Q: Do we get a copy of our digital negatives?
A: Yes, for weddings and portraits, we sell the digital negatives. Alternatively, if you purchase an album with us, we include the digital negatives. We encourage our clients to order prints with us because we adjust every image professsionally. There is a reason you are drawn to all our imagery. Believe us, it’s the post-production– all digital images need a little bit of PhotoShop “love” to meet our standard of excellence. If you purchase the digital negatives from your portrait session, you’ll receive a 5×7 copy of every image posted to your online gallery as well as a lovely keepsake photo box.
Q: How far in advance do you book out?
A: We book weddings 6-12 months in advance. The most popular dates in Phoenix and Sedona are March, April, May, September, October and November. In Flagstaff: June, July, August and September. May & October are out busiest months! If you have a weekday elopement, we typically have availability 4-6 weeks out. For portraits we book 1-6 months in advance
Q: When do you shoot Senior Portraits?
A: Many parents don’t realize that the wallet sized print for your senior is due to the yearbook staff on Oct. 15th. They are strict about that deadline. Some charter schools have an additional month. This means your senior should be photographed either the summer prior to their senior year or in early September. Your senior will have tons of after school activities once school starts and we typically do not shoot on weekends. Additionally, it takes us 2 weeks to process a session and another week to order prints. You can imagine all the 17 year olds that call us October 1st for an October 15th deadline. It’s too late! We book up fast for these, so call ahead and get your preferred date on the calendar.
Q: Do you require a meal at our wedding?
A: Yes, please. For any wedding over 5 hours we need to eat! We are on our feet 8-10 hours on your wedding day working hard and burning a lot of calories. Please feed your photographer! We prefer a hot meal but occasionally this isn’t available at certain resort venues. We’ll be glad to take a “vendor meal” but most importantly we need to eat while the guests are eating and within site of the bride and groom. Dinner is the only non-photogenic time of the day (people are not usually happy about posing for a photo while eating). We eat very fast and often get up during the meal to photograph details, guests, etc. If we are out of the room we could miss important impromptu moments.
Q: What do we wear to our portrait session?
A: We encourage you to show off your personal style during your portrait session. If you are a family, we generally tell people to pick one printed item: ie: dress, shirt and pick coordinating colors from that garment. Most everyone else can wear a solid or a basic pattern that doesn’t clash with the printed garment. Please pick something that is flattering on you (and everyone else)! Do not choose something because it’s fashionable but looks awful on your body type. Choose clothing that you’ve worn before that gets you a lot of compliments! The camera does add weight and believe me, there are some things PhotoShop just can’t do. Style your hair and take extra time on your makeup and accessories but stay true to your personal style. If you don’t wear a lot of makeup, that’s okay, but you can still get a natural look with some makeup. If you need help with this, we have resources! Please ask. We request that you do not have “matching” outfits even though it seems easy to put everyone in jeans and black t-shirts, it’s really best to reflect a wardrobe you would normally wear. Our portrait sessions are all about capturing your true family and honest emotion. When everyone is dressed up too much people don’t feel normal and as a result they don’t look natural. Please do not wear bright white and black together– it’s too much contrast. Mid-tones are better ie: gray, blue, green, jeans, khaki, etc. You CAN wear black and we know it’s flattering (especially on new mama’s). We LOVE to chat about outfits, so give us a call and we’ll help you figure it out.
Q: Why are you more expensive than other wedding photographers?
A: In short you are paying for piece of mind and experience. It has taken me a decade to hone my craft, and become the photographer that I am today. I have shot hundreds of weddings and can manage any client situation or put out any wedding fire. Not only do I know photography but I also know my products, my software, my equipment and how to handle all of the stresses of album design, production, delivery and running a full time business. You may find some alternative options out there that seem appealing and less expensive. I would encourage you to view 3-5 full weddings from any photographer you interview, make sure their images make you feel the same way ours do, make sure you love their personality (you have to spend you entire day with the photographer), make sure the wedding they shot last weekend is as good as the portfolio they are showing you. I’d also want to see a sample album. We tell stories with our photographs and the best way to *read* that story is in a book. Our albums are truly a work of art and there are few photographers who carry the same high-end products. We design all our albums in-house and work with you directly on the final design. Choosing final images for an album or for your home is an overwhelming task, which is why we do the initial design for our clients and offer print consultations. Believe me editing 3,000+ great photographs down to 150 can be a daunting task. My best advice continues to be: stay true to your heart. If you LOVE our work, find a way to get it into your budget. If you splurge on one service at your wedding, let it be the photography…you can never go back and re-photograph a live event.