Most wedding clients are looking for a photographer for their first time and have a ton of questions. This is completely normal. You SHOULD do your research and have any unanswered questions quelled before you ever give anyone a dime. Over the years I have compiled a list of frequently asked questions for your convenience. Every question on this list has in fact been asked by previous clients. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me directly.
“Do you deliver every image you shoot?”
No I do not. I usually eliminate duplicate images, test shots, out of focus shots, images with bad expressions, and images that don’t follow my style or level of quality. As an example, I may take a few extras shots of any of specific moments to ensure sure I capture the perfect expression for the moment. With my expertise of processing thousands of images each year, I may eliminate ones that are duplicates and only deliver the best one.
“Do you provide videography services?”
I do not. However, I have compiled a list of vendors that I highly recommend. Videographers are included on this list.
“Have you shot at my venue before?”
I have shot at so many venues so there is a good chance that I have. If I have not, I will be sure to perform a thorough walkthrough with you (if you wish) prior to your wedding day.
“Do you do destination weddings? What additional fees are associated with destination weddings?”
I am always open to destination weddings and accept them on a case by case basis.
“Who will be shooting my wedding?”
I am always the primary photographer for every wedding with a hired second professional photographer.
“Who do you use as a second shooter?”
I always use my best friend and one of the most talented photographers I have ever met as my second shooter. He is extremely talented and the two of us are a great team. He is one of the few I have used who truly “gets it” and what a wedding day is all about, capturing your day as it happens…and having a blast doing it!
“Do you provide partial day coverage?”
I do provide partial day coverage on a case by case basis. Typically my clients require full day coverage of at least 8 hours.
“Do you do headshots, individual portraits, family portraits, commercial photography, or other types of photography?”
Absolutely! Though I specialize in wedding and event photography, I love portraiture in all forms.
“Do you shoot Quinceaneras, Debutants, Bah Mitzvahs, or Corporate Events?”
Yes. I consider those as ‘event photography.’ I have chosen to focus and excel at wedding and event photography; and would love to cover your celebration.
“What is your philosophy regarding photography?”
I’m not one to overthink my philosophy on photography. I just make it a point to capture the moments on your day that would be important to me if it were my wedding. I also focus on capturing images in a manner that tells a story of your day.
“What is your photography style?”
I never knew I had a style until others told me they were able to tell an image was mine just by looking at it. It was a flattering concept and an eye opener. I think with many things that are enjoyed in a subjective manner, my style is always evolving. I am always interested in finding new ways to capture every day moments in ways that stand out from others’. One thing that separates me from others’ styles is my understanding of creative lighting. Most weddings occur in environments with less than optimum lighting conditions for photography. This doesn’t bother me or slow me down in the least. If anything, I pride myself on being able to capture beautiful images in the most difficult venues.
“Can I see a full event from start to finish?”
Of course you may! I am always pushing couples to shop around and ask this exact question when considering a wedding photographer. I pride myself on the consistency of my work from start to finish. Most photographers show their best work on their websites and it only takes a handful of images to populate a website portfolio. What do their clients get as a finished product on average? How consistent are their images? That is why I encourage all of my potential clients to view full events from any photographer they meet with to see how well the photographer performs throughout the day. You may see a TON of beautiful outdoor/day light images, but how did they perform in a dark reception hall?
“My venue is really dark. How does your studio handle these situations and can I see samples?”
I have shot in the darkest of dark chapels and reception halls! I look these situations as a challenge and do not shy away from them. If the situation allows, I will set up additional lighting to ensure I get bright and sharp images. Some chapels do not allow for flash photography; and for that reason, I shoot with cameras with superb low-light performance and lenses with low apertures.
“Do you touch up all the images from our wedding?”
Yes I do. Not all photographers will edit all of the images from a wedding, or will only edit “select” images from a wedding. This means that you may have pictures that are too dark, have strange skin tones, or other common photography flaws. Every image I deliver is post produced with my unique style of basic post-production. Things such as color correction, exposure adjustment, selective black and white processing, clarity adjustments, tone-mapping, and other corrections are performed on every image. I also perform advanced post-production on more artistic images such as bridal shots, details, and formals.
“What do you mean by “”touching up”” the photos?”
“Touching up” is the same as basic post production. See the question below for clarification.
“What is the difference between basic and advanced post-production?”
Basic post-production usually involves simple color correction, sharpness, contrast, cropping, white balance, and overall brightness of each image. This level of editing usually takes 5-15 seconds per image and is done in Adobe Lightroom. Advanced post-production involves blemish removal, teeth whitening, and removal of distracting elements within the image. This usually takes 5-10 minutes per image and is done in Adobe Lightroom.
“Do you shoot in JPEG, Small Raw, or Large Raw?”
I shoot all weddings in JPEG + RAW. What this means is I have every image I take going to two memory cards in each camera. Just in case one memory card fails, I will have a back up card with all of the images from your day. The key for success in a day that cannot be repeated is back ups and redundancy of everything.
“How many images do you typically deliver from and engagement session? From a wedding?”
On average, I typically deliver around 100 – 200 images per hour. Depending on the activity and vivacity of your wedding, this number can change.
“Where can we view our pictures?”
The images from your wedding can be viewed and downloaded from your private online gallery as well as viewed on your phone.
“How many hours do you suggest we set aside for wedding day photos?”
The amount of time I suggest you set aside for photos depends on the time of day.
Preparation/Getting Ready Shots – Duration: 1.5 hours to 2 hours
I usually stay with the bride and my second photographer works with the guys. This time allows us time to photograph each group of the wedding party independently and simultaneously. It also allows me time to get detail shots of the wedding dress and shoes before the bride put them on.
Couples session – Duration: 1 hour to 1.5 hours
I highly suggest doing this prior to the ceremony and in conjunction with a “first look.” This will allow you to enjoy the rest of your day without having to worry about taking too much time away from your guests for photo’s. This is also when the makeup and hair are fresh. We can set up a first look moment so that it will still be a surprise when you see each other.
Family Formals – Duration: 0.5 hour to 1 hour
I recommend having a list of pictures that you want with your family/friends right after the ceremony. Also, have one person from each side of the family that is really organized (and loud) to move people in and out of photo’s. It is imperative that you inform those that you would like to be in these images PRIOR to your wedding day. This can be like “herding cats”. Trying to track down one family member who ran to the restroom or to grab a shot can be detrimental to your timing.
Bridal Party (Optional) – Duration: 0.5 hour to 1 hour
This is where we take the bridal party out for some fun shots. This is also nice to handle before the ceremony so that you can rest and enjoy your day afterwards.
“I have a lot of downtime in between events on my wedding day. Can I break up the photography coverage?”
For a variety of reasons, I have to charge for the time in between events. Honestly, I am never truly resting during the day, whether I’m backing up images, setting up for the second venue, traveling to the second location, taking venue shots, or making up for lost photo time because of wedding day delays. In many cases, I use that downtime to take you and your significant other out for a photo session or more family portraits.
“What happens if we go over the contracted amount of time?”
All my weddings include 8 hours of coverage but I understand that not everything goes as planned during a wedding. I never pack up before the contracted time; and moreover I’m not leaving on the dot when the contracted time is up because I don’t watch the clock. Instead, I will ask you at the end of your contracted time whether or not you would like to extend. If you would like me to stay, I will charge the rates specified in your contract.
“Why do I need to charge for additional coverage?”
I always dedicate the entire day to your wedding, so I won’t be taking off to for plans that evening. However, I need to charge for additional coverage primarily because there are additional costs of having to stay for additional hours. Lighting assistants and second shooters all require additional compensation. Furthermore, the additional photos taken in that extended time all need to be culled, edited, and uploaded, adding to my overall costs.
“When can we expect to see our photo’s from our engagement session?”
The editing for engagement sessions are completed within two to four weeks after the date of the shoot.
“When should we do our engagement session?”
I encourage you to schedule your engagement session as soon you are able to. If you are in need of the images to use on your invitations or other wedding products, I would suggest booking your session at least 2 months prior to your wedding date to ensure time in processing of the images and designing/ordering of any products.
“Can we schedule our engagement session for the weekend?”
I am open to shoot on weekends or weekdays. I usually encourage shooting on weekdays because locations are typically less crowded.”
“How many images do you typically deliver from and engagement session? From a wedding?”
On average, I typically deliver around 50 – 100 images per 3 hour engagement shoot.
“Where can we view our engagement pictures?”
The images from your session can be viewed and downloaded from your private online gallery as well as viewed on your phone.
“How long does it take to get my prints?”
Prints are available immediately after your images are completed and uploaded into your private online gallery. They can be ordered from this gallery and shipped directly to your door.
“Do you guys provide framing services as well?”
All prints that are ordered through your private gallery have a large variety of frames, matting, and finishing available if you choose.
“What rights do I have to the digital prints?”
You may reprint images whenever you want, wherever you want. However you may not sell your images for a profit or publish your images without the written consent of Jason Talley Photography.
“Do you provide the RAW files from my engagement session and/or wedding day?”
All of my couples receive every image from their session/event in full resolution. However, I typically do not provide RAW (unprocessed) files from my shoots because a RAW image is unfinished. If you absolutely must have your RAW images, I will provided them along with your post-produced JPG’s for an additional fee of $1,000. In addition, a release must be signed by the client restricting them from displaying any RAW images on social networking sites.
“How many images from my session/event do you deliver?”
For a 3 hour engagement session I typically deliver 50 – 100 images and for a wedding we deliver 100 – 200 images per hour of coverage.
“Do you provide the digital negatives after the shoot?
Yes, I provide all of the full resolution images from your shoot.
“What if I lose my image DVD?”
You will have access to your images via your private online gallery for one year (at a minimum). After that year, a $50 fee may be incurred to re-create your online gallery again.
“What type of camera/equipment do you use?”
It is extremely important to ensure your photographer (as well as any additional photographers hired on your wedding day) have back ups in preparation of failed photography equipment. Electronics fail at times and having one bite the dust on a wedding day is a terrifying scenario. I have backup cameras and multiple lenses to ensure I am not taken out of the fight should one of my pieces of equipment fail. I also use professional Sony cameras and lenses to ensure the most pristine image quality and performance in low light scenarios.
“Do you backup our images? How can we ensure that our images won’t be lost?”
I back up all of your images in several locations and in several ways. Both of my cameras record your images to two separate memory cards that are also backed up onto a portable hard drive immediately upon completion of your event. Once I arrive home, those images are also stored on 5 separate hard drives as well as an online data storage service. Once the images have been delivered to you, I archive them locally as well as online.
“Do you have liability insurance?”
Yes. Many venues require the photographer to have Liability Insurance. So before hiring “Uncle Bob” make sure he’s covered.
“We live out-of-town. Is it possible for our family/friends to meet with you instead?”
I prefer to meet all of my couples in person whenever I can but I also understand that it isn’t always possible. I can absolutely meet your relatives, answer all their questions, and review our work with them. If possible, I’d like to at least webcam with you to get to know you better.
“We’re really busy and won’t be able to meet. Are there any other options?”
I prefer to meet all of my couples in person whenever possible but I also understand that it isn’t always possible. If you are not able to meet in person, we can set up a Skype or FaceTime call to get to know each other a little better and to allow me to get a better idea of your wedding day vision. I can also send you links to completed galleries from previous clients to give you a better understanding of the consistency of my work.
“How do I set up consultation to meet you in person and see some of your work?
You can feel free to contact me directly at 832-557-0634, email me at info@jasontalleyphotography.com, or fill out a “CONTACT FORM“.
“How do I reserve you for my date?”
All dates are reserved once I receive your signed contract and retainer.
“What if we exceed our contracted time for our engagement shoot and/or wedding day coverage?”
Standard rates apply for overtime. Overtime is billed at the rate of $300/hour.
“Is there an additional fee if we pay via credit card?”
No. Though I prefer cash/check to prevent this fee, I do NOT pass this convenience of doing business onto you.
“If we cancel the wedding, will we receive our retainer back?”
Unfortunately no. Retainers are use to reserve your date. Once I’ve reserved your date I do not accept new clients for your date.
“If we change our wedding to a different date, will we be able to use our retainer towards a future date?”
Absolutely!
“Are there travel fees associated with the Engagement Session and/or Wedding Day shoot(s)?”
As long as the session is within the “Greater Houston Area”, there are no travel fees added to the cost of any session.
“Do you offer any discounts on weekday weddings or weddings during the offseason?”
The costs of shooting a wedding (second photographer & assistants) as well as the time in editing your images remain the same regardless of what day you get married. For this reason I do not offer any discounted rates for off season or weekday weddings.
“Do you offer discounts for paying with cash?”
Unfortunately, collecting in cash does not exempt a photographer from paying sales tax in Texas.
