How to book a wedding photographer you’ll want to have at your party
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Fill out the contact form below to tell me about all the different ideas whizzing around your head.
Or send me an email dreckly if you’d prefer. (It’s hello@sijohns.com)
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We can set up an informal chat/beer/coffee/water/Zoom call so I can get to know you and you can get to know me.
We’ll chat about the wheres and the whens and you can walk me through the journey of your wedding day. If you’ve got some shoot ideas, I’d love to hear them. But if you’re not sure where to start, I’ll take the reins, no worries.
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Afterwards, if you think you’d like Si supporting you on the day, I’ll send over more info and options to pay your deposit.
If you leave our meet-up feeling like we’re not quite the right fit, there’s no obligation whatsoever.
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Oh and if the surf forecast looks good, I might be living in my wetsuit right now
But you can still expect a response from me in the next 48 hours at the very latest.
For you adventurous couples wanting to get married further afield, I’d love to travel to capture your incredible day in a new and magical land. Price on request for weddings far beyond the Tamar and outside the UK.
SOMEONE WHO FITS IN WITH THE CROWD
PHOTOGRAPHS THAT NEVER FEEL AWKWARD OR FORCED
A CALM, EXPERIENCED GUIDE WHO LETS YOU GET ON WITH HAVING THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIVES
FAQ’S
The things I get asked all the time
Before the day
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Hugely insured. All of my equipment is covered along with 5 million public liability cover.
I even have ‘reshoot cover’ meaning if something goes hideously wrong at my end, my insurance will pay for us to go out and retake all those shots again.
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Traveling up to 200 miles from my home base in Perranporth is covered. Anything over 200 miles I charge at £1 per mile - this will be included in my initial quote so it is all up front and worked out.
If you are planning a destination wedding (will there be waves?...) then flights etc. will need to be covered.
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Accommodation is on a case by case basis. If I can reasonably cover the drive in a day then I will. But I do really like my own bed, so if it’s just too far, or we have an extremely early start planned, then I might need to book into a Travelodge/local spa resort somewhere and add it to the fee. We can talk about this if it looks like it will be needed.
If we really get stuck or remote, I do own a campervan and, whilst this isn’t perfect for weddings (I have many things that need charging), it does come in handy.
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Top to bottom - prep to party. I used to say a time limit but I never stuck to it. I like to keep things easy and uncomplicated so now I simply shoot the whole day.
I start when I need to start and I usually stop shooting an hour or so after the first dance. I can usually tell when it’s the appropriate moment to put down the camera.
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Yes you can. Perhaps you are planning a wedding abroad or having a huge festival? If you want me for a whole weekend (or more) then let’s chat about your plans.
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I require a 25% non-refundable deposit to hold the date. The remainder is due two weeks before your wedding day.
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Absolutely. If requested, payments can be made in 4 equal instalments, leading up to the wedding day.
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Weddings really are my thing, but I’m also a TV photographer and shoot an awful lot for BBC, ITV & Channel 4, (if you’ve seen any images from Married at First Sight UK, it’s probably one of mine.) — I do shoot other things too — I am a very experienced studio photographer and have shot a lot of artist/performer portraits. (I still have a shared studio in central London as well as a mobile set up.) I also have shot stills for a lot of Theatre, Dance and Opera.
For myself, I adore shooting landscapes, especially the ocean. I always wanted to be a surf photographer until it dawned on me that if I was shooting it, it meant I couldn’t be riding it, so I gave up on that.
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Perfect — most of my couples do.
You don’t need to know how to pose or suddenly feel confident in front of a camera. I shoot in a relaxed, documentary way, so I’m not constantly directing or making you do anything awkward. I’ll give gentle guidance if needed, but mostly I let things happen naturally so you can just enjoy the day.
If you can forget about the camera, I’m doing my job properly.
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Nope.
No stiff posing, no forced smiles, no weird hand placement.
I might point you to good light, but otherwise just gentle guidance when needed and lots of letting things happen naturally.
On the day
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The short answer is yes, I’m a growing boy. You don't need to give me a place at a table with your guests and a four course meal: a sandwich and an apple or whatever is easy for the caterers will suffice.
Wedding days can be extremely long and quite often I’ll be shooting straight for 12 hrs and driving either side. Without a little something to see me through the shots, I have a tendency to go a little wobbly.
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In 10 years of shooting I’ve never missed a wedding or shoot and I fully hope to keep it that way. Having said that I know it might happen one day and with all this pandemic stuff happening no one knows what is around the corner.
It is for that reason I have an extensive network of vetted, experienced, trusted photographer-friends (we all have each other's backs) who I can call on should the need arise.
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Cameras don’t die! I’m lying, they do. Luckily, I have never had one give up at a wedding or any other shoot for that matter, but that doesn't mean it won’t happen.
I have friends who’ve suffered it and as good as modern tech is, it’s not perfect. Just in case this happens, I carry 3 DSLR camera bodies to every shoot.
I've no idea what the odds would be of them all breaking on the same day, but I think I’d be more likely to win the lottery.
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I hate photographers who show up in a t-shirt and jeans or a branded polo shirt, looking all sweaty and bored, figuring because they are not in the photos it doesn't matter.
I can assure you — it's a wedding after all(!) — I scrub up pretty well and will wear something in keeping with your day.
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I try my best to be everywhere at once — if it's possible to get somewhere and shoot then I’ll do it. For those occasions where it’s simply not possible and you really need the shots, then I recommend booking a second shooter.
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If for some silly reason you decide that marriage is not for you and cancel the wedding, then any money paid up until that moment is non-refundable.
If you need to reschedule (which has happened once or twice recently!) then I will absolutely work with you on that and all deposits and any payments are completely transferable to the new date.
After the day
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I edit each image myself and I won’t rush the process. I can also shoot over 3000 shots on a single wedding, all of which have to be backed up several times and culled before the editing process can begin.
With the edit being a lot more labour intensive than the actual shooting day, I ask for 6 weeks from the wedding date until the online album is ready. (If it’s a quiet season then it is most often a lot quicker.)
I will always send you a small selection of highlights and publish a blog on my website within the first week or two for you to share with your loved ones.
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Absolutely. I believe a physical album is by far the best way to view your images and relive the day. Any time after your wedding (even years) you can get one made.
My albums are all handmade and hand bound with the very highest print quality. The design possibilities are endless and really are one off pieces. They cost anywhere between £250-£1500. If you would like an album made then let’s chat, and I can walk you through the many, many options.
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Every time I press my shutter button, my camera automatically stores that image twice, each on separate cards within the camera so I immediately have two copies. The moment I get home from the wedding I copy these cards to my home server (which itself is two mirrored hard drives). This uploads a copy of itself to a cloud backup.
That means within 24 hrs of your wedding and before I’ve wiped the cards there will be 5 copies of every image I have taken, each on a different drive. I store all Raw files taken for two years, and will hold on to a copy of your final wedding Raws and final edits forever.
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I’m sorry if you want them, but nope. Not a chance. Essentially Raw files are not actually photos and are in no way indicative of my finished images — they won’t represent my work in any way shape or form. Asking for Raw files is a bit like asking a chef for his ingredients.
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Within 6 weeks you will receive your images in a curated, password protected online gallery. From here you can easily download in print-ready or web-ready formats, order prints directly to your door or share with family and friends.
You will also receive a keepsake, personalised, engraved box containing 20 or so highlight prints and a USB drive with your entire image collection.
