When it comes to planning a wedding, there are a lot of questions that come when picking out a wedding photographer.  We’ve taken our most frequently asked questions and answered them all for you!

 

 

WHEN SHOULD WE BOOK OUR WEDDING?

 

Book your wedding with me ASAP!  I do not hold dates or pencil anyone in without a signed agreement.  I typically book up about a year ahead of time.  My most popular months for weddings are June, July, September & October.  So if your wedding falls in these months and you know you want me as your photographer, let’s get it booked today!  I only require 10% to save your date, so it’s definitely worth it to have it locked in sooner!

 

 

HOW MUCH ARE YOUR PACKAGES?

 

I have listed my most popular packages on my website.  All of our packages are fully customizable if you do not see one that fits your needs.  So if you want to build your own wedding package, I can definitely put together a custom package for you.

 

I do not list my pricing on my website because I would hope that couples who are getting married pick out a photographer by the work that they do.  One thing I hate to see is picking a photographer based on price and not the quality of work.  These are photos you will cherish forever, if you pick based on price, my fear is you will regret your choice afterwards.  If you like my work and are interested in learning more about my pricing fill out a form and I will get it sent over to you right away.

 

I understand everyone has a budget for photography.  If you love my work and if I am over your budget, I ask you to reach back out to me for a custom package so we can try to create a package that will work for both of us.

 

 

HOW LONG AFTER OUR WEDDING CAN WE EXPECT TO RECEIVE OUR PHOTOS?

 

Typically after a wedding we spend about 3-4 weeks editing the photos.  Yes, it takes awhile, but I personally look at each and every photo because I want every one you receive to be perfect! After I edit all of the photos I upload them to your Online gallery so you and all of your guests to view the photos.  You should expect to see your usb of images in the mail within 30 business days after your wedding.  I do have an expedited editing process included in my Exclusive Package, in which your images will be available in your Online gallery within 7 days of the wedding.

 

 

WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL YOU BE USING?

 

I use all top of the line Canon equipment. Anything I bring to your wedding has a back up ready to go, just in case.  I have many lenses that I bring on your wedding day to help to capture your wedding in a multitude of styles and angles.  I have many different lights and flashes that will be used throughout the day as needed.  I absolutely love camera gear; you could say I am a bit of a pack rat when it comes to my camera bag.  Which is great for you!

 

 

HOW MUCH IS REQUIRED TO SAVE MY DATE?

 

Only 10% of your contract amount is due at the time of the contract signing to lock in your wedding date.

 

 

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?

 

We are located in Crystal Lake, Illinois, but all of our photo shoots are done “on location,” meaning we go where you want us to.  We also love traveling!  So if you want to do a destination wedding, we want to be your photographers!

 

 

DO WE GET THE COPYRIGHT?

 

This is a question I am asked by almost every wedding couple I meet with.  I must first start by saying that copyright simply means that I am the creator of the photographs.  Copyright transfers are not possible.  With your photography package you will receive a print authorization, this means that you can take your images and print as many as you like, wherever you like.

 

 

HOW DO WE GET THE IMAGES?

 

All images will be high-resolution .jpg and you will receive them on a usb thumb drive.

 

 

DO YOU PHOTO RETOUCH OUR IMAGES?

 

Yes, we carefully take the time to look at each photo from your day.  All of our photos are enhanced to bring out their natural beauty.  If we happen to notice a close up photo of you where there is a blemish or anything else we know you won’t want to see, we will make sure we try to remove those.

 

Sometimes we even have had people request special edits (colors of things changed, people removed from photos), we do these special edits on a case by case basis, but these are done at an hourly rate, so we recommend making sure if you have someone in a photo you don’t want in there, just take two photos, one with them and one without.

 

 

ARE YOU INSURED?

 

Yes, we are a fully insured company.

 

 

DO YOU HAVE ANY RULES ABOUT GUESTS TAKING PHOTOS WHILE YOU’RE TAKING PHOTOS?

 

During group/family photography, I’m not opposed to guests taking their own photos, I do have some requirements, and those generally do not work well while having guests shoot over our shoulders.  I want all eyes in group photos on my camera, if your guests are standing next to me taking photos I cannot guarantee everyone will be looking at my camera in your final image. I do require guests to stay at least 10 feet behind me, so that I can freely move around as an artist, capturing creative angles without interference, or shadows.

 

My goal is to provide YOU, our customer with EXCEPTIONAL work, while allowing you to enjoy your day.  Part of that requires us to move the photography along on a timely basis, and we do not have the time to “pause” so that other guests can take photos that our team poses.  We shoot very quickly, holding poses for only a few moments, and expect to move thought the shot list just as fast so that you can get back to having fun and enjoying your day, and we have time to properly change lighting setups as needed.  In doing so, I would hate to be placed in a situation that required us to be disrespectful to any guest.

 

I will take the two of you aside to do personal photos, and during that time I will not allow anyone to come with us.  I want you both interacting naturally, with each other and celebrating your day, and that’s just not always possible with others around.  We can also get this process done quicker along and get you back to your guests.

 

You should understand that the main reason most photographers do not want family/friends taking personal photos is because of the hard work that we put in to the photos, lighting, and composition.  One might look at it as plagiarism, of our work.

 

What we definitely don’t want to see happen, (and have in the past), is a photo that a friend takes that isn’t flattering of you, because it’s not properly edited, color compensated, or retouched for blemishes. This also ruins the moment that the actual photos are presented.  In one case, a friend posted a picture of a bride to Facebook before the groom even saw her.  When asked if he was surprised with her dress choice, his response, to her disappointment was, "I saw it two hours ago on Facebook."

 

*Please, please, please if you are a guest at a wedding DO NOT post pictures of the bride Online without her permission!*

 

 

HOW MANY PHOTOS CAN WE EXPECT TO RECEIVE?

 

During a typical 8-hour wedding with 2 photographers we capture about 1,500 images.  We will look through all of these images in post and give you the best ones! We remove photos we know you aren’t going to want (too many duplicates, photos where you are blinking, our lighting test shots, etc.)  You can expect to receive about 1,000 photos on your usb.

 

 

 

Have a question that isn’t on this list? Just ask! We love answering all of your questions to help make your decision on wedding photography easier.