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Wedding Photographer Cornwall

wedding photographer cornwall

I love being a wedding photographer based in Cornwall and happily travel across the UK and beyond to photograph weddings. Every wedding is different and each couple unique, however really great wedding photography gives every couple the chance to relive the ‘best day of their life’ over and over again.

Weddings are, by their very nature, highly emotionally charged on all sorts of levels – it is of course (traditionally) the joining of two families so is always going to be interesting … this is however why for me they are so rewarding and challenging to photograph.

You may have spent months or years planning this day, imagining, dreaming, about how it will actually unfold…great wedding photography captures all that emotion, action, excitement and fun, so that as a newly married couple you have a record of what really happened, how you really felt on that amazing day, forever.

“With his experience as a photojournalist in Iraq, James uses reportage photography to ‘tell a story of the day’ and then produces beautiful albums with colour and black and white images. As a dashing former Royal Marine he also makes a wonderful wedding accessory!”
ELLE magazine – Wedding Special

Why I love photographing weddings

This is why I love photographing weddings and over the past 20 years have photographed literally hundreds of weddings. Traditional and unconventional, classic and boho, city and country, big and small. This is the joy of weddings: everyone is different and everyone has the potential for new and varied photographs. You never know exactly what is going to happen and it is this diversity that I love as a wedding photographer particularly in Cornwall. 

Many people get married in Cornwall for the superb wedding venues, picturesque beaches and coastline. I capture these wedding day memories as naturally as possible so that every bride and groom have a true memory of their day for their wedding photograph album.

My wedding photography style

I take a natural approach to wedding photography, also called reportage, photojournalism or documentary photography. Photographing events as they happen, blending in with your guests and photographing unobtrusively in the background. The result is authentic photographs. Photographs that look and feel real – because they are real.

My photographs tell a story – in the case of your wedding – they tell your story – your day. 

You’ll find below a variety of real weddings I have photographed – these should give you a feel of my reportage wedding photography style and how I capture the essence of a wedding day creating lasting photographic memories.

“Thank you so much for the fantastic job you did photographing our wedding. We were so pleased with the photographs you sent, you managed to capture the mood perfectly. We particularly enjoyed the ones of the oldies and their crazy dancing! Now out of the three hundred, we just need to decide which ones to enlarge!”

Photographing your wedding day

As your wedding photographer, I photograph your whole wedding day. From the anticipation whilst getting ready, to your celebratory first dance and all that happens in between. Capturing moments of candid, spontaneous action, fun and emotion, as well as the traditional family photographs.

It is my job, as a wedding photographer, to capture all the emotion (and action!) of the day – so that as the wedding couple, you can relax and really enjoy yourselves and your wedding day. That’s when the magic happens. 

Most couples completely forget that wedding photographers are there for large parts of their day as they are so carried away having such a great time – which is of course how it should be. Then a few weeks after your honeymoon a little parcel arrives with a full photographic record of what really happened and how you really felt on that one amazing day.

“Photographs are fantastic – thank you. I’m sure everyone says the same but it is truly amazing how much you miss and how much the wedding photographs give you back the day again from someone else’s perspective giving you so many moments you’d forgotten.” 

Over the years I have learnt a thing or two not only as a photographer but also as a wedding photographer. You can rest assured that I know exactly where to be and when, all the best photography angles and most importantly how to blend in naturally with the crowd so that you don’t notice me photographing away. You won’t find me asking you to pose all day long but I will be photographing all day. 

You really did capture the spirit of the day and did a great job of covering everything and everyone. Claire even likes the pictures you took of her, which is quite an achievement! The quality of the photos aside, we are also really grateful for you being a part of everything going so smoothly on the day itself. Claire tells me you were a very calming influence when she was getting ready, and we both really enjoyed and appreciated the way you handled our families in the group shots. Beyond all that though, we simply enjoyed your company on the day and were really glad to have you there.” 

The art of natural wedding photography

A wedding is traditionally the celebration of the joining of two families. Many couples who book me for my natural, reportage style, also (sometimes secretly!) want a few family group shots which of course I do – it is important for me to photograph your family groups. 

I always recommend couples only include their immediate families so that it can be relaxed, fun and not overly time-consuming. My military background usually does the trick here, ensuring swift, fun, natural family group photographs.

It’s your wedding day – you want to enjoy yourselves and spend time with your guests not spend hours posing for a wedding photographer and I want to photograph you doing just that – not to instruct you where to stand and how to smile for hours on end!

I suggest to all wedding couples that it’s a good idea to take a few minutes as a newly married couple just to be together. Not long, 10 minutes somewhere quiet away from the action, just the two of you (and me!). The photographs I take will be a natural and authentic record of you being together in that moment – I don’t tell you where to stand or how to gaze at each other – you’ll forget I’m with you anyway, newly married couples have a habit of doing that!. 

“Richard and I are so thrilled with the photographs, they totally capture the feeling of the day and they are just so perfect. There are some that we didn’t even know you were there – I guess that’s the point! But really it was a joy to have you shoot the day and you made us both feel so at ease. We spent more time finding the right photographer than we did for anything else and we are so pleased we did – you can be assured that we are recommending you all over the shop. Thank you so much!”

Wedding photography packages

“Spend money on a great photographer. It’s worth it as when the day is over, you’ll always have the photographs and they’ll catch the moments you don’t always see”

The photographs I take on your wedding day are exactly that, your photographs. I do not charge VAT and there are no hidden costs or products I want to sell you on your return from a blissfully relaxing honeymoon. I photograph weddings throughout Cornwall, the UK and beyond and I offer two packages:

Wedding Photography – Album Option – £2,299

Includes a beautiful hand-made leather book-style photography album. This is a lasting physical memory of your day which you can return to again and again. Lots of couples choose this option and I can show you examples when we meet either in Cornwall or elsewhere in the UK.

Wedding Photography – Digital Option – £1,699

Includes all digital photographs on a high resolution USB stick and 300-400 individually edited images in a password protected online gallery with download facility.

Both wedding photography packages include:

  • Meeting me – to discuss your wedding day, ideas and get to know each other a bit. This can be done in person, by phone or Skype.
  • James Darling photographing your whole wedding day (up to 10 hours). Extra hours can be added for £250 payable in advance.
  • 300-400 individually edited digital photographs in a password protected online gallery with image download facility
  • High-resolution USB with all images , including all out-takes – supplied to you with an unlimited perpetual licence with unlimited worldwide rights usage, except for third-party profit.  
  • I offer additional bespoke book-style albums, reprints, large format art prints and wedding thank you cards – all at extra cost.
  • Albums can be purchased after your wedding if required
  • For small weekday weddings (subject to availability and location) I offer an hourly rate of £250 – please contact me to inquire about this further 
  • Copyright remains with James Darling as the author
  • I do ask for full website credits on any social media, website usage or magazine articles where your photographs are used

To inquire about availability for your wedding date please do contact me as I do get booked sometimes a year in advance. I can occasionally offer discounted rates for mid-week weddings. I look forward to hearing about your wedding plans…

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