Frequently Asked Questions

What is your style of photography?

It’s a mix of documentary style photojournalism and tastefully arranged portraits. It’s all about capturing natural, flattering expressions ~ but when it’s portrait time, we won't make you stand in any awkward poses. Our gift is making people feel comfortable in front of our cameras and being super fast and efficient, which results in relaxed looking portraits. Your wedding images will take you right back to that unforgettable day and they won’t look dated years from now.
Perfect lighting in all scenarios is paramount, not only during the daylight hours when there is an abundance of natural light, but also at night. Particularly indoors at night, during the reception (since that’s at least half of your wedding pictures) and that takes an experienced professional to accomplish.

Should my fiancee’ and I do a first look and pictures together before the wedding ceremony?

We are flexible either way, but there are a few pros and cons to consider.
From a photography standpoint, doing a first look gives you a lot more quality picture time together. Also, many of our past clients have said that it instantly calmed their nerves to have seen each other in a quiet spot alone before the big event really got going. Plus, you’d get all of the wedding party/family group pictures done before the ceremony, so you would be able to get to the reception much faster.
If you’d like to go the more traditional route and not see each other until you meet at the altar, you’ll need to allow some time afterwards for taking pictures together and with your families and the wedding party (we promise to be fast with these).

Can you come to the hotel or house to take ‘getting ready’ pictures of the bride and bridesmaids?

Yes and usually the best time for us to arrive is the last hour of getting ready. This is when the bride is getting her final make-up touch ups and everyone is in their matching robes/PJs, right before getting into their dresses. It’s also a great time for us to get pictures of details like the wedding dress, the invitation suite, jewelry, etc.
*Please note that this may require adding an additional 1-2 hours to your wedding day photography coverage.

Do we have to give you a shot list?

You don’t….and if you are breathing a sigh of relief about this, we’re going to be BFF. Plus, the wedding day photography will be so effortless and fun for you, the wedding party and your families. You don’t have to worry if we are going to get a picture of you with your parent(s) or any other person who is part of your family’s inner circle or in the wedding party, because we plan for and schedule those shots in advance to make sure they happen. This is where our 25 years of experience really comes into play ~ we know exactly which shots to take and the amount of time it takes to get them.
If you have any special requests, those are perfectly do-able if you let us know about them in advance and if we can fit them into your wedding day timeline.
However, if you craft a last-minute list of everybody-smile-at-the-camera pictures (beyond what we have already scheduled in advance), it will greatly interfere with the flow of your event and will not allow for any creativity or spontaneity in your photos. These lists are always too long to fit into the time that we have already carefully scheduled for group pictures. This will quickly turn into an exhausting experience for you, attempting to round up your missing relatives while at the same time having to stand in a seemingly endless amount of repetitive posed pictures (and most couples simply quit in the middle of it because of the stress). And the worst part is that you have very little time leftover for pictures alone as a couple, which are the most important pictures of the day.
Shot lists also put your photographers at a huge disadvantage, having to look down at/check off of a list, instead of being fully present, aware and able to capture those fleeting moments that are always happening at a wedding. The kind of images you have hired us for and are trusting us to capture!

The bottom line is this:
Shot lists will exhaust you both, 100% crush all photographic creativity and will prevent you from getting authentic, real images of your amazing day.
Ok, we are stepping off of our soapbox now, haha.

To understand our process for getting the must-have wedding party and family pictures, please read the next very important question….


How do we make sure to get the pictures we want with our families and the wedding party?

You’ll fill out our wedding information form, listing out your parents, steps, siblings (w/their spouses and kids, if applicable), grands, bridesmaids & groomsmen. As the wedding day approaches and timelines are being set, we will use that info to create a detailed outline of the family and wedding party photos and the time those should take place. We will collaborate with you and your wedding planner to ensure that the photo schedule blends seamlessly into the wedding day itinerary and that enough time has been set aside for group pics, any special requests and most importantly, pictures alone as a couple. This way, you’ll know exactly what to expect on the big day. When that day finally arrives, we’ll direct the photo sessions and keep everything moving along efficiently, so that part of your day is fun and carefree and you can get to your reception on time.
The only additional info we would need would be any groups you’d like a picture with at the reception, such as college friends, work friends, etc. We recommend keeping those to a minimum, so that you don’t miss out on valuable dance floor time with your guests.
In the end, we want you to look back on your wedding day as magical and not as an all day photo shoot. You’ll thank us later!

How much time will we need for the pre-ceremony and post-ceremony group photos?

If you do not want to see each other before the ceremony, then we’ll generally need 40 minutes with each side for family and wedding party photos. Then immediately after the ceremony, we would need 30-40 minutes to get pics of the newlyweds together with the wedding party, families and then alone as a couple.

If you would like to see each other and take photos together before the ceremony, we usually need about 90 minutes (depending on the size of your wedding party).
We can complete all of the family and wedding party photos beforehand, so that after the ceremony you could go straight to the reception. You would even have a few extra minutes for pictures of just the two of you there, too!

Can you photograph the rehearsal dinner, too?

Yes and it’s great to have pictures of yourselves at the rehearsal dinner venue in your pre-wedding day outfits, then pics of you and your guests at the cocktail hour, dinner, and of course all of the heartfelt and hilarious toasts and roasts from the kick-off party of the big weekend!

Are parents’ albums included in the wedding package?

Parent albums are not included up front, but can be purchased at any time after the wedding. We leave it open for the parents to decide on, as some would like an album and others just want prints to frame. We offer several album and print size options for parents and anyone else who would like to have a memento of the day.

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