Frequently Asked Questions

As a wedding photographer, I talk to a lot of brides, and I hear a lot of questions from all of you. Just to simplify things a bit, I have created a list of answers to your questions so hopefully you can get to know a little bit more about how your wedding photography experience will go. Interested? Read on!

Q. Can we meet with you?

A. Of course! We love to meet our clients before their wedding day! We feel that meeting us before your wedding will help you get to know us a little bit, and this always makes couples feel more comfortable with us on your big day! It often helps couples overcome shyness in front of the big lenses of our cameras when they know the people behind them, so they are much more natural around us, leading to better images. We also find that when we get to know you before your wedding, we get a sense of who you are and can more easily pick out those moments at your wedding that best define you as a couple, so we can capture them. We love our brides and grooms and even become friends with many of them through the process of working with them! Contact us, and we will find someplace to meet with you, and if you book us, we will even buy you a coffee! Of course, the best way to get to know us, experience working with us, and to feel at home with us and our cameras is to book us for a fun filled engagement session!

Q. So we get two photographers with every package? Who is your second shooter?

A. Absolutely! My second shooter is my beautiful, talented, and amazing wife Lisa, and we always work together, so if you book me, you get both of us. This gives you twice as many chances to capture all those amazing moments, as well as a female photographer to be with the bride for those parts of getting ready that she doesn’t want a male photographer there for.

Q. How many weddings do you book in a day?

A. Only one! All of our packages include all day coverage (from getting ready all the way to the end of your reception) so we won’t miss a single moment. Our day is devoted entirely to you.

Q. What kind of equipment do you use?

A. We use professional Canon digital SLR cameras, allowing us to capture incredible detail even in low light situations. We shoot all digital so you don’t need to worry about film, and we can shoot hundreds upon hundreds of photos.

Q. How many pictures will we get? Will they be color or black and white?

A. I don’t guarantee how many pictures you will get per wedding, but depending on the wedding and how long we shoot, we will generally deliver upwards of 600 high resolution, fully edited images of each wedding. All images are shot in color at the event for maximum flexibility in editing. I carefully edit each one, converting many to black and white, and adding artistic effects when I think it would add something to the image. Sometimes you may get many more images than that!

Q. How do we reserve our date? Can you hold a date for us?

A. I require a non-refundable retainer and a signed contract before your date is held for you. Unfortunately, I can’t hold a date without these, so if you are interested in booking us for your wedding day, contact me as soon as possible. I will let you know if another couple is trying to book me for that date, but if I get a contract and retainer from another couple first, the date is theirs. The retainer is non-refundable because once you book me, I can not take any other work that day, so it is a guarantee that we will have work that day and can turn away other clients looking at the same date. The advantage to this for you is that once you have booked me with a retainer and a contract, the date is yours, and I will not be booking any other couples, even if they will be getting a more expensive package than you.

Q. Will you travel to come shoot my wedding!

A. Definitely! We are based in Albany, NY, but will travel all over New York, New England, and beyond! For New York and New England destinations, we charge a mileage rate for all areas more than 50 miles outside of Albany, NY and some locations will require us to charge for lodging as well. Getting married someplace else in the US, or even across the globe? No problem! Fly us there and we will capture your day no matter where it happens.

Q. What products do you offer? Can we get an album?

A. I use a professional lab which can get you anything from beautiful wallet sized and 4×6″ prints on amazing paper choices, all the way to huge gallery wrapped canvases, fine art murals, and everything in between. I have a multitude of products to fit any needs. I also offer album design and printing services, and feature beautiful, library bound flush mount albums that your family will enjoy for generations. These can be added to any package. Contact me to find out more!

Q. We can print these photos ourselves, right?

A. All my packages come with a DVD of all your high resolution images and a print release, which means that you are allowed to print these images wherever and whenever you want. They are your wedding pictures, your treasured memories, and I want you to have them. All I ask is that if you print them yourselves, please be careful printing them on your home inkjet, or at a wal-mart or a drugstore lab. these prints may look good now, but they will fade and start to lose color in a few years. All prints ordered from me are archival quality, printed on premium photographic paper by a lab that does nothing but print professional photos. They will last upwards of 100 years without fading, so your photos and albums will be around for generations of your family to look at.

Q. What is your style of photography?

A. I am a photojournalistic style photographer. This means I mostly stand on the sidelines and capture the events of your day that naturally happen. I strive to capture natural, true moments that happen during your day so that I can capture your memories, rather than creating memories for you. I will of course take posed family shots and a series  with the bride and groom, but I shoot them in a style known as “relaxed portraits.” This means that I will give some general direction, but I don’t like doing uncomfortable posed shots. I take my portraits in a more relaxed, fun setting, creating more natural smiles and poses, and get them over with as fast as possible so you can get to your party!

Q. How long will it take to get my photos?

A. You should see your photos in my online portfolio and have your CD in the mail to you within 3 to 4 weeks after your wedding. This gives me time to cull through your photos, pick out all the best ones, and edit them to make them look as spectacular as your memories of your day. However, within a few days of your wedding, you will see a few of my favorite images previewed right here on my blog.

Q. Do you accept a shot list?

A. If you give me a list of shots you really, really want, I will be happy to try my best to get those shots for you. However, I will generally capture all the important images of the day, and as a wedding professional, I am pretty good at knowing what to look for. My suggestion to you is to give this list of pictures you really want, especially with the people you really want to capture, to a close friend or family member that can point out important people to me, since they would know everyone better than we would.

Q. Will you cover our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner?

A. If I am not booked on the day before your wedding, these options are available as an add on.

Q. Do we need to feed you at the wedding?

A. We really would prefer it, as having your photographers passed out from exhaustion after a full day of shooting will not be beneficial to us capturing great images at your wedding. Upright photographers are generally much more alert and able to still do their jobs! Besides, no one really wants pictures of themselves eating anyway, so we can take a quick break while you eat!

Q. Does my dress really have to be “trashed” in a Trash the Dress session?

A. Absolutely not! A Trash the Dress session just means that we will go out with the bride (and sometimes the groom too!) to get creative shots after the wedding in their wedding attire that we couldn’t do the day of. Your dress may get a little wet, or a slight grass stain, but we will absolutely not destroy it, and after a trip to the dry cleaners, they are good as new!

Q. What should we wear for an engagement session?

A. Whatever makes you comfortable! Some couples like to be matching, some don’t but wear something that is at least complimentary with each other’s outfits, so one person isn’t in a low key outfit with the other person in a wild, vibrant outfit. Dress to compliment each other, wear something that you think makes you look good, and most importantly, wear something comfortable!

Q. Can we upgrade out package or add on options after we book and sign our contract?

A. Absolutely! Please contact me and let me know if you want to add on later. However, if you add them after the original contract, these add ons will be at current prices, rather than the prices at the date of contract signing.

I have other questions……….

I’m sure you have other questions that I haven’t answered, so please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me and I’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have!



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