Very candid
Ali is good value for a wedding photographer. He lights the photos beautifully and arrived promptly on the day.
When we had our initial call he described himself as a reportage photographer but would make sure there were some posed photos on the day. If you want very candid photography Ali is great. I was a little disappointed. The 7 posed group photos are lovely, but unfortunately almost all the candids are 'that would be so nice if it wasn't for x' - there's a beautiful moment where ones of my bridesmaids was putting the necklace she lent me on me as my something borrowed but she has a very prominent double chin and hates the photo. In a lot of my couple shots with my husband my veil fell out, Ali didn't let us know, then not did he notice when my husband put the veil in upside down. There's a photo of our hands that would have been beautiful but my engagement ring had spun. There's a photo of me and the bridesmaids walking the ceremony that would be really nice if our wedding coordinator wasn't stood in front of everyone. There's a lot of examples like this. If you want just just very natural reportage, Ali is a good choice.
I am a bit uncomfortable having my photo taken. Ali is not the kind of photographer who gives you guidance on how to stand or take a flattering photo, which for me in hindsight would have been helpful. The one thing he did very firmly insist on was that me and my husband go and stand in a field of knee high wild flowers after it had recently heavily rained. The photos do look striking, but unfortunately it meant my dress became very uncomfortable, heavy, muddy and waterlogged for our reception. I had tried saying I was unsure but Ali had insisted and I'm not a very assertive person.
Also unfortunately there were no group shots of my and my bridesmaids, at all. I'd just assumed the photographer would prompt this to happen and had asked for it. There's also no photographs of me and my father, who arrived later due to complicated family dynamics. Do appreciate the wedding went by in a flash and I hadn't built specific time into it, so if you are using Ali and want bridesmaids shots or shots with family members make sure you don't make this mistake and build in time.
The most disappointing this however - during the later part of the reception I was felt up by one of the guests, one of my husbands extended cousins. I was very shocked, upset, and am a previous assault survivor so this was quite triggering. Obviously this is in no way Alis fault, however it was horrible and left me kind of shaken after the wedding.
The day after the wedding neither me nor my husband had seen any photos. The first images I saw where ones Ali posted online to his social media, tagging me in (and my business page). He posted about ten images, one of which, unfortunately, was a solo shot of the cousin. I almost threw up when I saw it.
Obviously this is an unusual situation, but it felt kind of insensitive, and perhaps unprofessional, for someone you've paid a lot of money to to just post photos straight to their Instagram? I then had to message to explain the situation and please ask him to remove the photo of the cousin, which is quite an uncomfortable conversation. I asked him to please remove any photos of the cousin in question from our photos. Unfortunately he did not do this so I had to edit them out myself (I'm not a professional photographer but managed to do this using the removal tool on a phone app. A little disappointed a professional could not manage this or didn't want to bother).
Separately to that, I also just felt so ugly in the photos Ali had posted, I appreciate that I've got a kind of unfortunate face (obviously not Alis fault) but it would have been nice to see one photo in then ten he chose to post where my mouth was closed and my eyes were open.
All in all, I'd say Ali is a skilled photographer who is reasonably priced for his service and captures landscapes beautifully. He's a good fit for brides who are very confident behind a camera and want very candid shots, but perhaps not a good fit for brides who want a bit more guidance/ to be set at ease or want flattering photos / a bit more of a polished feel. I also think the practice of a photographer posting photographs immediately to their social media is somewhat insensitive - maybe he wouldn't do this is specifically asked?
There are some lovely photos, but planning a wedding is very stressful, and just want to be helpful to other brides so they can make an informed decision.
