frequently asked questions
FAQs
How many hours are included in your packages?
01
ALL of my packages include full day coverage from prep to first dance. Rather than cap my services at a certain number of hours I work with the schedule of your day to ensure that no special moments are missed. As a guide, I generally suggest my arrival 1.5-2 hours before the ceremony to capture morning prep, and finishing around 30 minutes after the first dance to capture all those dancefloor party shots!
Do you travel / are travel costs included?
02
Absolutely I travel - both within the UK and abroad. I have been lucky enough to photograph weddings in such amazing locations as France, Italy, Greece and the Channel Islands - nowhere is too far! Please do get in touch if you're marrying abroad, I'd love to hear from you!
My UK wedding packages don't include any extra for travel as I typically don't charge for this unless it's over 100 miles away - then I may need to add a bit extra to cover the cost of excess mileage and a hotel stay (or perhaps train/plane travel e.g. Scotland) which I would discuss with you first.
How soon after the wedding will we receive our photos?
03
This typically depends on the time of year (i.e. longer in peak season), but even though my contract states 4-6 weeks I tend to deliver wedding galleries much quicker than this - 2-3 weeks if I don't have a lot of backlog! (For couples sessions or other smaller shoots you can expect to wait 1-2 weeks for your gallery.)
How many images will we get?
04
I get asked this question with almost every enquiry, and it really is a "how long is a piece of string?" kind of question! The number of images I can deliver depends entirely on your wedding - the length of the day, number of guests, and whether you have a second shooter are all factors. As a really rough estimation I would say for a full day wedding covering morning prep to first dance with no second shooter, a minimum of 600 images can be expected. But as I say, this is entirely dependant on each individual wedding and I have been known to deliver more than double this amount on numerous occasions! Also, the more beautiful details you have for me to capture the better :)
Will you visit our venue before the wedding to scope it out?
05
I don't do venue visits anymore, mostly because from a photography perspective it is a bit pointless - where I will photograph things such as groups and couple portraits entirely depends on the light on the day, so going to the venue beforehand to plan this out is a bit of a waste of time really! But also because my schedule is normally so full particularly in wedding season that I just don't have the time!
Do we need to feed you?
06
Yes please! A nice hot meal is very much appreciated on a long wedding day. If a meal cannot be provided and I have to leave site in search of food I could end up missing an important moment such as speeches, which tend to start immediately after you've finished your meal. For this reason it's also a good idea to note to your caterers that it's helpful to feed your photographer (and videographer if having one) ASAP after the top table, so we can eat and get set up ready to capture the next portion of your day.
Do you have a backup plan in case of illness or emergency?
07
It's never happened before (touch wood!) but I am part of several online communities of photographers, so I'm confident it would never be a problem to find someone to cover me should the worst happen and I am unable to attend on the day. In fact I'd say the one good thing to come from the pandemic is the development of local emergency cover groups, I've seen them save the day for many others before!
Do you bring backup equipment incase of any technical problems?
08
I will ALWAYS take two camera bodies to a wedding, so if anything happened to one I would have the other to rely on. I also bring multiple lenses and flashes with me as well as piles of spare memory cards and batteries. My cameras even have dual card slots so that as soon as a picture is taken, it is immediately recorded to both SD cards - so if one was to corrupt there would always be a backup!
Kind Words
"We booked Shelby for our wedding photographer in a bit of a last minute panic, and I am so happy we did. She's AMAZING, she was really unobtrusive in the best possible way, giving us direction when we needed it and making us feel so comfortable. I am so in love with all the photos from our day, she really captured the atmosphere of the wedding perfectly! We're having such trouble trying to decide which ones to print, they're all so great!! Super long review i know, but we're just so over the moon! Couldn't recommend Shelby more!"
Laura & Sam xxx
