Where are you located? Do you travel?
I apologize for the mass confusion about my location. We recently relocated from Fort Worth to Corpus Christi, TX. We still have family and dear friends in Dallas/Fort Worth and travel back often. Currently there is no travel fee for weddings booked in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I do not travel to DFW specifically for portrait sessions, but, I do post on my blog and Facebook when I will be in town and available for portrait sessions. There is never a travel fee added for portrait sessions when I am already in town. If you are in DFW and would like to be on my Dallas/Fort Worth photography mailing list enter your info below and you will be the first to know when I am in town and avaliable to book portrait sessions:
What equipment will you have at the wedding? Do you have back-up gear?
Yes, of course I have back-up gear! If I have a second shooter at your wedding then I even have a back-up for my back-up. Below is my gear list. These things go with me to each and every wedding.
Camera Body: Canon 5D Markii (2)
Camera Lenses: (All Canon) 24mm 1.4 L, 35 mm 2.0, 50mm 1.2 L, 70-200mm 2.8 L, 100mm Macro 2.8, 45mm T/S 2.8
Lighting: (2) Canon 580 Speedlights, (1) 430 Canon Speedlight, 4 Pocket Wizards, (2) Cheeta Light Stands
Other Equipment: Mega-awesome tripod, Large Reflector, Small Reflector, Lens Hoods, UV Filters, Polarizers (rarely use for portrait use, mainly landscape), a slew of eneloop rechargeable batteries and extra camera batteries.
Do you sell the digital files? If so, does that mean I can print my own images?
Digital files can be purchased for portrait sessions and are always included in wedding packages. If receiving the digital files the images will be delivered via CD or DVD and you will receive a print release which allows you the right to print as many copies as you would like at the printer of your choosing. If your wedding package includes a Bridal or Engagement session, the digital files will be included in the archival DVD you receive after your wedding.
How many images will I receive with my portrait session? Wedding?
I will take anywhere from 200-300 images during a photoshoot and between 1,000-1,500 images during a wedding. I do not limit the number of images taken. The longer the wedding, the more images. After going through a culling process and sorting through the images I end up with around 40 images for most portrait sessions and 500 images for most weddings.
Do you edit all of the images from the session? wedding?
All images are captured in RAW format. Shooting in RAW allows for the most precise and accurate corrections if needed. Images are edited for exposure, color balance and contrast and then converted to JPG. All of the images in your online gallery as well as the images you will receive on DVD or CD will be edited in this manor. A few images that I blog will be further edited in photoshop. These images are the images that I share on my blog or use on my website. I am not a fan of over-photoshopping an image, however, I do use photoshop to pop colors, remove blemishes or other distracting objects or even add a texture to an image. If there is an image in your gallery that you wish to be further edited in this way you may place an order for a print online through your gallery. All orders placed through me will be further edited. If you wish to have the digital file for a further edited (or photoshopped) image, you can also purchase this through your online gallery.
How long is my online gallery avaliable?
Portrait session galleries are online for 2 weeks and wedding galleries are online for 6 months. Once the gallery has expired there is a $30 fee to re-post the gallery for another 30 days (for both portrait and wedding galleries).
What types of weddings can be booked as a small wedding?
Some weddings can be booked at an hourly rate of $300 for one photographer. These are typically either justice of the peace weddings or intimate beach or lake weddings. These weddings typically require no more than 3 hours of coverage, have a guest list of around 50 people and have a limited number of posed portraits desired (meaning there is either no wedding party or just a maid of honor and best man). This option was created for smaller weddings at The Inn On Lake Granbury as well as intimate weddings on the ocean in Corpus Christi. If you aren’t sure if your wedding fits into this category, feel free to contact me and we can discuss your wedding needs.
What is a print credit?
A print credit is like a gift certificate that can be redeemed for prints and products ordered online through your gallery. There are many different types of products available besides prints such as photobooks, accordion albums, greeting cards, gallery canvas wraps, acrylic and metal prints and flushmount albums. If you would like to take a look at examples of any of these products before placing your order feel free to set up an appointment to come by the office and view them.
Why are the 5×7 images that I ordered cropped?
Your images are captured with a full frame camera and will print in ratios of 4×6. This means they will print at sizes: 4×6, 6×9, 8×12, 12×18, 24×34. You are probably use to sizes like 4×5, 5×7, 8×10 and 11×14. I can explain this best by using the current TV switch from STANDARD SCREEN to WIDESCREEN. Before people had widescreen televisions in their home, widescreen was the format that you watched movies in at the theatre and standard screen was the size that a general consumer watched a movie at home. When the movie was converted from widescreen to standard screen, movie detail was lost (the sides were cut off). This is similar to professional full frame cameras vs. the standard consumer’s camera. Our cameras are full frame. Professional print sizes differ from consumer print sizes. It is recommended to keep your images at their full frame, meaning order in sizes that are the ration 4×6. If you place an order for prints through me, I will remind you at the time of your order if you choose a size that will crop the image (such as 5×7 or 8×10). However, if you order on your own via our recommended printer (MPix.com) the full frame print sizes are available but so are standard sizes so make sure you choose wisely. If you choose to print at a standard size (5×7, 8×10) your images will be cropped.
Do you still sell organic bloom frames?
Sorry, I am not selling organic bloom frames at this time.
What is first sight?
First sight is a time when the Bride and Groom see each other for the first time on their wedding day in their wedding attire. No one else is around for this moment except the Bride, Groom and wedding photographers. This can be done in the ceremony location or another specified location. Usually the Groom stands facing one direction and the Bride walks towards him and signals when she is near for him to turn and face her. It is a beautiful moment.
Benefits of First Sight:
• Bride and Groom get a few minutes alone without anyone else around
• Generally speaking, everyone is about 90% less stressed once the Bride and Groom have seen each other
• All formal pictures can be done ahead of time
• There is time for unique and creative shots outdoors in the beautiful, natural light.
• Your ceremony can start later (for those desiring an evening wedding) and you do not have to worry about having enough natural light for fun and creative wedding photos
• You can go straight to the reception after your ceremony
Most evening weddings which choose not to do first sight end up with a few flash pictures of the bride and groom together and the rest of the formal images are all indoor flash images. The reason most people hire me is because of the creative and fun images they want of their wedding day. In order to produce these images I need time and light.
When will my wedding images be ready?
I will blog a sneak peak of your wedding within 2 weeks after your wedding date. Your full wedding gallery will be online for viewing and sharing 4-6 weeks after your wedding date and the disc of with your digital images will be mailed soon after that.
Can we bring our dog to our portrait session?
Well, of course! I love dogs. Make sure you also bring a long leash, short leash, water dish, bottle of water, and possibly an extra person to take the dog for shots that the dog will not be included in.
What should I wear?
A few basics for wardrobe:
-Wear something that reflects who you are.
-Choose colors and fit wisely. Avoid overly tight clothing that may create undesired rolls or bulges.
-Coordinate. This doesn’t mean wear matching outfits, it just means wear coordinating color schemes and styles.
-Avoid extremely busy patterns. Darker colors are slimming.
A fellow photographer wrote an excellent article about how to dress for engagement sessions, I believe this can also be translated to any other session as well. Check out that article by clicking here.