FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions - Here is a list of frequently asked questions and information that you may find useful. I try to be as strait forward as possible so there are no misconceptions.
General Questions
1We have an engagement shoot with our package, when is the latest we can do it before our wedding?
answer:
We need at least 6 weeks before the wedding. Especially if you are ordering a guest book or any other products that require prints.
2We don't know where we would like to do our engagement photos, can you help us out?
answer:
Absolutely, we are always discovering new and fun places to do photos. If you can't think of a place, we have plenty of suggestions.
3We are getting married at a new venue in San Diego, have you ever shot there?
answer:
This question seems to arise often. There are many of venues we have shot at and many we haven't. However, as photographers, our job is to be creative so regardless of if we have shot at your venue, the quality of photos will be the same if we have or haven't. Personally, I tend to find more creative ways to use a place that we haven't been to as opposed to a photographer who shoots there often. Some photographers get lazy and mundane and each time they go to a location, they shoot in the same locations each time.
4The venue we are getting married at requires you to have insurance, do you have a policy?
answer:
Absolutely, we carry a $1,000,000 policy. In fact, our policy also covers our equipment as well. So if we happen to drop our camera and break it at a wedding before yours, our insurance covers it and will replace it promptly.
5We are debating on having an inside or outside reception, what are your thoughts?
answer:
Definitely indoor. The best possible indoor solution is one with white ceilings. With flash photography, it is best to bounce your light so that when it comes back, it provides nice wrap around light. Outside there are obviously no walls or ceilings so it makes photography much more difficult.
Here are a few venues with nice white ceilings and photograph well.
- The Wiens Family Cellars - Banquet Hall
- Falkner Winery - Pinical Restaurant
- Leonesse Cellars - Barrel Room
- South Coast Winery - Barrel Room
- Wilson Creek - Banquet Pavilion
6What equipment do you use?
answer:
We shoot with all Canon equipment. Jake shoots on a 21.1 Mega Pixel Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the assistants shoot on 12.8 Mega Pixel Canon EOS 5D's. All of our lenses are pro level L Series lenses for the highest quality images.
Pre Wedding
1It's a month before our wedding, do we need to get together to go over anything?
answer:
We can if you would like but we typically don't. Wedding photography is our business and we do these every weekend. I know this may be your first time but not for us so we are set to go, just let us know when to be there. Any specific details, just shoot us an email or give us a call.
2Our wedding is in a couple days and we haven't picked our 11x14 engagement print, can we still order it?
answer:
We like to have at least two weeks to order your print from our professional lab. We can get one on rush but it will cost an additional $50.
3Our wedding is in November after daylights savings time, will that be a problem?
answer:
Typically your ceremony will be around 4:30PM so doing photos after the ceremony is not really possible. We recommend doing all the photos before hand. This means you will see each other before the ceremony, however, this is the only viable solution to get all the photos done.
4It's daylights savings time and the venue scheduled our ceremony for 5:00PM...They said twilight pictures are great, what do you think?
answer:
I hate when venues do this! You will be having your ceremony in the dark! And yes, your photos will look like crap.
Post Wedding
1It's two days after our wedding, should I call you and see what the status of our photos are?
answer:
I know everyone is excited to see their photos but no, calling everyday is not going to speed up the process. If we only had one wedding a month, sure, we could have your photos done in a few days. However, since we typically have weddings every weekend, when wedding season is in full effect, thousenads of photos tend to stack up. So by the time we are shooting your wedding, we may have four weddings before yours and all the brides are anxious for their photos as well.
2OK, so how long until I can see my photos?
answer:
We try to get a blog up with 15 or so photos a couple days after the wedding. We strive to have all the photos processed and online within 30 days. However, if the wedding season is super busy, it could take 45 days. Although, there are times when we have them done and online in a week. Nonetheless, we really strive to get them done as soon as possible.
3So, how many images can I expect to get?
answer:
Typically you will receive around 100 images per hour of shooting.
4The photos in the blog are amazing, are all 800 or 1000 of my images going to look just like that?
answer:
No, all your images will be color corrected and tweaked to look their best. The photos in the blog go through much more processing and some times 1 image can take 30 minutes to an hour. To do that to every single image would take forever! However, we give you all the ones we have professionally enhanced as well.
5I don't understand, don't you just burn them on disk?
answer:
Unfortunately no! Here are some steps to help you understand why it takes so long.
- After the wedding, we take all the memory cards and import the photos into our post processing software, Photoshop Lightroom.
- A typical wedding has at least 2,000 images.
- We go through the images and flag the highlights for the blog.
- The photos that go in the blog get processed in Lightroom for white balance, exposure, contrast, color correction, etc.
- Next the photos are processed individually in Photoshop. Through Photoshop, we apply various enhancement techniques.
- Once the photos are ready for the blog, we upload them and write a little blurb about the wedding. This process can take up to 8 hours.
- After this, we begin what is called the "culling" process. This is the process of removing duplicates, unwanted, blurry, and over or under exposed images.
- After we have narrowed down the images to a reasonable amount, we begin processing the remaining images.
- We go through each image individually and make sure it looks its best.
- Once all the images have been processed, we export all the high resolution images.
- We take all the hi-res images and upload them to our online proofing service called Pictage.
- Once the photos have been uploaded, we submit the event to Pictage and wait for them to release it back to us.
- After the photos have been released back, we go through and categorize all the images.
- From the time we upload to the time they are categorized and released to you is typically around 48 hours.
- All together, it can take a solid week to process a wedding and get them released to the client.
- After all is said and done, we begin designing albums, ordering products, etc.
As you can see, there is a lengthy process that your photos go through to get processed. So when you have weddings each weekend, you can easily see how photos start to get backed up. I hope this makes things more clear.
Booking
1I've been looking around at other photographers and none of them give the disk, do you provide us with the disk!!
answer:
Absolutely, the reason other photographers don't want to give you the disk is because they want you to have to buy prints directly from them. I want you to be happy and be able to print your photos as you wish. So all our packages come with the disk containing all the high resolution images.
2We love your work and we would love for you to shoot our wedding, how much is the deposit?
answer:
The deposit is $1,000 or %25, whichever is greater.
3My wedding is over a year away, how soon should I book you?
answer:
The sooner the better. We book weddings fast so if you really want to book us, it is best to do it as soon as possible.
4I am so excited to book you guys to shoot my wedding, I have the contract, can I wait a month or so to get you the signed contract and deposit?
answer:
Unfortunately no. If you want to book, you need to get your contract and deposit in as soon as possible. You date is not officially locked in until we receive both the contract and deposit.
Random
1My uncle Bob just bought a really nice Canon Rebel XTI from Costco, we can just have him shoot the reception?
answer:
Photography is a skill as well as an art form. Do you really want to trust uncle Bob to cover part of your event?
2Well, I was thinking of having disposable cameras at each table, I was going to have my guests cover the reception.
answer:
Ask any bride who has done this and she will tell you not to. Half the time the cameras don't get used. The other half, the guests are taking pictures of the floor and everything else. And the majority of the photos won't turn out.
3Maybe I can have my cousins video tape my ceremony.
answer:
I have a question for you...how close are you with your cousins? Cause they will end up in the way and in every shot. I have seen it time and time again, I am shooting the bride walking down the isle and here comes cousin Joey and sets his tripod right in front of me and starts videotaping and I miss a shot. Trust me, it's a bad idea!
4Fine, I hired a professional videographer, is there anything else I should be aware of?
answer:
Does your videographer shoot on a wide angle lens, zoom or both? If he is shooting primarily on a wide angle lens, you can count on him being in all the shots with you as well. With a wide angle, they will need to be a few feet from you the entire time. Not good for candid shots!
5I have met with a few photographers and they all seem good, how do I really know?
answer:
Any good photographer will have plenty of referrals. For example, venues they work at, coordinators, florists, etc.
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