Q: What’s the benefit of hiring a professional photographer?
A: We do it all. We’re educated, we’re experienced, we’re 1000% committed. We don’t just take pictures, but we pose you in flattering ways, know how to manipulate lighting properly, toe the line between artistic and technical, evoke emotion, give style & location advice, suggest props, catch tiny details others might miss, edit in a way that’s timeless, the list goes on.
Q: How come wedding photography is so pricey?
A: Photography IS an investment. The obvious reason being: running a business is expensive: gear, upgrades/maintenance, programs/software, materials, education, insurance, accounting, marketing, overhead, etc. Secondly there’s factoring in cost of living, like a standard job salary would do.. I also like the concept of ‘capacity’. I know that I can physically only take ‘X’ amount of weddings per year in order to serve each client the best I can. This means spending time getting to know them, being available for correspondence and assistance, and having enough time to provide them with quality work that isn’t rushed and poor, or alternatively, good quality but took forever to receive. And lastly, it’s experience. It’s art. It’s the years put into honing a craft and loving every damn second of it. Fin.
Q: What is required to book with you?
A: A signed contract and a 25% non-refundable deposit. Mucho standard.
Q: Where do we start with planning our session?
A: I don’t want you to feel like you have to fit into some Pinterest-y box. Don’t be someone you’re not. But also, this is a chance to plan as though you’ll have these photos forever, because you will! You’ll think about what location suits your personalities, outfit colour schemes you like, as well as the general energy you want our shoot to have. Plus, I help you with that!
Q: How do we receive our wedding images? Do you do albums/printed products?
A: An online gallery of high-res edited images, available for download for 6 months. Albums and prints are something I prefer to leave up to my clients, unless they specifically request them. I prefer to make shooting the forefront of my business, and spend less time in front of my computer. But I’m happy to recommend some amazing local spots!
Q: Can we have our RAW/unedited images?
A: An enthusiastic no. You hired me to take pictures AND edit them. I would never give you the photography equivalent of an uncooked chicken. I want to season it and cook it to perfection before delivering it. That’s what I’m trained to do! And I certainly wouldn’t want someone taking my beautiful chicken just to slather it in ketchup. Did I over-do the chicken metaphor yet? You get it though.
Q: What if we “hate” getting our photo taken?
A: Then you probably shouldn’t. It’s 100% understandable to feel weird/awkward/silly/uncomfortable in front of the camera. But nothing breaks my heart quite like hearing “I/we/my fiancé HATES photos”, because how are we supposed to create magic that way? I love my job and photography is such a privilege. I am of course here to guide you through the weirdness and awkwardness. But if you’d rather be off getting your sand kicked in your eyes than being on front of my lens, IT SHOWS, and I would respectfully recommend you skip it.
Q: What turnaround should we expect after our session?
A: My turnaround is usually 8-10 weeks for weddings during peak season, and around 3 weeks for engagements or smaller sessions. I typically ending up sending about 100 edited photos per hour of shooting, which can take a little while to attentively and artfully edit.
Q: What gear/BACKUPS do you bring?
A: For every wedding I carry my two Nikon camera bodies, countless batteries, memory cards, their backups, an external flash, and 3 prime portrait lenses. Everything gets backed up multiple times, and cards are not cleared until you wedding is delivered.
