I get to sit at the weird and wonderful intersection of celebration, art-making, and photojournalism.

To find out a little more about me, head to my about me page.

Are there any restrictions in your wedding photography?

The only restrictions on my wedding photography, is the natural style of work that I produce.

This is why I always recommend doing thorough research into the wedding photographers that are available in the community, so that you know with full conviction that the one you’ve booked is the right one for you!

With all of that said, i’m able to slightly bend my style to each couple, and that’s something I take pride in, as your day is unique to the other wedding days i’ve photographed.

How do you describe your style?

I would describe my wedding photography style as Wes Anderson meets David Lynch at a party with Jennifer Rush playing in the background.

Hopefully.

What are your payment terms?

My payment terms are 25% down to secure your date, with the final balance payment due seven days prior to your wedding day or on the actual day.

What happens if it rains?

If it rains at your wedding, we know exactly what do to because we’re an organised bunch aren’t we? Basically when rain happens there’s a few ways it can go.

Firstly, we’ll have some options up our sleeves for portraits, that are safe and sheltered. But as well as that, we’ll have discussed ahead of time whether you will or won’t be comfortable running out into the rain. If you are, I am! It make for fantastic images, but it isn’t for everyone. So we can either make the best of it if you’re up for it, or we will rely on our wet weather contingencies.

Will you stay until the end?

Usually the coverage option selected covers me for a couple of hours into the reception, so that each and every part of your day, from preparation through to wild dancefloor, is reflected in your coverage.

If you’re having an incredibly large day however, there is also an option to book me for the whole day, end to end.

This may include the 6am yoga session, through to the 4am afterparty as required (this has happened!).

How reliable is your equipment?

I think you had better ask Canon and Sony that! I use new, state of the art DSLR and mirrorless cameras and systems at home.

On the day, i bring a minimum of three professional cameras to your wedding. Including other analogue cameras, this number often sits closer to five.

Why are some photographers cheaper?

This is a great question. There is so much variance in wedding photographer pricing, which reflects the years of experience, stability of backup systems, and quality of the final product.

My position is this: a professional photographer is a luxury! And you don’t necessarily need it – you certainly don’t need a professional photographer for your wedding. But if you want one, my pricing reflects a unique eye and thorough systems in giving you an extraordinary level of care up to and around your wedding day, and photographers that come in cheaper may be compromising on any or all of these.

And that might be totally ok – because what really matters is that you get married, not that you hire the most expensive photographer that you can afford.

But if you want someone around the middle, you’ll find that my pricing sits in the middle-upper bracket for the style of work I produce, which has made me one of the most sought after wedding photographers in the world, published in everything from Vogue to Martha Stewart, and both a winner and judge of international competitions at the highest level.

But most importantly, I absolutely love the shit out of this job.

Will you work with another photographer?

I generally work solo, but you have an option in my price-list to book an additional second wedding photographer, which is something worth considering if you are having more than 180 guests at your wedding.

With that said, I have photographed weddings alone with 250 guests.

How long do you stay at a typical wedding?

At a typical wedding, I will be present for around 8 hours. In fact, that’s my default package, but depending on the day of the week, you can book me for a much shorter period of time if you like, or a much longer period of time!

I’ve photographed weddings of over 17 hours in length, so if you book my unlimited hours package, i’ll turn up for the sunrise photoshoot, and turn away once the sparklers die down at the end.

What is An Engagement Shoot, and what is a pre-wedding shoot?

An engagement shoot used to be a sort of formality before your wedding, and is otherwise known as a pre-shoot or a pre-wedding shoot. The purpose of a pre-wedding photoshoot or engagement shoot is to be a warmup, if you will, to being photographed together and hanging out. This is an option you can book with me, and it can be as formal as you like, or informal as you like.

Typically the wedding itself is a bit of a grand old affair, so what I normally recommend is to either have a pre-wedding photoshoot in a totally different style to your wedding, or to go in the complete opposite direction, and make it as informal as possible.

You might be amazed at how meaningful it can be to simply have some beautiful photos of you both at your favourite cafe, favourite set of streets, or doing something you both enjoy and get up to anyway, because that everyday stuff is what can’t be captured at the wedding itself.

What Locations Do You Use For The engagement or pre-wedding Shoot?

The locations that can be used for your engagement shoot or pre-wedding photoshoot can either be something epic and wild, or instead celebrating the everyday, and picking a local cafe, park, or even your home.

How Long Does the engagement shoot or pre-wedding shoot take?

An engagement photoshoot or pre-wedding photoshoot might only need 30-60 minutes to get the most out of it, and by that time you’ll still be on a high and ready to go and kick it into the evening or a dinner.

What Time Of Day Is An Engagement Shoot or pre-wedding shoot usually done?

The best time of day for your engagement or pre-wedding photoshoot is generally going to be around the golden hour, which is about an hour before sunset. With that said, beautiful light can be found at all times of day, and if we’re spending a lot of the shoot indoors, at say your favourite cafe, then the time of day matters less.

I’ve done engagement shoots and pre-wedding shoots at all times of day, and it’s possible to make great photographs at all times, but as a general rule I would recommend that hour or so before sunset.

What Should I Wear To The Engagement or pre-wedding Shoot?

When thinking about your wardrobe for your engagement shoot or pre-wedding photoshoot, I recommend sticking to two things: outfits that make you feel awesome, and outfits that you feel comfortable in.

The other thing to consider, is that you will be dressed to the nines on your wedding day. So maybe there’s some merit in wearing the everyday stuff – even that daggy top your significant other has been telling you to get rid of since forever.

Your engagement shoot or pre-wedding shoot can be as glamorous, daggy, fun, or serious as you want it to be, and we can work together on a vibe that makes the most sense to you both.

What Is Included In The Price For An Engagement or pre-wedding Shoot?

Included in the price of your engagement or pre-wedding shoot is all of the consultation and care around the shoto day itself, a photoshoot of around 60-90 minutes in length, and your beautiful, fully-edited gallery of all the selected images from the session delivered via my online gallery platform.

From here you are able to download your pre-wedding photoshoot images and share them, as well as ordering prints, albums and more.

I Don’t Have A Wedding Planner. Can You Assist With My Wedding Timeline?

It’s fairly common that wedding couples don’t have wedding planners, in fact, i get probably an even mix of both. There are of course enormous advantages to having a wedding planner, as they look after an innumerable amount of things that you’d never imagine having to take into consideration.

For this reason, if you’re looking for a wedding planner in Greece, I recommend checking out this feature piece on Greece’s best wedding planners.

If you don’t book a wedding planner, I have almost a decade of experience in planning wedding timelines and can assist as best as I can.

Do You Attend The Wedding Rehearsal?

I don’t typically attend wedding rehearsals, as with after nearly a decade of photographing weddings, it’s my experience that attending them does not affect the quality of my coverage at all.

Many photographers use the rehearsal as an opportunity to meet the couple, but I find that’s best done ahead of time at a wine bar myself.

All of the planning and logistics for the wedding day will be completed together in my online form so that there’s no surprises.

Do You Shoot Family Photos At The Wedding?

Yes! Family photos are so important. We work on a list of family group photos before the day, and I turn up with these in hand ready to go after your ceremony.

Please assign someone to assist in gathering family and friends who will be in the images, as it will streamline the process enormously.

I aim to complete these within about ten minutes so everyone can get back on to enjoying the day.

Can We Give You A Shot List?

You can give me a shot list for family group shots, but shot lists ptherwise impede the natural flow of the day and can cause your coverage of organic moments to be incomplete.

With that said, if there is an item of significance present or any other moments during the day you want specifically captured, please feel free to ask me to get it at any time, that’s what i’m there for.

Are The Images We Receive Watermarked?

No. I do not watermark any of your images, because it’s not 1998 anymore. You receive your beautiful images all free of watermarks.

Do You Retouch All The Photos We Receive From Our Wedding Day?

I aim to not retouch any images, but instead gently edit them so that the colours and tones are consistent throughout the day.

Can We Print The Digital Files Ourselves?

You absolutely can. You have the option to use my online shop to print your photos at my bespoke fine-art print lab, and you are also welcome to download them and print your wedding images wherever you like.

Please be advised that if printing at a different print shop, consistency and quality cannot be guaranteed.

What Are The Benefits Of Having You Print My Photos?

The benefits of having your wedding photos printed at my Greek lab, is that you have the eyes of several generations of professional printmakers ensuring that your wedding photos look better in the hand than they do on your screen.

Quality cannot be guaranteed if printing at another lab, and it’s common that there can be colour inconsistencies or other implications from using lower grades of paperstock.

How many wedding photographers should I interview?

This depends on how many woozy-winebar sessions you want, you devilish boozehound, you. When considering the best wedding photographer for you, I personally recommend first narrowing your pool based on the type of wedding photos that appeal to you.

That should bring the options down to a manageable number.

From there, I recommend interviewing about three. That will give you a good idea of their manner, candour, and whether you feel like you can spend 8-10 hours with them without wanting to tear your eyeballs out. When you know, you know! You know?

Can’t afford a wedding photographer…

If you can’t afford a wedding photographer, there are still some great options available. Firstly, lower your expectation of the photos, because at the end of the day, what matters is that you’re married!

Fancy professional photos are great, but part of the magic of photography, is that the wedding photos inherit their own value over time, because they’re of you two, on a ripper of a day.

So don’t stress, and don’t feel like you have to bust your budget hiring a professional wedding photographer. Just know that there is an enormous difference between hiring a professional or hiring a student/handing the camera to your uncle (unless… your uncle is Salgado).

How many wedding photographers do i need?

In most cases, you only actually need one wedding photographer. If you’re planning a wedding day with several hundred guests, there is of course a benefit to also booking a second photographer through your wedding photographer, to ensure a higher volume of guests can be captured.

With that said, i’ve captured weddings of around 250 guests by myself, and there is also a benefit to be had in having less people with cameras filling the space.

How much is a wedding photographer?

How long is a piece of string! When you’re hiring a wedding photographer, you’re essentially hiring a sole-trader making a commitment to you in advance with love and professionalism, and guiding planning collaboratively, kicking ass (with/without bubblegum) on the day, and then spending at least a couple of days afterwards, beautifully editing your images individually with the highest level of care.

In many ways, a good way to think about it, is that you’re hiring a professional contractor for a total of 4 or so days work (all things considered), and that person will have insurance, maintenance, and a whole lot of other boring costs to factor in to how they come to pricing themselves. Imagine hiring a senior electrician for four full days – that’s sort of the ballpark.

I’d also consider looking at it like buying a car: some are 10k new, some are 100k new, and others… lets’ not go there. At some point though, there are diminishing returns. Me? Most couples spend about 1400-2000€ hiring me as their wedding photographer, and this is pretty standard where I am for the broader style of work that my images fall under.

You can get someone for half as much as that, or twice as much.

It’s important for me to say that you don’t need to blow your budget! I love what I do and believe fully in my way of going about things, but we’re capturing nostalgia: the images I make, or the images that someone half or double my price make, really inherit their own value over time: not just because I made them.

So factor that into your decision making too. Great wedding photography costs the rate of a professional of course – but you don’t have to hire great photography – there’s plenty of ways of planning your day.

How did you become a wedding photographer?

I traversed the mountains of Mordor, pulled the key from my codpiece, and opened the door of destiny. While I’ll continue to tell myself that, truth is something more along the lines of: I worked at advertising and creative agencies, wanted to do real work directly for real people instead of selling burgers (no shade on that whatsoever), and here we are.

How to choose a wedding photographer

Put aside the styling, dresses, and all that stuff. Look at 10 wedding photographers in a variety of styles, and see how they photograph the really important stuff: the photos that serve your family, and community – photos that show how attentive they are to the small moments that happen at a wedding. Meet with several photographers, and follow your instinct.

What to ask your wedding photographer?

When booking your wedding photographer, I recommend asking them heaps of questions to ensure you’re in safe hands, and that they have reliable file management, and, not least of all, that you’re going to receive the same standard of images and care as what you see on their website.

Here’s a few great questions to ask your wedding photographer.

1 – Do they have a proper and secure backup process? This is important to ask, as you want to know that they make multiple copies of your files and shoot on professional gear. By the time I get home from a wedding, I have already made an additional two copies, and shortly after that one of them ends up being placed in a location offsite.

2 – How do they show up for our community? You want to ask them what they find important to photograph on a wedding day. Is it. the big moments and all the typical things, or is it your grandma pinching your nephews cheek?

Who is the best wedding photographer in the world?

This is like asking “who does the best espresso martini in the world”. I mean it’s possible that you could zero in and split hairs on which meets a certain set of criteria to be the best but past a certain point a few other factors come into play.

Does the person drinking it like froth, do they like beans floating on the top of it, are they hungover, have they gone without water for 2 days and just need that sweet hit of liquid, etc.

The best wedding photographer in the world is someone who not only takes great images, but is someone you could imagine knocking down a wine with and being stuck in a confined space for an hour.

What to look for in a wedding photographer?

When you’re looking for a wedding photographer, there’s a few questions you want to ask yourself: how important is wedding photography to you, what sort of wedding photography is important to you, and what sort of person can I stomach spending 8-10 hours with.

One part of your wedding photographer is the type of images they’ll make, and the other part is the type of human they are. Some folks want a calm presence, some folks want someone very hands on, and your wedding photographer should be someone that not only makes wonderful images, but serves your community and gets along great with you.

What to tell your wedding photographer?

When booking your wedding photographer, you’ll want to make sure they are across the timeline and logistics of the day, so that they can build their own runsheet that takes every element of your day into account.

A few key things that you’ll need to tell your wedding photographer are:

1- A list of all family and friend group shots that you want. These are quick and painless, and making sure you have the groups listed ahead of the day will save a tonne of time.

2 – Your getting ready locations. Are they near each other or near the venue? These will have timeline implications for your wedding photographer.

How to find a cheap wedding photographer?

Finding a cheap wedding photographer is actually super easy, and you can book someone that’s just starting out, or a studio that has a lot of photographers.

In any case, when working out what your budget is, ensure that the photographer you book is the one you’re getting on the day itself, and that they have all the relevant insurances and backup processes in place. Another way to find a cheap wedding photographer is to find the one that you love the most, and see if they can be booked for a shorter range on the day.

Like purchasing anything, there are things to be aware of when booking a cheap wedding photographer, and it’s important to ask all of the right questions to ensure you’re in safe hands.

How to be a good wedding photographer?

To be a good wedding photographer, you need to have a really comfortable pair of shoes and a reusable bottle of water (actually, for anyone who’s photographed for 10 hours straight with the attentiveness of a squirrel on a sugar high, they’re probably the most important elements).

Apart from that, it comes down to a love of people, community, and moments. All the gear, technical stuff can kinda be learned. But the difference between being aware of brilliant moments of human theatre that are happening, as well as doing them justice, is a long-built intersection of craft, and that love of community.

We’re not turning up to get the play by play, we’re turning up to show you that your community matters, and that there’s all this magic in it that you may or may not know existed.

A good wedding photographer is less focused on the stuff you think you need, and more focused on showing you those little slices of magic that will mean the most in 50 years (and the next day, when your auntie shares the photo we caught of your nephew picking his nose up to the 3rd knuckle all over facebook).

What is photojournalistic wedding photography?

This is a great question, and I wish more people would ask it! It’s tough to get an idea of what all of these words mean, when we all use everything from “candid” to “photojournalistic” to “documentary”.

Basically, what they’re all trying to convey is this: the act of taking photographs at your wedding, without interrupting what is happening. Some people are hands on, and if that isn’t your thing, when you see those words, it might give an indication that they’re more hands-off.

I don’t interrupt the flow of the day, but instead focus on what brilliant things are already happening in front of my lens. It’s where all the good stuff lives.

How much should I spend on wedding photography?

You should spend as much as your budget allows! More if it means more, and less if it means less. While there’s no need to break your bank balance hiring a wedding photographer, it’s important to treat it like any other significant purchase: by doing plenty of research to see what type of work people are producing as a wedding photographer at different price points, and what sort of wedding photographer you think will be the perfect fit for your day.

Many of my couples prioritise wedding photography, and some prioritise venues or catering – every couple is different. Ask your wedding photographer if they have a package for your budget.

How to save on wedding photography?

Here are my top ways to save on wedding photography*.

1 – Put a camera in your uncles hand! Family members are usually only too happy to have a crack at taking some shots. Just make sure they’re not right up front blocking all your other guests views.

2 – Don’t worry about having any photography! There’s a good argument to say that the best nostalgia lives in our minds.

*I cannot guarantee that any of these will result in images that you love, images that do your day justice, or make you come out the other side with all of your hair intact.

On a serious note, to save on wedding photography, you can simply ask what smaller packages are available from your wedding photographer.

If they can’t do a smaller package on a popular weekend date, they may be able to on a weekday, so it’s always worth the ask.

What do I need for my wedding day?

For your wedding day to qualify as a wedding, we recommend one part you, and one part your significant other.

That’s really all you need for a wedding – everything else is just a cherry on top.

If I was to list the things you really need, it isn’t the table settings, the fancy styling, or even me: it’s your community, some way of recording what happened (whether it’s a photographer, or just… selfies), and a way to share your feelings.

Maybe that’s dance, maybe that’s speeches, or anything else you can think of. If you want to cast the net a little wider, here’s what you need: a place for it to happen (check out these unique melbourne wedding venues), which can also be in nature – a great photographer and videographer to give you decades of stuff to look back on, and the incredible hand of beautiful stylists to create a space thats inimitably yours.

Should we book a wedding videographer?

Coming in at number one on the list of post-wedding regrets (next to not having Michael Bolton as the first-dance song), is “not hiring a videographer”.

Photographs are great, and I believe fully in what I do and of course love my job to bitts. However, if push came to shove, I recommend you hire a wedding videographer if you can only budget one in. There’s nothing like seeing your loved ones move, hearing them talk, etc. Check out some of my wedding videos.

What to tell your wedding photographer…

Tell your wedding photographer what song you’d take to a desert island, it might be more important than you think.

Where to find wedding photographer?

If you’re looking for a wedding photographer, I might know a guy…

Why wedding photography is important?

Wedding photography is important, and for reasons that maybe you hadn’t considered.

It’s not just a time to get photos of you all looking rad and sassy – but it might be the only moment in your life where you bother hiring a professional journalist to create a brilliant record of you, your community, and all the good stuff that happens when you’re thrown in a pot together for the day.

How to become wedding photographer?

To become a wedding photographer, first… love people. Second… love making stuff for people, not for you. Third… pick up a camera, spend a decade learning it properly, get all your systems in order, and then join all three of those things together.