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- Shouldn't this be called a FAQ?
- Why should I hire you to shoot my wedding?
- Do you have any formal training in photography?
- What is your photographic style?
- Do you shoot film or digital?
- Why digital?
- What do I get for my money?
- What do you mean by "fully-retouched, high-resolution files?"
- Do you archive my images?
- Why do your prints cost so much?
- Do you also shoot video?
- Do you do studio portraits too?
- Are you insured?
- Is 13 an unlucky number?
Shouldn't this be called a FAQ?
Well, quite frankly, FAQ stands for "Frequently Asked Questions"
while Q&A stands for "Questions and Answers." While these are
certainly questions and answers, we can't claim to know for certain that the
questions are frequently asked!
Why should I hire you to shoot my wedding?
Is price your first consideration? If it is, please reconsider how you are
approaching choosing your photographer. That's not to say
that we're expensive (more than some, far less than others), but if price is
your foremost consideration, our personality and photographic style are not
going to be important to you.
We don't want you to make your decision about hiring us simply based on what you see
on this website. For that matter, we would suggest that you not decide to hire anyone
based on their website alone. You really need to meet with a photographer to get to
know them a little (and for them to get to know you). You could hire the most talented
wedding photographer in the world but if your personalities clash, it's not going to
go well on the day of your wedding.
Of all the vendors you hire for your wedding day, there is one who will be with you
the entire day: your photographer. Make sure you choose someone who's personality
meshes well with your own and who's style you appreciate.
Also, please realize that after the wedding is over, there are only two things you're left
with that you've paid money for: the dress and your images. Don't skimp on either!
Do you have any formal training in photography?
Steve does. He attended the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara,
California in the early 1990's. (Coolest experience: photographing the shock wave of
super-sonic bullets in flight.)
Trish has a degree in graphic design from Virginia Commonwealth University and years
of experience in designing everything from invitations to corporate annual reports
(not to mention wedding albums!)
What is your photographic style? Photo-Journalistic?
We shoot a mix of styles. We don't lock ourselves into any single method of
photographing a wedding. Some couples don't want to know the photographer is around;
this is the very definition of photo-journalistic wedding photography. Most couples
want the formals with the family members after the ceremony along with both wedding
parties shot before the ceremony; this is the very antithesis of photo-journalistic
wedding photography.
We shoot posed shots, candids, details and formals as the situation warrants.
Do you shoot with film or digital?
Steve has been a photographer since the late 1980's, shooting just about every film
emulsion ever made. He loves working in the darkroom and crafting a fine print from a
beautiful negative. That being said, in 2001 he completely switched over to digital
and never looked back. If you acquaint digital photography with the point-and-shoot
camera your mother owns and digital prints with the plain-paper printouts on your
neighbor's refrigerator, we invite you to view our portfolio to see what digital can really do.
By the way, there are a number of photographers out there who will swear on a stack of
bibles and their dearly departed mother that film is better than digital or that
digital is better than film. Just like watercolors or oils, digital and film are
simply artistic mediums; one is not inherently better or worse than the other. We
shoot digital because it works for us.
Ok, I'll bite; why does digital work for you?
Shooting digital allows us to do two things we could never do with film: shoot
with no thought as to the number of images taken and produce a near-infinite
variety of image styles quickly and at low cost.
With film, one could only shoot as much as one could carry. This was a limitation we
were never very comfortable with. If we brought 60 roles of film with us, we would be
shooting the ceremony while trying to figure out how many roles would need to be saved
to shoot the reception. And guess who pays for that film? You do. With digital, we can
shoot until the cows come home. We carry enough discs to hold more images than we've
ever needed to shoot and can always download to the computer and back-up the disks on
CD or DVD if we need to reuse some. You might note that there are no limitations on
the number of images we shoot in our prices.
With film, we would carry a variety of filters with us: color filters for color
correction as well as contrast enhancement when shooting black-and-white, special
effects filters for diffusion, vignettes and diffraction, etc, etc. Digital allows us
to do the black-and-white conversions or effects in post-production without the cost
of high-quality scans (which would make our services more expensive).
Not a fan of diffusion? Not a problem, you can have the image without any
diffusion. Want to see that black-and-white image in color? Sure thing. Digital
allows us to produce what you want.
What do I get for my money?
Our wedding photography service includes the
following:
- Unlimited hours of photography on the day of your wedding (from when you want us to start to when you make your exit from the reception.)
- DVD(s) of the fully-retouched high-resolution images (as many disks as it takes)
- A high-quality, coffee-table style thumbnail book of all images included on the disks
Our portrait photography services include the sitting fee (though we won't be doing much sitting!) and a print credit. CD's or DVD's of fully-retouched digital files can be purchased separately on a per-image basis. Click the link above for pricing.
What do you mean by "fully-retouched, high-resolution images?"
Unlike most photographers who provide images on disk, we go beyond simply
correcting exposure and color. The images we provide to you are fully
retouched: Rough skin? Softened; Pimples? Eliminated; Distracting backgrounds?
Made less so; Uncle Ralph caught doing "rabbit ears" behind your brother's
head? Taken care of. Basically, the images we provide to you will have
undergone the same level of manipulation and care as the images in our
portfolio. Want to see the difference?
Click here.
Do you archive my images?
In addition to the disks provided to you, we keep copies of all your images
backed up on hard drives and DVDs in our office, as well as duplicate copies
stored in an off-site facility. Should you desire an album, prints or
additional disks years down the road, rest assured that we will have your
images on file and will be able to accomodate your request.
Why do your prints cost what they do?
We custom make our prints one at a time, using the most archival materials
available. You aren't paying for the paper or ink; you are paying for the time
and care we put into the creation of your print.
There is no way we can compete with the Wal-Marts of the world in terms of
print pricing. (Then again, there is no way a 12-cent print is going to be
able to match the quality we produce.)
If you want a bunch of quick prints to give to friends and family, your disk comes
with a release notice giving you the right to print the images in any manner you
choose, so long as it is for personal use. As we said, we can't compete on price with
the one-hour labs, so we don't try. We would ask, however, that you come to us when you
want the highest-quality prints possible.
Do you also shoot video?
No; we're strictly still photographers.
We can suggest, however, if you want both still and video shot of your wedding,
that it's a good idea to get your photographer and videographer together before
your wedding to make sure that they are compatible. Why is this important?
We've heard too many horror stories of still photographers hired for their style
having to work along side videographers who work in a completely contrary style
(say, the photographer shoots photo-journalistically and the videographer is a control
freak who stops the procession because the bride wasn't smiling. Or the other way
'round in reverse.) The people you hire to record your wedding should never be a cause
for stress on your most important of days.
We would strongly suggest that the same qualifications you are looking for in
your photographer be the qualifications you are looking for in your
videographer. Style, commitment to quality and personality should be similar
between your "ographers".
Do you do studio portraits too?
We prefer to do what is known as "Lifestyle Portraiture." While we have all the
lighting and equipment necessary to do studio photography, we much prefer to shoot on
location and capture you or your family in a natural setting that reflects who you
are. Do you mountain bike? We'll take you out on the trails and catch you in action.
Enjoy the river? We're going out on the rocks. Really just want that classic low-key
studio portrait with everyone in white shirts and khaki slacks? We can set up a studio
in your living room (but we'll probably try to get everyone out in the backyard to
play around for some shots too!)
My reception venue requires all vendors to be insured; are you insured?
Absolutely! We can provide proof of insurance on request to your venue.
While it strains credibility to think that a simple number can be unlucky, why take that
chance? Thanks for asking, by the way.
