INTRODUCTIONS

Q: Who is Soul & Rise?

A: We are Ross & Ruth, a husband and wife photography and video duo. We live in Bangor with our daughter and when we’re not shooting or editing weddings… we’re going to parks, listening to music, spending time with family and friends, visiting coffee shops, sipping on wine and watching good quality Films and TV shows.

Q: How long have you been shooting weddings?

A: We have been shooting weddings since 2014 and absolutely love what we do. We also do a bit of other work here and there to keep us on our toes. Ruth runs her own product photography business Native Ivy, and Ross - well he always has a new photography or video project on the go. Shooting weddings however is our main focus and our one true love! We couldn’t think of a better job than what we do, capturing happy people in love, looking and feeling great on the best day of their lives. It’s such a pleasure to do what we do and we’re so grateful every day for it.

Q: What does a Soul & Rise wedding look like?

A: Here are a few words to describe ourselves, how we work, and our work itself… natural, chilled, colourful, creative, relaxed, unobtrusive, real, joyful, fun!

When tasked with capturing a couple’s big day, our main emphasis is shooting them and their wedding as naturally as possible. We want to capture couples as they truly are with each other so they can look back on their photographs and/or video for years to come and see themselves. Not some stiff, awkward, posed version of themselves.

We love to spend as much time as possible on a wedding day capturing all of the natural, real, candid moments between a couple and their guests and we’re always on the hunt for those hidden-gems that otherwise would be forgotten. The wiping away of a tear, the giggle of a school friend at a crude joke, the hand squeeze at the top of the aisle, the uncle who splits his trousers on the dancefloor etc.

Each wedding day should be a true representation of each unique couple. We encourage couples to abandon all traditions that have no meaning for them and create their own bespoke wedding that celebrates who they are in the most chilled, colourful and creative way possible. We’d love to be there to capture it every step of the way.

Q: Can you shoot both video & photography at our wedding?

A: Yes! We offer several photography only packages and video only packages which include one of us shooting your wedding. Our most popular offerings however are our video & photography combo packages which include us both shooting on the day. Here is a link where you can read all about the packages we offer…
www.soulandrise.com/packages

Some couples love that they can book one business to capture both video and photography at their weddings; others like to choose different businesses for different styles. Our advice is to do your research! Watch lots of wedding videos, look through lots of photography. Check out a photographers website and not just their best images on Instagram. Try imagining yourself in the videos/photographs. Book who you think will capture your wedding the way you imagine it.

Q: What do your previous couples think about their photographs and videos?

A: We have been so fortunate to have worked with so many incredible couples since starting Soul & Rise in 2014. Here is a link where you can read some real reviews from recent couples…
www.soulandrise.com/reviews

VIDEO QUESTIONS

Q: What length are the videos we receive?

A: If you book our Video Basic package, the final videos you receive are the 8min Highlights Film and 30sec Teaser Video.
If you book our Video Boost package, the final videos you receive are the 12min Highlights Film and 30sec Teaser Video.

Our Combo Basic package is a combination of our Photography Basic and Video Basic packages.
Combo Boost package is a combination of our Photography Boost and Video Boost packages.

Read more about our packages by following the link below or if you have any more specific questions please get in touch, our email is info@soulandrise.com

www.soulandrise.com/packages

Q: Do you record audio from the ceremony or speeches?

We do not record audio from the ceremony or speeches. The reason for this is that our focus is on creating the best Highlights Film and Teaser Video we possibly can for you. On the day we need to be free to move about, react to what happens and capture your day from as many angles as possible. Focusing on the picture and not the sound allows us to get the best footage so we can edit together the most creative videos we can, that will make you feel like you are reliving the best day of your lives when you watch them.

If having the ceremony and speeches recorded is something you really want on your day we often suggest to our couples to have a guest stand at the side and record them on a phone. If a creative video is less important to you than a having the ceremony and speeches recorded in full, we suggest continuing your search for a videographer.

Q: How do you choose the music for the videos?

Choosing the music for your wedding videos is something we pride ourselves on. Many couples have come back to us saying they love the music we chose for their videos, some have even said they now have a new favourite song.

Basically we choose music based on the feeling we get from your wedding day. It’s hard to describe but we listen through hundreds of songs and when we find one that makes us feel like we did on your wedding, we know we’re on to a winner. We obtain a licence for all the music we use on your videos so you can share them online with whoever you wish, without them being removed for copyright infringement.

If there are any particular genres of music you both absolutely hate, it is best to let us know before we start editing. Don’t worry; we probably won’t end up using any Death Metal or Gangster Rap - only high quality emotive music from real musicians, matched to the feeling of your day.

Q: How and when will my final videos be delivered?

We aim to get your final videos edited and across to you as soon as we possibly can. Officially we say we deliver your final files within a month of your wedding, but often it is sooner than that. We would hate to make you wait too long to relive the best day of your life, so after your wedding day is over we get cracking with the editing process.

PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS

Q: Can we do an engagement shoot before the big day arrives?

Yes absolutely. Despite what loads of people think, we believe an engagement shoot (or a Pre-Wedding Shoot as we call it) is a wonderful thing and here’s why…

Firstly it’s a great opportunity for us to meet you both before your wedding. On the shoot we get to know each other better, you find out more about how we work, we learn what’s important to you, we can iron out any last queries you may have about the day etc. all of which ultimately will make your wedding run even smoother.

Secondly it is a great opportunity for you both to get comfortable in front of our cameras. Not everyone loves getting their photograph taken in fact most people don’t. Think of booking a Pre-Wedding Shoot as practice for your wedding day.

Thirdly, a Pre-Wedding Shoot can be done anywhere. If there’s a beach/forest/city location that has meaning to you as a couple but you can’t visit on the wedding day, why not get some Pre-Wedding photographs taken there? It’s always nice to have some photographs of the two of you in your everyday clothes in a rad location, as well as lots of lovely photographs from the wedding day.

Fourthly you can use your final photographs from the Pre-Wedding Shoot on the wedding day itself. We’ve seen couples use their Pre-Wedding photography as guest books, invites, wedding websites, table plans, cake toppers, thank you cards etc. These photographs can make your wedding even more personal and memorable to those attending.

A Pre-Wedding Shoot can be booked separately alongside any of our packages.

Convinced yet? Get in touch if you’re interested, we’d love to hear from you…
www.soulandrise.com/contact

Q: What can we expect on the day?

We’re pretty chilled people so that’s how we shoot weddings. We arrive at the bridal prep location around an hour and a half before the bride will leave for the ceremony. We usually start with shots of details like jewellery, invites, shoes etc. and from then on we simply capture your wedding day as it unfolds, trying to get the most creative shots as possible. Between the ceremony and being called in to the reception room we will steal you for some portrait photographs. With the Basic packages our day ends when you’re called into the reception room but the Boost packages include coverage up to the first few dances. Hopefully by the time we come to say our goodbyes to you on the day you’ll be saying “We barely noticed you today”... That’s when we know we’ve done our job right!

Q: Do you do family photographs at weddings?

We can do this if you want a few family photographs taken at some point throughout the day, our advice however is to keep these ‘posed’ family photographs to a minimum, maybe just immediate family for example parents/siblings/grandparents. Gathering up both sets of family members can be very time consuming and often results in a lot of time lost that could be spent capturing all the natural moments of the day in a more candid style. If you want to capture a few family photographs, we suggest that you allocate the responsibility of gathering the necessary people to a bridesmaid or groomsman or sibling or someone other than us who knows all the essential people.

Q: How many photographs do we receive from our wedding day?

If you book our Photography Basic package, you’ll receive a minimum of 350 images whereas the Photography Boost package includes a minimum of 500 images. We securely transfer all of your final digital images to you in full quality so they are ready to be shared, printed and cherished forever.

Q: Do provide printed albums?

We do not offer any printed products. Photographers charges for albums can be very costly to couples, so we leave it to you to do the printing of your own images if you wish to do so.

If this is something you are interested in, over the years we have heard of many online services that you can upload your own files to and easily design your own photobooks. If you book one of our photography packages, we deliver all of your final images digitally in the highest quality we can so they are set up perfectly for you to upload them to an online photography printing service.

Q: Do you shoot groom prep as well as bride prep?

None of our packages include shots of the Groom preparations. The way we see it is that we cannot physically be in two places at once, and if we tried bouncing between Bride preparations and Groom preparations we would run the risk of missing the best bits at both. Instead what we have found works best is after shooting the Bride preparations, we head to the ceremony location a little early to get shots of the Groom and Groomsmen together and guests arriving etc. These photographs will likely be more treasured than shots of the boys sitting around in their boxers all morning.

The only exception we have to our ‘No Groom Prep’ rule is if we are shooting a same sex wedding with two Grooms. If this is you, give us a shout… info@soulandrise.com

Q: Is there anything we need to do to help you capture our wedding?

There are just a couple of minor things that you two can do to make the process smoother. The first is to make sure we have all of the relevant details of your day. When you book we will ask you to fill in a wedding form. On this form is all the basic info we need to shoot your wedding i.e. names, addresses, and times. We totally understand that plans change and evolve, all we ask is that you keep us in the loop any time they do. Communication is key!

Who is your celebrant and have you told them you are having a photographer/videographer/both? Over the years we have met and worked alongside so many lovely celebrants, but on the rarest occasion we have arrived at a church/chapel/ceremony location to be met by a minister/priest/officiant who has said the words “no cameras allowed”. We ask all our couples to please tell whoever is officiating their ceremony that we will be there, and that you definitely want us to capture it.

The more we know about you guys, the better we can tell the story of your day. Let us know about your pets, favourite films and music, honeymoon plans, how you met, your plans for after your wedding, your jobs. It might sound silly, but all of this information helps us do our job better. Your wedding is a celebration of who you are, the better we know you both - the better we can tell your story.

Q: Do we need to meet before the big day?

We don’t need to meet with couples before the big day. We email back and forth a good bit with most of our couples and always answer any queries they might have. If you have any questions at all about your wedding day, you can email us at any time using this email address info@soulandrise.com

If you are getting nervous to be in front of a camera all day, don’t stress… you can always book a Pre-Wedding Shoot (see FAQ answer about Pre-Wedding Shoots above). Our job is to make you feel comfortable and look like yourselves in your photographs. You’ll probably not even be aware of us the rest of the day. If you still want to chat before your big day arrives, get in touch and we’ll organise a Video Chat.

Q: How long do you keep our final files?

Once we have transferred and sent you the links to your final files, it is your job to download and keep them. Our advice is that you download your final files somewhere safe, then back them up, then back up your back ups. Buy an external hard drive to keep everything on, upload your final files to a service like Dropbox, make copies on multiple computers. It is your responsibility to keep your own final files safe once we have sent them across to you.

Q: What happens if you can’t make it to our wedding?

Firstly let us say we have never missed a wedding since we started shooting them in 2014 but as we all know, bad things can happen. If for some unforeseen reason we cannot make it to your wedding whether that is due to illness, giving birth, a death in the family, freak weather, a travel emergency, something we can’t yet think of (pandemic) – we promise to let you know asap and do everything we can, to get another wedding photographer/videographer there to shoot it for you.

Thankfully this has never happened and hopefully it never will, but we thought we would make you aware that this is a real albeit a very rare possibility. We’re only human after all.

Q: We want Soul & Rise to capture our wedding, how do we book?

Thanks for making it this far and that’s awesome. Your first step is to get in touch with us via our contact form on our website. After filling in the form with your date, reception location, what package you’re interested in and a little about yourselves… we will reply with our availability for your day. If we are free to shoot your wedding we will promptly let you know the next steps on how to secure your date with us.

Here is that all important first contact link. We’re so excited to hear from you, talk to you about your plans and potentially capture your wedding!

www.soulandrise.com/contact