faq

faq

How did you get into weddings?
By accident, like most of the “old school” photographers.  All my friends knew that I loved shooting sports and other fast-action stuff, and that my gear was professional and “looked good”… and, as goes the typical story, one friend had a relative who needed a photographer.  Reluctantly (very reluctantly), I accepted the job.  I charged $200, shot eighteen rolls of film, spent $400 on developing and printing proofs, and vowed to never touch another wedding for the rest of my life.  And then there was another friend who begged me to shoot her wedding… and somehow, a couple years later I was shooting 30-40 weddings a year, all over the country.  I don’t know how that happened, it just sort of did.

How long have you been shooting weddings?
If you count that first $200 gig, 13 years.  But I’ve been fulltime since 2002, so almost ten years.

What do you like best about weddings?
That’s easy.  The people.  I *love* watching families and friends interact, and capturing those emotions as they happen.  Being present for the merging of two lives, two families, two worlds – it’s an amazing thing to witness, and even more amazing to capture.   Also, I’m a total sap.  Personalized vows pretty much do me in, every single time.  If you’re a little weird and you like seeing people cry, write your own vows.  And then remember to look at me while I’m photographing you.  I’ll be crying.

So, what’s your least favorite part about the job?
The Wedding Industrial Complex.  That big, ever-present machine that tries to tell us all how we should look, act, and feel during our private, intimate moments.   The crazy-making checklists that would send any rational human being into a tailspin, wondering how one could ever plan a wedding without knowing what colors complement tiffany blue, and which type of ribbon style works best with the fabric of the tablecloths.  The big trends that come from I-don’t-even-know-where, that encourage normal people to do silly things for the sake of pictures, like holding oversized balloons in a meadow while eating a gourmet picnic in front of a piece of antique furniture, 50′s luggage strewn about the grass.  Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I don’t get it.

But I kind of like those vintage picnic pictures!
True confession: I kind of like them too.  They’re fun, and for a certain type of couple, they are wildly appropriate.  This would be the couple that does have picnics while wearing vintage clothing and toting their grandmother’s luggage into a field.  I’m sure they’re out there, and I’m not knocking the lifestyle!  I just don’t like the pressure that these trends put on couples to adopt odd, passing fads for their own photos – photos that are supposed to stand the test of time.  If you’re a vintage style couple in real life, you’ll be a vintage style couple for your wedding and engagement photos. If you’re modern and funky, that’s what your photos should reveal.

How would you describe your style?
Honest, straightforward, and classic.  I shoot what happens, and I do it respectfully, and without micromanaging the moments and scenes in front of me.  I let the day unfold as it will, and try my best to stay unobtrusive, in the background, carefully observing and capturing the stories.  My editing is clean and truthful – I don’t use a lot of photoshop, and I stay away from actions and overlays and other stuff that will date my images or obscure the wonderful natural colors and expressions that I worked so hard to capture in the first place.

Who will shoot my wedding?
Me.  I’ve never sent a substitute photographer out on my behalf, and I never plan to.  The only scenario I can possibly imagine needing a stand-in for a wedding is if I died.  That’s just morbid and sad, so let’s not talk about that.

How many pictures do you take?
Tons.  More than enough to tell the stories of the day.  I focus on the interactions, reactions, and emotions throughout the event, and sometimes that means I end up taking over 2,000 images in a ten-hour day!  (That’s a LOT, by the way).

The final number of images that you receive depends on several different factors – how long I was there, how many people were at the wedding, whether or not there were kids in the wedding (they’re camera hogs!), and how crazy your reception is, among other things.

Will we get every picture that you take?
No, you won’t.  Don’t fret!  It’s for the best, really!  I have a rule that I have stuck by for many years: if the image makes you or me look bad, it’s gone.  Any images that are removed from the final take are usually just plain BAD.  Horrible expressions, mid-blinks, accidental cleavage, drunkity-drunk dirty dancing… or the technically bad, where I missed focus, or someone walked in front of the camera right when I hit the shutter.  Take my word for it – you don’t want to see the stuff that ends up on the cutting room floor.

Do you have backup equipment?
Oh hell yeah.  And backups for my backups.  I’m paranoid.  It’s an important job, you know?  I had one wedding, back in 2003, when both main cameras failed, two lenses died, a flash broke, and a lightstand snapped in half – ONE WEDDING!  I had enough backup gear to make it through the wedding, but I sweated a LOT, and I think I even cried in the bathroom while the guests were being served the main course.  Since then, I’ve duplicated my backup gear to a point of overkill, and I’m totally comfortable with that

What about insurance?
Got that too.

Do you bring an assistant?
Not normally.  It depends.  I’ve had assistants off and on over the years, but they tend to move on quickly and open up their own wedding business after shooting one or two under my studio.  It’s sort of the way of the industry anymore.  I may one day find someone who can assist and/or second shoot for me who is also smart enough to avoid owning their own business, but I’m not holding my breath.

What happens if you get sick / break a leg / have a personal tragedy / die?
Wedding photographers aren’t allowed to get sick.  So unless I’m crawling in contagion, I’ll be there.  I’ve shot with a torn achilles tendon, mono, bad colds, and the remnants of the flu.  Not fun!  But it’s my job.  If I die (YES, it’s been asked!), one of several dozen photographers will be right there to take my place.  I belong to an excellent network of photographers who are all ready to step in for emergencies.  I’ve been fortunate in that I have never had to call on them for help, but I have been called on to step in for others, and it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to do that for a colleague.

Do you eat at the reception?
Oh definitely!  I eat while you’re eating, so I don’t miss anything (I do not photograph people eating, ever, so it’s the best time for me to recharge, change batteries, freshen up my gear, prep for the dancing, and grab a quick bite).  If the venue offers Vendor Meals, take those – they’re usually cold sandwiches and chips, just enough to settle my stomach and energize me for the dancing part.  If you don’t plan on having a meal there for me, please let me know in advance – I’ll run out during the meal service and pick up some fast food.

Do we get our files?
You do!  After the edited images are posted online in your password-protected gallery, I’ll send you a disk of the images from your wedding, ready for printing.  You’ll also receive a letter of shared copyright notification, which authorizes you to reproduce the images for unlimited personal use.

Will you still make prints and albums for us?
I would love to!  In fact, I prefer it that way – having complete control over the printing process means that I will know, for sure, that the images displayed in your homes are of the best quality, with the right color, density, tonality, etc.   If you use a good lab, your finished prints will look good – but I don’t guarantee they’ll look good if you print them at a Wal-Mart kiosk, y’know?

We want to book you!  Now what do we do?
Sweet!  I love it when that happens!  I’ll send you a contract that you can look over and sign for me.  When you send it back, include 50% of the total package price as your retainer fee (I’ll let you know the exact amount).  I’m not booked until that first payment is received.

Cool!  So when do we pay the rest of it?
Oh, any time you want – as long as it’s more than 30 days before your wedding date.  That’s the very latest I can accept the final payment (it’s all spelled out in the contract).  If you pre-pay the entire amount when you sign the contract, I’ll give you a cool bonus (either a 10% product credit, or 5% cash back).

Do you take credit cards?
Sure do – through Paypal.  I also accept checks, money orders, cold hard cash, and gifts of liquor and tropical vacations.

What about sales tax?
Oh yeah.  That.  You have to pay that, but only if you’re (a) living in NC, or (b) having your wedding in NC.

Can you hold our date without a retainer?
Nope.
But what if I…
Nope.
But….
Sorry.

Okay, okay, we get it!  So, how early should we book?
As early as possible.  I’m not even kidding!  Some prime dates will book out 18-24 months in advance!  I only accept 20 weddings a year, and I try not to accept more than one wedding a weekend if I can help it (though holiday weekends tend to be double and triple-header times).  Because I limit my availability, and because some brides are freaks who want everything contracted and paid for two years in advance (no offense at all, I’m kind of freaky like that myself)  – yeah, you should probably think about going ahead and booking your photography.  It never hurts to have one more thing crossed off the To Do List anyway.

Can we buy you a beer?
I thought you’d never ask.