WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
CORNWALL, DEVON, UK, WORLDWIDE
“Simple, un-staged and truthfully taken, he doesn’t just observe the action, he’s there at the heart of it, shooting in a documentary style and capturing the events as they take place.
Allergic to average and at the centre of the adventure, Pura Vida Cornwall is about real photos of real people. It’s about fun, adventure and getting a great set of authentic shots. Above all, it’s about passion. About life, love and celebration, perfectly captured in the flick of a shutter, those split seconds that don’t just witness a wedding but mark the start of a marriage”
- Jess Collins, The Feral Writer
- MY APPROACH -
I don’t bound my photography to any particular style such as ‘journalistic’, ‘documentary’, ‘adventure’, ‘creative’, ‘natural light’ or ‘fine art’. I just shoot what I think looks beautiful in the most creative way possible. I guess you could say that I am a mix of all of the above. Turning up to a wedding with my eyes open wide and getting amongst the action means that I capture the events as they unfold naturally and show the real memories from your day. I want your photos to take you right back to all of the wedding feels.
'“Mike captured moments which we would have forgotten. Couldn’t recommend Mike highly enough...he’s a pro but also the nicest person! Our photos are incredible, and I can’t stop looking at them!”
- Lakshmi & Jack
// All the info including prices and packages can be found at the bottom of the page //
Keep on scrolling :)
PORTRAITS
I love to snap a few portraits of the bride & groom as individuals. It’s not always about having just a standard ‘portrait’, obvs I get some nice simple ones for the mums amongst the arty stuff.
FORMALS
I shoot the usual group shots but I tend not to show lots of them in my portfolio. I try to focus on the people and real moments instead of standing around trying to organise a massive list of formal family photos. I think that it’s important have photo of each side of the family for sure, but everyone is there to celebrate your marriage and have fun, not to stand in line waiting for their turn to have a posed photo. I have a particular way to photograph the group shots which takes me 20 minutes max.
If you want a ton of formal family photos the I'm probably not the photographer for you.
THE DETAILS
Of course I shoot the details
THE COUPLES PHOTOS
This is the part that most people say “oh god, we are so camera shy and terrible at direction”. Thats where I come in. You would be surprised how easy it all is with the right direction, right photographer and a few glasses of fizz.
Most of my couples stuff is really relaxed and mainly just a lot of fun. You get to have a breather from your wedding and a few seconds to take in the bigger picture and soak in all the love.
I give you space to let your personality shine through instead of just posing in to uncomfortable positions. Seriously though, who stands with their back to their new husband and reaches up to touch his face?!?!
It’s more like “go hang out in that beautiful bit of light and face each other” or “squeeze closer”. TBH it’s a bit of a blur what I ‘actually’ say, I never shut up.
Just leave the rest up to me :)
My FAVOURITE bit
THE PARTY
There are plenty of photographers out there who stay and shoot the first dance and then leave after 5 minutes dancing. I'm not that person. Photographing the party is one of my favourite parts of the day. Documenting the whole wedding but leaving out the party is just a crime. The party is just as an important part of the day as the prep in my opinion. The dance floor is a saturated zone of epic moments, love and hugs and s**t loads of reactions when people have forgotten that I’m still there. #DRUNKGUESTS. I’ll be on the dance floor with all of your guests photographing away and using my cameras as a replacement for a glow stick.
Im usually at your wedding for about 12 hours. Sometimes longer, sometimes less. Weddings don’t happen in just 8 hours. This will include everything from the bridal prep all the way through to and include plenty of the sketchy/amazing dance moves. I’m not into the whole “Im there for 8 hours and then its £xxx per hour extra” thing. If I’m photographing your wedding, I’ll stay there long enough to make sure that it is done properly! At minimum I will arrive at least 2 hours before your ceremony and stay for at lest an hour of the party.
I sell my services across my website in the same way that I want to be sold to. Everything is transparent , no hidden charges, no “contact me for a quote”, no hard sell. Anything you’re not sure about just let me know and I’ll be happy to help.
PACKAGES
Photo 1
Full Photography Coverage
Second Photographer
Engagement shoot
Additional Half Day Coverage
£3400
Photo 2
Full Photography Coverage
Second Photographer
Engagement shoot
£2900
Photo 3
Full Photography Coverage
£2200
SEEN ENOUGH ALREADY?
What’s Included
Full Photography Coverage
- All day coverage starts at least 2 hours before the ceremony and covers at least an hour of the party.
- A pre wedding meeting in person or via Skype to chat/plan and to get to know each other.
- 500+ Fully edited images
- Full license to print and share – you just can’t sell them to a magazine!!
- An online gallery to share & download your images
Second Photographer
Shooting both the bride and groom can sometimes be logistically impossible. A second photographer can make it possible to tell both sides of the story and cover alternate angles throughout the day. While one of us is shooting the group photos, the other can be capturing moments that could potentially be missed :(
Additional Half Day Coverage
Perfect for destination weddings UK & abroad. Available the day before or day after your wedding. BBQ get together, casino black tie evening, hangover recovery pool party or an afternoon at the beach with the family for a game or rounders and to jump into the sea in your wedding dress. All acceptable excuses for this option. It includes 4h of coverage.
Engagement Shoot
This can be interpreted in any way you like. Let’s grab a coffee and hang out first before heading out to take some cool shots. It can be an excuse to get some dreamy, romantic photos in the woods or on some of Cornwall’s stunning cliff tops. Maybe we set up camp on a secret beach spot for a fire and a skinny dip. Or how about suiting up and just going for a surf and having some fun. Most people aren’t used to being papped, it’s a great way to have a practice run at having your photo taken and to learn a few of my prompts and see how it all works first hand (you’ll realise it’s much easier than you anticipated (which might settle any nerves)).
Travel
- Cornwall travel included
- The rest of the UK & International please get in touch (contact form below)
Traveling runs deep in my veins. I might be able to combine expenses with some of my current travel plans and work out some kind of deal. Let’s chat and see what we can do.
Additional Hours
If something else is happening that you specifically want covering, like an early morning surf, or an evening fireworks display/sparklers then the additional hours option will have you covered. I’m not going to be standing there checking my watch but it’s just about being reasonable. Getting up for a sunrise yoga session on the beach would make for some beautiful photos, but asking me to be there for 6h pre ceremony for free is probably taking the p**s a little bit.
So what will these options cost?
The best option would be one of my packages above. If you want to add something in between then you can find my prices below.
Second Shooter - £400
Additional day coverage - £600
Engagement Shoot - £350
Additional hours - £100 per hour
“Mike is a master at what he does, he fits around you but also manages to capture the absolute essence of what you're all about. I would strongly recommend him! Be warned though, he's far too easy to get on with so you'll most likely end up befriending him!”
- Aimee & Ali