FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Over the last 12 years photographing weddings, we at Imagery Immaculate Photography have been asked thousands of questions about weddings, planning, and wedding photography.  Here is the shortlist including some of the “real”, most asked questions by brides and grooms visiting my studio.

 

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Q:  HOW MANY WEDDINGS/EVENTS DO YOU SHOOT PER YEAR?

A:  30-40 weddings. We are a boutique studio, our focus is primarily on maintaining creative inspiration and client service/relationship.  Shooting more than 40-50 weddings simply makes this an impossible task.

 

Q:  DO YOU BOOK MORE THAN 1 WEDDING IN A DAY?

A:  Never.  A wedding requires constant focus and attention.  It would never be fair to the second bride and groom.

 

Q:  HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS?

A:  Shooting weddings since 1999.  Almost 12 years.  Time flies huh!

 

Q:  HOW LONG WILL YOU STAY AY MY WEDDING?

A:  Really depends how long it takes to tell your wedding story.  A typical one location wedding requires 7-8 hours coverage.  I can help you determine how much coverage you need to cover all the important parts of your wedding day.

 

Q:  WE HAVE A TIME GAP BETWEEN THE CEREMONY, AND RECEPTION.  WILL YOU CHARGE US FOR THAT BLOCK OF TIME?

A:  Yes, because that gap will be filled with photography.  My coverage starts with the first photograph and ends with the last.

 

Q:   CAN YOU PROVIDE TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS?

A:   Definitely, but do I need two photographers is a better question.  If your wedding has 160 guests or less, and is structured in a typical timeline, a second photographer is not necessary with a great photography timeline.  Can you have two photographer anyway? Sure, an additional photographer from our shortlist can be provided for an additional fee.  We recommend an additional photographer with weddings over 160 guests.

 

Q:  HAVE YOU PHOTOGRAPHED A WEDDING AT MY VENUE BEFORE?

A:  There is a good chance we have.  If not we would be happy to schedule a walk through with you, or your coordinator to view the property before the wedding.

 

Q:  WHAT IS YOUR POLICY ON FRIENDS & FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHING  OUR WEDDING?

A:  No problem.  It’s a big day, and we don’t mind if friends and family want to shoot away!  The only requests we make is to not have friends and family swarm around us while we are taking group shots.  It distracts the people in the group, which leads to people looking in different directions for the final image.  We also request that friends and family don’t accompany us on our bride and groom session, to maintain the intimacy, and prevent distraction during the session.

 

Q: DO WE NEED TO FEED YOU AT THE RECEPTION?

A:  Please let us take a short break to recharge our batteries.  We don’t need to have seats in the reception, but it is most appreciated to give us a little time to eat a little food, and re-hydrate before getting into the swing of the party.  Dinner is typically the best time for a break as pictures of people eating are never very popular.  If your planning on doing table shots, be sure to let us know so we can be prepared to meet your needs.

 

Q:  DO YOU SHOOT ENGAGEMENT PORTRAIT SESSIONS?

A:  Definitely.  In fact I strongly encourage it.  Engagement sessions are a great way for us to get to know you, and you us.  It gives us some insight into the best approach to work with you, along with having a great time, and making some amazing images.  Click here for an example of some engagement sessions.

 

Q:  DO YOU SHOOT FAMILY PORTRAIT SESSIONS?

A:  Yes usually, 20-30 per year.  Typically referral, or previous wedding clients.  I can work with newborns, toddlers, young children, tweens, or your high school seniors.  Sessions like this are typically done in a park, or at the beach, but don’t forget it’s also fun to shoot family’s doing things they love to do together, like making banana splits in the kitchen, or riding bikes at the beach.  It’s good to think out of the box when planning your next family portrait.  Click here for an example of some family portrait sessions.

STYLE

Q:  WHAT STYLE IS YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY?

A:   My photographic style is multifaceted, but if have to nail me down. I prefer photojournalistic, and spontaneous.  I am typically looking for the moments when you stop thinking about the photographs to capture who you are.  My goal is simple to say, and difficult to achieve.  Worthwhile images need to say something!  They need to have meaning, or tell a story. This is my goal.  Make images that show who you are.  Images that show your connection with your husband/wife, or your love of family and friends.  It’s the total of all these moments that make your wedding story.  Like I said before, easy to say, and hard to achieve.

 

Q:   DO YOU TAKE POSED PORTRAITS DURING THE WEDDING DAY?

A:   At every wedding.  Sometimes families get spread out over the country or world.  Almost every couple asks me to make portraits of close family and friends.

 

Q:   CAN I GIVE YOU A LIST OF THE WEDDING PICTURES I WANT?

A:   Only for family groupings,  However, it is always useful to know which important friends/ relatives are attending, or important details.  Working from a checklist compromises our ability to create amazing photographs like the work you’ve seen on our website due to the photojournalistic nature of the imagery.  It is extremely important to take the time to go over the photography details a couple weeks prior to the wedding date to communicate exactly what your looking for when working with us.

EQUIPMENT AND TECHNICAL

Q:  WHAT KING OF CAMERA DO YOU USE?

A:  We work with canon 5D mark 2’s, and all professional (L-series) Prime lenses.  Canon flashes,  Lexar pro memory cards, and Quantum or Alien Bee off camera lights.

 

Q:  DO YOU USE/HAVE BACKUP GEAR?

A:  Definitely! Rest assured we bring a minimum of  3 cameras, 5 or more lenses, flashes, 40 gigs of memory cards to each wedding.  If a piece of our equipment goes down during a wedding we will have a replacement on hand.

INVESTMENT  BOOKING and BUSINESS

Q:  HOW CAN I SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH YOU IN YOUR STUDIO?

A:  Go to our contact page here, or pick up the phone and call our studio at 562-537-6844.  You can also email us at iiphoto@mac.com

 

Q:  HOW DO I RESERVE YOU FOR MY WEDDING DATE?

A:  Once you decide on Imagery Immaculate Photography.  We need to get a signed copy of your contract, and a deposit for 50% of your wedding package.  The balance is due 1 month before your wedding date.

 

Q:  CAN YOU HOLD THE DATE FOR ME?

A:  Only with a signed contract and deposit.

 

Q:  HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE?

A:  I have many options available to fit every budget.  Packages start at $2000. Typically,  I create custom packages for my couples, that fit their desires and budget.   It is always best to come in to my studio or give me a call 562-537-6844 so I can get a feel for what your looking for, and create the perfect package for you.

 

Q:  HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS?

A:  Shooting weddings since 1999.  Almost 12 years.  Time flies huh!

 

Q:  DO YOU HAVE BUSINESS INSURANCE?

A:  Yes,  many locations require it, and it’s just really important for anyone who is serious about their business to have insurance.  Make sure your photographer has insurance.

 

Q:  HOW MANY WEDDINGS HAVE YOU PHOTOGRAPHED?

A:  Over 300 in the last 12 years.

 

Q:  HOW DO YOU ACCEPT PAYMENT?

A:  Cash, check, or credit card.  Click here to make payment. Be sure to include your names, and wedding date in the comments field.

 

Q:  DO YOU CHARGE SALES TAX?

A:  California state sales tax is collected for all jobs we photograph unless

You are not a resident of California, and have a valid out of state address. Or we are only providing you with digital files that are transferred to you via ftp over the internet.

 

Q:  DO YOU GIVE DISCOUNTS FOR WEEKDAY WEDDINGS?

A:  Yes.  Be sure to ask us if your celebrating on a weekday, last minute, or off-season wedding.

 

Q:   I’M CANCELLING, CAN I HAVE MY DEPOSIT BACK?

A:   No. The deposit fee and all monies paid are non-refundable. Your deposit guarantees that we will hold the date exclusively for you and once you’ve signed the contract we do turn down all other commissions for that date.

TRAVEL

Q:  DO YOU PHOTOGRAPH DESTINATION WEDDINGS?

A: All the time.  I’ve shot wedding all over the west coast, just about every Hawaiian island. Mexico to Alaska, and the Midwest.  I love to travel, and have vast experience working away from home, and all the extra details associated with destination weddings.

 

Q:  HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE FOR TRAVEL?

A:  Above my normal photography rates, I require a roundtrip non-stop flight from a local airport (LAX. LONG BEACH, ORANGE COUNTY).  A minimum two night accommodations in the same hotel with the bride and groom (3 nights for international), and a rental car when necessary.

POST PRODUCTION

Q:   DO I GET THE DISC OF IMAGES?

A:   Yes.  A dvd with all your high resolution (10×15 @300 dpi) images from your wedding gallery is available two weeks after your wedding day.

 

Q:   WILL YOU PUT OUR IMAGES ONLINE & HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

A:   Your images will be put in a password protected web gallery Click here.  You can select your favorites for your album, or pick images to print or download.  Your web gallery is available two weeks after your wedding date.

 

Q:  DO YOU RETOUCH OUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHS?

A:  Images are edited, and color corrected (see examples here) before they are presented in your web gallery.  Retouching is done on a per image basis in photoshop for any images that are ordered through my website as prints, downloads, or are selected to go into an album you have ordered through us.

 

Q:  WHERE WILL THE PHOTOS FROM THE WEDDING DAY BE AVAILABLE TO VIEW?

A:  Your wedding will first appear on my blog click here.  Then shortly thereafter, the entire set of images will be located in your personal web gallery located here.

 

Q:  DO YOU BACK-UP MY WEDDING IMAGES?

A:  Your wedding images are family treasures and we treat them as such.  All images are immediately copied from the memory cards to two separate hard drives after your wedding.  One drive is edited, color corrected, and finished.  Once completed, the finished images are copied onto two sets of dvd’s for archiving.  We typically keep finished wedding sets of images on are computers for 2 years, with another set kept indefinitely for archival purposes.  We strongly encourage all our clients to make their own backup copies of their dvd.

ALBUM & PRINTS

Q:  HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET MY ALBUM?

A:  Once you select the images for the book it takes 1-2 weeks to get a design online.  After you approve the design, and select your album color, cover image, and custom text it takes 3-5 weeks for your finished book to arrive.

 

Q:  HOW DOES THE DESIGN PROCESS WORK?

A:  The design process can work three ways.

1.     Your super busy, and want me to select images, and design you the most incredible album you have ever seen.  After your preview you decide if you want to move on to retouching, printing and binding, or make changes.  If you select this option your limited to 5 changes without additional charges.

2.     Your kinda busy, and would like to have some input, but want us to provide some artistic inspiration, and flare.  You select your 20 must have images, and we fill in the gaps in the story to design you a complete album. If you select this option your limited to 5 changes without additional charges.

3.     You have some time to devote to your wedding album.  In this case, you should select about 2 images per album page in your package.  For example, if you have a 30 page album included in your package, you should select about 60 images for your wedding album.  Once we have your picks, we will get started on your custom design, and get you a preview online in 1-2 weeks.

 

Q:  WHAT BRAND ALBUMS DO YOU USE?

A:  Our favorites are West Coast Albums, and Forever Bound Albums.  We also love WHCC for our starter books

 

Q:  HOW DO I ORDER PRINTS FROM YOU?

A:  Directly through your personal web gallery.  Click here to find your event.

 

Q:  HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET PRINTS?

A:  About 7-10 days depending on our production schedule, and where you live.