What I Do & How I Do It - FAQ's

Choosing a wedding photographer can be a minefield, and having been through that process when I got married back in 2012, I understand the challenges you will experience. So to help here are some of my most common FAQ's, plus a few you maybe should ask as well!

Can we meet before booking?

Absolutely! Ensuring that the photographers personality clicks with you is as important as liking their photos. That’s why I am more than happy to meet before you make your decision and not try and get away with a Skype call or facetime! If you live within an hour or so radius from my home in Teddington Gloucestershire, I will come to your home armed with an iPad full of photos, and if you are further afield (I have many clients in London and the south coast) I will find a convenient pub or café between our homes to meet instead. If meeting up isn’t convenient for you, then that’s also fine. I am happy to chat on the phone or over Skype to help progress your booking.

How many photo’s does each package include?

My full day Biography & Memoir packages result in around 1000 fully edited images. This equates to about 20 hours of editing and post production time. Many photographers save themselves time by only delivering 400-500 photos for the same full day coverage. From day one I believed it was my duty to deliver all photo's that my couples would enjoy having. I pride myself on consistently taking around 1000 great photos per wedding.

To prove this, check out a complete photo set below from a wedding shot in the last 12 months in each season for what to expect. Imagine if your photographer didnt give you half of these photos!

How much are your albums?

My albums start from £550 for a 24 page 12" album bespoke designed album. I can work with you to tailor an album to your specific budget or aesthetic requirements. Click here for an example album. Duplicates and smaller 8" copies are cheaper and I can laways provide a tailored quote for multiples in a single order. My Memoir package includes the 24 page 12" album as part of the package.

Why are your prices what they are?

OK so this is not a very British question, and more likely this is a question to ask yourself rather than the photographer.

If someone is very cheap, ask yourself why? Will they be using substandard kit? (for example my cameras records to 2 SD cards at all times massively reducing chances of lost photos if a memory card fails. Just one of many precautions I take behind the scenes to reduce risk to an absolute minimum) Are they cheap because they only give you ¼ of the photos they take? Editing images typically takes 2 hours for every hour shooting, so someone providing 500 photos rather than the 1000 I provide is saving themselves around 10 hours of work you are not benefiting from, and leaves you with 500 of your photos sat on a hard drive you will never see.

There may well be a very valid reason they are cheap. They could be a talented new starter making their way into the industry, and as long as they’re honest about this and you like their photos then it’s a gamble well worth considering as everyone has to start somewhere.

Who owns the copyright to the photos?

I maintain the copyright to the images, but issue them to you for you to print, share or post online restriction free. The only thing you cannot do is sell them or profit financially from them. This is an industry standard.

Do you also do some more formal family group shots?

Yes absolutely. Although the core and real value in what I do is my creative story telling, I still spend time snapping the family group shots that you would like to get to mark the day. The trick here is my approach in getting these shots efficiently and not losing you loads of time. I have a few secret tricks which I will share with you prior to the day itself to get these shots quickly and painlessly! You can see a few by clicking here

What do your previous couples think?

OK, this is a very thinly vailed excuse to point you in the direction of my testimonials which you can read here. Plus the lovely Katrina & Rhys were kind enough to speak on camera below!

 

What equipment do you use?

I use the very latest Sony mirrorless full-frame cameras. Sony have revolutionised the proffesional camera industry in recent years, introducing many features hugely benefitial to wedding photographers, such as completely silent shooting, electronic veiw finder, abilitiy to shoot very high frames per second, eye auto focus, and all in a camera body a 3rd smaller than a traditional SLR, to name just a few.

I have a complete suit of Sony full frame large aperture lenses, star highlights and personal favourites being the 70-200 f2.8 G Master, 35mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.4.

I also have a variety of toys up my sleave to use for my more creative shots!

Who is behind Lee Hawley Photography?

Lee Hawley Photography is owned and run by little old me. Everything you see on my website, every photo, web page, brochure, leaflet, email or social media post is made exclusively by me. This is way more than a business, it is an all consuming passion and I want everything you experience with Lee Hawley Photography to be the result of my approach, work ethic and style. Warts and all! I would rather things be a bit quirky but be the real me, as I know for every couple that is puts off, another will feel a connection, resulting in me getting the right couples.

I am never not at "work". Email me, and unless I'm actually shooting a wedding, you will get a reply within the hour. In a previous life I worked for well over a decade in construction and building services, including 3 years on the tools as an electrician. I know what hard work is and what long hours are, and I maintain that work ethic with Lee Hawley Photography, often up late into the evening editing your images to stick to the short turn around times I promise, or meeting couples any evening of the week, sometimes in different counties, or even countries (Wales counts!).

The truth is, this isn't really work. I feel immensely privileged to do something I love so much, so it is the least I can do, to give it my all.

 

What a minefield eh?

I hope this doesn’t sound too scary! My hope is this FAQ will give you a handle on what to look out for. It’s a tough decision as you need to be an expert in something you’ve never bought before! Which seems enormously difficult and is why I have such a transparent approach. This works really well for me as it puts off as many people as it attracts meaning the couples who book me are my type of couple and i'm theyre type of photographer. I'd hate to be booked by someone who wants hours of formal photos, so rather than just filling my order book up, I work hard to be booked by the right couples!

I do this because I love it, and I enjoy the day even more working for people who "get me", and also means they enjoy having me around and results in photos of them at their most relaxed and natural.

If you would like to discuss any of this please just drop me an email on enquiries@leehawleyphotography.com or fill in the form below.