Welcome to our website!
We're Simon and Helen and we provide wedding photography in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, South Wales, Swansea and the Gower. We're young, passionate wedding photographers. Our work will speak for itself but in a nutshell this is what we do-Getting to know you.
A month or so before the big day we organise a "getting to know you shoot" where we'll have a short informal photo session at a location that's special to you. This gives us a chance to get familiar with each other and means that on the day you'll be completely comfortable with us.2 photographers, all day long!
On the day we start in the morning, covering the preparations, and finish at the end of the night with the party in full swing. We're both present for the whole day so that we can tell the whole story.Stress free!
We work in a photojournalistic style (being in the right place at the right time to capture moments as they unfold) for 90% of your day. We also do a few family group shots and a short creative Bride and Groom shoot- you'll look and feel fantastic!Images on a disc?
All of our full day packages include a high resolution, copyright free disc of your images as well as DVD slideshows set to music.No hidden costs!
All of our prices are fully inclusive- no hidden extras and no hard sell later on. We charge fairly for what we do but our interest is in art and the beauty of your day, not pounds and pence!The buzz!
You'll find that we're as excited about your big day as you are, you'll enjoy us being there and your images will reflect that. We hope to hear from you soon.Our packages all include-
- a pre-wedding "getting to know you" shoot. - all day coverage by both Simon and Helen. - a dvd slideshow of your images. - a high resolution, copyright-free disc of your images. - your images displayed online for friends and family to see.Please get in touch to confirm availability and to request a full price list.
"Simon and Helen, our wedding photos are totally stunning. We couldn't have wished for anything more, exceeded anything we imagined. Fantastico! Thank you." Kerry and Daniel
"Simon and Helen prepared very well before the day asking questions, checking light and so on…as a result the day passed without a hitch and beautiful photos resulted. They shied away from the obvious and formal and captured the events of the day from a more interesting angle. Simon and Helen have an amazing knack of capturing fleeting golden moments so that when you look through the images you're not so much looking at pictures as precious memories distilled." Laura and Tom
"Thank you so much for the pictures- they have all come out so perfectly! The day went by so quickly and looking at them means we can re-live it again." Lindsey and Tim
"Simon and Helen captured our special day exactly how we wanted to remember it- relaxed and everyone enjoying themselves. They were professional but approachable, friendly and interacted well with our guests. Their eye for detail around the venue means we can now look back on photos that make us smile every time. The after service was quick and the mix of black and white and colour photos is beautiful. Again we cannot fault their professionalism, responding very quickly to any of our queries.We would be happy to recommend them to anyone who is looking for a professional, friendly and affordable service. " Faye and Lloyd
"We couldn't be more pleased with the service we received from Gilbert and Evans. Their professional yet personal manner made for stunning photographs with no stress involved. Perfect!" Julie and Richard
The Deer Park is an elegant country house just outside of Honiton and comprises of a beautifully designed and kept hotel in 80 acres of grounds. We really enjoyed the luxurious and visually impressive interiors, the extensive gardens and the light airy marquee for our photography. Click here for some of our Deer Park Wedding Photography
Stoodleigh Court is a country house built in 1881, winning an award for the architect. The fantastic design of the house, both inside and out, is certainly one of the things we love about the venue along with it's cosy yet light interior and sumptuous rooms, huge windowed tower and landscaped gardens. All in all this is a great venue to photograph in and any couple would feel very special to spend their day here. See some of our Stoodleigh Court Wedding Photography by clicking here.
The Soar Mill Cove Hotel is a super venue with beautiful Devon countryside on 3 sides and simply stunning coast on the fourth. The inside is modern and light with lots of interesting features for an adventurous photographer to use and the outside is of course the famous cove with it's gorgeous beach, atmospheric sky and dramatic rocks jutting out of the sea. If you like nature and seascapes, this is the devon wedding venue for you. See our Soar Mill Cove wedding photography here.
Kitley House Hotel is a listed grade one building over 500 years old, set in hundreds of wooded acres. What do we love about Kitley? We love the beautiful airy rooms- just right for Bridal preparation shots, we love the magnificent architecture and the landscaped gardens. We particularly like to take our couple for a wander and some creative wedding photography- sometimes shooting in a corridor with an intricate ceiling, sometimes on the sweeping staircase, sometimes in a softly lit room overlooking the gardens. We never get bored here, there's too much to play with!
The Oxwich Bay Hotel is a lovely hotel with lovely gardens but of course the main attraction is it's location- just metres from one of the best beaches in the UK. As if this wasn't enough, the stunning Three Cliffs Bay is very near too. Couples choosing this venue tend to enjoy photography on the beach and we're more than happy to feel the sand between our toes as we stroll around looking for just the right background and just the right light too. See some Gilbert and Evans Photography from Oxwich Bay here.
How does the "getting to know you" portrait session work?
This is an informal shoot that takes place at some stage before the wedding and gives us a chance to work together in a relaxed fashion. You would choose an outdoor location, perhaps one that has a special significance to you, and we would spend an hour or so there having fun, getting used to each other and making some great images. This will pay dividends on you wedding day because you won't feel like you're being photographed by strangers.Who will actually photograph our wedding?
On all of the full day packages it will always be both of us, Helen and Simon, because it is the way that we work together that defines our style.We don't use other photographers in our place because we wouldn't trust anyone but ourselves on your important day.Won't I feel awkward being photographed while I'm getting ready in the morning?
Not at all. The getting ready coverage is about capturing the relaxed preparations and getting shots of the details- shoes, dresses, flowers etc. We work very much in the background, you'll hardly notice us, but we're also very happy to put our cameras down and lend a hand in a crisis! If you wish, one of us can photograph the Bridal preparations whilst the other photographs the Groom's. As an added bonus you will find that having the interaction in the morning, you'll feel much more comfortable in front of the camera throughout the day.How long should we allow for photos on the day?
We make extensive plans with you in the run up to the big day to make sure that your day will run smoothly. As part of this planning we discuss whether you would like any family group shots (we recommend that you do include a few) but we suggest that between us we make a list of up to 6 important groups. By carefully choosing who appears in each group, this number of groups will be more than enough. You are of course welcome to opt for a longer list of groups and to give you an idea of timescale we suggest you allow approximately five to ten minutes per group. At some stage in the day we like to take you both to some nearby scenic locations for some creative shots. This will also provide a break for you, as it will be one of the few parts of the day where you can be alone and relax. We like to allow about 30 minutes for this. Aside from these we work in a reportage style so our goal for 90% of the day is to make beautiful images of moments as they unfold without interfering with the flow of the day. That said, you should feel perfectly confident to grab either one of us at any time and ask us to get a picture of anything you wish; it's your day and we're there to capture it the way you want us to.We're a little bit nervous about being photographed; will that be a problem?
You'll feel much less nervous for already having done a "getting to know you" shoot before the wedding and as you're probably starting to gather, we're very relaxed in the way we work- we like to make things fun, we'll be as excited as you are and we like natural pictures. On the day, when we do the family groups and your couple portraits, we don't go in for hours of rigid posing and we're very experienced in helping you to relax and enjoy yourselves. The rest of the time you'll hardly be aware of us. In short, you'll be surprised on the day that you're not nervous at all; the photography should be part of the excitement of the day, not a chore!How much input do we have?
As much as you would like. We discuss the details of your day with you from the moment you book us, we meet up with you in advance to discuss these details and we visit the ceremony and reception venues in advance so that we can discuss locations with you. We speak to the person who will conduct your ceremony and your contact at the reception venue so that we can agree schedules and plans. You tell us what you'd like and we make it happen. After the big day we discuss which images you'd like (from a much larger selection) and in the case of the beautiful albums, we collaborate on layout and design.How soon do we receive our photos?
We produce three copies of a DVD slideshow of your samples- one for you and one for each set of parents- we will have these with you by the time you return from your honeymoon, at this time we will also have uploaded your images to our website for your friends and family to view. We will deliver your finished prints, album or wedding book within 8-10 weeks of you choosing your final images.When do we pay you?
We ask for a non-refundable £150 deposit at the time of booking and this removes the date from our diary. We never photograph more than one wedding per day. The balance is due two weeks before your wedding day.What if it rains?
We've both lived in the UK for our whole lives so we're no strangers to photographing in the rain! We go to great lengths to identify back-up locations in case of adverse weather and although it sometimes feels like it, it doesn't often rain continually for a whole day and there are generally lovely breaks that we take advantage of. Rain won't stop you having a fabulous day and it won't stop us taking fabulous photographs.Any other questions? Just ask!
simon@gilbertandevans.com
01392 832597