An Introduction.
natural and relaxed.
I focus on details and candid moments. I capture those little emotional cues that tell the story of an individual. For me the wedding story is a lineage of images, each like a frame from a scene in a film, pieced together to create an album of beautiful memories. Cinematic, emotional and true to your day.
You, the bride and groom, groom and groom or bride and bride are most important to me. I don’t want to shoot for my ego or portfolio, I want to shoot for what will honor you and will tell the story timelessly, ready for whenever you want to revisit the day that was the one you married the love of your life.
Information about Weddings With Dean Raphael
"I don’t like to pose"
I know, I don’t either. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable in any way and I respect having a large camera in your face can be intimidating and unnatural.
I take great pride in my work and I believe that the emotions felt in the moment the photograph was taken are the emotions visible in the image, frozen for eternity. So I do my best to stay away from ridged moments, unnatural smiles and awkward poses. This works for you and for me.
What I do focus on is keeping it real, natural and honest. I’m there to capture things as they are. To curate your day honestly with the true emotion. I look for moments of love, moments of laughter and tears of any kind. I’m looking for the moment that really was.
Sometimes I may prompt a little angle change to optimise the light, I might ask you to stand a particular way to balance the composition of the photo and I may ask you to look each other in the eyes but that’s because I know it’s real love and that’s what I want to capture. For you.
The most important thing for me is to have fun. And for you to do so as well.
When are your busiest months?
This is a good question. If you’re looking at February, March, October & November you’ll want to secure your booking when you feel certain you’ve found the right photographer. These months tend to fill up at least 1 year in advance.
Pricing
You have so many photographers to choose from and it can be overwhelming.
My advice is to pick one you resonate with, not just from the pricing perspective, but from the look and feel of their photos, from the detailed moments they capture to the complete story they tell and from the life they live.
Please contact me for pricing.
Destination weddings and unique locations may involve travel costs.
Why do you shoot weddings?! (from other photographers)
Honestly, 9/10 photographers will ask this question, even those working in the industry. They ask because they’ve found weddings to be high-stress and too much pressure (in case things go wrong).
I will be transparent here: I love my work no matter it be weddings, branding for clients, travel (especially travel) and documentary. Weddings however have a special kick to them - normally (not always) it’s a group of people signed up for a day of joy and laughter, emotional vulnerability and celebration. Somehow my work attracts uniquely relaxed and mature clients who’s demands are mostly that I do my job honestly as they’ve found a connection with my art, not just because they need a photographer to fulfil the position. For me this is an opportunity to tell a story, like a documentary - it’s a gift to gift my art to the couple.
My weddings have taken me to such incredible locations in Australia, Indonesia and Thailand and I am hoping they take me even further.
It’s no secret the wedding industry has a few extra fees than other professions. This income I earn, although it’s not full-time, contributes to the way I live my life and achieving my goals of creating art that truly breaks down nationalistic ideals, inspires people to think outside the norm and brings people closer to living in connection rather than disconnection with life.
That’s why I shoot weddings. Because I love it.
Do you include video as part of your service?
I do provide private videos on special requests. I do not offer the regular video coverage that other specialised venders would offer. It is incredibly difficult to do both photography and video at the same time so to get the best out of either, it is best to have a professional for each.
In saying that if you love my style and my video work, I can coordinate another camera-human to shoot under my direction.
Custom Packages
I do customise what I offer to the individual requirements of a couple. I believe in sharing and I know not everyone has the same budget or ideas or ways of doing things. In fact I encourage weddings to be a little different to the norm.
I want to be available for anyone that connects with my work and my life on a meaningful and honest level.
I’ll do my best to come up with a plan to accomodate outside of the pricing-box, however sometimes it does come down to limitations of travel and availability, please ask, I love an open and honest conversation and will endeavour to do my best to fit in with your needs.
After receiving your wedding information guide from me, please feel free to ask further about prices to suit your needs.
Availability
It honours me and sends shivers down spine to know I’m providing you with a visual story of a day that was for you to reflect on for eons. To know that my art is the way you'll view this story.
If you're on a last minute quest or looking deep into the eye of the future I will do my best to accomodate. Short notice often works out better than you think and long term parking is a great way to secure exactly what you want.
I have found a beautiful work-life balance and it means I spend a lot of time travelling and living in places away from Melbourne or even Australia.
As mentioned above, February, March, October & November all fill up rather fast.
Locations
I’m a little nomadic in my ways but I know I will always be returning to Melbourne and Byron Bay in Australia.
Otherwise I frequently visit my friends in Bali, India and Thailand so you have a good chance of booking me there as well.
All locations are possible and may involve travel costs.
We like you, how can we meet?
I like you too. I hope it’s real love. We can meet in a coffee shop or juice bar or in the park or along the beach. I don’t have a permanent studio as I like to move around.
Initially upon first contact this may be a Zoom meeting or a phone call as I’m frequently outside of Melbourne. From there we’ll meet when I’m next in the area.
Most frequently for weddings you will find me in Melbourne, Australia.
Image Handover, Turnaround & Quantity
I supply all selected images edited on USB in both high and low resolution.
Selected images are the photographs that I have meticulously chosen, edited and colour toned to curated your wedding documentary in the most beautiful, honest and emotional form.
Because every story is different each album varies in numbers. I don’t have a limit here however I do promise a minimum. For example a Full-Day would be a minimum of 250 images. On average couples would receive 400-600 images.
The final package is usually delivered within three-six weeks from the wedding date. Wedding Books will be delivered 1-2 months following the wedding. Any changes to these will be communicated in the process.
Do you have a second shooter?
I shoot weddings on my own. If we need a second shooter that budget is added to the total cost of the booking.
Second shooters are great for weddings larger than 100 guests. It's not essential but it can help increase the ability to photograph your guests and their shenanigans and funny-business you may otherwise not see.
Weddings increasing in numbers beyond 110 are highly recommended to have a second shooter.
The second shooter is someone who I work with and train in order to honour consistency and quality.
What type of packages do you offer?
I make myself available for a full day which means I am there for you, for up to 10 or 12 hours as chosen by the client in the booking process. I love to document the initial parts of your day when you're getting ready. I'm looking for those real emotions and here is where you're psychologically 'getting ready' as well as how you move about arranging the beginnings of your day.
Skip forward a little and you're all on the dance floor having a wild boogie, the transformation between then and now is an incredible journey and the story is written on all the faces throughout your day.
Spending the entire day with you allows me to fully capture and curate your story honestly, raw and true to the moments that were.
Any extra hours beyond the designated amount may be billed.
GO eco-friendly
Save $100 by choosing 'Digital Only' and download your files as soon as they're ready. This reduces all materials involved in sending out your wedding photography via USB.
