The reason we ask for an initial fee, is not so much as a deposit (although this figure is deducted from the final cost) but to cover all the initial costs that are incurred for the preparation work. Hence, once we start the pre-planning, we are unable to return this fee. The fee just about covers the cost of our travel, photography, analysis, planning, research and back office work, such as, storyboarding the shooting sequences and preparing the proposal documents for you to review. If you don’t like what we propose we can make the appropriate changes and if you are still not satisfied then you are free to break the contract (see “Cancellation” for a further information).

And if you wish, why not arrange a mutually acceptable day and come with us so that we visit all the locations together. This way we can share ideas as we go along and turn the outing into an additional photo opportunity.

So how are we spending your money:

1. Review – we will visit each location, at the approximate times you will be there on the day, to evaluate all possible photographic opportunities, locations and lighting conditions. The time of day is important so that we can see where the sun will be and review where the shadows will fall. We will make the necessary allowances for the natural variations that occur at different times of the year.

2. Record – note and photograph all locations and backdrops that can be used.
3. Discuss – we will get together and go over our notes and photographs, piece these together and see how our visual ideas fit into your plans. This is a good time to throw in ideas of other pictures opportunities that may have been missed or are just simply “must haves” for the final album.
4. Storyboard – back at the office, we can outline a shooting plan, using our notes, photographs and your comments, suggestions and requirements, so that we can later discuss all ideas in a visual format. The storyboard will eventually be used as the basis for all our photography – from pre-shots to the big day itself - and for compiling the final wedding album and DVD (if required). We want to make sure we capture your day perfectly by showing you ahead of time the format of the final product.

In case you are not sure what a storyboard is, it’s a series of drawings (in our case, photographs as well) that map out all the events of the day and allows us to plot all the photo sequences. In doing so, we can also build in alternative options that may or may not be used.

5. Contingency – but then it doesn’t always go to plan, does it. What will we do if it rains? Or our backdrop has changed! What if we can’t find a suitable location? What if one or more of the locations are simply impossible to film? We will extend our search of the local vicinity to locate suitable alternatives. And if this fails, we will tell you that we can’t meet our objectives and will give you the option to cancel the contract (see “Cancellation” for a further information).