Do you shoot film or digital? I shoot 100% digital.

Do you shoot both color and B&W? I shoot your entire wedding in color but any image can be turned into black & white or sepia toned.

How many weddings do you photograph per year? Only 20 wedding per year, this way I can be sure that I am fully dedicating myself to my clients.

Will you build a custom package for my wedding? Of course! It’s my personal preference to build a custom package designed to fit your wedding. You know what you envision for your wedding and I want to work with you to create the perfect fit.

Do you travel for weddings? I love to travel; I love seeing new places and meeting different people. If you are interested in a destination wedding I will be honored to photograph your wedding. Contact me for details about travel costs.

What will you wear to my wedding? I will wear what is appropriate and professional based on your wedding style. If you have a formal wedding I don’t mind wearing a tie, or if you just want to keep things casual that is all right with me too.

Do you require a meal at the wedding? I don’t require any kind of a meal but if you do provide me with a meal I will eat when you are eating. (Most people don’t like pictures of themselves with a mouth full of food, well maybe except for cake)

What retainer/payment schedule do you require? Upon signing a contract, a $500 non- refundable retainer is required to hold your date and I will turn away all other inquiries for your date. 50% of the remaining balance is due 90 days before your wedding, final balance is due 30 days prior to the wedding day.

Do you take credit cards? I sure do.  All major credit cards are accepted.

Do you have a minimum for print orders? Nope, you can order as much as you want, even if you only want a single print.

Who decides what photos go in my final album? It’s all up to you, if you prefer I can design and pick the images that I feel best tell the story of the day or we can work together to pick the images for your album.

How long will it take to receive my proofs and albums? Your online proofs will be ready in 2 weeks. Proof books are ordered when the photos are released online and arrive about 1 week after your images are online. Albums are ready between 4-5 weeks from the time we receive your final approval.

When do I pay for prints? All print orders must be paid in full upon placing the order.

A couple days ago I was reading through some photography blogs when I stumbled across this article about why it is important for you as a client to own your own professional wedding album. After reading through I really wanted to be able to share the article on my own blog so I wrote Jason at www.jasonatenphotography.net the author and asked his permission to post it here on my blog. Luckily he said yes. Enjoy!

Why a Wedding Album?

Often clients ask about whether or not they really need a wedding album.  Wedding blogs, and other industry “insiders” often suggesting saving money by foregoing a professionally designed and produced wedding album, instead – opting for a simple disc of images.  Which is really better for you – the client?

Isn’t a disc all I really need?

First let me say this – all of our clients receive a disc.  That’s right, you’ll receive a disc with the final edit of your images (usually 400-900 images) for archival purposes.  With a disc, we provide you with a license to reproduce those images for your personal use.  If that’s the case, it’s fair to ask ‘why would you really need anything else?’

I believe so strongly that every single couple should have a high-quality wedding album, that every wedding commission we photograph includes an album credit.  Every single client gets an album.  It’s that important.  Here’s why:

The art of a print

Your photographs are intended to be presented as professional prints.  A print is the end result of a photograph.  A digital file is simply a negative.  If your photographer shot your wedding on film, you wouldn’t be satisfied with just the negatives would you?  They wouldn’t be especially useful to you.

A print, on the other hand, is a work of art.  It’s been retouched, enhanced, processed, and essentially “developed.”  Creating photographic prints is a skill that separates professionals from amateurs.  All of our albums are crafted with real photographic prints.

A wedding album will last hundreds of years when cared for properly.  It holds its value and is your very first family heirloom.  It is meant to be viewed and shared for generations.  The quality and craftsmanship of a professional album is meant to be around for far longer than any of us.

Your Story

Finally, your wedding album tells your wedding story in a way that nothing else can.  Loose prints only capture a moment.  Your disc with hundreds or thousands of images is simply raw, unedited footage (so to speak), and lacks the storytelling that an album provides.

Looking through that many images is overwhelming.  It might be nice to have for your peace of mind, but it lacks the narrative that exists in an album.   When created by a professional, a wedding album captures your story so that you can share the emotion, the experience, the memories from your wedding day.

Finally, it’s unlikely that in 25 years, you’ll even be able to read the DVD or CD those images are on.  With the speed that technology changes, it’s certain to be a challenge for all of us to back up and maintain files for decades to come.  It’s great to have access to your digital files, but it requires diligence to be sure you’ve created a copy every five years on whatever is the most commonly accepted form of storage media.

A wedding album, on the other hand, is timeless.  It will never be out of style, and you’ll always be able to share your story.  And really, the entire purpose of having your wedding photographed- is to share your story.