Capturing your wedding,
not controlling it
A little bit about how I work — and why you'll (hopefully) barely notice I'm there
~90%
Completely Candid
10-15 mins
couple’s portraits
12+ years
photographing weddings
What does 'documentary' actually mean on the day?
Documentary — or reportage — wedding photography is rooted in photojournalism, it’s absolutely not about me doing my best David Attenborough impression... It's about telling the story of your wedding day with authenticity. Rather than spending the day rounding people up, asking them to smile and staging moments that never quite look natural, I blend into the background as much as possible and let things unfold.
Think of me less as the person directing your wedding, and more as a very attentive guest who happens to carry a camera everywhere and never drinks all your prosecco.
I'm watching, I'm anticipating, and I'm ready to capture what actually happens — the nervous laughter before you walk down the aisle, your grandma doing something brilliant on the dance floor, the best man discovering the speech he thought he'd memorised is actually three pages long. A goat eating the bouquet? Yep!
When you look back through your photos, I want you to remember each moment and how you felt — not the photographer who kept asking you to move three inches to the left for better light.
This approach works best when you trust the process — and trust me! — and just let yourselves be fully present in the day. The less you're thinking about the camera, the better the photographs tend to be. Promise.
How it actually works, from start to finish
Every wedding is different, but here's a rough sense of how I'll move through your day:
Getting ready — where the day really begins
I'll typically arrive during the final stages of getting ready, around 2 hours before you need to leave for the ceremony (if you’re getting ready at a different location) or about 2 hours before the ceremony (if getting ready at the venue!) This is golden time — unhurried, intimate, and full of small moments. I'm not asking anyone to pose; I'm just there while the reality of the day starts to sink in, catching the details and the emotions as they naturally emerge.
The ceremony — the most important 30 minutes of the day
During the ceremony I work as quietly and unobtrusively as I possibly can. I'll have scouted the room or space beforehand and I'll move carefully to capture the key moments from the best positions — the first look, the vows, the ring exchange, the first kiss — without getting in anyone's way or casting giant shadows over proceedings. Your guests shouldn't be thinking about me; they should be thinking about you.
Drinks reception — chaos, charm, and confetti
The drinks reception is where weddings really come alive. Everyone's relaxed, the drinks are flowing, and you're circulating amongst your guests properly for the first time as a married couple. This is prime documentary territory. I'll be roaming throughout, capturing conversations, reactions, laughter and all those spontaneous moments that nobody planned and everybody loves. If you want family formals (a round of group shots), this is usually the best time to get them done quickly so we can get back to the fun. This is also one of the few times I’ll direct people on the day, including getting everyone in position for an epic confetti shot!
Couple portraits — relaxed, quick, beautiful
At some point during the day — often during the drinks reception while guests are mingling happily and don't need you, or even better if we can find a pocket of time just before sunset — we'll take 10 to 15 minutes just the three of us (you, your partner, and me) for a relaxed walk somewhere beautiful. This isn't a studio shoot. I don't need you to "act natural" in increasingly specific ways! I'll gently direct you where to stand, maybe suggest you walk or talk or just look at each other, and the rest takes care of itself. It really is as easy and quick as it sounds.
Wedding breakfast & evening — party time!
Speeches, tears, more speeches, the first dance, and then the bit where the shoes come off and your auntie starts an impromptu conga line — it's all in there. I stay present throughout the evening, capturing the atmosphere and the moments as the formality gradually evaporates and is replaced by the absolute chaos that I love to photograph! By the time I leave, I want to have documented the full arc of your day from quiet morning to joyful, exhausted evening.
What you'll get, and what you won't
It helps to know what a documentary approach does and doesn't involve, so there are no surprises on the day.
You can expect
Real, authentic moments captured as they happen
A relaxed, unobtrusive presence throughout the day
A short, easy couple portrait session
Family formals if you want them — kept brief
The full emotional story of your day
Photographs that feel like your wedding, not a stock image
A photographer who blends in, not one who takes over
What I won't do
Spend hours rounding everyone up for posed group shots (Let’s keep the list short!)
Ask you to hold your bouquet seventeen different ways
Interrupt your day with constant direction
Recreate moments that have already passed
Be the loudest presence in the room
Make you feel self-conscious in front of the camera
Forget that it's your wedding, not my photoshoot
Who documentary photography works best for
Honestly? It works beautifully for almost everyone, but it tends to resonate most with couples who are a little camera-shy, who want to be genuinely present on their wedding day rather than constantly redirected, and who care more about the feeling of their photos than achieving absolute technical perfection in every frame or for their photos to look like a magazine shoot.
If you've ever looked at a wedding album and thought "that all looks a bit staged" — documentary wedding photography is the antidote to that. If you've ever looked at wedding photos and been moved by the raw, unguarded emotion in them — that's what I'm going for every. single. time.
The most important thing is that by the end of the day, you should have photographs that tell the true story of one of the best days of your life. Not a polished, art-directed approximation of it.
The real thing.
Let's make sure I'm the right fit for you
I always encourage a quick video call before you book — hiring a wedding photographer means spending your entire wedding day with someone you've never met, so it makes sense to say hello first!