Professional Wedding Photographer

Based in West Sussex and covering the UK and Abroad. Creative, simple, and affordable Wedding Photography

Professional Wedding Photography for West Sussex

VisualChaos Studios is based near Crawley, East Grinstead & Gatwick, West Sussex. Professionally qualified award-winning photographer who has been shooting weddings for decades.

You are unlikely to spend the kind of money you spend on wedding pictures and video many times (if at all) in your life, so selecting the right wedding photographer and videographer is very important.

As you hire the Wedding Photographer / videographer and not the pictures or film, it is very important that you check us out before booking by coming to meet us if possible or by chatting over the phone, Skype/Facebook/eMail etc… Chemistry is vitally important to ensure you are relaxed and comfortable, just as much as technical perfection, and so a visit to our studio for a no obligation chat is sensible if you aren’t too far away.

For those living out of the area, a chat over the phone, Skype, email or social media will work just as well, we shoot destination weddings with clients overseas so we are used to remote communications. You will be amazed at how much wedding knowledge we have from the many many years of experience we have of shooting weddings, so if nothing else, it’s a good opportunity to pick our brains.

Your wedding day is so exciting that it can race past without you having time to notice the results of all your careful planning. Through all your years together, you will come to rely on your wedding pictures, movie and wedding album as the most complete reminder of your happy day.

This is why choosing the right wedding photographer and videographer for you is so important.

It’s not just important memories, it is a historical heirloom for your children, and their descendants. It doesn’t matter whether your wedding is held at a church, hotel, registry office, or whether the wedding is traditional, contemporary or a same-sex civil partnership, religious or non-religious, your wedding story will be captured professionally, sensitively and creatively.

With our wedding cinematography, we create a modern alternative to the old style wedding video. No longer 6 hours long of documentary footage (zzzz….), our wedding films are a movie experience, telling your wedding story in a full feature 15-30 minute film, staring of course the Bride & Groom! We even create a movie trailer the perfect length 2-3 minutes long for you to play on Facebook and other social media services so that your followers get a full flavour of your fantastic wedding day.

Coverage from Preparations through Reception
Professional Wedding Photographers
Professional Wedding Cinematographer
Journalistic Photography Styles
Modern Photography Styles
Wedding Cinematography 15-20min Film
Photos and Movie on USB & 30 Day Online Portfolio
Italian Designer Storybook Album
Aerial Drone Photos and Video (conditions apply)
Trash/Cherish the Dress Shoot (optional)
Bridal Boudoir Shoot (optional)
Decades of Wedding Experience
Destination Weddings Options

PHOTOGRAPHY

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Modern wedding photography has moved on from the days of simple family group capture after the ceremony, with a few pictures signing the register and cutting the cake.

With the move to digital photography we can now tell the story of your wedding day as it unfolds and as it should be, using a documentary journalistic style that allows you to focus on your big day without the constant interruption and control of the photographer.

Add to that the opportunity for creative wedding fine art shots along with traditional or classic wedding portraiture, in colour as well as black and white, you have a fantastic pictorial story full of history, fun and emotion.

The photography coverage can start with the bride an hour or so prior to leaving for the ceremony, and continues with your ceremony and reception (wedding breakfast) through to when you sit down to eat. We can offer speeches and first dance coverage in our Fusion Packages, (includes cinematography) and concludes after your first dance or 9pm (whichever comes first).

We use a very unobtrusive editorial and documentary style of photography as well as classic portraits if required such as family groups with mum and dad, family and friends. Photographs are taken of the dress, shoes and flowers, along with the fun and excitement of the bride and her friends and family getting ready, along with the groom (if coverage is included) with his best man and groomsmen.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

WEDDING CINEMATOGRAPHY SHORT FILM

With our Fusion wedding package we include a wedding film carefully and skillfully created from video shots and sound captured over the course of the day. We can even include drone footage too!

The style is very cinematic, like a movie, staring the bride and groom. We don’t shoot the old fashion wedding video and present you with hours of documentary footage that you are likely to only sit through once. The story for the film is shot by collecting key moments throughout the day up to your first dance, along with sound of course and when/where permitted/applicable, aerial images shot with our professional certified drones pilots.

There is no specific length to the film although the target length will range from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. Hollywood will shoot for 9-12 months with a huge team and multi cameras to produce just a 90 minute film, we have one day and it’s a wedding first and foremost, so content is king and the film length will reflect this.

In addition to the feature film, we have additional options to include full vows and speech coverage, edit and presentation. Plus a short 2-3 minute social media friendly trailer for your wedding film, fantastic to show family and friends and those you are connected to.

We call this our Wedding “Fusion” package, and includes wedding photography, wedding cinematography video film, sound and drone coverage (subject to permissions and the weather), two professional creatives, along with a professional designer wedding album from Graphistudio. More information here…

FAQs

OUR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What happens if we don't want all the package items?

We can review our price if you wedding plans don’t fit our published package options, so it is always good to get in touch and ask, particularly if your wedding is on a week day or out of season.

We would like to meet to discuss our wedding plans & requirements

Absolutely! You really should…. If you are able to travel to our studio, then that is the best place for us to meet, but if you are not local then using the Phone, eMail or Skype or Facebook or equivalent to chat works just as well. To make an appointment for a chat use our online calendar – Contact Us

I would like to view your wedding portfolio

We don’t print out work any longer due to costs and that the work is out of date so quickly. Instead we publish 100s if not 1000s of images on our website(s) and they are always fresh and up to date. Follow the links to the gallery/portfolio page and use the picture links to sort through our work. We know that most people use their phones to surf the internet these days, and that’s fine, however remember that phone tech is still not good enough yet plus the size of screen is not the best way to look at proper pictures. So, please try to view our work on a PC or Mac and enjoy the experience as it was designed to be. We don’t put small low resolutions images on-line as this cheapens the work, so you will need to be patient if you still wish to view on a phone – Click here for the gallery

Will you work with a Videographer?

Yes of course…. but we have had bad experiences with cheap amateur providers who have little interest in what we do or that of their clients to be honest. As we offer a unique and modern alternative to the wedding video ourselves, we highly recommend you take that option instead – it will be cheaper also!

What is your wedding style?

This is a difficult one to answer as there are so many styles that we bring to the day, depending on what part of the day it is and clients requirements. The majority of the time we use a journalistic approach for the photography side (or reportage as it is often called) because your wedding day should be told like any other story. Taking pictures that tells this story is the backbone to the photographic coverage. Then we add classic or traditional styles to cover family group shots if you require them as well as traditional styles to cover the anchor shots such as getting out the bridal car, walking down the aisle, cutting the cake etc. Where we then differ is on how we use creative opportunities, when shooting the couple on their own, in what we affectionately like to call the ‘portrait walk’. Here we may use fashion, pictorial and editorial photographic styles, whether they are planed or spontaneous, and is a chance to experiment perhaps, or to just simply have some fun! In any event we talk through all this prior to the wedding so that we know what you like and want, as at all times it is your call. With the wedding film we shoot a cinematic style of story telling designed to be watched over and over again. We don’t provide you with 6 hours of documentary, our films are are content built and usually run between 15 and 30 minutes

Do we get digital images that we can print?

Yes, you most certainly do… We provide you with photography images sized at 9″ on the longest side at a resolution of 240 ppi in jpeg format. This means that you can print them up to about an A4 size although we recommend for quality up to 9″ only. We can also provide you with a Social Media copies that you can use on Social Media like Facebook that is sized correctly with the appropriate copyright notice for use on such sites.

Do we get or own the copyright to the pictures/movie

No, sorry, absolutely not, why would you want it anyway? The copyright will always stay with the photographer or film maker – Click here for our copyright policy

Do we have to pay a deposit and what if we change our mind?

Yes, we need to take a deposit from your to secure your date which is NOT refundable. We make a commitment to clients when they book to not take any other photography or video bookings on that day, whether that is another wedding or a session in the Studio or commercial shoot/film (we physically close the studio for the whole day) or photographing the Queen! We don’t pencil clients in for any date, the only way to secure a date is to complete the booking form AND pay the wedding deposit, we will then confirm your booking formally, after which we are contractually bound. If you have to cancel your wedding for whatever reason, we will not refund the deposit UNLESS we have managed to resell the same wedding date to someone else at the same fee. Please ensure that you are totally happy to enter into a contact/agreement with us to provide your wedding photography/videography and that you take out wedding insurance which is very very very cheap considering. Here is a list of insurers you should look at.

What if it is raining outside or dark

In the UK you have to think about and make plans for the weather, it’s just the way it is. When looking for a venue, doesn’t matter what time of year it is, you should discuss with the venue about what happens if it rains. Guests huddled together in a small indoor space with no natural light is not conducive to taking great imagery – we must have light! So you may want to talk about a back up room with as much available light as you can get. With rain it will lower the ambient light levels and so bright cleanly lit rooms are best. It may still be necessary to use studio lights or speedlite flash units, but this should be seen as a last resort. Modern cameras are working very well these days in low light, but the quality will still be compromised. So think ahead and make a note to plan for the weather both with the venue as well as with us…. hot cold, rainy, dry, burning sun, snow or hail can all conspire to ruin your wedding imagery despite the best efforts of professional photographers and film makers, so planning is the key.

Are you full-time wedding photographer / Videographer?

Yes we are…. We are professional qualified and accredited and make our living solely from photography, videography, cinematography and aerial drone work.

I have found another photographer/videographer, will you match his/her price?

Not really, probably not…. May be….. Don’t know… You can’t really compare as you won’t know what their costs and over heads are compared to ours, or whether they have other work/job supplementing their income etc. We have thought a lot about our fees and what we quote is what we need to charge when taking into account costs, bills, investment into equipment, investment into training, professional insurances and most importantly, skills and abilities! If the most important decision you need to make is about the price between us, then you should go with the cheaper one! The cheapest option is of course to get a mate to do it right? But as you are still reading our website at this point, we assume that you have your wedding imagery very high up on your agenda – which is where it truly should be.

Will you Travel?

Yes, no problem. Weddings have taken us into Europe as well as round the UK. We will charge on travel and accommodation if needed, at cost.

What are your terms & conditions, I'm sure you have them?

Oh yes! Most definitely… here is the link: Photography Terms

Our wedding will be in winter, will this be a problem?

No, although they can be tricky! Winter weddings really benefit from an early ceremony time as the light can disappear as early at 3pm in December. So again, give some careful thought to the venue you choose and make sure that they have the appropriate indoor facilities. It is essential that you visit your venue in the season you plan to marry so you can see the location, light and gardens that will appear on the day at that time of year. We speak to a lot of clients who chose a venue due to the fantastic gardens they saw when they visited in the summer, but then chose a winter date and of course the gardens have disappeared. Careful planning is the key and talk to us so we can advise you on how to get the best out of your wedding photography and movie.

What if you are ill prior to the wedding?

Firstly – touch-wood – this has never happened. Sure we have had colds, man flu, limps, aches and pains but nothing that will keep us from attending a wedding. It would have to be something very serious to keep us away. But if truly incapacitated then we would call upon our industry body to provide equivalent cover.

What equipment do you use?

We use the latest pro equipment as you would expect and continue to invest and replace gear all the time. We are not an amateurs, we are pros and therefore the top gear are the tools for our trade. They are not cheap either!

Do I have to have family groups shots?

No, totally up to you. However, consider the older members of the family who may still want these shots, they don’t have to be boring or stuffy of course and can be taken very quickly. But as always, this is up to you.

What is Reportage or Candid Photography?

Reportage is another way of saying unobtrusive journalistic story telling, allowing the story of the day to unfold naturally without too much control and contrived posing and photographer intervention. You have heard that a “picture is worth a 1000 words” right? The best pictorial story tellers have always been war journalist types, and this skill is something that has to be learned and developed assuming an eye for it existed initially. Unfortunately a lot of new photographers starting out who opt to adopt a machine-gun approach to blasting away 1000s of images with their camera set on paparazzi mode in the hope of photoshopping a selection based on what they have seen on other photographer’s websites also call this Reportage…… sorry, ranting…. ‘wind the window down, wind the window down…”