Hello and welcome! My name is Moritz Schmittat, I’m originally from Germany and I’m a wedding photographer based in Guildford.
I photograph weddings in and around Surrey in a relaxed, natural, and fun style. I love photographing real moments with real people and real emotions – stories that truly mean something to my couples. I shoot in an unobtrusive photo reportage style, blending in without ever drawing attention to myself or interfering with your day – stealth mode, completely silent.
Having said that, we can also take a few minutes at different times of your wedding day to create epic portraits of you two: showing off your venue; the lush landscape; and producing tasteful nighttime effect shots – photographs that will always look impressive whether printed or shared online.
I hope you will find this website informative and inspiring. I look forward to hearing from you.
Documentary Style
Every wedding is an emotional rollercoaster ride, from the excitement in the morning to the emotional highlights of the vows to the hilarious moments of the speeches and the wild party energy on the dance floor.
I find it fascinating and highly satisfying to create photos that tell the story of your day – honestly and respectfully. Therefore, I shoot in documentary style almost all of the time – except for group and couple photographs. Documentary style means I don’t interfere, pose, move people or objects or ask anybody to look at the camera and smile. I capture everything as it happens.
Therefore, you can simply forget about me. Just enjoy your day and I will document it for you.
Weddings in Surrey
As I’m based in Guildford, most of my weddings are in Surrey and the surrounding counties. I’ve shot lots of weddings at some of the most beautiful Surrey countryside wedding venues, stunning manor houses, colourful festival weddings, cosy barn weddings, breezy seaside weddings at luxury hotels and of course many weddings at icon central London landmarks. I’ve even shot a few weddings abroad.
I believe I have shot at the majority of wedding venues in Surrey and each season I get to know a handful of new ones. If I don’t know your wedding venue yet, I will do a proper recce before I start shooting and check out what other photographers have produced there.
Your Wedding Day
My aim is to photograph absolutely everything. In the morning I typically start with the venue, the dress, the flowers, the rings and all the bits and pieces that you have prepared. We need shots of you two getting ready, and before your ceremony, we absolutely have to get a shot of you in your dress!
How many weddings do you shoot each year?
I’m a full-time photographer but I only shoot about 20 weddings each season. I avoid shooting more than two per week. About half of my couples also book my video add-on. In addition to weddings, I also shoot a lot of corporate work (especially during the autumn and winter). If you’re interested, have a look at my commercial brand here: https://frameshot.co.uk/
How does the booking process work?
If you would like to find out more, let me know and we can speak via video call. If you decide to go ahead and book, I will send you a private link to my online booking system. Simply sign the contract in your browser, fill in a questionnaire (which you can update later) and pay your deposit (20%). The final instalment (80%) will be due on your wedding day. I will send you PDF invoices and payment receipts.
How will we receive our wedding photos?
Typically I need about a week to edit a wedding and I will send you your wedding photos via a private gallery on my website. Feel free to share this link with your friends and families, as it will look gorgeous on any device. Additionally, I will send you a Google Drive link where you can download all of your photos and videos. I never delete anything, which means I have hundreds of weddings saved online.
Wedding Ceremony
Working in the wedding world in Surrey is a real pleasure. I get to see so many different cultures, traditions and religions – and in essence, they all aim for the same: the blessing of a new union! I am still amazed by the intensity and meaningfulness of rituals and ceremonies. Witnessing these deep emotions is truly inspiring.
In order to honour these moments, it is important for me to find the right distance to the action. If I’m too close I might disturb the celebration and if I’m too far my photos might feel disconnected. Feeling the vibe is essential to creating photos that tell the story as it happens without ever becoming a part of it.
Group shots
As important as group shots are at a wedding, we probably don’t want to spend too much time shooting them. Therefore, I would recommend that you make a list beforehand of about 10 groups (or less). It would be helpful if your friends would have this list as well so they can help find the right people for the next shot. This way we can get all the group shots done in a minimal amount of time.
Will you help us pose?
Hardly anybody feels completely comfortable in front of the camera. Humour is a great way to break the ice – let’s just have fun! I like working through stories: for example, I’d say to the groom ‘Imagine your wife is cold and you have to keep her warm’ – you would instinctively know what to do, and wrap your arms around her naturally. Or I might say ‘Hold hands, slowly walk towards that tree over there and talk about something silly’ – Just be yourself, no awkward posing. Leave the rest up to me.
How does the photo editing process work?
As you might know, wedding photographers, spend way more time editing my photos than taking them. During an all-day shoot, I typically take about 4k shots. After culling them to a selection of about 600 photos, I edit every single image. This usually takes about three full days. I personally like colour photos more than black and white images. However, it is easy to change colour photos into black and white versions later – no extra charge of course.
Do you offer engagement photography?
Many couples also book me for a ‘pre-wedding’ or engagement photography session. This can be at any location you like and typically we would spend about 1-2 hours. You can use these photos for your invitations, table cards, seating plan, order of service etc. I can show you a few simple poses and tips and tricks to make your wedding day run even smoother and to make you feel even more comfortable in front of the camera. Find out more about my engagement photography here.
Quick Photoshoots
I’d recommend that we do a few ‘mini photoshoots’ throughout the day. We can be quite fast, so you don’t miss out on anything. During the drinks and canapés, we could disappear for 10-15min. During sunset (aka ‘Golden Hour’) we do another little session, and then another short one when it’s dark (effect shots with flashes and smoke flares etc.). This way we will get a wide variety of shots, while your guests won’t miss you for too long.
Speeches
Your wedding speeches are likely to be another highlight of your wedding day. My job is to capture the atmosphere in the room, the reactions of the audience and – of course – the speakers themselves. Please have a look at my portfolio to see a lot more examples.
Will there be any additional costs?
My quote will be 100% transparent and include everything such as travel, parking, editing and VAT – there won’t be any additional costs. Your package will include a set amount of hours on location (typically 8-12), a minimum amount of edited photos (I usually deliver many more), and any wedding videos you might want to add to your booking. We will both sign a little contract and I will confirm each payment via my automated booking system.
Are you fully insured?
Yes! I operate under my business name Schmittat Ltd. I’m fully insured with Hiscox: £5m Public Liability and £1m Indemnity. I’m also a fully licensed and insured drone operator. I’m more than happy to liaise with your venue and event planner before your wedding and provide them with any paperwork they might require.
Do you collect reviews?
I am very aware that Surrey not only offers some of the best wedding venues in the country but is also home to some of the finest wedding photographers and videographers. In such a competitive field, I know how important a good reputation is. All my clients are automatically invited to review me on the Google-trusted site reviews.co.uk, a professional service trusted by major brands. I’m incredibly proud of all of my reviews and will do my best to keep it as high as it is.
Party!
It’s time to move things to the dance floor. Cut your wedding cake, and sway away on the dance floor. I’ll be there, roaming around, getting the best angles. Have a look at my portfolio to see whole weddings including the evening party.
Sunset and effect shots
During and after sunset, I like getting the flashes and smoke flares out to create some epic night-time shots. Usually, I prepare these shots while you’re dancing away and once everything is set up and calibrated I’d borrow you for just a few minutes. These shots always look great printed and are a wonderful way to finish the day with a bang.
Looking for quotes and availability?
Let me send you the following:
- Complete wedding galleries (password-protected, with the kind permission of the couples)
- A detailed, personalised quote including all options
Please fill in the form below and I’ll get back to you within 24h. Thank you.
Get in touch
My phone number is 07939 292839.
You can also get in touch via email: photography@schmittat.uk.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you!
I hope you have enjoyed this page. I appreciate it’s just a mini taster of what a wedding photo gallery can be. Please have a look at my portfolio to get a better feel for my coverage and my style. If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch and I’ll send you a personalised quote (hours of coverage, video add-ons, travel, etc). Thank you again for taking the time to look at my work. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!