Frequently Asked Questions
How many photographers and assistants do you use at weddings?
All of our wedding packages include 2 full photographers as standard. This allows us to cover every aspect of your day and prevents us from missing any of those special moments.
What is your start time for wedding day photography?
Our basic start time for wedding days is at least one hour before the ceremony. This allows us time for equipment setup, assessment of the location for our shooting strategy, and taking a few shots of the bride, groom, and other wedding party members, etc., before the ceremony.
Explain your approach to wedding photography?
I often feel my clients do not want the photographer to take over the day. I allow you both and your wedding guests to get on with having a good time and we interact directly for portraits and formal photographs. I will try not impose myself or take longer than necessary. It's important to choose a photographer you feel at ease with. The connection made between you and the photographer will come through in your photos. Therefore it's fun to meet and have a pre-wedding shoot to develop our understanding.
Why do you like shooting weddings?
To quote a master photographer, Yervant from Melbourne Australia. "I have to be a portrait photographer, landscape photographer, fashion photographer and photojournalist all within a few hours of a wedding day". To me, photographing a wedding is not just another day at the office. I like to document each event and tell the real story of your wedding day.
What is your photographic style?
I practice photojournalism (also called documentary or reportage photography), which is "capturing" the image, not "creating" it. My objective is to tell the story of the wedding using the camera. I like to set up as few shots as possible, remaining unobtrusive. However, I will usually get in the midst of the fun at some points too. I like to photograph people, emotions, and the details of your wedding day. All you need to do for most of the day is to act naturally and enjoy being the centre of attention.
We want something contemporary but our parents want some traditional posed photos too. Can you do both?
Yes I can - I enjoy documentary style and informal portraits, but I am also properly equipped and experienced enough to take simple posed group portraits, synonymous with traditional wedding photography.What is included in the your coverage?
For a typical wedding, I would normally cover the following - preparations at the bride's house, the groom and family at the ceremony beforehand, the guests arriving, the bride arriving, discrete shots of the ceremony (if permitted), the signing of the register, the couple leaving, group shots of the immediate families and a private moment with just the couple, shots at the reception including guests mingling, the cutting of the cake, the speeches, toasts, first dance and evening reception. We will also cover fireworks and other evening entertainment if requested at no extra charge. All shot with a little creative flair and an eye for the spontaneous moment.
Do you offer an engagement / pre wedding shoot?
Yes. If you book me to photograph your wedding we will arrange a pre-wedding shoot. The engagement photo session is a great way for us to get to know each other a little better before the wedding day itself.
Practical Questions
After the wedding, what happens next?
We edit and present your images in colour and black and white on CD. You will also have your album suggestion and notes on ordering depending on your chosen package.
What happens if it rains on our wedding day?
I will shoot as much as practically possible and you may get a bit wet. A reception venue will often have an indoor space to set up flash lighting if required. I have studio lights to make the best of the situation.
Can we get an album made up?
I offer individual Queensberry albums.
Can you supply Thank You cards?
You can select an image from the your wedding day which is printed onto card to send to all your guests. They are unique and individual to you and always receive a good response from recipients. These are printed in batches of 25 and include envelopes.
Can you make a web page of photographs?
I make a web page of every wedding I photograph. Your family and friends can go online to view and even place a print order from them. This web page also serves the purpose of me allowing potential clients to view my style from wedding to wedding.
Are you a full-time photographer?
Yes, photography is my only income. I take my photography seriously and work hard to make each wedding and album unique, and that's how I want to stay in business.
Do you travel?
We travel to weddings nationally and Internationally. There are no travel costs within the UK unless a flight is required, and all travel is charged at cost. Infact, we encourage you to find the cheapest available airfares!
We live overseas and are returning to the UK for our wedding.
No problem – We have worked with clients who live in Italy, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Dubai and California to name a few!What do you wear to weddings?
Do I wear a suit and tie? Of course, and we'll happily break out our Black Tie's and dinner jackets if that's your requirement!
Questions about contracts, cameras, negatives and food
What kind of cameras do you use?
We shoot with professional Canon cameras that are fast and allow us every opportunity to actually get the images that you want. These cameras have a large variety of lenses usable with them. This means a greater possibility of unique and creative photographs.
Do you shoot digital or film?
A camera is just a tool. A professional photographer should use the right tool for the job. I operate a full digital workflow.
Do you have backup equipment?
You never know when something could fail at an important moment, so yes.
Do you have insurance?
Yes, I have Professional Indemnity and Liability insurance.
Do you shoot colour or black & white?
I shoot in colour and you can choose any image and convert it to black & white or sepia.
Food and soft drinks
It is appreciated that the couple provides a hot meal and soft drinks for the photographer and assistant whilst the wedding party and guests sit to eat.
Can we keep our digital negatives/files?
I am happy to supply all the edited files as jpgs on DVD at the resolution that we use for printing. If you request a High Resolution DVD of all of the wedding images, you get exactly the same resolution that we use, no half size files or reduced quality images. In most cases, this will allow you print up to 60"x40" (around 25 times larger than an A4 sheet of paper).
Contract
I have a simple contract which ensures there is no misunderstanding between the couple and photographer on the agreed terms and conditions. I recommend you take out wedding insurance and have written contracts with all major parties / suppliers.
How far will you travel?
We'll go just about anywhere. Our travel costs, within the UK, are included in our standard packages, unless a flight is required. For international weddings we'll provide a quote based on the cheapest available fair, or are happy for you to make travel arrangements. We have covered weddings in New Zealand and across Europe, including Italy, France and Spain.
How long do you stay?
We only cover 1 wedding a day so we don't impose any formal time limit. Usually we stay to photograph the speeches and first dance which means our day typically ends at about 8:30pm. But we're not clock watchers and if you have something special arranged, such as fireworks, just let us know and we'll do what we can to accommodate. Nevertheless, we are only human so if you want us to stay until after your meal please provide a hot meal for us too.
How much time should we allocate to photography?
We recommend allowing 2 hours between end of ceremony and start of the wedding breakfast. Our photography takes nowhere near that amount of time but we want you to be able to relax, chat to your guests and not feel like the whole day was a photo shoot. Naturally it's the family group photos that tend to take the most time. It only takes us a couple of seconds for the shot but someone usually has to find the distant relative who has chosen that moment to check in at the hotel desk.
What's your style of photography?
When we meet you we'll go through a slideshow presentation and ask you for your preferences. With a good idea of what you like we'll tailor our approach to suit. It's our experience that the couples tend to like the more reportage or documentary style whereas older relatives have an expectation of some formal shots of the family. Overall, we'd say our inclination is towards relaxed photography more than overly formal. If we really think we're not the right photographers for you, we're not afraid to be honest and recommend other photographers better suited to your needs.
How many photos do you provide?
On average, we provide about 600 photos. But rather than concentrate on a particular number we aim to provide full coverage of the day. We also feel that a few excellent shots convey far more than thousands of mediocre ones.
Do we get to see every photo you take?
We believe that a Bride and Groom want to look their best on their wedding day. So when a photo might show them otherwise we like to pretend that moment never happened. We therefore delete 'blinks' and what has been politely termed 'missed expressions'.
Do you shoot digital or film?
Currently we use top of the range digital cameras as there are many advantages over using film cameras at a wedding. However, at the end of the day they're only tools of the trade and very high quality wedding photography is achievable with both mediums.
How many photos will fit into a standard album?
Our 20 sided albums normally contain around 80 images, 115 for the 30 sided 12x12, 130 for the 15x12 and 150-160 for our 18x12. Our digital album normally contains around 120 images. Don't forget that with all of our packages, you also get between an extra 75-350 '9x6' loose prints, which do not have to be images contained within your album!
Are you members of any professional organisations?
Yes. We are members of both the British Institute of Professional Photographers (BIPP) and the Master Photographers Association (MPA), by far the 2 largest professional bodies within Europe. Maxim is a qualified member of them both. These organisations provide excellent training and establish good codes of business conduct. It is your own informed opinion that really matters though, and we have a large catalogue of very pleased couples who thought the same.
