FAQs
The big question. Why should we hire you for our wedding?
Why should I be your wedding photographer? Because I will take care of you as if you were my own family. Because weddings can be overwhelming and stressful, and I’ll be right there with you the entire time. I’ll be your problem solver, I’ll be your family wrangler, I’ll help ensure that your day is exactly what you want, captured as beautifully as you deserve. I’ll be your eyes, so that you can focus on the amazing gathering of everyone you love most in the world and trust that your photography is in extremely skilled hands. If it rains, or gets dark too early, if your hair and makeup run late, if we get stuck in traffic - I’ve got you, and your photos with still be amazing. My job is to take great photos for you, but also to help remove all the stress from your wedding day so that you can enjoy it completely.
Coverage and Travel
I am often asked questions regarding my prices, travel policies, timelines for deliveries, albums and other wedding coverage details. I’ve compiled the most asked questions here for you. I hope you find these answers helpful. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions not answered here. I hope to hear from you soon.
Do you edit all your photographs?
Yes I do! Every image that you receive has be hand-edited one at a time. My highly trained editing team also selects a few favorites for special attention above and beyond the individual image editing.
Where do you live and how far will you travel?
I live in Houston, Texas which is my base of operations. I’ve had the pleasure to photograph weddings in The Philippines and Japan. I’m a destination wedding specialist, and there is no place I wont go. I’m very comfortable traveling for events. Rest assured that should you commission me to cover your wedding and travel to you, then you are hiring someone very experienced with travel for business. Travel is billed very simply - if airfare, hotel and rental car are needed, all you are responsible for is a direct reimbursement for the charges.
We want to take pictures in a super cool location on our wedding day. Do you know if we need a permit?
I would love to help you with this, but the answer is I’m not sure. If you’re getting married on site, the chances that you’ll need a permit is small. If you’re leaving your venue and going somewhere else, a permit might be needed. There are many places that require you to get a permit (Hermann Park Japanese Gardens comes to mind.). A permit has to be obtained by the client, not the photographer. If you have a question about a location, just let me know and I will help you figure out if a permit is needed. If we try to shoot at a location that requires a permit and we don’t have one, we will be asked to leave and I don’t want that to happen to us.
Can some of our photos be delivered in Black & White and Color?
Yes! All images are delivered in Black & White and Color. This way you can choose between the two.
How long will it take before we receive our products and photographs?
Online Galleries are posted within six weeks of the wedding date and this is when your digital files are released as well. If you have printed proofs in your collection, they’ll be available three weeks after your gallery goes live. Upon final approval of album designs, most albums are ready for delivery within twelve weeks.
Are digital files watermarked?
They are not. The high-resolution files don’t have any watermarks.
How many pictures will we receive?
The number of photographs depends on many things - the number of guests, hours of coverage, types of events, hours of dancing, and so forth. My average for an eight hour day with a second photographer is 650 images, but those numbers may vary depending on the day itself.
Do we get the copyright of images?
I get asked about copyright often. Many photographers include a “copyright release” in their contracts, which generally means the same as a release to have your images printed yourself or any lab you choose. That’s not the same as obtaining a copyright. Copyright simply means that I am the creator of the images, and I “own” the copyright. Selling or obtaining “the copyright” is not possible, but you’ll have the ability to print and share your images as much as you like.
How does the album design process work?
Wedding albums are a tangible and beautiful record of the d day your life began as a family. We know that life often gets in the way of creating these heirlooms, so we promise to make this process as easy as possible for you. I will pre design a wedding album as a courtesy to you. I will include your online design when delivering your digital files and online gallery. After you’ve had a chance to look at your album, we’ll set up a time to FaceTime or meet in person to finish your design.
What will my album look like once it’s completed?
I put a fresh modern look to the books I design. The images are printed directly onto the pages, much like a coffee table book that you’d buy a a bookstore. I want to keep the designs clean and classic, creating a book that will be an heirloom for future generations.
What is the “online gallery” you mentioned in your collections?
The online gallery is a private, password protected section of my website where all of your wedding photographs will be placed online for you and your family and friends to view. It is also a secure shopping cart which allows you (and your family and friends) to order prints online. All you have to do is provide the password to anyone who you want to be able to view the images. It’s also the way we deliver your wedding day digital files. You’ll have a download option with a PIN, and can begin downloading the second you receive the gallery.
Do you offer engagement sessions?
Yes I do. I love engagement sessions. Please take note that most engagement sessions have to be done Tuesday - Thursday, due to a heavy wedding schedule. I’m available to travel elsewhere for your engagement session, certain travel rates may apply to areas outside my usual geographic area. Sessions are generally shot at 3pm during the winter months, and after 6pm in the summer months. Night shoots are available on Fridays only, and an additional fee may apply.
Style
I hope that these frequent questions will explain my approach on the wedding day. I hope the work shared in my portfolio tells a clear story. If you have any further questions about my style of photography, please don’t hesitate to ask.
How would you describe your style of photography?
I cover weddings in a journalistic style, but I don’t think photography should be limited to a “genre.” I prefer to be very hands off and unobtrusive in my coverage of the day. I do believe there’s a time and place for gorgeous casually posed images of the couple together. So while I wont stop you and make you pose while cutting the cake, I would like about an hour (or more) alone with you both (if possible) sometime during the day to create some images of you without your wedding party or guests looking on. I also believe strongly in preserving all of the details of the wedding, from the cake to your shoes. My work is flush with detailed images. My images of the guest at the wedding are almost 100% journalistic and I wont stop entire tables at the reception and make them pose for “table shots.” I prefer instead to capture them laughing , smiling, dancing, drinking and having an over great time.
Do you take posed family photos?
Yes. I strongly believe in those family images, as they’re records of your entire family at an important time in their history together. A few weeks before your wedding, I’ll send you a questionnaire covering the details of the day and among the other questions is a list of posed images. These are the family groupings that I traditionally photograph at each wedding I cover. Bear in mind that the hallmark of my coverage is journalistic and real-time, so a very long list of posed images will hinder my ability to cover the even in a documentary manner. I provide you with nine groupings and strongly suggest your final list include no more than twelve or thirteen total. These groupings are quick, easy and largely informal and I try to make them pleasant and enjoyable for everyone involved.