PRE-BOOKING QUESTIONS
Do you photograph LGBTQ+ weddings?
I would LOVE to! I haven’t yet, though. The irony is that I happen to occupy a tiny corner of the LGBTQ community myself. Real talk, though? It doesn’t matter to me what group you identify with – if you love love, then you’re my kind of people!
How far in advance should we book our wedding with you?
I recommend booking at least 6 months out (1 year is optimal) but last-minute inquiries are always welcome, even a few weeks out – cancellations do happen on rare occasions, so there’s always a chance I’ll have your date open, or if I’m not available, you can book with one of my ultra-talented associate shooters.
Can we see examples of full weddings before we book?
Of course! You can see full galleries here: clients.namu.love/weddings – if there’s a password-protected gallery you’d like to view, let me know and make sure to include the name of the gallery or a link to it.
AFTER-BOOKING QUESTIONS
What if we need to reschedule or cancel our wedding?
RESCHEDULING: Assuming your wedding is more than 6 months out, rescheduling is possible, but not guaranteed. If I have your future date open on my calendar and assuming all other details remain the same, I’m happy to reschedule to that date and move your booking fee to the new date.
CANCELING: Unfortunately, because re-booking your canceled date may not be possible, if you cancel within 6 months of your wedding date, you’ll forfeit any fees paid up to that point to cover any work I’ve done and the potential loss of income on your canceled date.
ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONS
When should we schedule our engagement session?
If your package includes an engagement session then I definitely suggest scheduling it as soon as you can, especially if you plan on using an image or images from your engagement session on your save-the-dates.
Can we schedule our engagement session on a weekend?
Because most weddings happen on Saturdays and Sundays, I generally don’t book engagement sessions on weekends. We can tentatively schedule it for a weekend, but you should be aware that if I book a wedding on that date, we’ll have to reschedule your engagement session. On a positive note, weekday engagement sessions are generally easier and more fun because there are less people around!
WEDDING DAY QUESTIONS
What happens if there’s bad weather during our outdoor wedding?
If there’s just a little rain, it’s windy or skies are gray, we’re going to keep shooting! Sometimes those drizzly days and overcast skies can result in some very beautiful images. If it’s a real storm, hopefully your venue and you have planned for an indoor emergency relocation. Please note: there are no refunds for weather or natural disasters or other circumstances outside of my control.
We thought you were amazing on our wedding day. Can we tip you after the wedding?
You’re awesome just for asking! I’ll never expect a tip, but I’ll always appreciate it! Smaller wedding photography companies like mine don’t actually earn a lot of money annually, so a tip is extra meaningful. Interested in learning more about what I actually earn from my wedding fees? Check out this article I wrote that includes a cost break down of an average out of town wedding.
POST-WEDDING QUESTIONS
Do you share our photos online?
I always share my favorite images from your wedding on my website and social media – it’s how I advertise! If you’re concerned about privacy, we can make your actual wedding gallery password-protected and if there are specific images you prefer I don’t share publicly, I’m happy to remove them from a public gallery and use alternatives when sharing on social media.
When will we see our photos?
I pride myself on having one of the fastest turn around times in the industry. Assuming there are no outside factors out of my control, you’ll get a sneak peek within one to three business days and your full gallery will be delivered within 3 weeks of your wedding date! That’s right, less than a month after your wedding, you’ll have all kinds of gorgeous images to help you re-live that special day.
What size are the photos you deliver?
I deliver full resolution images! These are huge file sizes, so keep that in mind – you’ll want to use a laptop or PC when downloading. Please never screenshot your images to share online, I’m happy to provide a second gallery on request, with 1920×1080 images, for a $20 fee (great for use on social media or sending through email).
How are files delivered?
Your images are delivered in jpg format and are always watermarked with my company logo placed unobtrusively at the bottom of the image. RAW files are never delivered as part of any session fee. If you prefer to print your images through someone other than me, an unwatermarked gallery and a rights release form can be purchased for $500 per wedding. Once the fee is paid, I’ll email you a link to a gallery with the full resolution images unwatermarked, along with a limited rights release that will allow you to print the images anywhere you choose.
If you would prefer to own the copyright to your wedding images, the fee is $2500 per wedding, which would give you complete ownership of the full resolution, unwatermarked jpgs, along with all rights, and I will no longer have the right to use the images in any way without your permission.
Wait a second, as the client, don’t I own the photos?
No, you don’t. As the creator of the art, I’m the copyright holder and therefore the owner of the images. I assign you the right to use the images in almost any way you see fit as long as it’s for personal use (not commercial – that means you can’t sell the images or transfer/assign rights to them without my permission – for example, you can’t give a news agency or magazine the right to print the images in their publications without first getting permission from me). This is both California and federal law, and it’s also standard in the photography industry.
Never fear! This is very normal – even though I own the images, you can still do practically anything you want with them. You can download them anywhere, share them online, buy prints and hang them on your walls, text them to your grandmother! The only limits I put on your personal use is that you don’t obscure or remove my logo from the images (except where it would be impossible not to, like with Instagram’s square-cropped images), and that you don’t edit the images yourself. This includes using filters in apps like Instagram or stand-alone editing apps on your phone. Also, if you’ve been provided with unwatermarked images for printing, please note that any images shared on social media must include my logo, unless you’ve paid the fee to buy out the copyright.
How many photos will I get? Will I get all the images you shot?
You’ll receive a TON of photos, especially compared to how many most photographers deliver. For weddings it works out to be around 70-100 images delivered per hour, on average. You don’t have to worry at all about getting “enough” images – you’ll get every single image I shoot that I think is amazing and matches my brand and these days (humble brag), that’s pretty much most of the images I shoot, lol. You won’t get every photo I took because some photos end up blurry or just terrible in general (even I take some terrible shots sometimes!), but you’re hiring me because I’m an expert photographer with more than a decade of experience and that means you can trust me to deliver every single shot that’s worth delivering.
Which kind of shots do I not deliver? I don’t deliver “repeats” (shots that are just slightly different versions of the same shot), blurry shots or accidentally inappropriate shots (like when the wind blows a dress up or a very unflattering shot of someone). Everything else gets included, as long as it’s a great shot! Due to the candid, sometimes rapid-fire nature of my photography style, not every shot is going to turn out the way we want or expect, but don’t worry, the best shots will always end up in your gallery. Which leads me to another common question…
Can I buy the shots that you took but didn’t include in the gallery?
Nope. Not even if you say “pretty please, with a cherry on top!”
If I think an image isn’t suitable for including in your gallery, then it gets deleted. I only keep, deliver or share work that is representative of my brand and my personal style of photography and that means any shots shared with clients must be the best of the best. Think of the shots that get deleted as the early sketches of an artist – you would never ask a painter to give those to you, right?
What kind of photo editing is included?
My style is very candid, using both natural and off-camera lighting. Many of my shots look pretty good right out of the camera and don’t need much editing, so I generally just crop, color-correct and adjust light/shadows. Photoshopping fly-away hair, blemishes, closed eyes or other advanced editing is not included, but can be added for $10 per image.