First of all, what's a consultation call?
After an initial inquiry and some back and forth messaging, I often encourage potential clients to jump on a phone call, video call, or to meet for coffee so we have a chance to get to know each other. These meetings allow clients to ask me some more in depth questions about my work style or my personality, which allows them to make an informed decision when considering hiring me as their photographer.
Consultation or "discovery" calls are not required! Sometimes I have already worked with a client inquiring about a wedding or elopement for another session, or we had met when they were guests at another wedding. These folks are often ready to book and don’t want to do a call! We can also chat via messaging or emails if that works better for you.
Do you use AI to cull or editing photographs?
I do not use AI to cull (or pair down) photographs from your event. For reference, I generally take anywhere from two to four thousand photographs per wedding, and there are more if there is a secondary photographer. Most galleries range from 75-100 photos per hour of booking. On average, a full-day collection delivers somewhere between 650-900 photographs in final delivery. For any of you who don’t like math (me) that is a TON of unused photographs for galleries. They might not be used for several reasons which include: dual shots (I’m an overshooter for sureeeee!), faces aren’t right, shadows are weird, I can’t see a limb, group photos where someone’s eyes are closed, I don’t like the angle, etc.
Some photographers use an AI program to assist with culling these photographs down to the selection they will end up using for final gallery delivery. Personally, I prefer to look at every single photo I take and choose them myself. No shade to the photographers who do use AI to cull, but I have found that an AI program might not choose a photograph because someone’s eyes aren’t open, or the focus isn’t 100000% perfect, but sometimes, I like to have those because they tell a story of the day, or moment I believe is important to add to the gallery. AI doesn’t always see these photographs, and I would hate to miss them.
For editing, the most AI I will use is a tool in Lightroom (my editing software) that has recently been released that allows me to remove items from a photograph a lot faster and easier than going through Photoshop. Recently, I photographed a wedding on a beach where there were a ton of beach go-ers and surfers. These strangers were in every.single.photograph taken on the beach that day from family photos to photos of the couple. I used this AI tool to remove those people from the background of the photographs! There are other instances where I might also use the tool to remove blemishes, sunburns, or trash in the background or foreground of a photo!
Is the delivery time for our final gallery negotiable?
Unfortunately, no. My delivery timeline highly depends on the time of year, how many events I have booked, and my personal life! And because I do not use AI to edit my photographs, it can take a lot longer to edit and deliver a full gallery. While I do my best to deliver much earlier than the predicted contract time, it is important to me that I create realistic expectations for my clients! Not only do I have a full-time job in addition to running my business, I also have a family and work-life balance is extremely important to me.
If the estimated timeline feels too long for you, and you have a flexible spending budget, I offer priority gallery delivery, where a client can add on a faster delivery time to their collection for an added cost.
Are there any hidden fees in the collection we are considering?
I request that any weddings or events with 6 or more hours of coverage have the opportunity for a meal time/break or a hot meal that is paid for by the couple for myself and my secondary photographer (if their collection includes a second photographer).
It has been my experience that most couples do not want pictures of themselves or their guests eating, so break time for your media team (and other vendors including coordinators/planners, DJs, band, videographers, content creators etc.) is best planned when the couple is sitting down to eat their meal. I do not REQUIRE my clients to pay for a meal for me, but I do ask if they would be willing to do so, and most of the time, they are more than happy to provide it through their caterer. Most caterers have vendor meals they can provide that will be at a lower cost than the guest meal cost. If a client does not want to pay this extra fee, I will let them know there will need to be a designated time for me to sit and eat, and make sure there is a location where I can store my meal as needed.
Can we add a privacy clause to our contract and what does that look like?
Absolutely and I would have no questions to ask. If this is something you desire, I will always have a discussion with you about this to clarify your wishes and then I would create a privacy clause that outlines our conversation. I recently had a client who did not want photographs of their child from their family session shared publicly, but they were comfortable with me using their photographs in a private portfolio gallery that I share with potential clients inquiring about family sessions. The privacy clause in their contract outlined business use in a portfolio, but would not allow me to use any identifying photographs or identifying information, so that their child remained anonymous within this gallery.
I have personally seen a lot of the photography community debate this, because of the age-old question of “but how would we market our business without the content from our client galleries?” There will always be clients who are fine with their photographs being used, you can market in so many other ways than just posting your work (don’t ask me how because I am still figuring this part out - because I’m a photographer not a social media guru. We’re just out here doing our best).
How do you handle family photo requests efficiently?
About 8-10 weeks prior to your wedding, you’ll receive a questionnaire with a section about requested photographs and a list of family photographs desired. There is usually (varies from wedding to wedding) some time set aside in a day of timeline to capture these. Prior to your wedding, I will take this list and share it with my secondary photog for the day. During the family photo time, when everyone gathers, I will make a small announcement that usually sounds like this: “The couple has provided us today with a list of family photos and combinations they would like captured. We are going to call the combinations directly from their list! Please pay attention and listen for your name and be ready!” I will often tell people we are going to “RAPID FIRE” which in reality means “we are behind schedule and need to move FAST!”.
My second photographer manages the list, calls out the names and keeps people wrangled while I take the photos! Quick and efficient! P.S. I will yell if necessary and be sassy to those extended family members who may have had a few bevvys, taking sneaky pics on their cellphones, or who are just generally not paying any attention. I am also not afraid to say no. Don't want Aunt Petunia in that group shot? No problem, just send me a signal and it's handled.
How are our photographs protected during and post event?
Dual card slots. Every photo I take is duplicated in real time. Every SD card in my camera has a backup card, where photographs are dual written.
When I get home, I back up all the photographs to 2 different external hard drives. There are now 4 copies of your photographs.
Photographs are then backed up to a cloud (5 copies!)
SD cards are kept and stored until final gallery delivery. Only after final gallery delivery, do I reuse the cards for the next event, session or client.
While working on your gallery, my external hard drives and cards live in a fireproof safe at my home (obviously in case of emergency).
On your wedding day, your cards never leave my body. Many of you will see me walking around with a backpack or fanny pack where I store full cards until they can be backed up onto a hard drive!
I am also neurotic about cards and hard drives going through the scanners in airports, so if I am travelling for your wedding your material is all being “hand checked” at security to reduce risk of corruption.
Happy to answer any other questions about this! :)
How do you approach couples who feel awkward in front of a camera?
I think I get the comment “we are very awkward in front of a camera” every time I talk to someone on the phone. Totally understandable because…. same here. Have you seen my headshot!?!? Keeping people comfortable in front of a camera is arguably 99% of my job. All of my wedding collections include an engagement session (if time allows for it; I recently photographed a surprise wedding that was booked with a mere two weeks notice which did not allow for a last minute session booking. If this happens to you, do not fret, we will talk!) Engagement sessions are SO important and if you can have one with your wedding photographer I highly recommend one. They allow you to get in front of a camera (sometimes for the first time), for us to meet in person, and for me to get a good sense of which poses or prompts fit you and your partner the best. Sometimes, couples will get their engagement photos back and send me the ones they loved the most and the poses that felt the worst. This helps me feel prepared and ready to go for posing and prompts for your wedding day portraits. These pre-wedding sessions will also make it a lot easier for you to feel comfortable with me on your wedding day because we’ve met and you know how I work! It gives me a good sense how you are together in front of a camera and I’ll work with this knowledge to capture your relationship that feels authentic to you.
I also love to yap, provide wild compliments, and just have a good time. I am always hopeful that my generally laid back personality allows for clients to feel comfortable and feel like they can be themselves!
Got more questions? head over to my contact form and send an inquiry!
