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Sam Docker

@samdocker.co

15.9K

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4702

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Refined wedding photography
Documenting people since 2012
Film and Digital - 🌍
Founder - @shotsafe.co

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That little stomach-drop before you reformat a card? We killed it - comment SAFE and I’ll send you a free trial 👇

Being a professional photographer is basically just a series of mild panic attacks every time you go to clear an SD card. “Did it back up? Is it definitely backed up? Let me just check one more time…” Every single time.

ShotSafe is the fix. Two drives, every byte verified - it won’t tell you it’s safe to reformat until it genuinely is. No more panic. Just green.

Comment SAFE and I’ll drop a free 7-day trial straight in your DMs. Founding rate closes 14.11. ✌🏻📸

#photographyworkflow #photographytools #shotsafe by @samdocker.co

A mix of digital and 35mm for Carolyn and Luke! Next up on the edit screen, cannot wait to revisit this one next week. A total banger!!! 💥

Dress I @halfpennylondon
Photo | @samdocker.co
Video | @shutterboxfilms
Venue I @wickerwoodfarm
Planning, styling & management | @wickerwoodfarm
Tipis I @lovetipisofficial
Florals | @talestromappletreehouse
Caterers | @gooseandberry
Tableware | @harrietstable
Cheese cake | @davids_deli
Peacock chair | @toastha
Hair and MUA I @wendyturnermakeup
Bell tents I @victorialilyevents
Bar I @nearandfarmobilebar
Mariachi band | @mariachireyuk
Roaming band I @nolimitstreetband
Photobooth | @boxphotobooths
Calligraphy | @made_byjo
Washrooms | @mitaniumgroup @nomadicwashrooms

#tipiwedding #halfpenny #luxewedding #weddingstyles #weddinggown by @samdocker.co

Winter weddings are a different beast.

Dark by 3pm, cold, the weather rarely plays ball, and barely any natural light to lean on. But get them right and they’re some of the most atmospheric days you’ll ever shoot.

So here are 10 things I wish someone had told me 12 years ago - from pushing your ISO without fear, to bouncing flash, to stealing ten minutes in the dining room before the guests pile in.

Save it for the next one in your diary. And if I’ve missed something, drop it in the comments, sharing is caring yeah?!

#winterweddings #photographytipsandtricks #photographylessons #weddingphotography by @samdocker.co

This wedding looked incredible. I was falling apart halfway through it.

Tuscany, 2024; one of the most beautiful days I’ve ever shot. And mid-way through, I had a creative wobble I still can’t fully explain. Started questioning everything. My work, my creativity, whether I was even good enough to be there.

So I called Lucy White - the planner for the day, and a good friend. She let me get it all out, then said the thing that snapped me out of it: it’s on the slides!! 👀

It could sound arrogant. I don’t mean it that way. The point was this; I’d been looking sideways, comparing myself to a highlight reel on socials, instead of looking back at how far I’d come. Sam in 2014 only dreamed of the weddings I’d be shooting in 2024. And I’d completely forgotten that.

So if you’re wobbling - or comparing yourself to someone who looks like they’ve got it all figured out - remember they probably don’t either. Be kinder to yourself.

And find yourself a Lucy White. We all need one in our call list. 🤍

#photographytip #destinationweddingphotography #weddingphotography #italywedding by @samdocker.co

Oh Puglia 😍

Nowhere quite like it. I feel all warm and fuzzy just looking through these frames.

One day, we will meet again!!

#pugliagram #puglifestyle #polignano_a_mare #ostuni by @samdocker.co

It can’t just be me, can it?!! 🤷🏻‍♂️😬

Yeah, but the light was gooooooood!!!! 🤣

#photographerproblems #prophotographer #photographylife by @samdocker.co

You genuinely can’t win. 😅

The no-win situations every wedding photographer knows far too well. Too many bookings, not enough bookings. “We love your work!”… ghosted. That lens you definitely need (it’s a business expense, obviously).

Every upside has a catch. Every decision has a flip side. And somehow, after all of it, we still wouldn’t do anything else.

What did I miss? Drop the one that gets you below. 👇

#photographybusiness #photographerproblems #weddingphotography by @samdocker.co

Ryan and Victoria / Tythe, Oxfordshire

An absolute dream of a day celebrating R&V. Top tier venue, weather, energy and suppliers! ✨

@victoriajamo
@rshawski

Venue - @tythebarnlaunton
Photo - @samdocker.co
Video - @mattjonesfilmhouse
Hair + MUA - @kamilarobertshmua
Stationary - @victoriajamesondesign
Dress - @whitecanvasbridal
Florals - @theflowerstory

#tythe #barnweddingvenue #creativeweddingphotography #oxfordwedding #editorialwedding by @samdocker.co

Do you remember the days you’d post one landscape image to Facebook and it’d get 100+ likes and a reach of 4000?!!!

Those were the days!! 🤣

Anyway, this is Francesca and Jonathan, on Ilford HP5+ and shot on Canon EOS7.

#35mmfilmphotography #ilfordhp5plus #weddingphotographer by @samdocker.co

What have I missed?! 👇

My full-time wedding photography setup - the kit, the software, the lot. 📸

I get asked all the time what I use, so here’s the honest run-down: cameras, lenses, the bags that carry it all, the hard drives and cards I trust my work to, the software I edit and cull with, and what I use to deliver to clients.

Some of it’s been with me for years, some of it’s new. None of it’s sponsored - just what actually works for the way I shoot.

I’ve tagged everything, so have a dig if you’re building or refreshing your own kit. 🔖 Save this one for later - and drop a comment: what’s the one bit of gear you swear by that’s not on here?

#weddingphotographytips #photographyideas #phototips

@canonuk for life!!

✌🏻📸

Gone are the days of 12 prime lenses, it’s trimmed down to what works. No decision fatigue on the day!

Also, that 15-35 is the most underrated lens on the market!

@canonuk again! ✌🏻

Also, @godox.uk with the lighting goods.

We’re due an upgrade on this soon, but it’s a pimped out Mac Studio M1 MAX, 64GB

@djiglobal and the mini 3 pro.

The RC with built in screen is a game changer!

Pre-editing workflow through @shotsafe.co for ingest, backup, culling and organising.

@lightroom for all image editing and adjustments.

A few options here, but the @dbjourney is magnificent, and for the bulk of weddings, my go-to.

The @thinktankphoto airport accelerator for all destination jobs! 💥

And for on the day, carrying on the job; @billinghambags 🫶🏻

But big storage, and not cheap brands!

@lacie_tech and @sandisk need to have a baby!!! 😬

@pictime_us is the ultimate client delivery experience! Hands down the most aesthetically pleasing software you’ll use/see, especially client facing!

@studioninjacrm for all the behind the scenes admin; contracts, bookings, invoices, questionnaires… couldn’t live without it!

What did I miss?! Let me know! 👇🏼 by @samdocker.co

A reminder for anyone who needs it today.

If you’re a full-time photographer now; you didn’t get here by luck. You got here through years of work, countless hours of self development, and always backing yourself when it would’ve been easier not to.

Take a second to be proud of that.

And if you’re still on the path, wondering if you’ll ever make it? Keep going. You can. 💪🏻

👇 Tag someone who needs to read this today.

#weddingphotographer #photographybusiness #photographerlifestyle #professionalphotographer by @samdocker.co

The 35mm scan drop from Carolyn and Luke. ✨

Dress I @halfpennylondon
Photo | @samdocker.co
Video | @shutterboxfilms
Venue I @wickerwoodfarm
Planning, styling & management | @wickerwoodfarm
Tipis I @lovetipisofficial
Florals | @talesfromappletreehouse
Caterers | @gooseandberry
Tableware | @harrietstable
Cheese cake | @davids_deli
Peacock chair | @toastha
Hair and MUA I @wendyturnermakeup
Bell tents I @victorialilyevents
Bar I @nearandfarmobilebar
Mariachi band | @mariachireyuk
Roaming band I @nolimitstreetband
Photobooth I @boxphotobooths
Calligraphy | @made_byjo
Washrooms I @mitaniumgroup @nomadicwashrooms

#tipiwedding #halfpenny #festivalwedding #35mmfilmweddingphotographer #35mmfilm by @samdocker.co