Frequently Asked Questions (And The Answers)
It varies based on the part of the day! I see every wedding as a set of of different events that all have to be approached uniquely to best capture the day as a whole.
My photography during the ceremony and reception is close to if not 100% photojournalistic and I will never make you pause during your first dance or have you re-enact your first kiss in the aisle. If a major event isn’t happening (ceremony, first dances, cake cutting, toasts, etc) I move around constantly to find interesting, funny, touching, or otherwise valuable moments. If guests grab me for a quick group photo or ten, I will absolutely take them. If you want large group shots with different tables or groupings of guest I will of course capture them as well! During getting ready, I likely will make suggestions to ensure the room looks good and you are in a nice spot as everyone puts finishing touches. However, once things begin happening I let them continue to flow so real emotions show through in the photographs. The portraits I take of you are what I call “casually posed” and I make heavy use of the surrounding environment. The goal is to make you as comfortable so that I can capture your true connection without you feeling awkward. I tell you where to stand and and give an idea of how to interact and allow you to naturally fall into different poses. If something looks awkward or you are still unsure, I will move you more specifically, but how couples interact almost always naturally makes for amazing photographs when I put myself in the right place with the right lens and snap away.
Other photographers I work with tell me it is crazy how many photos I take during the wedding day but I know that every moment could be that one that really encapsulates the day as a whole. I pretty much never take a break and always are looking for something interesting, important, or otherwise worth photographing.
My photo editing style is warm and natural that aims to mesh well with how you remember the moments from the day. I love color but tend to keep it more muted instead of having neon greens and deep blues that aren’t actually found in nature! I spend a lot of time processing and editing your images in order to keep them natural looking while bringing out little details that make them really pop. One big thing I always do is a make sure everyone’s faces are bright enough that you can see the expressions and emotion in every photo!
If your reception begins at noon in a room with large windows overlooking the ocean, the photos will be bright and airy. If your reception is late at night in a historic venue, I maintain that ambiance and you will see the various lighting in the background against dark walls.
I avoid heavy Photoshop work with most images so that they do not look overly processed. If it was an overcast day, I don’t plop a fake bright blue sky into the images. Instead, I carefully choose the angle and background while taking the photos so that they look great out of the camera. However, I do spot corrections as necessary for minor things that might otherwise take away from a beautiful photo.
I want your wedding to look it’s best for your guests and will will never tell you that a situation is too difficult or should be changed to accommodate photography. I am an expert with lighting and have photographed weddings in nearly every circumstance and type of venue so keep the house lights down low or window coverings open to enjoy the sunset. I am experienced in photographing with a mix of natural light, on camera flashes to bounce off of the walls and ceiling, and radio controlled flashes set up on stands in various places and corners. To put it in perspective, I have covered wedding ceremonies and receptions in even in a concert venue with no windows and entirely black walls and ceiling.
I am absolutely LGTB friendly. I have photographed couples from every walk of life during my time as a photographer and have learned to appreciate everyone’s unique views of the world and of themselves. I love getting to know every individual to help myself grow and develop a deeper understanding of culture and society around me. That learning is one of my favorite reasons for being a wedding photographer. I have photographed many gay and lesbian weddings throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York and will well into the future. I have also photographed religious ceremonies from nearly every religion from Christian, Catholic, and Protestant, to Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu and many unique mixes due to very different families joining together coming together. Sometimes the ceremonies and events even take place in a language which is foreign to me, but my past experiences and careful observation give me an understanding of what will happen so that I can best capture them.
The answer comes down the structure of your wedding day and the events you want photography coverage of. I highly encourage you to talk with me if it is something you are considering. I will not try to push a second photographer if I don’t believe it to be necessary or fit well in your budget, but I also will tell you if I think one will be helpful or even necessary. I have successfully and comfortably photographed many full weddings by myself and many others with a second photographer.
When I am the sole photographer, there are ways I can cover the getting ready even in two separate locations depending on the distance and timings. I move around quite a bit during the ceremony and can get to the most important angles while capturing the major moments. There is typically time during the cocktail hour for setting up my equipment for the reception along with capturing the details of the tables, cake, and room in general.
There are certainly times where a second or assistant will be very helpful or even necessary though it is difficult to make a comprehensive list that covers every circumstance. In general, another photographer provides another view on the day and a unique perspective for me to choose from when putting together your final set of wedding photos. I ensure the other photographer with me follows my general style, but still allow them to express their creativity to get capture the day as they see it. Being able to rely on another person getting a photo of each moment allows us to work as a team to set up some high reward but slightly higher risk photographs that are truly one of a kind and unique. If the wedding is spread among many locations and/or parking is difficult, a second person helps immensely in managing equipment and people. Some venues require some a more complex lighting setup for getting ready, portraits, or the reception and another set of eyes and hands can make that go more quickly. Lastly, if you want the getting ready aspect of both the girls and guys covered fully, there must be someone photographing in both locations.
know you are excited to get your photos after the wedding and make it a priority to have a very prompt turn-around time. But I also don’t want to rush and send you half finished or rushed photos. To get you the best quality images and memories from the day, it typically 3 to 4 weeks from the wedding date. Depending on the time of year and my schedule, you may get them more quickly, but it will never be months and months after the wedding.
Yes they are all edited and no they are not watermarked!
All the photographs you receive are hand edited for consistent color, exposure, white balance, and sharpness with some converted to black and white when artistically appropriate. Giving you unedited photos would be like serving an uncooked meal and telling you to finish the job! If you have a preference for the balance of color and black and white, we can discuss in advance. I don’t do large Photoshop work like replacing skies, adding people, removing people, or anything beyond small spot corrections. I would not be able to deliver the quantity of images I do in that case in any reasonable time frame. I aim to take photos in camera that are beautiful as opposed to relying on crazy edits to save a poorly taken image. I never send watermarked images, the files you receive are high resolution and ready for sharing, saving, and printing!
I work with you to put together a schedule to get through the family photos as quickly as we can to give you as much of your day as possible to enjoy. If we make a photo list in advance and ensure everyone on that list knows to gather at a particular time and place, we can finish in 15 minutes. If that list is long enough that I believe it will go longer, I’ll give you a heads up and we can adjust as necessary.
Between assisting, second shooting, working as a primary photographer for other companies, and of course photographing for my own business I quickly lost the exact count over the years. However, I can confidently say that I have photographed somewhere over 150 weddings (and counting).
Yes, I quickly discovered that wedding photography is something you need to fully dedicate yourself to as a career to be the successful and to continue to improve in. There is so much more to it than just grabbing a camera on the weekends and heading to a couple weddings. I’m constantly talking to couples, editing, researching, learning, practicing, photographing engagement sessions, and more.
I photograph with professional quality Canon DSLR cameras and many different high end lenses. Equipment doesn’t make great photographs by itself, but it maximizes the chance of capturing every moment in focus! I always have variety of flashes, stands, and more in my bags to be prepared for every location and situation. If you love photography as well, I’m happy to give you all the nitty gritty details about the specifics my gear, lens choices, and some typical camera settings.
I wear a dark shirt and black pants to blend in with the guests while still being able to move freely to capture photos in my style. I don’t find suit jackets and tuxedos to work well with being able to both squeeze into an odd corner and hold the camera over my head at a moment’s notice! I won’t stand out from any of the other surrounding staff and vendors on your wedding day.
The final package price I give you will have travel and all other fees included in it already. I only consider travel as a factor in pricing if your wedding is in a major city with parking and toll cost or if the travel time becomes significant compared to the amount of time I will be photographing. I will always tell you the cost in advance though.
I have photographed at a large number locations spread around the tri-state area – from a high rise in NYC to in farm fields in PA. However, living in such a densely populated area there are always going to be new places. Often times, I find that factors like weather and time of year can make one location seem like a completely different one. I certainly have photographed somewhere similar to your wedding in the past and I always make sure I have some extra time at the venue early to scout out the spaces. I always do a fair bit of online research for every location prior to the wedding day.
An engagement session is great time to meet each other in advance and build a relationship so everyone completely comfortable with each other the day of the wedding. We spend 1 to 2 hours together exploring an interesting place and capturing some awesome images along the way focusing on your relationship and connection. Sessions can range wildly in complexity, I have done session everywhere from 4 AM on the Brooklyn Bridge to sunset photos on a quiet beach on Sandy Hook in October. We’ll talk about your personalities and the vibe you want and work together to pick a great spot and time.
You definitely aren’t paying me because I bought expensive equipment that I can point in your general direction and do the work for me. I love weddings and photographing them is my passion and full time career. I cannot count the numbers of hours I have spent studying photographs, reading books, learning from mentors, and the sheer amount of hands on experience I have with a camera in every imaginable scenario. Weddings have a range of very bright sun to very dark receptions in wide open places to narrow church aisles and decisions need to be made very quickly and accurately. Sometimes I need to stand further back with a zoom lens and other times close with a wide lens. Some scenes are back lit, some are front lit, some have no light and need flash. Sometimes that flash needs to come from the side, sometimes above, and other times from both at once! No camera can make those type of decision for you. The camera is just a tool for me to make the my vision come to life and create lasting memories for you.
I require a retainer based on the package cost and a contract signed electronically. The remaining balance is due along with the all the typical wedding vendor balances 14 days before the wedding. You can create a payment plan to divide that remaining balance into payments spread between booking and the wedding or send it as a single sum.
Weekends tend to fill up quickly as couples commonly book a photographer shortly after a venue is chosen which is typically a year or more in advance. However, I also work with couples still searching for a photographer for the same year, as well as just months in advance of their wedding day. Ask me about your particular date and I will let you know if I am still available.
Absolutely, it is required to even step foot in many venues, parks, churches, and other historic locations! I can forward my certificates to your venue or locations as necessary.
Call me, send me an email, text me, or lets meet in person to talk more. I make myself available almost any time as long provided I’m not at a wedding photographing!
