One wedding a year

Every year I photograph one wedding for free.

Not a discount. Not a contest. One couple, the whole day, at no cost.

I have wanted to do this since I started Perla Images. I am doing it now rather than later because I have come to believe the right moment to give something away is not the moment when everything is easy. I have a camera and years of knowing how to use it. That is what I have to give.

Who this is for

Couples who genuinely could not otherwise hire a photographer they would be happy with, and who very much care about the art of photography.

I am not going to draw a hard line around hardship, because life does not sort itself into categories. But so you know the kind of thing I mean:

• A couple who has put the wedding off for years because the money never quite arrives
• Someone getting married around an illness, a diagnosis, or a treatment schedule
• A couple who recently lost a parent or an integral part of the family
• Someone who has spent years caring for another person
• Military or first responders who have been injured in the line of duty

What is included

The same coverage as my eight hour package. Eight hours with me, a second photographer for the full day (if needed), an engagement session, help building your timeline, and your complete edited gallery.

Travel anywhere in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire or Maine at no cost to you. Further than that and we would need to talk about it, but do not let distance stop you applying.

How to apply

This is for a wedding taking place in the calendar year after you apply.

Applications open 1 September and close 12 December. I read every one myself. I choose one couple and reply to everybody, either way, by 19 December.

Email me at onewedding@perlaimages.com and tell me three things:

1. Your names, your date, and where you are getting married
2. What is going on in your life that brought you to this page
3. What photographs of this day would mean to you

There is no form and no word limit. Write it however you want to write it.

You will not hear back straight away, and that is not a bad sign. I do not answer these as they arrive, because I want to read all of them together at the end. One email is all you need to send. If it reached me, I have it, and I will reply to you by 19 December either way.

If you are writing about somebody else

If you know a couple this is for, write to me about them instead. Tell me what you can, and let me know whether they are aware you are doing it.

If I do not choose you

I will tell you, rather than leaving you wondering. One wedding is one wedding, and being turned down is not a judgement about your situation.

If you still want photographs of your day, tell me and I will either give you an honest number for what I can do, or point you toward photographers earlier in their careers whose work I trust.

About your photographs

The gallery is yours. I will ask whether I can share any of the images, and no is a completely acceptable answer that changes nothing about the day.