Booking and availability
How far ahead should I book?
Weddings need six to twelve months, especially for a summer Saturday, since good dates go first. Corporate shoots, headshots and portraits can often be arranged two to three weeks out, and I’ve taken a product reshoot on four days’ notice. Drone work and permits need longer. See every service in detail for typical lead times.
Do you take a deposit?
Yes, on every booking. A wedding date is held with a £200 deposit, which comes off the final invoice rather than sitting on top. Other services use a smaller deposit or a flat fee agreed at enquiry, since a portrait session and a wedding day carry different risk.
What happens if I need to change the date?
For a wedding, the deposit moves with you to the new date if I’m free for it; if not, it’s refunded in full. Smaller bookings work the same way: tell me as soon as you know, and I’ll move you into the next slot at no extra charge.
What if you’re ill on the day?
It hasn’t happened on a wedding day yet, and I plan hard to keep it that way. For a wedding, I have a small network of photographers I trust enough to brief in an emergency. For a smaller shoot, I’d rather move the date than send someone you haven’t met without asking first.
Do you take on small or one-off jobs?
Yes. I’d argue it’s a mistake when photographers only chase full-day bookings; a quiet Tuesday in the Shoreditch studio is better filled than left empty. Jobs I take on regularly:
- A single portrait or headshot session
- A two-hour studio slot
- One-page listing photos for a small flat
- A quick product refresh for an online shop
None of these carry a minimum spend beyond the service’s own from-price. If you’re still comparing photographers, the questions worth asking any photographer matter more than the headline number.
Pricing and payment
Every service has a published from-price; what moves the number from there is scope, not a hidden fee. See full 2026 pricing for the complete list and full-day rates.
| Service | From |
|---|---|
| Headshot photography | £150 |
| Real estate photography | £180 |
| Portrait photography | £200 |
| Corporate photography | £250 |
| Product photography | £300 |
| Event photography | £350 |
| Drone photo and video | £400 |
| Studio hire | £45/hr |
| Wedding photography | £950 |
| Wedding videography | £1,100 |
What does a “from” price actually include?
The smallest realistic version of that service: minimum hours, one location, standard editing and licensing. A £250 half-day business shoot and a £700 full-day one covering three departments are the same service at different scope, not different products. I quote against your brief, not a fixed menu tier.
Do you charge more for weekends or evenings?
Often, once a shoot falls outside a normal working day. Corporate and business bookings carry a loading for evenings, weekends or bank holidays, added at the quote stage. Weddings are the exception: a winter Tuesday costs the same as a summer Saturday, since the coverage and editing take just as long.
How do deposits and balances work?
A deposit secures the booking and comes off your total rather than sitting on top of it. The balance for a wedding is due before the day; other services are usually settled once the edited gallery is delivered, by bank transfer or card. I don’t chase people for money before they’ve seen the work.
Can you invoice a business, and do you work with a PO number?
Yes. Corporate and business clients can pay against a PO number on 30-day terms, which is how most finance teams prefer to work. I don’t ask for payment on the day, which still surprises smaller companies used to a card machine on set. Send the PO details when you book.
Do you offer discounts?
Rarely. I’d rather hold one fair price than run offers that make a client who booked last month feel they overpaid. I’ll sometimes flex on a quiet midweek date or a repeat booking, but a discount code isn’t how I price.
Delivery and turnaround
How long does delivery take?
Property images land within 24 hours, events and headshots within 48, and product photography in three to five working days. Weddings take four to six weeks for a full edit of every usable frame, and wedding films run six to eight. I’ll confirm your exact date at booking, not a best-case guess.
How are the images delivered?
Through a private online gallery you can browse and download directly, not a shared folder link that expires without warning. Weddings and events also get a small set of images within a day or two, ahead of the full edit. Prints, if you order any, are arranged separately once you’ve chosen what to print.
How long does the gallery stay live?
Wedding galleries stay live for a year, since couples often come back to reorder. Other services vary: a school or team gallery is usually live for a matter of weeks while parents order, while a corporate or property gallery often stays up longer. I’ll confirm the window before anything comes down.
Can you turn things around faster if I need it urgently?
Sometimes. Corporate work can move to same-day or next-day delivery for a board pack or press deadline, and product shoots can sometimes be turned around faster ahead of a launch. Weddings are the exception: a full edit takes the time it takes, and rushing it is how mistakes get missed.
Copyright, licensing and usage
Who owns the copyright to the photographs?
I do, as standard. Under UK copyright law the photographer who presses the shutter owns the image unless copyright is assigned in writing, and that costs more than most clients need to pay. What you’re buying is a licence to use the photographs, not ownership of the file. How image usage rights work in the UK covers the detail.
What does a standard licence cover?
A standard licence, included in the day rate, usually covers:
- Your website and social channels
- Internal communications and printed materials
- Use for as long as you want, on most bookings
It does not cover paid advertising or handing images to a third party. Those need an extended licence, priced against the specific use.
What if I need an extended licence or a full buyout?
An extended licence, from around £100, covers one specific extra use, such as a supplier reusing an interiors shot in their own advertising. A buyout removes every restriction permanently and costs more than the shoot itself. Most clients don’t need one; a licence naming the actual use is usually enough.
Can I have the raw files?
Not as standard, and I’d disagree with advice that tells clients to push for them anyway. A RAW file is unfinished, roughly 45MB of flat sensor data with none of the exposure or colour work applied. Why photographers don’t hand over raw files explains the reasoning in full.
Do I need a model release?
If an identifiable person appears in an image used commercially, in an advert or a brochure, yes. Editorial and most internal use don’t usually need one, but I’d get a signature in place before the shoot if there’s any doubt. When you need a model release sets out the detail; a solicitor should confirm anything contractual.
Weddings
How much does wedding photography cost in London?
Wedding photography starts at £950 for a half day covering the ceremony and about two hours around it. Most London couples spend £1,400 to £2,000 for a full day of ten to twelve hours, once you count getting ready, travel between venues and the evening reception. What a London wedding costs to photograph breaks the range down by venue.
Do I need a second photographer?
Not always, and I’d say no more often than most photographers do. I shoot solo as standard and bring in a second for £250 to £400 when a day genuinely needs it, usually over 100 guests or two ceremony locations. Under that, a second shooter mostly adds cost without adding coverage you’d notice.
What happens if it rains?
I shoot through it. Rain changes the plan, not the outcome: portraits move under cover or work with umbrellas, and a wet pavement often photographs better than couples expect. I carry weather-sealed kit and covers for both camera bodies, and I’d rather work with October rain than promise a marquee backup I can’t guarantee.
Do you offer wedding albums?
Not included in the base price, and I’d rather say that now than have it surprise you on the invoice. A 30-spread album is £350 to £600 on top. Plenty of couples are just as happy with the digital gallery, and I won’t push an album on anyone who doesn’t want one.
Corporate, events and commercial
What insurance do you carry for corporate and event work?
£5m public liability cover as standard, with employers’ liability added whenever a second shooter joins the job. Certificates for both go out ahead of the shoot, usually to whoever raised the booking or is clearing me through security. What insurance a photographer should carry covers the different policies and what each protects.
Can you work around building security in the City or Canary Wharf?
Regularly. Photo ID registered with the building a week ahead and a security escort above ground floor are common in both areas, and I plan for it rather than turning up and hoping. Some lobbies won’t allow a tripod without notice either, so confirm your building’s process when you book.
Can you turn images around same day for a launch or press deadline?
Often, for corporate and event work specifically. Same-day or next-day delivery is available for a board pack, a press deadline or a listing going live, and I’ll flag whether it’s realistic once I know the brief. It isn’t standard on every booking, since a rushed edit is the fastest way to miss something.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, without any back-and-forth. Most corporate clients send one before I even raise it, and I’m used to signing before seeing a full brief. If your legal team has a standard version, send it over when you confirm the booking.
Drone, permits and legal
Are you authorised to fly a drone in London?
I hold a CAA Operational Authorisation and £5m public liability cover, both checked before every booking. That covers the airspace side of things; it doesn’t cover whether a landowner wants a drone overhead, which is a separate permission entirely. UK drone law in 2026 covers what the authorisation does and doesn’t include.
Do you need the landowner’s permission as well?
Always, and I ask for it in writing before any flight goes ahead. A CAA authorisation only covers the airspace; it says nothing about whether the site owner wants a drone above their property that day. For a private garden that’s usually a quick email; for a managed building or a park, it takes longer.
Where can you actually fly in London?
It depends on the site. Heathrow and London City airport both carry restriction zones well beyond the runway, and most of inner London counts as a congested area, limiting how close I can fly to people and buildings I don’t control. Send me a postcode and I’ll check current restrictions first.
Do I need a permit to photograph in London?
Often, once a shoot moves beyond a personal set of pictures on a public pavement. Royal parks and some borough parks charge a fee for a booked, commercial shoot, and requirements change often enough that I check before every job. Where you need a permit to shoot in London has the current detail by location.
If your question isn’t answered above, send me the question directly, and I’ll come back to you personally before the next working day is out. Tell me the service, your date and the postcode, and you’ll get an honest price, not a vague range.