1. How many hours are you at my wedding, and can I purchase extra hours? You can choose how many hours you would like for me to be at your wedding. Eight hours is generally the perfect amount of time, but you are welcome to purchase additional hours.
2. Do you use an assistant photographer? I firmly believe in having an assistant photographer. It is the only way that I can guarantee my clients that we will not miss one single thing!
3. I would like to know if I can afford you before we talk, so can you send me your full price list before we talk on the phone? Yes, I'm happy to send you a full pricing guide. That should give you a good idea of whether or not I am in your budget. At your consultation we can discuss many things including pricing that will ensure you have everything you need to make an educated, wise decision. While pricing is a determining factor in choosing a photographer, I want my clients make their decision based on all the factors involved and not just on price alone. Your wedding photographer should care about you, have substantial experience, have a full backup plan in place, and be able to deliver a quality product in a timely fashion. They should also be someone you like and feel comfortable with.
4. If we decide to go with you, how do we reserve our date? I require a 25% booking fee for weddings over six months out and also a signed agreement to hold your date. Another 25% is due six months prior to your wedding. The remaining balance is due 30 days prior to your wedding.
5. Do you ever offer less coverage for a cheaper price? Yes I do! My rate is $650/hr. You can pick the number of hours you want.
6. Do you travel and what do you charge for travel expenses? I do travel! Far and wide!! For weddings outside of Charleston, but less than 350 miles from Charleston, I require 2 nights hotel stay and reimbursement for meals and fuel. For domestic weddings over 350 miles from Charleston, I require 3 nights hotel stay plus reimbursement for airfare and meals. For international travel, I require 4 nights hotel stay plus reimbursement for airfare and meals.
7. I have a Sunday wedding, is that a problem? Even though I do go to church on Sunday morning, I am available after 1pm to shoot your wedding day. This typically works well with most ceremony times :)
8. What equipment do you use and do you have back up? I capture images on both film and digital cameras. Film camera's include a Contax 645 medium format camera and a Canon 1v 35mm camera. My digital backup cameras are a Canon 5DM4 and Canon 5DM3. I have too many lenses to count. Extra batteries, plenty of storage cards, multiple flashes, etc. etc. I have more than plenty!!
9. Are you insured and licensed? Yes I am...six ways to Sunday.
10. I have certain shots I want on the wedding day. Is that okay? Can I put stuff on Pinterest? I LOVE PINTEREST. I am as addicted as the rest of us and I love to look at your boards!! I cannot copy another photographers work nor do I recommend it, but it gives me a great idea of your style and what you love.
11. My family member is getting into photography. Can they shoot with you? Unfortunately, or maybe I should say fortunately, the answer is no...Lol! The term for this in the photography industry is "Uncle Bob". If you Google "Uncle Bob Photography", you will see many many reasons this is a bad idea. After all, you're investing in a quality wedding photographer so that you have amazing images. You don't want that compromised by a well meaning family member or friend. The best way to preserve your relationship with this loved one is to simply tell them that your wedding photographer will not allow it and they are off the hook :)
12. What do I wear for my engagement session? In the wedding planning guide, you will receive tons of information on how to curate and style the perfect engagement session. This will include advice on what to wear and how to coordinate outfits. And I am always available for questions. I promise to give you my honest opinion!
13. How many locations can we do for the engagement session? I recommend 1 location. We usually have a window of 2 hours for optimal lighting on any given day and you don't want to waist wonderful light on travel time in between locations. For that reason, I strongly recommend one location.
14. What is a "Day After" session and why would I want one? A day after session can literally be scheduled for the day after your wedding or any time after your wedding. It is a nice thing to have if you get rained out or want to enjoy more of your reception. If you love pictures and want a big variety of images, it gives you time to relax and not be rushed through the photography portion of your wedding day.
15. Do you offer albums and why should I purchase one from you versus doing it myself? Yes! I offer the best album in the industry in my opinion. It is made by Kiss Albums and they have such a quality product. Feel free to view their website and check them out at KISS. A good reason to get your album through me is because they are expensive no matter which way you slice it and when you are investing that much in something, it should be the best! As a photographer, I devoted an entire month to researching wedding album companies and it took that plus meeting with all of my selections in person to find one single company that I trusted with the quality and customer service my couples deserve. I find that my couples can get a substantially better quality product for just a little more than they would invest elsewhere. I would rather them spend a little more and get a product that will outlast their lifespan and be something they can hand down to their grandchildren.
16. When are my wedding images delivered and how? Your images are delivered within 8 weeks of your wedding day via an online gallery. You and anyone you invite to view the gallery can download the hi-res images that they want. The images can be downloaded to all your devices or shared to social media very easily.
17. How many images do I get? For a full day of wedding coverage, on average 500-700. All properly exposed and composed images are edited and uploaded to your gallery.
18. Can I purchase the copyright to my images and print my own photos without having to purchase them from you? My weddings include the hi-res images and print release that allows you to make unlimited prints for your own personal use.
19. When should I schedule my engagement sessions? You can schedule them about 6-8 weeks prior to when you want to send out your save the dates.
20. When should I schedule my bridal session? You will need 6-8 weeks to allow time for editing and ordering of your bridal portrait prior to the wedding day.
21. What if you have never photographed a wedding at my venue. Should this be a concern? Even if I have photographed at a venue before, the lighting for each wedding day is going to be completely different. If I had two weddings at the same venue back to back, for example, and one day was cloudy and one day was sunny, my approach to the photography would be completely different. If I had a wedding there in the spring versus the fall, my approach would have to be completely different. The sun moves around throughout the year, so literally it would be like photographing the venue for the first time all over again anyway. The bottom line is that if a photographer needs to photograph a venue several times before they can do a great job, your dealing with the wrong photographer. You want a photographer who can do an amazing job the first time, every time, and in any lighting condition! FYI...over half of the images you see on my website are from venues I have photographed for the first time. It's a non-issue for a pro!
Charleston Fine Art Wedding Photographer