Canterbury · Kent · London · UK
Catholic wedding photographer
I'm Samuel Austin, a Catholic wedding photographer based in Canterbury, photographing Nuptial Masses across Kent, London and the UK.
Why hire a Catholic wedding photographer?
Because a photographer who knows the Mass knows where to be for the vows, the rings and the Nuptial Blessing, and when to keep still. It would be a pleasure to photograph your wedding, in the presence of God.
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I’m Catholic
The faith is mine too, so your ceremony is in respectful hands.
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I love the Mass
And I respect it. Your wedding is a sacrament before it’s a photo opportunity.
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I know the liturgy
So I know where to be, and when to keep still. No flash, no fuss.
- Catholic wedding The Nuptial Blessing
- Catholic wedding Holy Communion
- Catholic wedding Signing the register
Churches and portraits from Italy and Kent. Ceremony: Mark & Fiona, Bilsington Priory
Hello
I'm Samuel.
I'm Catholic, I live in Canterbury with my wife and daughter, and photographing a wedding Mass is one of the real pleasures of what I do.
I spent eight years making documentary films. They taught me to read a room, to be in the right place before anything happens, and to keep still when it matters. In church, that means no flash, staying out of the sanctuary, and being ready for the vows, the rings and the Nuptial Blessing without anyone noticing me.
The rest of the day I spend the same way: in the background, as it happens.
A few things about me
- Photographing people for 17+ years.
- Made an award-winning documentary.
- Travelled the world as a videographer and filmmaker.
- Worked as a retoucher, so your edit is in safe hands.
“Samuel was so calm and friendly on the day, and it put us completely at ease. Half the time we didn’t even notice him, and then we saw the photos. They’re outstanding.”
Get in touch
Planning a Catholic wedding?
Tell me the date and the church. Prefer something faster? Message me on WhatsApp.
FAQs
Are you Catholic?
Yes, and photographing a wedding Mass is one of the real pleasures of what I do.
Can you take photos during a Catholic Mass?
Usually, yes, within whatever limits your priest sets. I work quietly, without flash and outside the sanctuary, and I speak to him before the day so nothing about my being there is a surprise.
Do you cover the whole ceremony?
Yes, from the entrance to the church door. It is the heart of the day, so it is included in every package at no extra cost.
Do you use flash in church?
No. I photograph the whole Mass by the light in the church, so there’s never a flash going off during the vows or the consecration.
Where do you stand during the Mass?
Outside the sanctuary, at the front to one side and at the back of the church. I move only during hymns and readings, and keep still during the Eucharistic Prayer.
Will you speak to our priest?
Yes. I ask your priest or the sacristan about their rules for photographers before the day, so we agree where I can stand and when I keep still.
How long is a Nuptial Mass?
Usually about an hour, sometimes up to an hour and a half with music. A wedding ceremony without Mass, within a Liturgy of the Word, takes around 30 to 40 minutes.
What if one of us isn’t Catholic?
That’s very common. Many couples where one partner isn’t Catholic marry within a Liturgy of the Word rather than a full Mass. I photograph it in exactly the same way.
Do you photograph Latin Mass weddings?
Yes. A Traditional Latin Mass has its own rhythm, but the same rules apply: no flash, outside the sanctuary, and still at the consecration.
Does a Catholic wedding cost more to photograph?
No. The whole ceremony is included in every package, however long the Mass runs, and the prices are the same as for any wedding I photograph.
Do you travel outside Kent?
Yes. London regularly, and anywhere in the UK by arrangement. There are no travel fees anywhere in Kent.
Where
Catholic churches in Kent
Notes from the parishes' own information and Historic England's survey of Catholic churches. Each parish sets its own rules on photography, confetti and flowers, and most have a Saturday evening Vigil Mass, so Saturday weddings tend to sit in the early afternoon.
Canterbury · Burgate
St Thomas of Canterbury, Burgate
The city's only Catholic church: Victorian Gothic, a rose window over the sanctuary, a reredos carved with Becket's martyrdom and a chapel holding his relics. The full guide covers the light, Saturday timings, parking and the parish paperwork.
Read the guide
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Whitstable, Herne Bay & Faversham
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart · Our Lady Immaculate · Our Lady of Mount Carmel
A Grade II ragstone church with a rose window of Christ in Majesty; a Gothic front raised on steps; the Carmelites’ Shrine of St Jude with Ardizzone’s sanctuary paintings.
Weddings in Whitstable -
Thanet
Shrine of St Augustine · SS Ethelbert & Gertrude · Star of the Sea · SS Austin & Gregory
Pugin’s own church, Grade I, with Hardman glass, a rood screen and a regular Latin Mass. Peter Paul Pugin in Ramsgate, Giles Gilbert Scott in Broadstairs.
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Dover & Deal
St Paul’s, Dover · St Thomas of Canterbury, Deal
E. W. Pugin’s ragstone church with a west rose window and his own high altar; a bright Romanesque church in Deal with a painted baldacchino and a hanging rood.
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Folkestone & Hythe
Our Lady Help of Christians · Virgin Mother of Good Counsel
Leonard Stokes’ Grade II church, one great space under a boat-shaped painted ceiling; a small, bright church above the old school in Hythe.
Weddings in Folkestone -
Ashford
St Teresa of Avila
A pyramid roof ringed with glass, so the light is even and high, with glass from E. W. Pugin’s earlier church set into the narthex.
Weddings in Ashford -
Maidstone & Aylesford
St Francis · The Friars, Aylesford
A bright town church with Hardman glass opposite Maidstone East. The Friars, the Carmelites’ priory since 1242, hosts receptions, not ceremonies, so it pairs with a parish Mass.
Weddings in Maidstone The Friars: a guide -
Tunbridge Wells & Sevenoaks
St Augustine’s · St Thomas of Canterbury
A 1970s church lit from above through glazed gables; a German Romanesque church with a painted sanctuary and a baldacchino.
Weddings in Tunbridge Wells -
London
Brompton Oratory · Westminster Cathedral · St Etheldreda’s · St George’s, Southwark
An easy run from Kent. Each has its own rules for photographers, which I get from the sacristan before the day.