FAQ:
Q: Who will be photographing my wedding?
A: For all single photographer packages, I will!
Q: Do you work with a second photographer?
A: Although the majority of weddings I photograph are done solo, I do offer 2 photographer packages for larger weddings or for when a second vantage point is desired. I have a pool of 3 talented photographers I draw from to utilize as my second shooter.
Q: Will we like you?
A: I sure hope so! Good chemistry between a couple and their wedding photographer is of the utmost importance. Your photographer is going to be stuck to you like glue for a large portion of the day. If you don't like your photographer it will most certainly be reflected in the photographs. Click here to request a consultation and find out if you like me!
Q: Why should we hire you?
A: One word. Beard
Q: Why else should we hire you?
A: Nineteen more words. Photography is my passion and I am fully dedicated to practicing it to the full extent of my ability.
Q: And why else?
A: Customer satisfaction is key to running a successful business, and is priority number one for me. It is also priorities number two through five. In fact when it comes to business, my list of priorities looks like this:
1. Customer Satisfaction
1.5. Quality and Thoroughness of Work Performed
2. Customer Satisfaction
3. Customer Satisfaction
4. Customer Satisfaction
5. Customer Satisfaction
Q: Do you have insurance?
A: YES!
Q: What information do you need from me before my wedding?
A: The only information I need from each couple is:
-Wedding time, date, and location (this is to help me know when and where to show up.)
-A copy of your itinerary
-A list of bridal party members and their roles
-A list of the family members and their relations to the bride and groom for the posed formal photographs
If I have not received these lists from you beforehand, I send an email out a week or two before your big day requesting these lists and a final accuracy check of the information I do have.
Q: The photographs on your website look great, but do you have examples of full weddings we can view?
A: Of course! To start, if you visit my Facebook page and view all my albums, you will see some thorough examples of my wedding work. I also have full wedding galleries (600+ images) available for viewing in person. Just send me an e-mail to request a consultation
Q: Do you do destination weddings?
A: I am based out of Maryland, but will travel anywhere reasonable for a wedding as long as my travel and accommodations are taken care of.
Q: What if we want to hold our wedding ceremony at the highest peak of Mount "(insert local landmark here)", which is a 3 hour hike from civilization?
A: The hike will be considered billable time, and I will follow you up the mountain!
Q: Are you sure you could make it?
A: I am a 33 year old male in great health. I go to my Physician for yearly physicals, and I am guaranteed to be in suitable physical shape to withstand the rigors of your big day and whatever challenges it might throw at me, including but not limited to; Hiking up the side of a mountain with 30 lbs. of gear in a backpack.
Q: Can we give you a shot list or provide you with printouts of pinterest galleries?
A: Many professional photographers consider unrequested shot lists and print outs of "must haves" the bane of their existence. Don't get me wrong, I'm not THAT drastic, and I'd NEVER outright tell a bride or groom "NO." But with that being said, other than the list of family and bridal party members that I request for the posed photo line-ups, I do consider shot lists and other "must have" lists to be a detriment, not a help. Let me explain why: Part of the reason you hire a professional photographer is to minimize the work that you, the Bride and Groom, have to do. While shot lists might be beneficial to new photographers who are inexperienced with the flow of a wedding, checklists and examples of other photographers work will be counterproductive to my portfolio that you have seen on my Facebook and website (hopefully the reason you are hiring me!). This will result in a very different look to your final wedding gallery compared to my body of work. Instead, my preference is that during the appropriate portion of the wedding, (generally the posed or newlywed photos), the Bride or Groom can approach me and tell me the idea for a specific pose or photograph that they would like taken, and we will set it up! Just remember, due to the nature of a live assignment, more time spent looking at a checklist is less time spent observing and photographing your big day as it unfolds. You are hiring me to be present, alert, and cognizant of the events and details that are instrumental in telling your story! Your photographer should not require prompting to capture such images, otherwise, what are you paying for?!
Q: What happens if your camera breaks?
A: I never photograph a wedding without spare equipment. I have a back up camera, back up lenses, back up lighting, and back up memory cards.
Q: You've never photographed at my venue before? Can you handle it?
A: Even if I have never photographed at your venue before, chances are that over the years I have photographed somewhere very similar. I arrive to any wedding equipped to handle ANY lighting situation. In addition, for venues that I am unfamiliar with, I arrive early on the wedding day to perform a walk through and assessment.
Q: How will I receive my wedding images?
A: Every wedding package includes a flash drive of professionally edited digital files of a resolution suitable for home printing up to 8x10. You will also receive a print release for non-commercial use. You will need this if you want to have prints made at Wal-mart, Costco, etc. A Flash Away Photography also offers physical prints, professionally designed albums, mini albums, accordion albums, metal prints, and more as a la carte options!
Q: Will I receive EVERY image you take during my wedding day?
A: No, during the final editing process, I cull out any test shots, missed focus shots, misfires, and images with bad expression or other potentially embarrassing elements. What is left after the culling process is then individually hand-edited to ensure the final product is the best possible.
Q: How many total images will I get?
A: Due to the large amount of variables that go into a wedding, it is hard to give an estimate for this question. Final image delivery count can range from a couple hundred to a thousand or more(!) depending on length of coverage requested, 1 or 2 photographer package, guest count, and how active the dance floor is. I do not put a cap on how many images I will deliver, and I spend the day with 2 cameras on hand ready to capture any moments I see. I work my hardest to ensure you get as many images as possible.
Q: How long does final image delivery take?
A: Image turnaround time can vary depending on where we are in the wedding season, but generally I try to keep image turnaround time to 45 days or less. This will be discussed further with you during your consultation.
Q: Can I have the RAW image files?
A: Asking a photographer to supply you with the RAW files is akin to asking a chef to bring you your meal uncooked, ingredient by ingredient. Trust me, you don't want it like that. RAW image files are a proprietary format specific to each camera manufacturer, and require special editing software to view. On top of that, they are just plain boring. They lack contrast, color, and "punch." Much like film photographers had to spend countless hours in the darkroom, dodging, burning, and cropping, half of my job is spent in the digital "darkroom" doing what is called "post-processing."
Q: Do you do other types of photography?
A: In addition to weddings, my repertoire includes family, engagement, studio, headshot, pet, travel photography and more! Contact me with an explanation of your needs and I will give you a quote.