I know just how daunting it can be not only searching for the right photographer, but also knowing what questions to ask. Have no fear! Here are some FAQs, broken down into sections based on what kind of service you are looking for.
GENERAL
HOW DOES BOOKING WORK? Booking is super easy! Use the contact form to get a hold of me with as many details about your shoot as possible. I'll be in touch shortly to go over any details I need and to chat about what exactly it is you are looking for out of the shoot. I will then draw up a proposal and sent it your way via email. Once you get the proposal, you will be able to sign the agreement AND pay the non-refundable deposit in order to hold your spot. Once those two things are received, you will OFFICIALLY be on my calendar. ***NO DATES ARE HELD WITHOUT A SIGNATURE AND DEPOSIT.***
HOW DO WE ORDER PRINTS? Ordering prints from the gallery is SO EASY!. With each image, there is a little shopping cart icon where you can choose a size and quantity for whichever images you'd want to order. Pricing for prints within the gallery varies on what size print you want. However, you can absolutely print your own prints from the USB! I just give the option for ordering prints via the gallery for ease as well as quality of printing. The prints are of professional quality printed with archival inks that will not fade, 100+ year promise. We say give the investment in wedding prints the same TLC that you did with your wedding photography.
IS TRAVEL INCLUDED? Yes! To make things easy, I roll the cost of travel (and lodging, if it applies) into your final quote so there are NO SURPRISES! What you see on your invoice is what you’ll pay (no hidden fees!).
DO I GET THE RAW FILES? In short, no. RAW files are akin to a painter or sculptor’s sketches. Simply put, they are unfinished pieces of art. And what’s more, is that you wouldn’t want half of them! So many of the shots from your wedding day are testing out lighting, finding our compositions, testing our off-camera flashes, and discovering the unique view of your day. Not to mention a lot of half-opened eyes caught mid-blink (think wedding party or family photos with 14+ people!). RAW files include all the mess on-the-fly processing and decision making photographers do. They are sketches to the final masterpiece. And here’s another way to look at it in a photographic way; you wouldn’t ask your photographer for their negatives, would you?
DO I GET TO CHOOSE MY OWN IMAGES?
WEDDINGS/ELOPEMENTS
TO HAVE A SECOND SHOOTER, OR TO NOT HAVE A SECOND SHOOTER? It is really up to you! I will say that with weddings with over 130/135 guests, it can be nice to have a second shooter so we capture more faces more often. No matter which package is chosen, I always have my assistant with me, and they always do some light shooting. It wouldn't be the same amount of coverage with two shooters, but there would always be two shooters during the ceremony, first look should you choose to do one, as well as having one of us present with each of you during those “getting ready” moments! (*For smaller weddings/elopements it will just be me and my BIG ENERGY!)
TO FIRST LOOK, OR TO NOT FIRST LOOK? First looks are a great way to give yourself extra time for the posed/group portion of photography on your wedding day. I will always recommend doing a first look if you have the time for it. It's a great way to have a pause in the day; one with just you and your partner in the midst of the craziest part of the day. But what it really boils down to is your and your honey. Do you want to have a magical moment alone before the ceremony? Or do you want that excitement and anticipation of seeing each other for the first time as you walk down the aisle and you’re standing by the altar? There is no wrong answer, do whatever feels right for the two of you. After all, this is YOUR special day!
IS AN ENGAGEMENT SESSION INCLUDED IF WE BOOK YOU FOR OUR WEDDING? My answer to this is YES!! A complimentary engagement comes along when you book with me, so you can use it or lose it! That being said, I 1000% encourage an engagement shoot. It’s a great way to have fun, get loose and see how we all work together before your big wedding day! Maybe one of your blinks a lot, and that’s a great piece of information to know before shooting your wedding (we’ll shoot a bi tmore). It also helps break the ice and gets you more comfortable in front of the camera. Let me put it this way. You’d feel more comfortable walking down the aisle after your wedding rehearsal, right? So think of your engagement session as a fun and casual get together with a friend who happens to have the most badass photography skills.
COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
WHY DO YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW I AM GOING TO USE THE PHOTOGRAPHS? Photographs are intellectual property, and licensing their use is how I generate income. The fees for a specific project are based on the use of the photographs because the more the images are used, the greater value they have. Since they’re worth more, they cost more. For example, if I was a musician and made an album and a car dealership wanted to use it, of course they would be expected to pay for the song based on how often it would be used and by the scope of it’s reach.
YOU MEAN I PAY YOU AND I DON’T OWN IT? You wouldn’t buy a book and then claim to be the author, right? Or purchase a song off iTunes and say you wrote it. The same goes for photography. Photographs are the intellectual property of the creator. I own the rights to my photographs, but I can write a license that will let you do whatever you need to do. My price will reflect the value of that license.
WHAT DOES NO THIRD PARTY USAGE MEAN? Our licensing agreement is between no one other than the parties involved (you and me only). If someone, a third party, approaches you and asks to use the image(s), you must refer them to me so I can license the image based on their usage needs. You own a license, not the image.
This arrangement benefits you, too. For example, if you’re an interior designer who hired me to photograph your hard work and then you give an image to, say, the cabinet maker, they essentially get that image for free that you paid good money for. That being said, we offer price-sharing for such situations. If you and other contractors want to go into the price together, we create a price-sharing arrangement that lowers the price for you and the other contractors involved. It really is a win-win-win!
I am happy to provide you a price for exclusive use of images as well, but because this type of license prohibits me from generating any additional income, it will significantly increase the cost of the project. Limited exclusivity is also an option we can talk about. We could start with limited exclusivity for — say, six months. This gives you premiere use of the photos, but it doesn’t restrict my ability to earn potential income forever.
CAN A THIRD PARTY USE MY IMAGES? The short answer is yes, but they will require a license to use the images.
Our licensing agreement is between no one other than the parties involved (you and me only). If a third party approaches you and asks to use the image(s), you must refer them to me so I can license the image based on their usage needs. You own a license, not the image. You as the client are not permitted to share my work with another company or client without written permission from myself and will most likely always include a licensing fee to the brand.
This arrangement benefits you, too. For example, if you’re an interior designer who hired me to photograph your hard work and then you give an image to, say, the cabinet maker, they essentially get that image for free that you paid good money for. That being said, we offer price-sharing for such situations. If you and other contractors want to go into the price together, we create a price-sharing arrangement that lowers the price for you and the other contractors involved. It really is a win-win-win!
I am happy to provide you a price for exclusive use of images as well, but because this type of license prohibits me from generating any additional income, it will significantly increase the cost of the project. Limited exclusivity is also an option we can talk about. We could start with limited exclusivity for — say, six months. This gives you premiere use of the photos, but it doesn’t restrict my ability to earn potential income forever.
WHO PAYS FOR THE LICENSING FEE, THEN? When you hire me for a photoshoot, we agree to a fixed upon price that includes you, the client, image usage to whichever we agree upon. Most of the time this means non-exclusive and non-transferable rights. If that clothing brand you’re promoting wants to post my photographs on their social media, they will need to obtain a photo license through me, and they will foot the bill. If you’d rather get things said and done early, we can have you, the client, pay the licensing fee and then you would pass along that bill to said clothing company. Either way is totally doable, but leaving the third party to be billed by me will save you time and a potential headache!