1. How much time should we allow for pictures?

The short answer is not to skimp on the time you set aside for pictures because there's almost never enough. If you'd like pictures before the ceremony an hour is probably enough. There tend to be fewer people then and things can go more quickly. Formal group pictures after the ceremony can be slow especially if your families or the wedding party is big. Try to leave at least an hour after everyone comes back inside after the recessional and any outside activities. Try to be learn beforehand and be cognizant of anything else going on afterward, like another wedding, that might limit that time. Ideally, weather permitting, the best of all worlds is to also think about going to a park or other interesting outdoor place, just the bride and groom and their bridal party, after the formals, but before the reception. A half hour or 45 minutes there will be well worth it. Those will be the nicest pictures of the day.

2. Why does photography cost so much?

It's easy to spend $2,000 to $3,000 for a photographer. My feeling is, you don't have to. Remember there's a lot more involved than you might think. First, it's a long day. In the case of a wedding, its easy to spend 10-12 hours to cover getting ready, the wedding, formal group pictures, and the reception. During an all-day wedding and reception, I'll take about 1200 pictures, all of which have to be looked at, processed, cropped, and sorted to end up with probably 350 to 400 for the day. Then there's uploading and setting up the online gallery. All this takes more time than the event itself.

3. What services do you offer?

I offer a wide variety of services from special events and short wedding ceremony-only sessions to full day wedding and reception coverage with an accompanying variety of proofs, coffee table style albums, and traditional leather-bound albums. They're summarized on my prices page so check there for my latest offerings.

4. Why do albums cost so much?

I wonder that same thing all the time. Fortunately, there are lots of options these days to fit any budget. You can make your own album using prints you buy or have made yourself. You can design your own coffee table style book or ask your photographer to recommend someone to design it for you. You can buy a more traditional leather-bound album like you might have seen growing up. Or you can opt for many things in between. These don't have to be expensive, but I know it often seems like they are.

5. How long will it take to see my proofs?

I try as hard as we can to post proofs online within days, not weeks. Of course this depends on my schedule, the number of pictures, that sort of thing, but to take longer than two weeks is very rare. If there's a delay for any reason I'll let you know.

6. What kind of equipment do you use?

I've used only Canon equipment for over 30 years and continue that today. The only difference is, today all the equipment is digital, not film.

7. Can some pictures be black and white?

Absolutely. You can have prints in black and white, sepia, and almost any other special technique you would like.

8. Do you have backup equipment?

Yes, I have backup camera bodies, lenses, and flashes.

9. Do you have a particular style of photography?

There's a lot of buzz these days about a particular photographer's style - be it traditional, photojournalistic, editorial or something else. Traditional is probably what most people think of when they think of event photographers - especially wedding photographers. It involves a lot of posed family portraits, formal pictures at the church, that sort of thing. Photojournalists think of themselves as blending into the woodwork so to speak, capturing events as they happen. Editorial is somewhere in between - moments apparently captured as they happen, but possibly helped along or setup by the photographer. The truth is, unless you hire more than one photographer, each with their own unique style, the one you choose will probably have to be a blend of all of these. That's how I like to think of myself. I like to blend into the woodwork when it's appropriate to do so, but am sensitive to almost everyone's wish to have portraits of themselves, their families, and friends to preserve those moments forever.