At some point during the drinks reception we’ll take the two of you away briefly for a first set of couple photographs — a short session, kept deliberately concise so you’re not away from your guests for long. The main session comes later, usually in the early evening before the evening party begins, when the light is at its best and the pace of the day has naturally quietened.
These are some of the most important photographs of the entire day. They’re also, for many couples, the first real chance to be together away from the crowd – a genuine pause before the evening gets going. We want both sessions to feel like exactly that: a nice, quiet break, not a chore.
Just the two of you
We keep couple sessions private. No entourage, no guests with cameras, no member of staff guiding us to the next location. This is your time and we protect it.
Occasionally someone will try to tag along — a guest with a new camera, an enthusiastic family member. We’ll politely ask them to head back to the party. It’s not about being precious; it’s simply that the moment someone else joins, the dynamic changes and the pictures suffer. Uncle Fred means well, but he’s not coming with us.
Timing across the seasons
How the couple sessions sit within the day depends largely on the time of year.
For summer weddings, the two-session approach works well — a brief fifteen to twenty minutes during the drinks reception, followed by the main session in the evening when the light is at its best. Summer evenings can be extraordinary to work in, and it’s worth building time for a proper session — typically thirty minutes or more — after the meal and speeches but before the evening party begins.
For autumn and winter weddings, the light goes too early for an evening session to be viable. Everything has to be done in the afternoon, which is one of the reasons we ask for a longer drinks reception window during the darker months. We plan the timing carefully in advance so there’s no last-minute scramble, and we’ll talk through how it maps to your day well before the wedding.
Whatever the season, the sessions are led by us. We know where the light will be, we know the venue, and we know how to make the most of the time available.
The light
Finding beautiful light to work with is always a priority. Whatever the conditions, there’s something to work with – the low golden warmth of a summer evening, the crisp clarity of a winter afternoon, the soft diffused quality of an overcast autumn day. Even harsh midday sun has its uses in the right setting.
We’ve shot couple sessions in all of them. The season and the weather don’t determine whether the photographs are beautiful – the quality of the light and knowing how to use it do. That’s our job.
Showing off your venue
Part of what we’re doing during the couple sessions is making the most of where you’ve chosen to get married. Every venue has something to offer – the architecture, the grounds, the particular quality of light in a certain spot at a certain time of day. We’ll have thought about this before we arrive, and we’ll be looking for it throughout the day.
Whether the venue is grand and formal, rustic and relaxed, or somewhere with a more unusual or intimate character, we’ll find what makes it worth photographing and build the sessions around it.
One photographer or two
When both Robin and Sarah are booked, we both come with you for the couple sessions – rather than one staying behind with the guests. The results are richer for it: two photographers reading the same moment from different angles produces something that a single perspective can’t replicate.
There’s more detail on how the two options compare across the whole day on our one photographer or two page.
Where next?
The couple photo sessions provide some of the key images of the day, but our methodology goes much further. If you’d like to know more about how we approach a specific part of the day, these links cover each section in detail.
If you’re ready to talk about your wedding, we’d love to hear from you. Take a look at our packages and pricing, or get in touch directly to arrange a conversation.
