Info
My approach.
My name is Mark Carey and I am a documentary photographer based in London. I have been shooting weddings and also travel photography as reportage ever since I picked up a camera. I have never had any interest in photographing posed shots, line-ups or what might be considered traditional wedding photography — my photographic heart lies in documentary, showing things as they really are, not as someone has contrived them to be. I see it as my job to tell the story of your day in series of images that will be simple and timeless — images shot and processed in a classical style that will become something for you to look back and treasure for years to come. I will of course take a limited number of group shots if required and a couple of simple shots of the two of you together. These are all kept to a minimum, carried out quickly and without fuss.
My photography is perfect for those who really don’t like posing for the camera. It is my role to show people at their best whilst they are mostly unaware that I am photographing them. I do this by conducting myself quietly and shooting almost entirely without flash. Indeed many clients have said that their guests were unaware that they had a photographer at their wedding. In many ways I try and shoot like a filmmaker with a mixture of establishing shots showing where you were, tighter shots showing what you and your guests were doing and lastly very tight shots showing those small details that complete the narrative of your day.
What is happens on the day?
I generally arrive about an hour and a half before you leave your home or hotel to get married and after a brief introduction start quietly shooting. I spend the rest of the day ‘tagging along’ with you or your guests, following the action in whatever form that takes. I shoot discreetly through your ceremony and reception and generally take a break at the time when you sit down to eat — I don’t like to shoot people while they are actually eating so this time is perfect. I grab myself a bite to eat, recharge my batteries and I am soon fired up and ready to to go again. Of course I shoot the speeches and the general reportage that surrounds the reception — old friends seeing one another after years, people having fun, children playing, small nuances of behaviour that add colour to the day. I photograph your cake cutting and your first dance if that is how you have planned your day. I stick around a little longer whilst your friends and family show what they can do on the dance floor and once I am happy that I have covered all the major elements of the story, I go home.
How much?
I do not have a wedding package list, I like to keep things very simple. I provide a full day’s coverage and supply a usb stick of your individually edited images for £1,500. Typically, I arrive about an hour or so before you leave your home or hotel to get married and then I quietly shoot all day staying a little beyond the first dance. That gives you an attendance of 9 to 10 hours which generally covers all the major aspects of the day. A couple of weeks after your wedding you will receive the usb in its presentation box ready for you to view the files, print and share. I provide at least 300–400 individually edited images in vibrant colour and also a second edit which is my preferred black and white/colour mix.
The next step?
Please feel free to call or email me so we can have an informal chat about your needs and the plans for your day. After that we can either meet or work things out on the phone. Ultimately, if you choose to hire me, I will send you a booking form in which I ask you to outline your day. Once you have sent me a £250 deposit, your date is secured. I would encourage you if you are considering booking me to see what other clients have said about my service on my kind words page.
‘a driving force in creative wedding reportage photography’
Rachael D’cruze — Photography journalist.
‘Mark Carey is a master of reportage work’
Sean Samuels – deputy editor Photography monthly magazine.
‘stunning images, really incredible work — its all about about composition’
Grant Scott – editor of Professional photographer magazine.