Frequently Asked Questions
Style, pricing, insurance, albums, ...
My Style
WHAT IS YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE?
Genuine. Candid. You. Every wedding story, engagement, and family is different. I view photography as documenting and telling the story of your day — and you — through the art of still images.
WHAT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE?
I shoot with professional full-frame Nikon camera bodies and a range of professional lenses. Most indoor venues dictate the need for flashes since their interior rooms are quite dark and ambient lighting is subtle. Light stands are safely positioned off the dance floor and in low-traffic areas.
DO YOU TRAVEL FOR WEDDINGS?
Yes! Let’s definitely talk! I typically ask that you take care of the fees for flight, hotel, rental car, etc.
DO YOU SHOOT INTIMATE BACKYARD WEDDINGS, MICRO WEDDINGS OR ELOPEMENTS?
Yes! Love can be captured anywhere and celebrated with as many or as few people as you would like. At the end of the day, what matters the most is your love story, your connection and your commitment to one another.
DO YOU SHOOT SAME SEX WEDDINGS?
Yes! Love is love.
How's Business?
HOW BUSY IS YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY SCHEDULE?
Each season and year offers variations in bookings, which has been fascinating to observe since starting my business. As a small business owner, and mom to two young daughters, I have found a wonderful balance between motherhood and photography with documenting the love stories of a handful of couples who truly value the art and importance of photography. I am forever grateful for the honor to document 10–15 weddings each year and cherish the beautiful lasting connections I have with my couples.
During the week, I schedule a handful of lifestyle sessions (family, maternity, newborn) or small business branding sessions.
Pricing
WHAT DOES PRICING START AT?
Just like the photos of your wedding day are unique to your love story, your photography investment is too.
My standard wedding packages start at $3,500 for six hours of coverage. Elopement and intimate wedding packages begin at $1,400 for three hours of coverage. I can easily help you figure out which length of coverage makes sense for capturing your day – drafting wedding day timelines is one of my favorite things to do! Let’s talk so I can give you a proper price quote.
Lifestyle sessions begin at $425 and include an online gallery of edited digital hi-res files. Please inquire for specific session pricing.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN YOUR BASE PRICING?
All packages include a set of final edited hi-res images and an online gallery.
Insurance
DO YOU HAVE INSURANCE?
Absolutely. This protects both me and you. In fact, many reception venues require that outside vendors have adequate liability insurance. I have a Proof of Insurance Certificate that I give to your vendor before your big day.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE SICK, OR GET INTO A CAR CRASH, OR CANNOT MAKE IT TO THE WEDDING?
Ok, so hopefully this never happens. My photography network is really great in that we help each other out in case there is an emergency. My second photographers are all photography business owners themselves, so they are fully capable of stepping in as the lead photographer while a new second photographer is contacted. But enough of the scary hypotheticals – this is why it is really important that your photographer has insurance.
HOW DO YOU PROTECT OUR FILES?
I’m extremely careful with your digital files. My professional camera bodies have dual-slots for memory cards, this means that I always have two copies of your images while I am shooting. When the cards are full, they are stored in two separate locations during the wedding day in case one bag is stolen or misplaced. (Unfortunately, it’s true. Theft can even occur in church during a ceremony – our equipment is never truly safe unless it’s on our body.) Once home, the files are stored in three places: 1) on my computer’s hard drive, 2) on an automatic RAID mirrored backup of my hard drive, 3) and in case of theft, fire or some other disaster in my photography office, I pay a service to automatically mirror all of my picture data in the cloud.
Booking
HOW DO WE LOCK IN OUR DATE?
For weddings: a signed contract and a non-refundable first deposit. Shoot me a message to see if I am available for your wedding date – I restrict my shooting to a limited number of weddings per month. Everything is first come, first served.
For lifestyle shoots: a small deposit is required to reserve your session date and time. If a permit is required for the session location, I request that you secure the permit and make the necessary payments in advance of our session.
Your Wedding Day
WILL THERE BE A SECOND SHOOTER AT MY WEDDING?
Typically, yes, unless we don’t think it’s necessary (which is the case for most elopements and intimate weddings). We split the getting ready part of the day (either at the same hotel, or at two different starting locations). From the first look and ceremony, on – my second shooter is in charge of capturing alternative perspectives: wide vs narrow shots, emotional reaction, creative angles, etc.
I typically don’t use a second shooter or assistant at lifestyle shoots unless it requires creative lighting.
HOW MANY PICTURES WILL I GET?
It depends. But I absolutely don’t want you to be disappointed, so I’ll show you examples of complete galleries that I’ve delivered to past couples. I want to document your entire day. Usually this involves between 2,500-4,000 images that are reviewed and edited to around 650-750 full resolution images (for an eight hour wedding package).
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU RECOMMEND WE LEAVE IN OUR WEDDING TIMELINE FOR PICTURES?
Great question! We’ll sit down and draft your wedding timeline so that everything has enough time. I’m definitely more than a photographer in this regard – I’ve seen it all on a wedding day (from the good to the bad) and can provide valuable insights on how to have a stress-free wedding day.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE WEDDING LASTS LONGER THAN THE SCHEDULED TIME?
We will not leave you at your reception, but there could be an extra charge. We’ll have everything in the wedding contract that you sign.
Other Vendors
CAN YOU RECOMMEND OTHER VENDORS FOR OUR WEDDING DAY?
Yes! I have lots of great friends in my network including florists, DJ’s, and videographers. I only recommend other vendors that I’ve worked with, or have heard fantastic things about. I do not recommend any vendor for a finder’s fee or commission. I want you to have vendors that deliver a fabulous product.
DO YOU OFFER VIDEOGRAPHY?
Not right now, but I do have many relationships with local videography groups that I enjoy working alongside. I can connect you with a few teams depending on the specific vision you have for your day.
The Final Product
DO WE RECEIVE A PRINT RELEASE?
Yes, you will receive a print release that will allow you to print and share your high-resolution, edited, unwatermarked images with your friends and family.
WHEN WILL MY PHOTOS BE READY?
My typical wedding turnaround is approximately two months. I usually only require three weeks for lifestyle shoots.
Albums & Prints
DO YOU HAVE WEDDING ALBUMS?
Yes and they are beautiful! I view wedding albums and prints as being a post-wedding budget item, so don’t worry if you don’t have the budget for them right away. I use a very high-end printer for my albums and have samples that I can show you. (I’m so happy with them that I even designed and purchased my own wedding album from this company.) I’ll design your album, keeping your favorite pictures in mind, and we’ll go through a couple of rounds of review. We can review pricing and come up with a payment plan too. Why? Because I believe every couple should have an album keepsake to hold, touch and cherish.
CAN I PRINT IMAGES AT MY LOCAL DRUGSTORE?
I’ll shake my head and possibly cry. These places (not naming names) typically don’t use the best equipment. You’ll be able to see the difference between a high-quality print and a low-quality print side-by-side. It’s true that you get what you pay for. After investing in professional wedding photography for your day, why would you cut corners and dilute the quality of the work you paid for?
CAN MY FAMILY ORDER PHOTOS DIRECTLY FROM YOU?
Of course! Your final product includes an online private gallery with an electronic checkout where your friends and family can view your photos, mark their favorites, and order prints and canvases of a variety of sizes. This gallery will be available for at least one year.