COMMON QUESTIONS
& answers
How would you describe your photography style?
Our style is a mix of Fine Art and Documentary photography. For most of your day, we don’t direct or stage photos. We are there to capture the events as they unfold, not get in the way. One of the greatest compliments we often receive is when our couples tell us how unobtrusive we were on their wedding day. We craft your portraits to capture you in the most romantic and flattering way. Not everyone needs direction, but for those that do, we make sure it’s a relaxing and fun experience and the end result is beautiful images.
What makes you unique or different from other photographers?
We feel that the experience we provide from start to finish sets us apart. We make your time with us painless, and most importantly, fun. We’re here for you to answer questions, provide feedback, and help you organize your wedding day so that you can enjoy yourselves and eat some cake. Our couples look like they are having a great time because they are! It is so important to enjoy your time with us as you’ll be in contact with us more than anyone else. We’re just as passionate about telling your story as we are about photography. We often get 5 star reviews before our couples have even seen their photos.
Do you use a shot list when posing? I want our bride and groom portraits to be unique to us!
We don’t have a numbered shot list of posed portraits. While we do have some “go to” poses, we typically approach every couple differently, and photograph them based on their own unique interactions with each other. If a pose or interaction feels forced, we’ll quickly move on to something different (we are very good at interpreting body language). It’s a collaborative process, and we use our expertise to capture the two of you in the most natural, flattering way possible!
Can you split up for getting ready photos?
We can be at two different getting ready locations if the travel distance from the first location to the next allows us enough time to capture photos at the second location and make it to the ceremony or first look in time. However, if you have less than an hour for getting ready photos, we feel it is best to team shoot just one of you (typically the the bride) on your wedding day. This will allow us to capture all of your details (dress, invitations, shoes and jewelry) and all of the candid moments as they are happening!
Are you familiar with my specific religious ceremony?
We have photographed just about every different type of ceremony – Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Episcopalian, Greek, Protestant and Coptic. If you are having a ceremony with religious traditions we aren’t familiar with, we will communicate with you beforehand to ensure that everything is documented.
What equipment do you use?
We each shoot with Canon 5D Mark IV cameras, and have Canon 5D Mark III cameras as a backup. We shoot on two memory cards so that your images are backed up in two locations simultaneously. Vicki’s favorite lenses are the Canon 50 1.2 and the Sigma Art 35 1.4. Erik’s favorite lenses are the Sigma Art 50 1.4 and the Canon 70-200 2.8 IS III. We bring off camera flash to the reception to provide fill and rim light (more on that next).
Our church / reception is dark. We are worried that all of our photos will also be dark! Do you provide lighting?
We aren’t usually allowed to use flash during the ceremony. Our cameras are low light capable, meaning we don’t usually ever need to use flash to get great photos. For your reception, we always bring off-camera flash to provide fill and rim light for photos of you and your guests. Our off camera flashes only go off when triggered by our shutter, and aren’t constantly on. We love this as it fits in with our philosophy of being unobtrusive on your wedding day, while still capturing all of your important moments.
Do you shoot video as well?
As we specialize in photography, we do not offer video in any of our collections. We do have a select group of videographers we recommend that match our style and unobtrusiveness during your wedding day. We are happy to provide their information upon request.
How many images do you deliver?
We deliver an average of 1,000 – 1,200 images from your wedding day, depending on the number of hours and guests. We average around 100 – 150 images from your engagement session.
Do you deliver everything you photograph?
Any images that are unflattering due to unintended facial expressions or closed eyes are not delivered. We don’t hold back great images to meet an arbitrary limit. If it’s a great photo, you’ll see it.
Are your images edited?
All of the images we deliver are adjusted for exposure and color corrected to be print ready, including minor blemish removal and selectively editing out distracting background objects that we could not avoid on your wedding day, or at your engagement session. Any images in your wedding albums are further touched up (extra blemish removal, removal of exit signs from reception photos, etc). All of your images are delivered in color, with an additional 30% delivered as duplicates in black and white.
I'm also a photographer. Can you provide me with the RAW images?
We only deliver high resolution (300 PPI) JPEG images that have been edited in our style. While we always strive to produce perfect shots in camera (and we only shoot in manual mode), we don’t deliver unfinished work. You are hiring us for our finished product – for us, the raw images are the partially chiseled slab of marble, and not the final sculpture.
Do we have the rights to the images?
While we retain the legal copyright, we provide you with a print release that allows you to make as many reproductions as you wish. You may share your images online as well – we just ask that you do not apply filters or crop the images before doing so. The image rights protect us (and you) from unauthorized use or sale of the photos.
Do we have a say in how you use our images?
We typically only use images on our own website or in our social media channels to attract potential clients. Any images shown by magazines or online publications require your express permission before they can be used. We absolutely value privacy, and will not show your photos anywhere if it makes sense to do so.
How do we receive our images?
We deliver all of your images in a password protected, online gallery. Our current delivery time is 7-9 weeks for weddings, and 4-5 weeks for engagement sessions. We take great care to review all of the images before delivery, making sure they are print ready. Once you’ve been alerted that your images are ready to be viewed, you’ll be able to immediately download them with the provided PIN# and share them via social media or make prints with the included print release. Images in your gallery are watermarked to prevent screen captures being used for prints, and all of the downloaded images are free of watermarks and logos. As we don’t watermark our images, we do ask that you give us photo credit when sharing online. Your images are categorized by event (Getting Ready, Ceremony, Reception, etc.) and friends and family may order prints through your gallery. Your gallery is available to you for 90 days, at which point it is archived to make space for future events. But don’t worry! If you didn’t have the chance to download all of your images before the deadline, we are happy to bring your gallery out of the archives (about a 15 minute process).
Do you offer wedding albums?
Yes! We offer two different wedding album lines, as well as parent albums. Our albums are designed by us with your input, and have many different cover options. We recommend about 3-4 image per 2 pages (a “spread”), and our albums start at 20 pages. Our most popular album is our 10×10 20 page Signature wedding album (~650), and is included in Collection 2. For more information (and to see one of our sample designs), please click here.
We have to have you! How much will it cost for you to photograph our wedding?
Wedding Day coverage for 8 hours begins at ~5000. Wedding Day coverage for 8 hours, an engagement session and a 10×10, 20 page Signature wedding album begins at ~6350. All wedding day coverage includes hand touched digital images with print release.
We love your work, but you are out of our price range. Do you offer discounts?
We are not currently offering any discounts, but weekday elopements, as well as smaller, intimate weekday wedding collections are also available. Please inquire for additional information.
We aren't sure we need an engagement session. Are they necessary and what do they cost?
An engagement session with us is a great opportunity to get all dressed up at a gorgeous location and have amazing pictures taken of you and your fiancé. It’s also a great way to have pictures for your save the dates (or profile photo), and to get to know us better and see in-person how we work. An engagement session with us lasts for 1 hour on location (or locations) within 45 minutes of Stratford, CT and provides around 100 images for ~750. For engagement sessions in NYC or for locations further than 45 minutes away, we charge a ~150 travel fee. Engagement sessions are scheduled 1.5 hours before sunset from April – December, Tuesday – Thursday only, with limited weekend availability January – March. As with our wedding coverage, we deliver your images in a password protected online gallery with print release, and all of your images are edited and print ready without watermarks or logos once downloaded. However, you don’t need to have had an engagement session with us to get amazing photos on your wedding day!
What happens if you can't make it to our wedding?
While there has never been a time when we couldn’t honor our commitment, we have protocol if we ever become physically unable to show up to your wedding. We have a network of fellow photographers that our emergency contacts will get in touch with to fill in for us. We have shot weddings with the common cold, headaches, and the flu. No one else was the wiser.
What happens if my wedding is cancelled?
If your wedding is cancelled with plans to move it to a date we are available for, we are happy to make the change to the new date, and everything will proceed as normal. If your wedding is cancelled outright, all monies paid are non-refundable. When you book with us, we put all of our effort and expertise into preparing for your wedding, including personal attention via emails and phone calls. We also turn down all other potential bookings for your wedding date.