Questionas and Answers about Wedding Photography

Questions and Answers about my  Wedding Photography

Here are a few commonly asked questions about my wedding photography. They cover larger, all-day weddings and for a similar page about elopements and small weddings please take a look here instead.

Do you photograph family groups?

I suppose this is one of the things people worry about the most when hiring a reportage-style photographer but there really isn’t anything to be concerned about, and of course I will be more than happy to photograph some family group pictures for you. If, like some people, you wanted no staged shots then I wouldn’t take any however most people are happy to have some. I normally do about 10 and that would take around 15 minutes. There is no particular need to write a list but, if it makes you more comfortable and you have specific ideas about the shots you want, then by all means email one through to me before the wedding so that I can re-order it as required to make the process as swift and painless as possible. I’ll do my best to accommodate requests on the day but it isn’t always possible due to time / weather constraints. If you are the kind of person who will definitely want a formal family picture that you can’t live without then please send a list and I shall do my best to capture them all for you. What I would strongly advise against would be a list of 20+ photographs as it just takes too long and you will get very, very bored… I have included a list of the most popular photographs below – feel free to edit this as you wish. Please note that it is much easier for me if you use “bride’s parents” rather than “Bob and Sue”.

The bride and groom plus:
The bride’s parents
The groom’s parents
The bride’s parents AND the groom’s parents together
The bride’s parents plus brothers, sisters and grandparents
The groom’s parents plus brothers, sisters and grandparents
The bridesmaids and flowergirls
The best man, ushers and groomsmen
The bridesmaids AND the ushers, best man etc.
All the guests (although this is very weather dependent and you need a good vantage point at the venue)

Do you always work alone?

I work by myself for almost all of my full-sized weddings and I am confident that you won’t need a second photographer at your wedding. If you do think you really want a second photographer please just contact me and I will be very happy to talk about it with you.

Do you work for a fixed number of hours?

No – I think of weddings as being very elastic in their timings. I am rarely at a wedding that runs on time (and not because of me either!) and I will stay until the dancing (see above) regardless of whether it starts at 8pm, as planned, or 10pm. Elopements are a little different, as they are a shorter package. You can read all about my elopement package here.

How far will you travel?

I am based in a small village called Bishopton, about 20 minutes west of Glasgow. Although I am based in the West of Scotland I cover weddings all over the place – in fact very few of my weddings will be in Glasgow with the rest spread throughout Scotland and the North of England. I used to live in Harrogate in North Yorkshire and still enjoy photographing weddings there and absolutely love travelling to photograph Lake District weddings  in Cumbria. I don’t charge for travel within Scotland or the north of England unless I need to take the ferry and if the wedding involves an overnight stay I ask that you cover the cost of that (I have a campervan so the cost is normally for one night in a campsite). The furthest I have been for a wedding is Rhodes in Greece and I had a great time. You can see the results here.

How much of our wedding will you photograph?

I used to offer all kinds of coverage but the vast majority of customers wanted full-day photography so that’s all I offer now. With your permission I will start at the preparations stage of the day, a couple of hours before the ceremony.  I will then stay to photograph you and your guests for the first 30 minutes or so of the dancing in the evening. Elopements and tiny weddings are usually different. For those I tend to be working for 3 to 4 hours and it is completely dependent upon the couple’s plans for their day.

Help, we have lost our photographs!

It’s really important for you to make a second copy, or backup, of your photographs as soon as you receive your USB stick in the post. However, I do hold a backup here in my office for a while and you can usually order a replacement from me. Remember that I won’t be around for ever though. There is a whole page about making a backup of your files on my website here.

What is reportage / documentary photography?

Reportage, documentary and photojournalism are all terms used to describe the same thing. In a nutshell, I will simply turn up in the morning and take photographs continuously throughout the day, largely in an unposed and fuss-free way as and when things happen. It is unobtrusive and captures people at their best. I am good at hunting out and capturing moments that tell the story of your wedding rather than setting up all of the photographs to look like a generic wedding. I will still take as many posed family group shots as you ask me to of course, but that won’t be the focus of the day. I hope that the photographs on my blog will give you a good idea of my style of photography.

Do you photograph in black and white?

I love black and white. Given the chance I would shoot most of a wedding in monochrome, but I know that most couples wouldn’t appreciate that… On the day itself I photograph everything in colour and then, when I edit the photographs, I decide which will look best in black and white and change them. Typically this results in about 80% staying in colour. I am confident that you will like my choices but, if you want to see one or two changed to black and white or colour then just ask and I will do that for you!

Do you need to arrange for me to have dinner?

I don’t expect to be fed. I think you already pay me enough and I am sure I can afford to bring my own sandwiches. However, I do sometimes get the chance of a meal (although rarely with the other guests, which is fine by me) and I am always extremely grateful for it. It’s always a nice surprise to get a wee something on the day. I will leave it entirely up to you and will be very happy either way.

Can we ready your customer reviews?

Yes! You can see up-to-date recommendations from my past brides and grooms on my site here and also on my business Facebook page here Silver Photography on Facebook.

Do you photograph same-sex weddings?

Of course, I have absolutely no problems with that whatsoever and have enjoyed photographing many over the past few years. In fact some of the loveliest weddings I have ever been to were between same-sex couples. I really don’t treat a same-sex wedding any differently to any other wedding and offer the same service to everyone. Take a look at Justin and Danny’s wedding here as just one example.

Will you share our photographs on social media?

Many of my clients ask about this. These days, marketing on social media (FacebookInstagramTwitter etc.) is very important and my business simply would’t exist without it. You yourself most likely found me via the internet. However, the privacy of my clients of also of the utmost importance to me and I understand that not everyone wants their pictures on the web. For this reason I always make a point of asking your permission before adding your photographs to my website or social media – if you say no then I might be disappointed but I can promise that I won’t use them. The majority of my clients are delighted to have their photographs on display but I have also photographed some outstanding weddings for more private couples who have asked me not to publish their images and nobody, other than their close friends, will ever be able to see them.

Will you photograph both of us on our wedding morning?

If I can then yes, absolutely! Traditionally the focus is on the bride but if both partners are getting ready in the same hotel then I will definitely be able to flit between the two of you.

How much do you charge?

My prices for elopements and small weddings vary a little depending upon the location (and therefore the amount of time I am traveling) so the best thing to do would be to contact me with the date and location of your wedding and I can check my availability for you and send over the most accurate cost. I usually reply within an hour or so and if you haven’t heard from me within a working day it is possible that my email has gone into your spam folder – it’s worth checking 🙂

How long does it take for us to receive our photographs?

Depending upon the time of year, and therefore how much time I am out of my office photographing other weddings, it is usually around 2 to 4 weeks before your images are edited and ready to view.

Can we print our own photographs?

Absolutely. All of the packages I offer include a USB drive containing every one of your edited photographs. They are all at full resolution and do not have any watermarks or ‘copyright’ emblazoned across the middle. I will also give you a letter giving you permission to print from the disk so that you don’t get into trouble when you have someone print them for you. Every one of my weddings is also in a password-protected gallery for about 2 months after the wedding and you can buy prints directly from me online.

How can we book you for your wedding?

Before booking you might like to arrange to have a chat over the phone or via video conferencing such as Zoom or perhaps, if I have been recommended to you, you aren’t bothered and just want to book anyway. It is useful, but not essential by any means. When it gets to the point in time that you want to proceed with a booking I will give you a booking form and you fill it out and pay a £300 deposit to secure the date. You don’t even have to tell me which package you want if you can’t decide at that time, you only need to reserve the date and everything else can be worked out later.

Do you photograph anything other than weddings?

I do, yes. I started wedding photography because I could turn my hobby into a business (lucky me!) and I still take pictures of all sorts of things. The best place to see them is on my personal website trevorwilsonphotography.com or on instagram @trevormwilson.

Can you recommend someone to film our wedding for us?

Absolutely. If you are considering hiring someone to film your day for you there are a few videographers that I have worked with in the past that will do a great job for you. Let me know I will email you back their details. I cannot stress this enough but you really should take care to find a videographer who works with a similar style to your photographer. There is no point hiring me because you like my laidback natural documentary style and then choosing a videographer who is really cheesy and into weird poses from the 1980s. I have worked with all of the people I will recommend to you and can promise that they aren’t at all like that!