1. How far in advance should we book our wedding photographer?
You should book your wedding photographer just as soon as you have made a decision as to whom you would like to have cover your event. We book weddings on a first come, first serve basis. If you hesitate to book the photographer you desire to cover your wedding and they are already booked for your date...The only way to be sure and get the photographer you want is to book them as soon as possible. Those highest in demand will typically book first.
2. How do we retain Donna Rice Photography services?
Your date is secured by paying us a deposit (retainer) and completing a signed contract. We do not 'pencil in' dates for wedding photography. A deposit (retainer) of $500. is required to hold your date. A deposit (retainer) is considered to be a good faith indicator that a binding contract has been agreed to. Deposits (retainers) are non refundable.
3. Quality wedding photography is more expensive that I expected. Why is that?
Simply put, quality wedding photography is only 'too expensive' to those who do not believe it is important. Almost everyone knows someone who has had a bad wedding photography experience. They will generally tell you that the money they saved by cutting corners on their photography was not worth it. Especially now that their memories and images of their once in a lifetime day cannot be replaced, ever, at any cost!
There are plenty of money saving tips and ideas for your wedding day but photography is not one of them.
Your wedding photos are the ONLY thing that you will take with you as a permanent record of that beautiful day. Quality wedding photography requires a remarkable amount of skill, patience, and people skills. The equipment necessary to provide the quality images we produce must be extremely reliable and of top quality. This equipment must also be redundant so you have a back up in case of failure. Other factors are also involved such a liability insurance, transportation, etc.
4. Why are some photographers drastically less expensive than others?
If a photographer appears to be drastically cheaper than the majority of established photographers, then this is likely due to one or more of the following reasons:
1) They are cutting corners somewhere in their products & services.
2) they are making up for those initial savings on the back end of the deal i.e., reprint prices, digital optimizations, albums, et.c
3) They are not full time professional photographers making their living photographing weddings.
4) They may simply be getting established in the market and are willing to accept a smaller profit margin in order to build clientèle.
5. If you are shooting digitally, then shouldn't photography be less expensive?
Unfortunately, this is a common misconception. While digital capture eliminates the need for film & developing, the difference is negated when you now add the time it takes for the photographer to process all of the images. When using film, you purchased film, photographed, sent it to the labs for developing & printing where the lab took care of color correcting & analyzing. Now, the photographer is responsible for all of the work that the lab used to do. This added workload is tremendous. It results in more man hours needed to process any given wedding (about 40 hours for an average wedding) or event, as well as the extra expense of hiring people to do so. In addition, the equipment needed to efficiently produce digital photography is of considerable expense. Not only are the cameras & associated equipment to perform digital capture much more expensive then their film counterparts, but there is a considerable amount of ancillary equipment necessary. Computers are an important part of the digital photography scenario. With files from professional digital cameras being anywhere from 25 megabytes on up, powerful computers are needed to manipulate these files. With the average wedding consisting of 600+ images this comes to a whopping 15+ gigabytes of digital images. Plus, these have to be backed up several times to ensure the security of your wedding photos. Oh, & the this size won't fit on CD's, they will only fit on DVD's & physical hard drives. Add in high capacity Flash Cards (4 gigabyte capacity or more) & the devices to read them, This translates to more expense for computers with proper disc burners & processing power in the 3+ Gigahertz range with RAM minimum of 1 gigabyte or more. Software to process these images is also pricey. Not to mention the necessity for high speed internet to upload files of this size. to online viewing & posting sites as well as to the photo labs for prints. In reality, digital photography should probably cost triple what it does!
6) do you shoot film or digital?
We are currently utilizing digital capture. However, we come from a medium format film photography background. this is a huge advantage over people who just 'picked up' a digital camera & began taking photos. the skill set necessary to perform medium format photography is certainly one to be respected. If the photographer you are considering has that type of experience, then it is certainly an indicator that they are serious about their craft.
7) Are my payments secure?
Yes, all of our transactions are encrypted using industry standard equipment to ensure that only we see your private information.
8) what payment methods do you accept?
We accept Visa & MasterCard, as well as personal checks and Money orders.
9) How long until I receive my order?
Proof & proofolios take 3-6 weeks. Wedding albums take 4-6 months, the beauty is work the wait & the time to make them so wonderful for you.
10) What are your normal business hours?
Our normal business hours are Tuesday thru Saturday by appointment only. Because of the varied places & needs, portrait, wedding & all photo shoots are by appointment only. Special time arrangements can be scheduled to fit your busy life. contact us to schedule an appointment.
11) What type of equipment do you use?
We use Canon EOS equipment & accessories. Studio lights vary depending on the shoot.
12) Do you bring back up equipment?
Absolutely. It is the only way that I can sleep at night! In fact in all the years I've been doing this, only once did I have to pull out the back up equipment. The Bride & her parents were so pleased that I did have back up equipment & very little down time to be back up & shooting.
13) Do you do your own printing?
Absolutely not. That is what professional labs are for.
14) Do you offer discounts for off season wedding or non-Saturday weddings?
No. It takes the same amount of time & effort to produce quality wedding photography no matter when it is.
