WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Q: I would like you to shoot my wedding, how do I start the process?

A: Reach me via my contact form along with your wedding date and venue, if secured. I can respond by email or phone. If possible, I would like to meet you both in person so you can get to know your future photographer and can ask me everything you need. Once you’ve decided to choose me as your photographer, I will send a contract for you to sign and and return with a deposit. After that, you can check “find a photographer” off your wedding to-do list.

Q: What does a wedding session cost?

A: My weekday (M-Th) fee starts at €1000 and weekend (F – Su) fee starts at €1500 for 8 hours of coverage. Contact me for a full rate sheet and details. You’ll find that I like to keep things simple. If you are eloping, doing something very simple, or only need me for a few hours, shoot me an email and we can find something that will work for everyone.

Q: How much do I need to deposit?

A: I require a 20% initial deposit and the rest of the fee to be paid on or before the wedding day.

Q: How far should we book in advance?

A: Typically 6-12 months in advance as soon as you have a date and venue. If you’re not the plan way in the advance type of guy or gal, fret not. Check with me for availability.

Q: Will you be shooting the wedding?

A: Yes. You are hiring me to shoot the wedding, not another photographer working under my name.

Q: Do you shoot with an assistant?

A: When it’s possible, I try to shoot with an assistant/2nd photographer with rare exceptions. This frees me up to focus on shooting and looking for special moments while ensuring that between the two of us, we don’t miss the important ones. The 2nd shooter offers a different but complementary perspective and allows us to work efficiently throughout the entire day.

Q: Where are you based?

A: I am based in Brussels, but I am often down in New York. If you aren’t in any of these locations, please read the next question.

Q: Do you travel?

A: I love to travel and will generally arrive at least the day before the event to help ensure that unexpected travel delays do not make me late or miss your big day. Let me know where you are and we’ll figure out the best way to get me out to you.

Q: When should we do the wedding portraits?

A: This is mostly up to you, but usually a couple of hours before the ceremony or immediately following the ceremony. Shooting before the ceremony allows you to check one more thing off the day’s to-do list early on and, more importantly, to afford you and the wedding party a chance to enjoy the cocktail hour and mingle with your guests. Shooting after the ceremony, depending on the time, could allow you to take advantage of the setting sun and its softer light.

Q: Do you take getting-ready shots?

A: These are some of my favorite photographs to capture. The energy and excitement of everyone moving about is there, but I can also capture the calm and solemn moments when the bride and groom think about their wedding vows, the friends and family around them, and everything leading up to and away from this moment.

Q: Do you take dance shots?

A: That’s where the fun is. I am right there with everyone on the dance floor like a ninja with camera. A harmless ninja.

Q: Do you shoot in RAW?

A: Yes. RAW allows me to get the best quality and image detail when I am processing the photos.

Q: Do you shoot in B&W?

A: I love B&W photographs. There is something so timeless about them. Since I shoot digital, this allows me to decide after the fact whether I want to process the image in B&W or Color. However, I generally shoot the image with a color preference in mind based on what I am seeing.

Q: What about the the vintage look?

A: There are countless ways to edit a photo. Some may appeal to one couple, while not to another. If you see a particular style you like, please let me know, and I will do my best to accommodate.

Q: What kind of equipment do you use?

A: I shoot with a Canon 5d Markt II and a combination of Canon zoom lenses.

Q: When will I get to see my wedding photos?

A: Your photos will generally be ready within 2-4 weeks following the wedding. I go through a careful process of choosing the best images from the day and processing each of them with individual attention.

Q: Do you shoot video?

A: Unfortunately, to focus my attention on the photography, I cannot do both at once myself.

Q: Do you offer albums?

A: Yes. I offer custom-designed photo books along with a selection of other a la carte products.

Q: Who chooses the photographs in the album?

A: I offer you a chance to pick a selection of photos that you must have in the album. However, I do advise that you let me choose the majority of the photos for the album since I will use my best judgment to select the best and more relevant photos to tell the story of your wedding day. One of the top reasons, couples often times say they haven’t ordered the albums from their photographers is because they haven’t gotten around to choosing the pictures for the album.

Q: Will you post the photographs online?

A: I certainly hope so. I generally will post about the best shoots on my blog and possibly my portfolio.

DIGITAL RETOUCHING FAQ

Q: What is Digital Photo Restoration?

A: Digital Photo Restoration is a process in which an existing hard copy photograph is converted into a digital image. Once converted to a digital image, many aspects of the photo can be digitally altered. « Restoration » usually refers to the condition of the original photograph – torn, bent, worn, aged, basically damaged. Once restored using digital image editing techniques to remove all damage and aging effects from photographs , the digital image can be redeveloped or reprinted to give you a new or restored photo. Digital Photo Restoration may involve adding color to black-and-white photos or re-applying colorization which had previously been applied using earlier techniques.

Q: What is Digital Photo Retouching and Enhancing?

A: Digital Photo Retouching and Enhancing is a treatment of a photograph to remove image flaws (dust spots , blemishes, scratches, cracks, etc…). Beauty Retouching is to remove acne, scars, wrinkles, etc… or  adjust color of eyes, teeth, clothes, skin, etc.

Q: What is Digital Photo Manipulation?

A: Digital Manipulation is similar to Digital Retouching and Enhancing, however, it is a higher level of alteration. Manipulation includes such changes as removal of unwanted objects of the image or add new elements to an image.