Are you in search of a wedding photographer? The more you are concerned with it, the more questions arise to you: „Will the wedding photographer be with us all day?“, „What happens during the time at the wedding time when there is no program?“, „What exactly will we receive from the wedding photographer in the end?“

Of course I can’t answer for all wedding photographers, just for me. In my FAQ I am trying to answer common questions of bridal couples, hoping it will get you an idea of what I can do you for you and what I can not.

Question: Are you also working as a wedding photographer outside of Hamburg?
Of course I do. I am photographing weddings worldwide. At the moment I work as a wedding photographer next to Hamburg very often at Sylt and in UK. I also have photographed weddings in Switzerland, Austria, France, Greece and even on Mauritius. The most weddings I still do photograph in Hamburg.

Question: Do you have a look at the location before?
The situation on the spot can often be completely different to the situation a few days before, therefore it is not an advantage to look at the location before. As an experienced wedding photographer I have the perfect equipment for every situation. It is sufficient for me to have a look at the conditions in a church directly before the ceremony, for example.

Question: How many weddings have you photographed?
I am working as a wedding photograph since 2004, meanwhile I have accompanied more than 300 bridal couples.

Question: Is it possible to book your service only for an hour, for example only for the wedding portraits?
I am offering wedding portrait photo shootings without reportages, in the summer months only weekdays and at least for 2 hours, though. Fridays and Saturdays is reserved for the wedding reportages. For Sylt I have an exceptional option: As it is very popular to marry there without guests on weekdays, I am offering a three-hour-plan for this case (wedding ceremony & portraits).

Question: If I am booking 8 hours, is possible to divide this time into mornings and evenings?
The booked time always counts at one strech, idle time counts as reportage time.

Question: How are you working on site?
Out of respect for you and you most beautiful day I show up in an outfit appropiate for the occasion. This has the advantage that I am perceived more as a guest and in addition, I will look associated on the photographs taken by the guests. During the reportage I prefer to act in the background in order to spontaneously photograph emotions and actions. During the wedding portrait photo shooting I am more actively talking to you about poses or actions.

Question: It is still a long time until our wedding, the time table is not finished yet. We can’t say, for how long we would like to book you, what do we do?
In this case you can book the smallest option as a start and then decide everything else later.

Question: Is it possible to just save a date with you and decide later?
As I receive a lot of enquiries every day I can only save wedding dates for a longer period of time with a firm booking.

Question: When do we have to pay for the wedding photographs?
There is a 30% deposit (payable with the booking), the rest is due later, when you receive the wedding photographies.

Question: Do we receive a written confirmation of the booking and a receipt of the deposit?
For every payment you receive a proper invoice, the booking happens by closing a contract. I will send the contract together with the offer in advance for you to have a look at.

Question: In which quality and resolution do you deliver the wedding photographs?
You will receive your wedding photographs on a USB flash drive in high-definition, so that you can even produce big posters of your wedding photographs. The photographs are also not protected or water marked. All of your wedding photographs are available online for at least half a year and you can download them in full resolution.

Question: Do we receive all the wedding photographs, which you took on site?
You will receive all the good photographs. It is part of my service to sort out all the photographs, which are blurred, miss-shots, duplicates or which make people look unfavourable. The amount is strongly connected to the course of the day, the number of guests and the activities of the day.

Question: Do we receive photographs of all guests?
Primarily I am photographing a reportage, thrilling situations, emotions and events. Out of this developes a story in pictures. If a picture of every guest is desired it makes sense to book the guestbook-offer or the photobooth.

Question: Is possible to receive the raw data of the wedding photographs from you?
To my personal aspiration as a wedding photographer belongs, that I deliver a finished product to you, which meets my quality standards. Raw data is not a finished product. The editing of the photographs is an elementary component of my visual style and is therefore necessary part of it.

Question: Do you edit all the wedding photographs?
I edit all the wedding photographs with a great expenditure of time in order to receive a perfect result. Reportage and portrait photographs are edited equally.

Question: Can we use the wedding photographs ourselves freely?
You can use and reproduce your wedding photographs for private purposes freely. Meanwhile this covers of course the social networks, too. In case you receive requests from other service providers regarding the wedding photographs for self-promotion, I ask you to talk this over with me.

Question: You are offering a discount, when we release the photo rights for publication. Is it possible to change this afterwards?
Wedding photographs are very intimate contemporary documents. I can understand very well if you as a bridal couple do not want your wedding photographs to be on the internet. However, most bridal couples do not see it this way, for the majority of my photographed weddings I receive the approval for publication. It is possible to give your approval at a later date, the other way round it is not offhand possible to reverse an once given approval, as the photographs are already published then.

Question: If we give our approval for publication, for which purpose are then you using the photographs?
I use the wedding photographs for self promotion. Usually I write a small posting here in this blog but is also possible, that I show your wedding photographs at wedding fairs, use them for exemplary albums, submit them to photo competitions or that they are published as part of a reporting about me.

Question: When do we receive our wedding photographs?
You will receive your wedding photographs on average two to three weeks after your wedding. The delivery of the albums can take up to three months and depends on the manufacturer.

Question: Is it also possible to order an album afterwards?
You can order an album of your wedding photographs anytime, the list of offers is valid for one year.

Question: Are you also producing wedding albums of weddings, which were photographed by another wedding photographer?
I solely produce wedding albums of weddings, which I have photographed myself.

Question: Which equipment are you using for photographing?
At the moment I am using different camera systems. My equipment is always up to date. On site I always have several cameras with me in order to deal with technical failures.

Question: Are you photographing alone?
Yes, I am photographing basically alone. Sometime I have an assistant helping me with logistical issues.

Question: Are you also offering wedding films?
No, it is not possible to offer both things on a high level. I can put you in contact with very good wedding filmers.

Question: Are you also there with the camera in intimate moments, for example when the bride puts on her wedding dress?
I am never photographing people when they are feeling uncomfortable. The bride decides, in which moments of the preparation she wants me to be present and in which moments she does not.

Question: What is important to you, when you are photographing our wedding?
There are some basic things, which make it easier for me to photograph a beautiful wedding reportage for you. One thing for example is that it is not unimportant how the rooms, in which you prepare, looks. It should be clear, that I photograph you in intimate moments and places. An untidy hotel room is also on your wedding photographs still an untidy hotel room.

I absolutely do not mind, if guests take photographs of your wedding in a normal extent. However, sometimes this takes on a professional character, with the result that I am limited in my work and am not able to photograph some scenes the way I see them. More photographing service providers (photographing DJ for example) I also do not rate highly, after all I do not deejay on the side in the evening, too.

When I am accompanying you all day, I need something to eat in the meantime, so my concentration won’t fade. However, please do not place me at a table with the guests, as the seat will remain empty in the evening because I will not sit for long and talk to the guests. I am a vegan, which means I do not eat meat, milk products, eggs and cheese. But please do not worry about that too much, I am also happy with a big salad.