FAQ

Where are you located?
I am based out of Toronto, Canada, but by no means does that mean I am limited to one geographic location. I love to travel and photograph weddings in different and new locations. 

How much experience do you have shooting weddings?
I have worked as a professional photographer in areas outside of wedding photography since 2004. I have been casually shooting weddings since 2006. In 2013 I decided to switch gears and focus my business more seriously on wedding photography. I find that my 10 years of experience working as a commercial photographer has been a huge asset to me as a wedding photographer. I have shot intimate 30 person weddings to massive 800 person weddings. I have shot destination weddings in the Caribbean and in backyard weddings in Toronto. I can confidentially say that I've shot enough weddings to be comfortable in almost any situation. 

What is a consultation meeting all about?
This is a very informal meeting where we have the opportunity to sit down, gage each other’s personalities and talk about your ideas and expectations. I like to get a good feel for what my clients want and expect to ensure I am able to offer the best possible service.

Do you have an assistant? 
Weddings are a lot of work and I know you put a lot of effort into planning the perfect day. I always bring an assistant with me to ensure I am able to do my job to the best of my ability.

Will your assistant be shooting photos as well?
Although I will be the primary shooter on your wedding day I cannot be in two places at once. During specific scenarios I will have my assistant shoot photos as well to ensure you get proper coverage of your special day. 

Do you have a wedding contract?
Absolutely. I would not shoot a wedding without a signed contract.

Do you provide products?
Yes. I provide a limited but high-quality product selection. Canvases, frames and photo books are available for order. Pricing and options will be presented and discussed during our consultation.

What will you wear the day of my wedding?
Myself and my assistant will be fashionably dressed in all black. I will be wearing black dress pants, dress shirt and a suit jacket with black leather shoes. My assistant will also be wearing fashionable attire in all black. We realize that you put a lot of effort into making your wedding look amazing and that we represent you on that day, so we put effort into ensuring we look our best.

What kind of equipment do you use?
I come from a commercial photography background so I have a studio and an extensive collection of top quality lenses, cameras, studio lighting, flash lighting and other odds and ends. At your wedding I will only be using professional grade digital cameras and Canon L lenses . 

My uncle, brother, niece etc. is a hobby photographer and they have a professional camera. Can they also shoot photos at my wedding?
Absolutely not. The way I see it is that you are hiring me to photograph your wedding because you see value in the service I provide you and you are investing in this service. If I have to compete with another photographer getting in the way of what I need to do that takes away from my ability to give you the best possible photos. With that being said I don’t mind if uncle Joe shoots photos from his seat or at the reception with his professional camera as long as he does not impede my ability to do my job.

Do you provide wedding video services?
No, I do not provide video services but I can provide you with a recommendation.

Do you have a set number of hours for shooting a wedding? When do you stop shooting? 
No, I don’t have a set number of hours. I stop shooting after the bride throws the bouquet as this is usually the last item on the itinerary. Generally this happens around midnight. If you plan to have your wedding run longer or want me to stay around until early in the morning let me know so we can discuss options.

Do we have to feed you and your assistant at the wedding?
By no means do you have to feed us at your wedding reception. My assistant and myself don't expect to be fed. Although it certainly is nice to be able sit with everyone and eat while dinner is being served.   

Images

What is your photography style? 
I come from a commercial photography background so shooting portrait style images comes very natural to me. With that being said I really do love photojournalistic wedding images and strive to shoot more in that style when the opportunity arises. My philosophy in photography and in life is the same. It is all about finding the right balance. When it is time to hide in the crowd and capture photojournalistic images I will do that, but I also know when it is time to take charge of a situation and compose a group shot or creative portrait. 

What are custom image edits?
Custom image edits are the images that I spend a little more time on. Every image that you get from me will be touched up in some way. For example i'll adjust the lighting, the colour saturation, the contrast to optimize the image and make it look as good as possible. The custom edits are the edits that I put a special touch on. For example if you want an instagram type effect added to the image or if you want black and white or some other vintage or retro look I will add that to your custom image edit selections. 

Do you edit all of your images in house? 
Yes, I edit all my images. I do not subcontract my editing.

Can you do a retro effect on our edits?
Yes, I can. Retro looking images have become very popular recently and I do offer that as an option.  

How many images will we receive?
It really varies from wedding to wedding. There could be anywhere from 300 to 700 final images. Final image counts are dependent on how long the day is and how many sub-events there are within the wedding. A half day wedding is going to have a lot less images than a full day wedding. 

Do we receive all images from our wedding day?
No, I do not provide all the images from the wedding day. Obviously there may be several shots of the same situation shot from the same angle or test shots or unflattering photos. These images are usually deleted. My objective is to give you a collection of the best and most professional images, and that is exactly what I do.

Will our images be provided in both colour and black & white?
No not all images will be provided in black and white. If I feel that an image will look better in black and white or if you requests an image to be converted into black and white I will do so. My policy is that if an image is converted into black and white or any other effect for that matter I also give the client a copy of that image in colour as well.  

Can we give you a list of specific images we want you to shoot?
Yes, you can give me a shot list. I'm here to ensure that you are as happy as you can be with your wedding photography experience so if you have a shot list for me by all means please forward that along. Just note that depending on the length of the list, time constraints and other factors beyond my control I may have to cull images from the list in order to keep up with the wedding's proceedings. I will go through the list with you during our consultation in order to prioritize the importance of images.     

When can we expect to see our private online gallery?
It usually takes me four weeks to edit all your images during high-season and about two weeks to edit your images during low-season. I tell clients they can expect to get a link to an online gallery within four weeks of their wedding date. If things shape up sooner I will keep them posted. 

How will we receive our images?
I will send you an online gallery with web size images that you can share with friends and family and I will mail you a USB stick with all your full size images.

Will you be posting pictures of our wedding online, on your blog, Instagram or other social media sites?
Yes, unless otherwise agreed to by the clients. I will be posting a select few images on my social media outlets to advertise my services. My session prices reflect this. If you want your wedding to be totally private that can be arranged and my prices will shift to reflect that.  

“knock on wood” but let’s say something were to happen and we lose our wedding photos do you keep copies? 
Yes, I will keep copies of all the final images of your wedding for one year after your wedding date. If for whatever reason you lose your images I can provide you with another copy of your images for a fee of $100. 

Investments & Fees

How far in advance do we need to book you?
Because of our lovely Canadian climate, summer and fall weddings are very popular. I tend to book up fast so the sooner you lock in a date the better. Most clients book me a year in advance. 

Do you require a deposit to hold our date?
Yes, I do require a 50% deposit to hold your special date. I book dates on a first pay first serve basis. Until a deposit is received dates are not reserved. A deposit on the wedding does not include product costs. 

Can I get my deposit back in the event that the wedding is cancelled?
It states in my wedding contract that deposits are non-refundable. I take a deposit to reserve your wedding date and from that point forward I turn away all other potential clients that inquire about that date. Therefore, if a wedding is cancelled the deposit is not returned. 

Is there a travel fee associated with shooting outside of the city? 
Yes, any weddings outside of the Greater Toronto Area will be subject to a travel fee. Fees are relative to projected travel expenses. 

Do you provide permits for locations?
Location permits are not included in my package price and are additional investments made by the client. This is something that can be discussed during our consultation meeting.

Travel

Do you shoot destination weddings?
YES! I'm an experienced traveller and I love shooting destination weddings. Who can resist a wedding on a tropical beach? There isn’t a lot of info in this FAQ about destination weddings so please contact me for more details.

Do we need to pay for your ticket and accommodation for our destination wedding?
It all depends on how we structure the wedding contract. If I were to pay for my flight and accommodations that cost would eventually find it's way into my wedding fees. On the other hand, if you were to pay for my flight and accommodations with a group wedding rate you would very likely save money on the total cost of the wedding. 

Our destination wedding is going to be a week long will you be with us for the entire week?
For me a destination wedding isn't about partying and relaxing it's about getting things done. Ultimately I'm there for you, so whatever you need is my priority. With that being said, ideally I would prefer to fly in a day before the wedding and fly out a day after the wedding. I know that isn't always possible in the Caribbean but these are things we can discuss in person. 

I live in Calgary would you travel here to shoot my wedding? 
YES! Absolutely. I would travel anywhere in Canada to shoot a wedding.  

 

Demystifying The Process

I've been shooting weddings long enough to know that the process of planning a wedding can both exciting and challenging. There are a lot of unknowns especially if this is the first time you've been a part of the wedding planning process. I wanted to do something a little different on my webpage and take some time to demystify the photographer-client workflow as i've noticed this seems to be a grey area for a lot of couples. Below I break it all down so you know exactly what you'll get from me and when. If you have to worry about something I don’t want it to be about me. So I’ve written this breakdown to ensure that your experience with me goes as smoothly as possible. Here is what will happen if you book me as your wedding photographer. (fix paragraph)

How It All Comes Together

• 1) First Meeting. We setup a consultation meeting in which we get to know each other and go over your ideas for your wedding. We will go over locations, photography style, wedding packages, products, special requests. You can let me know which services you would like Wedding Photography is a given but I also provide engagement photos and other event coverage such as engagement parties, Jack & Jill parties and budwar photography. Within a week of our initial meeting I will to let you know if your wedding is a project I want to undertake. I don’t take on all weddings. I prefer to be selective and only take on the projects that really interest me.
  

• 2) Second Meeting. We will communicate back and forth via email to ensure that we are both on the same page with respect to the wedding itinerary, expectations, shot list and any other services you may be interested in. Once we have all the photography details hammered out I will setup a second in person meeting in order to sign a wedding contract. At this point I will require a nonrefundable deposit to book your wedding date. I do not hold dates without a deposit.
  

• 3) Pre-Wedding services. Between the wedding contract signing and your wedding day, shoots such as the engagement shoot or Jack & Jill event shots may take place. Deliverables such as the engagement photo prints or other products will be created at this time. Whatever we outlined in the wedding contract for this period will be completed.
  

• 4) Third Meeting. A week or so before your wedding we will meet for a third time to touch base and go over your wedding details and any changes that may have been made to your wedding plan, I will also present you with a creative brief that will outline how I will shoot your wedding to ensure we are on the same page. At this point the final deposit for the wedding photography services is required.
  

• 5) Post wedding services. It generally takes about 4 weeks for me to get through the image editing process. Once that is complete I will setup an online gallery so that you can share your images with family and friends and I will also mail you a USB stick with all your images in full size.
  

• 6) Final deliverables. Once you have the images you can decide on which products you want to purchase and we can start that process. Different products take different amounts of time to complete. Wedding albums, prints, canvasses etc. Once the products are done you can come to my studio for product pickup.