F.A.Q.

WHAT STYLE OF PHOTOGRAPHER ARE YOU?
Personally speaking, my favorite images that make my heart swoon are the ones that capture my subjects in an organic, unposed way. Capturing raw, unfiltered emotions are what feeds my passion for wedding photography. 

Here’s the “but...” but in a wedding day, there will be times where I will need to work in a contemporary/progressive style; and other times, I will need to work in a photojournalism style...and even sometimes (gasp) in a more traditional nature. We both know grandma will think I’ve done a lousy job if I don’t get at least a few more traditional images of the two of you looking at the camera and (I’ll say it) posing.  I consider myself an experienced photographer, which means I can adapt to what kind of style needs to be done at that given moment. 

WHAT IS YOUR TURN-AROUND TIME FOR WEDDING PHOTOS?
 Wedding photos normally take 4-6 weeks and Engagement shoots take 1-2 weeks

MY FIANCE HATES BEING IN PHOTOS & POSING. CAN YOU HELP MAKE HIM COMFORTABLE?
Absolutely. I get asked this question a lot. I shoot quickly, keep things rolling and try to make your experience more like hanging out with a friend, that happens to have a camera, than posing for a photoshoot. 
I often hear how much fun the shoot was from clients who would have preferred to go to the dentist than be in front of the camera. 
I understand the anxiety because I fall in the “don’t want to be in front of the lens,” group. This is one of the reasons why I make my engagement sessions complimentary. I believe that every couple should have an engagement session, whether you need the images or not. It’s a great way to practice being in front of the camera and working with me. This way, your wedding photos are much more natural.

ARE YOU THE RIGHT PHOTOGRAPHER FOR ME?
At the risk of sounding like a dating profile, swipe right and give me a call ~ after speaking with each other, we’ll both have a good feel for if we’re a “match.”

Regardless of budget, quality and how incredible a photographer looks with a camera around their neck, do not book them if you don’t feel you have a good connection. A photographer is someone that you’ll be around just as much as your fiance on the day of your wedding. The photographer will be there with you on the intimate moments. Be sure you find “the one,” before you slip that deposit check in their hand. 

WHERE WILL THE ENGAGEMENT SESSION TAKE PLACE?  
There are so many beautiful venues all around this incredible Wine Country/SF area. Where your engagement session takes place will depend your personality as a couple. I will have some recommendations once I get to know you a bit and get a feel for the vision that you want. Looking through my blog postings of past engagement shoots will also help you get a good feel for the venue and backdrop that you’d like for your session. Typically, I begin shooting 90 minutes before sunset, and the session lasts about 90 minutes; Sometimes this is a bit longer or shorter, depending on how long it takes everyone to get comfortable. I work a lot of weekends shooting weddings, which leaves one weekend day for family or friends (or maybe just to catch up on laundry). I prefer to book my engagement shoots during the week, and since most of the year, we start after work hours (or close to it), it’s not a problem. If you absolutely cannot make a weekday happen, I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen ~ I understand the balance of work, so we’ll work together to make it a good time for both of us. 

 WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU BECOME ILL OR CAN’T MAKE THE WEDDING?
I have an incredible group of experienced colleagues I can call upon; Heaven forbid this ever have to happen, but if it does, I’ll get it covered ~ with a quality photographer, not just a warm body. Knock on wood, but in all my years as a wedding photographer, this has never had to happen:)

THINGS YOU SHOULD BE ASKING BUT MOST DON’T ~

 UNPLUGGED? 
This is your choice... My only job is to educate you on possible scenarios that can happen if we have an additional 20 Iphone photographers taking images at your ceremony. I know that sounds a bit sarcastic but in all honesty, I’m okay with it, if you’re okay with it. I put together a great PDF that will talk about the pros and cons with an unplugged wedding, and you can make your decision from there and I’ll fully support it.  

 Do I need to provide a meal and break time for you?
 Uhm, please :) There’s photographer humor that states something like, “How do you look good in your wedding photographs? Feed your photographer.” This doesn’t mean I need a $150 plated, catered plate, but a vendor meal will do just fine. I always request to take my meal break at the same time that you eat, as I don’t want to miss anything. 

SEEMS LIKE SO MUCH MONEY FOR YOU TO JUST PUSH A BUTTON. I HAVE AN UNCLE THAT HAS A NICE CAMERA THAT SAID HE’D DO IT FOR US FOR FREE.
That adage, “You get what you pay for,” comes to mind here...and I’ve been known to be a bargain shopper. For every hour you see any professional wedding photographer with a camera in hand, there are at least 3 more hours spent behind the scenes; taking care of admin, packing, prepping, post-production editing and culling, uploading...this seems to go on ad nauseaum. Then, there are the expenses of paying for the talent and time of my second shooters, my camera equipment (those incredible images w/buttery bokeh aren’t cheap). I can’t stress enough how you cannot have a do-over for this day. If photos are important to you, please do not hand the responsibility of documenting this incredible life event over to someone isn’t a wedding photographer ~ Believe me, I look back on my first 5 or so weddings I shot...good thing they were either for free or under $500. They got what they paid for. IF incredible images are something you want to look back on forever, don’t be someone’s experiment or practice couple. If you’re okay with so-so photography that isn’t professional in nature, choose the uncle or newbie....but just know what you’ll be getting before you make the choice.


WHY DO YOU TAKE SO MANY PHOTOS, BUT GIVE US SO FEW? CAN WE HAVE ALL OF THEM?
On a typical wedding day, I will take about 2500 photos, but the majority of those photos are taken in big bursts. Anytime I have a group of people in front of me, I will hit that camera shutter any where from 5-20 times. Seems easy to get that one fabulous family picture, but with 8 people standing there, chances are as much as I count to 3, someone’s eyes will be closed or looking in the wrong direction. I don’t have time to look at the back of my camera all the time during the wedding day, so I will overshoot just to be sure that I captured that important photo. In the post-processing of your wedding, I’ll cull through your 2500+ images and pull the best, leaving behind the ones of shut eyes, open mouths, awkward moments and unflattering moments.