Documentary & film wedding photography · Seville
Raúl Pilato · Seville, Spain
I’m Raul Pilato, a documentary wedding photographer based in Seville, Spain. I photograph weddings the way they actually happen — no posing, no staged moments, no asking anyone to do it again for the camera.
I speak English, I know this city hour by hour, and I’ve spent more than 20 years learning where the light falls in every courtyard and hacienda in Andalusia.
Style
I work quietly. You’ll barely notice me, and neither will your guests. What you get back is a record of the day as it was: the nervous hands before the ceremony, the aunt who cries at the wrong moment, the last hour when everyone has stopped performing.
Part of every wedding is shot on film. I use 35mm and medium format cameras, offered as an optional add-on. Digital is sharper; film is warmer and ages better. Together they give the day both a document and a feeling.
Destination
Most of the couples who write to me are getting married in Spain but live somewhere else. That changes the job: you can’t visit the venue three times, you don’t know how the light works in April, and you’re organising everything through a screen.
So I do more than photograph. I’ll tell you what time the sun leaves the courtyard, how long the drive really takes, and which part of your timeline is going to collapse. That’s included — it costs me nothing and it saves your day.
I work throughout Andalusia: Seville, Jerez, Ronda, Cádiz, Marbella and the surrounding countryside. Travel outside Seville province is quoted separately depending on the distance.
Elopements
Two people, a registrar and a view. Elopements in and around Seville are increasingly common and they’re some of my favourite days to photograph — nothing to manage, nowhere to be, just the two of you.
Elopement coverage runs from two to four hours and includes a private online gallery with all the edited photos.
Coverage
Before the wedding
If you’re arriving a few days early, a short session before the wedding is worth the time — it’s the easiest way to get comfortable in front of a camera before the day that matters.
I also photograph proposals in Seville (here is how to plan one). I hide, you propose, and you get the real reaction rather than a re-enactment. Plaza de España, the Alcázar gardens and the riverside in Triana all work beautifully, each at a specific hour.
Planning
April, May, late September and October are the months that work. July and August are genuinely difficult — 40 °C at four in the afternoon is not something you can design around, and an outdoor ceremony in high summer has to start after eight in the evening.
I’ve written the rest down properly, so you can read it before you commit to a date:
Paperwork, timings and the difference between a civil and a symbolic ceremony.
The haciendas and cortijos I’ve actually worked in, and what each one is like to photograph.
What a two-person wedding here actually involves.
Investment
Wedding coverage starts at €1,500 for full-day coverage and a private online gallery. Elopements and half-day coverage start at €700. Travel within Andalusia is quoted separately depending on the distance.
Portfolio
A few recent weddings in Seville and Andalusia.
Wedding · Hacienda near Seville
Wedding · Palace house in Seville
Wedding · Country estate in Andalusia
Questions
Yes, fluently. I also work in Spanish. I work with international couples most of the season.
Peak season dates — April, May, September, October — usually go 9 to 18 months ahead.
Yes, across Andalusia and the rest of Spain. Travel outside Seville province is quoted separately.
Yes. I am happy to recommend trusted planners, florists and caterers in Seville.
Yes, with the same team. See wedding videography.
Contact
Tell me your date and venue and I’ll reply within 24 hours with availability and pricing.