So you might be thinking that Wedding Photography is probably pretty straight forward right? Buy a camera, get some experience and we’re good to go? Well much the same as most other industries when you get to a high level of professionalism, there is of course way more going on behind the scenes that most people are not going to know about, so I thought I’d share some of them below.

Please see my intention here is not to complain at all or boast even about what I do (although I am proud), it is in fact to ensure couples know every negative scenario they can imagine regarding our perfect capture of their wedding is covered, then covered again, then improved and more…   I see many Brides worrying about the cake, the flowers, the band & so on, so for us it’s imperative to that couples have full confidence from the first contact that we have every possibility covered from the first second through to aftercare and subsequent 100% satisfaction.

BACKGROUND

Whilst I believe anyone can learn or change if they really want to, there is no doubt that education, previous training, experience and maintaining a healthy/fit past & present lifestyle all play a part in ensuring success at work. I have seen first hand that the physical and mental pressure can be too much for some and it takes not only experience to overcome this, but a fair amount of maintenance too. Starting way back as a nipper I knew that challenging things requiring endurance were the only things where I could maintain concentration, this is before it was commonly known how to deal with ADHD, OCD, DD or whatever abbreviations, so I just kept doing more & more challenging things to curb any effects and perfecting them before moving on to the next, with wedding capture however, each one is different and so the variables keep me sharp at all times. Here are a list of things in my past that majorly contribute to my success in wedding capture or you can see more about us.

• • Good education
  • Always courteous & polite
  • Calm & professional at all times
  • Experienced in multiple fields
  • Physically fit & strong

PREPARATION

Before you can enter the world of wedding capture on the costa del sol, Spain or anywhere else in fact, you need an ‘in’ and be ready to amaze everyone instantly from that first chance as there is no ‘second’. I know of many photographers who gave up trying to get into the wedding sector as they never got that first chance or the first didn’t go to plan and I regularly get contacted by photographers offering to assist me unpaid for the practice or sheer opportunity to experience weddings hands on. I’m quite an exception to this rule however and my first time ever photographing with a pro level DSLR was actually live at a wedding as a favour for a local photographer friend, some (what I now know were) fluke shots gave me the enthusiasm to do the things required for a successful wedding business and here are some or see what we now offer in our services.

• • Purchasing the best equipment
  • Many unpaid shoots to get started
  • Training courses & classes
  • Business set-up
  • Hundreds of client shoots

EXPERIENCE

So, I had finally achieved what was needed to be professional, aside from the all important experience required. For safety, I hired established photographers, 2nd shooters (and sometimes third) to assistant me when going on shoots. Their job was mainly to cover me in the case of anything unforeseen, but I soon realised that my level of organisation far exceeded these that I was hiring and so I continued mostly alone, capturing hundreds of different portrait sessions, businesses, events & more. I was still more than desperate however to cover weddings and within a few years started capturing small private weddings, then on to prestigious venues to now covering any imaginable venue in Southern Spain, the UK and wherever else as I just love new places. See random wedding in our galleries.

• • 100’s of weddings & events around Marbella
  • Many other events between Cadiz – Alicante
  • Also Gibraltar & anywhere in UK
  • 1st & 2nd Shooter
  • Photography & Video Operator

EQUIPMENT

If you speak to any photographer they will always be happy to explain the equipment where all our hard earned money is going in to, but if you’ve read the blurb above you may have noticed that I always like to go one step ahead, making my kit I wear at every wedding, the on-board backup equipment & extra cool stuff unique. It’s not just the estimated 20k euros and ongoing costs of the equipment, the upgrading, broken replacing or the maintenance issues, but more the blend of it that achieves the confidence & trust that the set-up works and is reliable.  Below are the basics or see a full list of equipment.

• •  2 x full frame Canon 5D mkIII’s
  • Wide aperture 35/85mm prime lenses
  • EX Flashes & Arsenal of hi-tech extras
  • Video/Audio capture devices/accessories
  • Lighting, gimbals, stabilizers, 4k drone
  • the latest remote electronic video crane

SECURITY

To guarantee my clients an issue free service 100% of the time as of course even a money back guarantee is useless to a couple on their wedding day, I do some things that not many others do. I know this owing to a photographer’s recruitment database I’m on that shows over 200 local photographers and what they offer. There are many, many extra items I’ve decided over the years to carry on board to every wedding now (from extra water to glucose tablets & energy drinks and even things such as needle & cotton which has been used more than once), but guaranteed things that often stand out to couples are the ones that involve punctual arrival listed below, or see information our page more about us.

• • Modern car regularly serviced
  • VIP Breakdown/destination arrival guarantee
  • Min 1-2 hours early arrival in Spain (>50km)
  • Min 2-3 hours early arrival Gibraltar, Portugal
  • Min. 1-2 day early for destination weddings
  • Backup photographer in event of emergency*

PRE WEDDING SESSION

By far the best impact we can create is when we capture the ‘full story’ and to do this I need to meet the Bride & Groom anytime before the wedding day for a simple and usually very casual ‘Pre Wedding Session’ that reflects their true personalities. It makes the all important introduction far less formal as we get to see the engaged couple in a more relaxed and natural manor. Whether walking through a park, a backstreet or the beach, lazing around or something more lively… rather than the first image being nervous on the wedding morning this is always the preferred option. See common options below or see some random pre wedding sessions.

• • Starting with surroundings to set the scene
  • Individual shots from a distance
  • Sometimes the couple meeting up/hugging
  • Distant shots to show couple in environment
  • Casual shots whether romantic or fun
  • Portraits great for social media profiles
  • Calm/romantic shots build up to wedding
  • Often them saying goodbye to each other

ON THE DAY

So, the big day and the part where I excel! My favourite ‘full story’ style means I have already met the Bride & Groom at the pre-wedding introduction shoot and so on the morning of the wedding I just say Hi at first and ask them to ignore me & forget I am even there if they can. I have a checklist (well, naturally in my head) of procedures that are proven to ensure smooth & stress free running during each part of the day, but more than often an outside issue means I have to freestyle. For example it’s all too common that when time is needed to be made up in a weddings timeline, the first place everyone steals those precious minutes from are the 15 minutes I was promised after the ceremony to grab some portraits hehe (I mean no one would ever dare tell the Chef that the 3 hours he was promised to cook the meat is now just 10 mins.. or actually I’ve even on a couple of occasions had zero allocated time offered to me for portraits and I was trying to do them whilst the couple were chatting to guests! – one of those clients had pre ordered an album too hehe… ooh I love a challenge and it can actually often create even better results, so all good. Anyway, below are some of the most common ‘orders of the day’ I follow or you can request from a multitude of different real example timelines I have by contacting me or see some random Wedding Day Galleries.

• ARRIVAL
  • I capture the local area where possible
  • Wide angle, details & aerial view of venue*
• PREPARATION
  • Bride preparation avoiding faces until ready
  • My assistant captures the Groom preparation
  • Bride details, typically the dress, vale, shoes
  • Anything else eg. jewellery, make-up etc.
  • Bridesmaids/assistance during preparation
  • Flowergirls/pageboys, flowers & details
  • Groom and Groomsmen ready & the rings
• COCKTAILS
  • Guests entering venue & any entertainment
  • Groom greeting Guests, everyone meeting
  • Cocktails/Canapés, smiles, kids playing
  • Groom preparing for Ceremony
  • Guests being seated
  • Bride finishing prep and getting in position
• CEREMONY
  • Groom waiting at altar beside empty aisle
  • Minister/Officiant preparing & all waiting
  • Groomsmen & Bridesmaids entering
  • Other persons, pairs, groups walking down
  • Groom waiting for his Bride
  • Bride walking down the aisle
  • Bride kissing the person giving her away
  • First looks between Bride & Groom
  • Ceremony multiple angles, close & far
  • All traditions eg. coins or candle lighting
  • Ring shot (better when placed from below)
  • First kiss, hug, tears, laughs & smiles
  • Reactions turning to towards guests for exit
  • Walk back up the aisle, guest applause
  • Confetti/rice throwing (or rose petals)
• GREETING 
  • The receiving lines
  • Guests having fun & drinks
  • Any entertainment
  • Kids playing
• PORTRAIT
  • A little time alone with the Bride & Groom
  • Capture their real emotions alone
  • Their first conversations alone
  • My assistant captures guests change scene
  • First Bride & Groom artistic portraits
  • A casual walk with some natural poses
• BREAKFAST
  • Empty room/tables etc. and decoration
  • All details such as menus, name cards etc.
  • Guests being seated to eat
  • Gifts/attributes eg photos or wishing trees
  • Speeches & toasts and any good moments
  • Cutting of the cake
• PORTRAIT
  • Second location Bride & Groom portrait
• CELEBRATIONS
  • First dance
  • Depending on wedding any acts or events
  • Singing, dancing & all entertainment
  • Personal congratulations from guests
  • Some goodbyes to finish the day

POST WEDDING SESSION

zzz  or see some random post wedding sessions.

• • zzz

AFTER CARE

zzz

• • zzz