Most couples take the car for two to three hours: moving between locations, a few frames at the car and one longer stop. Our base price includes 4 hours with a chauffeur, so a shoot fits inside it even when one location runs long. The driver moves the car to wherever the photographer needs it, and you only worry about how you look.
How the car works on camera
A large dark SUV does two things at once: it gives the frame a firm line and reflects light so that the people in front of it stand out. That is why it photographs best from the side or at three quarters, not head-on — the front is wide and takes up space that belongs to you.
The kindest light is an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset. At midday the paint is a mirror and the bonnet shows the whole surroundings, photographer included — if your shoot is at noon, plan for shade under trees or in a passage.
Open doors, the bride in the doorway, the groom leaning on a wing, a detail of hands on the wheel — those frames always work. The whole car in a landscape is lovely once; more of them and it starts to look like a rental catalogue.
How much time to allow
Allow 20 to 30 minutes per location including the drive and parking. Two places put you at an hour and a half, three at two and a half — which is exactly why the base is 4 hours. If you know the shoot will run longer, an extra hour is charged per that car's rate and you do not have to negotiate it on the spot.
Tell your photographer in advance that the car will be available and agree the order of locations. The driver can adapt, but a route invented on the spot eats precisely the minutes you wanted for photographs.
Decoration that will not hurt the car
Magnetic or suction mounts and tied ribbons are fine and look good on camera. Adhesive tape on the paint, flowers wedged into body gaps and pins in the upholstery are not — they leave a mark nobody wants to deal with after the wedding.
If you are planning a larger arrangement on the bonnet, write to us in advance. We can advise how to fix it and prepare the car so the paint is not scratched — a soft pad under the frame, for instance.
What to prepare
The day before, send the driver the address of the first location and the time. In the morning, keep fifteen minutes spare — between everyone getting dressed, the photographer unpacking and the walk to the car, it goes faster than you would think.
Take only what you really need into the car. Handbags, bouquet wrappers and spare shoes always appear in the frame exactly when you are not thinking about them — the driver will happily stow them in the boot and hand them back between locations.
And one underrated detail: tell your photographer the car is dark. Exposure for dark paint is set differently than for white, and it is better known before you are standing in backlight.
Where the photographs work
In Bratislava, Devín and the riverside below the castle work well, the old town early in the morning while the streets are empty, and the modern architecture around Eurovea. In Košice it is the area around Hlavná, the park by the cathedral and the industrial backdrops on the edge of the city.
For every location, think about where the car will fit. You will not park a five-metre SUV in a narrow lane or on the edge of a pavement — the driver will find a spot, but he has to know about the place before you arrive with the whole party.