Why are you different from other wedding photographers?

Two main things. Firstly, I work by being me - by being natural. I have a reportage style which you can see on this site - essentially I don't set things up artificially. If people like what they see on this website, they get in touch and away we go. We meet up, talk it over and the couple get what they really want. Normally they come to me because they don't want formality, or stuffiness, or being herded about and told to say cheese. Where's the fun and originality in that? I prefer people to smile because they want to!

Secondly, there are no fixed packages as such. Every wedding is different so I'm not a dreary old sausage machine. People can buy as much or as little photography as they want, and just as important, I don't make them buy prints or albums - they're welcome to have all the photographs on disk.

Sometimes, when I'm doing a location visit, bemused officials say 'Oh, but none of the other photographers do that!'. This inspires me, because it reminds me I'm always looking to get better results for my customers than the average 'tog', who does the same old shots from the same old places, and gets the same old predictable boring results. In fact, thinking about it, I don't really photograph 'weddings' at all, I photograph people. People are endlessly fascinating and it's the combination of people that make the day and the memories to capture.

You don't do prints or albums?

My customers are intelligent. They know you can buy perfectly good prints for pennies, so why pay a middleman (the photographer) £10+ each for them? It's barmy, especially in these times of recession. I'd rather they put the money towards their honeymoon or a new kitchen. So my modus operandum - the 'Bloke concept' - is to charge for my time and skill on the day, put all the photographs on a disk and then let them do what they want with it. It suits me, it suits the customers and it sets me apart from the herd. £1800+ for an album with 50 prints? You're having a a giraffe!

So how much do you charge?

Typically, from £800 to £1200 depending on the amount of work and time needed. Every wedding is different and people want different things, so each job is planned and quoted individually. Remember that this also includes around two days of digital processing, so the rate is really for three days, not just one. Yes, you'll find photographers who seem cheaper, but they'll claw it all back and more when you want prints. My way, you can copy the disk, make your own prints and photobooks, upload to the internet and so on. For example, if you want to send every image to every guest (let's say 100 guests and 450 images) at £10 a print, that's... well, it's not going to work is it! My way will only cost you about £50 plus postage. You really do save massively - check out the Album page for more details.

What's digital processing?

To get the highest quality I shoot in a format called RAW. It's like a digital negative - it gives the best results but has to be processed in a computer to make an image you can see at home. Most photographers do this in batches to save time. I don't, because every image is different and so needs different treatment. So I adjust *every* image individually to get the optimal exposure, white balance and shadow detail. High contrast scenes are double-processed and composited using layer masks. As you can imagine, it takes considerable time and concentration, but it's worth it. Afterwards, if I decide make an image black and white, it's because it looks good, not because I'm trying to rescue a second-rate JPG!

For a detailed estimate, or if you have any questions, just mail me with as much information about the day as possible - places, times etc - and say what you want :-)