FAQ

• Do you shoot the weddings yourself?

Yes.  I shoot all my own weddings. I also use a capable assistant to help me throughout the day.

• What advice can you give me with regards to the timing throughout the day?

I arrive at the bride around 2 hours before the ceremony.  This gives me time to take the bridal portraits and make up shots. I will also capture the grooms preparation photographs if he is nearby. This also allows me the time to capture the decor of the reception if it is in the same vicinity. If i have to drive to capture his photographs then i have less time to concentrate on my duties.

After the ceremony I will capture the group and family photographs.  It is best to have a working list to work from and to keep everyone all together so that we are not looking for uncles and grannies and wasting precious time.

Once the family photos are complete I will concentrate on the bridal party and the couple.  These photographs are best executed an hour or so before sunset, the golden hour.This session should last around an hour or an hour and a half if you can afford it.  If, especially at the height of summer, you would like to enter the reception hall before the sun has set then please be prepared to leave for a few minutes so we can capture some gorgeous and romantic photographs with the sunset! Light plays an important part of the photography and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to capture you at your prettiest and best!

Weather also plays an important part on your wedding day.  We need to embrace whatever the elements throw at us on the day.  First prize is always a stunning sunny day with  a little cloud and a light breeze but this is not always the case.  Hopefully you venue with have interesting nooks and or interiors that we will be able to manipulate to give you a gorgeous setting to use!

The best advice I can give you is to BE ON TIME! If you keep to your schedule (as well as everyone else involved in the wedding) then all will go well with the photography.

Stay calm. You have spent loads of time preparing for this day and things will happen as you have planned. If they don’t, then go with it! there is no point in getting upset on your wedding day.  I will guide you along through the day and be your motivator if necessary!

• Are your travel expenses included in the packages?

My packages include 100km round trip from Durbanville.  Should the travel be more then I charge R3 per Km for anything over 100km.  This will be added to your final invoice. If your wedding is more than 150Km from Durbanville then you will need to provide suitable accommodation for myself and my assistant.

• Do I need to meet you before the wedding?

Although I can and have photographed weddings before I met the couples, I find it puts both you and I at ease if we can get to know each other a little better before we get to spend pretty much the whole day together!  I offer a pre-wedding shoot with all my packages as a free optional extra.  This gives us the chance to get to spend some time together to work on each other a little.  I have a relaxed demeanour and this shows in my style of photography.  The pre-shoot allows you to see how I will work on the day and gets you relaxed in front of the camera as not all couples are models.

The pre-wedding meeting also allows us to communicate and discuss the details of the day. There may be unexpected little things that I need to capture and will need to know before hand to position myself best.If you are not in Cape Town before the wedding then we can use Skype (Skype ID: sbf0t0 {s-b-f-zero-t-zero}) to chat.  I find this works like a bomb!

• What is the deposit for?

The deposit is there to ensure that I hold the date for you.  There are only so many weekends in the wedding season and there are loads of weddings to cover.  Once you have aid you deposit I will turn away any other requests that may come in for that date.  The deposit is unfortunately not refundable.  If I lose your wedding on that date then I may not fill it with another wedding and therefore have lost revenue.  This is a beneficial arrangement for both you and I.

• Do you travel upcountry and overseas?
  

I will travel wherever you need me to go.  The travel expenses are yours of course. I hold both South African and English passports so the UK and Europe are open to me.

• How long do you need to cover my wedding?

8-9 hours should cover most weddings.  Muslim and Jewish weddings need a little more coverage.  If however you do need me to stick around a little longer than agreed to in the package I add R800 per hour for every hour.  This will need to be settled before images are delivered.

• How long can I expect to wait for my images?
  

I treat every wedding individually and every image is processed to some degree. This does take time and in the heat of the wedding season it can take up to 4 weeks to complete the editing process on a complete wedding.  If you have ordered a coffee table book or storybook album then I will deliver the disc of images for you choose your favourite 100 or so images.  If you choose more images then it will increase the cost of your album which will need to be settled before delivery of the album.  Once i have received your choice it will take another 2-4 weeks to design the album and a further 2-4 weeks to have it printed once you have approved the final layout.  This process can be fast forwarded if you give me carte blanche with the design process.

If you are on a budget, then I do provide a disc only package.  You can order books or enlargements from me after your wedding.

• Any other advice?

This is your big day. the day you have planned for months and have dreamed about since you were first told that you would be princess for the day. Remember to take it all in. Take a moment whenever you need to to reflect on the occasion.

Lighting is very important for the wedding photography. Although i use various lights myself, I like to keep things simple. Use coloured lights and different shapes and types of lighting at your reception.  This adds to the mood of the celebration. Keep this in mind when planning your decor.

Hire the best videographer you can if you choose to have one. They will work in teams of 2 or more and will be unobtrusive and will capture the mood and feeling of the day beautifully.  The cheap guys and uncle bob with his camcorder will get in my way and not do you any justice. The videographer needs to have respect for me and I will treat them with as much respect as they show me. You do not want them to ruin your wedding photographs!

Hire the best hair and make-up you can get!  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Do not waste it on people who are not professional.

Have fun!!!