Frequently Asked Questions
- About your equipment ... ?
- Do you mind if other people take photographs at the same time ?
- How many photographs do you take?
- Can I keep the negatives?
- When can I expect to see my proofs ?
- CD / DVD - What is the difference?
- Do you retouch / take Black & White / allow for special effects ?
- What style albums do you offer?
- Do you photograph weddings in a photojournalistic style?
About your equipment ... ?
I am a professional digital photographer and use only professional equipment. I am comfortable with both film and digital.
I use a variety of cameras on the day of your wedding. Usually there are 2 set up in the Church - one on a tripod in the rear or in the balcony, if available, and at least one that I use as I move about the Church.
I use professional flashes with battery packs and keep backups of all equipment - both camera and flashes with me at all times.
Processing is done at a custom lab that specializes in wedding photography. I do not print your memories myself. This is a very important point that should be asked of any photographer you are contemplating for your wedding. Custom wedding labs do it best. Beware the drugstore or the home printer ... Your wedding photos deserve more than 1 hour processing! Premier wedding labs specialize in color management. Your skin tones will ring true, black tuxes will be black ... Every negative is hand-analyzed to reproduce accurately.
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Do you mind if other people take photographs at the same time ?
The answer to this one is two-fold. While shooting the formals after the ceremony, it is important that everyone be looking the same direction and that no one's attention is wandering to another set of flashes. For this reason, after I have set up a shot, I ask that everyone else "hold their shots". After I've taken mine, however, I step back and all your aunts, uncles and friends can step in. I'm not "afraid of the competition" and encourage everyone to shoot away (within the confines of whatever schedule the church or bride & groom has set).
I am confident that my lab's work will produce the best possible image for your album.
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Do you come to the house before the wedding ?
Yes if it is requested.
One of the things that I offer both the bride and the groom is to try some romantic shots in some area that is special to them - a park, a golf course, a garden ... Having first started my business outside of Washington DC, this often was in front of the US Capitol or the Smithsonian!
There is no extra charge for coming to the home of the bride on the day of the wedding. If the photographs are taken on a different day from the wedding, there is an additional charge.
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How many photographs do you take?
There are no set number of photographs in a package. I bring plenty of film (digital film or real film) to capture the moments that make this your day. Beware of photographers who promise a set number of pictures ... when the number is very high - there is a strong probability that they will be "in people's faces" to try and get the promised number. When the number is low, they are on a budget ... The key is to capture those moments that define the day and to try to capture as well - the people important to the bride and groom - friends, aunts, uncles, "the 3 or 4 generations" that came together ... I have complete wedding galleries on this site to give you an idea of the quantity and the quality of weddings that I have done recently.
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Can I keep the negatives or digital images?
A medium-resolution CD of all the photographs taken is part of every package. This CD contains photographs which can easily be printed up to 5x7. In the Bliss and Delight packages, a high-resolution CD of the digital photos is provided. High resolution files can be printed at any size up to 20x24.
The high-resolution CD is excellent insurance that your images are saved and is far more convenient to store than negatives. Multiple copies of the CD in different locations are good insurance from fire and water damage! If you were ever to lose your album in a fire or a flood, it could be reconstructed from a CD kept in a good place (fire-safe, bank safe-deposit box, your parents' home).
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When can I expect to see my photographs ?
All packages include digital proofing and a magazine preview book. What's the magazine preview book? It's a spiral bound, professionally printed and color-corrected book with between 4 and 6 or 9 pictures per page. You can decide whether it's 4, 6 or 9 when you sign the contract. The magazine preview book is 50 pages, so the number of pictures per page determine how many prints are presented in this book.
Digital proofs are a new idea in wedding photography. Proofing is done through either the Internet (good if you have a high-speed connection) and/or from a CD that you put in your computer. All of my packages include digital proofing. Digital proofs are usually available within a week to 10 days. Most brides have been delighted to find that their proofs are online while they are still on their honeymoon sipping margueritas in an internet cafe!
Advantages of digital proofing are big, however, when you have friends and family in distant locations. These friends or family members can use their own computers to access the photographs without you having to order costly reprints or passing your own book around! Again, digital proofing is part of EVERY package - there is no added cost for this service. So even if you want the proof book, your Aunt in distant California and your roommate from Kansas can still see the prints from their computer!
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Do you retouch / take Black & White / allow for special effects ?
Retouching is priced according to the magnitude of the job but is always available. Minor retouching (opening eyes, removing blemishes, enhancing lighting) is included in the wedding package.
I photographed a wedding last year, where the week before the wedding, the bride's grandmother fell. She had a hematoma completely covering one side of her face. Her face was also swollen. The bride was delighted when I retouched the family formal to restore her grandmother's face. She ordered it as an 8x10 as well as had it as an album print. Her face was completely reconstructed.
I take color photographs. The lab that I use is a specialist in turning a color photograph into a sepia-toned or black/white, when desired. This gives you the greatest possible flexibility - any photograph can be turned into sepia, black and white - or special effects can be added (example: a black / white of the bride and groom, but the flowers are in color!) If you wish me to use black and white film, this needs to be stated in the contract because once done in black and white film, there is no going back to color!
Please see my retouching page: www.anndee.com/Retouching/index.htm for some samples of my work on old photographs. New photographs are even easier!
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What style albums do you offer?
Please see my album page for traditional albums. Also available are custom albums (coffee table style) where you design the album layout completely. I offer Storybook Albums, Traditional Matted Albums and Magazine Books.
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Do you photograph weddings in a photojournalistic style ?
I try to capture everything ... all details. That includes your special mementoes ... the favors you made by hand, the necklace from your grandma that wasn't able to come ... But romance ... that is what the day is all about, not things. And family and friends that are sharing your joy - candids are plentiful.
I consider myself a blend of styles: traditional and photojournalistic. You can be the judge - I have many pictures on this site and several complete wedding albums and wall portraits in my studio. I hope to see you soon!
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