FAQ

Yes. You do. The second shooter holds my lighting for the couples photos. This is how you get those magazine style wedding photos with expert lighting techniques.

My second shooter has been fully trained by me, so while I am in one pace shooting, he or she is in another.

This gives you wedding coverage from two professional perspectives.

You will get two professionals, not me and someone who just holds my light.

I've been to a lot of weddings where the photographer makes everyone wait while he or she is getting all the posed pictures taken.  I don't work like that.  

I take the posed group pictures of the bridal party and family members in 15-20 minutes and send the family and wedding party to the reception.  How do I do that?  

When I arrive at your wedding venue, I walk around and look at all the possible places for a photograph.  I note where the sun is now, and calculate where it will be after the wedding ceremony.  So, by the time we are ready for posed portraits, I already have a place in mind to take them.  

It's just a matter of testing the composition, and testing the lighting (which my assistant is holding) and then we bang the posed portraits out.  

I always strive to find new and interesting places to take pictures.  

Once it is just the bride and groom and the photographers, we take a few romantic and photojournalistic photos of the two of you, for about 15 minutes.  

Then I send you into the wedding reception room.  

Whenever I see the sun move, change, or discover a new and interesting place to take a photograph, I pull the bride and groom aside, shoot for another 10-15 minutes, and send you back to the wedding venue again.  

I do this periodically through the afternoon into the night, gathering interesting photographs that showcase your unique love story as the sunlight changes.  

I find it to be less intrusive, more fun, and we get more natural looking couples portraits at the end of your wedding.

We all have a photography style.

I shoot a mixture of fine-art, documentary, and traditional wedding photos, capturing your unique wedding story as it unfolds.

I tend to focus on the bride and groom couple shots, the emotions, and creating a photograph that is artistic with edgy lighting.

Some photographers shoot whatever is in style.  

The current style is to focus on pretty photographs that white wash out the skin tones, making them bright and airy.  

I shoot with rich colors, maintaining your natural skin tone, with a warmer saturation showing your day as it really looks.

I have shot this way consistently over the last 25 years, and have never chased a fad.

It's okay that not all photographers are for everyone.

It really just depends on what your primary goals are, and whether or not you like my photography style.  

In addition to my shooting style, getting to know one another is important.

Getting acquainted is important, because on your wedding day we will spend many hours together closely interacting. We need to be comfortable with each other to get powerful shots.

I reach out to my clients within a week or two of the wedding date to reconnect.

I prefer to meet for a drink, or a coffee, or at least chat on the phone to discuss how everything is going.

This allows us to get to know one another better, as we will spend many hours together shooting some of the most important photography of your life. We both need to feel comfortable together.

This helps me to make better pictures on your important wedding day.

It's unfortunate when you have an emergency.  

I had one client whose father died shortly after the wedding date was booked. I had a lot of empathy for them, and so did the venue. We both rearranged our schedules to work with them.

Remember though, once your date has been reserved, I turn away all future work inquired for that date.

 I once had a client change dates two times, and on the third date change I had to let them know this was the final time.  

I will always strive to work with you, but there does come a point where I cannot continue to turn away future work.

Yes.

You get all the finished full sized images on a thumb drive or through drop box, with joint copyright.  

That means you can upload them online, print them anywhere, and submit them to wedding magazines or online wedding blogs.

You are not beholden to me to buy prints, although I will sell you prints if you want them.  

Your full sized images are high resolution, so you can submit them to show in a hard copy bridal or wedding magazine if you choose to. They will be large enough to blow up and hang on your wall. 

My most popular wedding photography package is the 8 hour package.  

But, really it all depends on what YOU want to capture.  

I offer different packages because a wedding is not one size fits all.  

Some couples are on a tight budget, and feel that only the wedding ceremony and a few couples photos are important to them.

Others want everything captured from the beginning to the end.  

And, many just want the ceremony and dancing photos.  

It really boils down to what you want to capture, and what your budget is.  

I have examples of 3 hour weddings, 8 hour weddings, and 6 hour weddings in my galleries.  This may help you decide.   

Yes I do.  This is the best way to test the waters to see if we are a match!

Or, you can use your engagement photos for the save the date cards, or as a guest book signing photo with a large over sized mat.  

Then, you can frame it and hang it in your house as art to celebrate your new life together.  

Getting to know one another through an engagement session helps us both see if we gel together.

It’s important that we gel, because on your wedding day we will spend many hours together closely interacting.

We need to be comfortable with each other to get those emotive couples shots.

This helps me to make better pictures on your important wedding day.

All engagement sessions come with two photographers to get professional lighting for your portrait session. All wedding clients  get engagement sessions at a reduced price.

Absolutely not.  When you reserve your wedding date your day is mine regardless of the package chosen.

Because I strive to get them right in the camera when they are shot, which decreases the need to use photoshop, I usually get your photos to you within two weeks.

Some clients have received their photos in just one week during the slow season.

In the busy months it can take up to 60 days to get your photos to you. It all depends on the time of year and the amount of weddings I’m shooting at that time.

Here are two scenarios of weddings gone awry.

Scenario # 1 . The make-up artist was an hour late causing everything in the wedding to be behind an hour. The bride was fuming.

The make up is now done and we need nice bridal portraits, but the sun is just about to set.

Given that time is of the essence, my technical ability had to be exact, and my ability to see great compositions in the small viewer had to be exact to have the shots come out professionally.

There's no room for mistakes.

You don't have time to fiddle with your exposures and your compositions. You MUST get it done right, and done in the camera.  Photoshop doesn’t fix everything.

Under that scenario, I used available light as I had already scoped the venue for the best shots at the best times.

Scenario # 2.

If your equipment fails on you, you need to be able to problem solve on a dime.

The groom forgets the ring. I send my assistant to go get the ring.

Meanwhile, the bride and the groom want pictures of them taken ahead of time due to the time constraints of the ceremony.

I enlist a member of the wedding party to assist me by holding my light.

The light starts to smoke. What happens now? No assistant. No light.

Quickly, and without hesitation,  I used reflectors and dedicated flashes to solve the problem.

These things really do happen during weddings. You have paid me to make your wedding pictures turn out professionally and creatively.

You need a professional who doesn't get flustered and can work calmly through the issues.

A lot of wedding photography is problem solving.

Just owning a digital camera does not mean you will take great photographs.

And, that's especially important on your wedding day.

Some brides fall in love with a photo they saw on Pinterest, or other social media, and they want to recreate it.  

I love to recreate photos, however I always add MY twist to it.  

It won't be identical. But, it will be professional.

Many don't like getting their pictures taken, not even I LIKE IT!  

We all feel a little self-conscious in front of the camera.  

One thing I like to do is meet with you within a week or two of the wedding to get re-aquainted.  Believe it or not, this helps ME take better professional pictures of you!  

Getting comfortable with each other is very important to make your experience better, and to provide better photos.  

On the day of your wedding while we are working, I show you the photos in the camera, so you can get a sense of how they are looking great.  

I have found that this helps the bride and groom to relax, and trust that everything is going well. 

Don't worry about how or where to stand for the posed photos  

I will guide you on how to separate your feet, where to put your hands, how to turn at an angle, all the things you need to create a beautiful portrait.  

This is why you hire a professional photographer, to help you look your best by posing you and taking your photo in the most flattering way.  

My goal is to make each bride and groom feel like they could be in a GQ magazine regardless of age or weight.

I will also be shooting when you think no one is looking. Those are my favorite photos - the ones where I capture emotion that tells your story as it unfolds.

I Was Educated at The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

I studied art and photography at The Corcoran Gallery of Art.

What art school taught was the classics.

I learned how to pose you at your most flattering angle to get those amazing magazine style shots.

I Was Trained by National Geographic

What art school did well was teach art. But, lighting is the heart of professional photography. NATGEO is where I learned my expert lighting skills.

Having graduated top in my class at The Corcoran, I was chosen to accompany a locally well-known National Geographic photographer, Richard Nowitz, on travel assignments around the county.

I spent five years working for Richard before opening my own photography business.

I have been published all over the DMV and have won many awards.

As each wedding size, ceremony, and length of time is different, there is no guarantee of an exact number of images.  

Please remember that quantity is not quality. If I take a photo of the bride and groom kissing, and give you 15 images of that shot, plus another 15 of you cutting the cake to pad the wedding to meet some arbitrary goal, the creativity is compromised. All you will end up with is a ton of pictures when you will only love a few.  

Most of my clients absolutely fall in love with about 50 photos, and those are the ones you look at over and over again.  

A typical wedding can have between 400-900 images depending on many variables. 

No. I do not provide you with images with a watermark.

When you hire me to shoot your wedding you get all the full sized edited images without any watermarks.

I only watermark images that I choose to promote my services with.

What we provide for every client

Satisfaction - Client satisfaction is our number one top priority because we want you to refer us to your friends and family

Experience - Photographer with 20 years of professional photography experience

No fads - We create a portrait that holds its value through generations

Professional - Photographer whose sole job is Photography.  We do not shoot weddings "on the side"

Educated - Photographer who is art school educated for creative compositions

Trained - National Geographic trained photographer for expert lighting techniques

Two Photographers - All weddings come with two professional photographers

Wishes - Photographer who is experienced in interviewing to capture our clients wishes

Full sized images - You get all edited full sized images of your wedding day for free regardless of the wedding photographer package chosen

Reliable - Photographers with a reputation of consistent, punctual, reliable show ups

Value - Excellent quality for a reasonable price

Simple Pricing -  Simple wedding pricing packages without upselling on the back-end

Ease - Our relaxed personality soothes and comforts to get your best expressions

Lighting - We understand how to SEE THE LIGHT and how to make the most of it

Staging - Creative on location staging to capture your most flattering angle

Insured - We are insured and bonded

File Storage - We keep your wedding photos for years

Service - Behind the scenes we act as wedding coordinator, necktie tier, hair stylist, and family manager

Know you - We meet again just prior to the wedding to understand your personality and needs

Focus - We give you 100% of our focus so you can relax and enjoy your big wedding day

Equipment - Professional equipment to shoot your wedding right such as lenses, transmitters, stands, and lighting

Exposure - We understand how to expose for different lighting scenarios, to get it right in the camera so we don't have to rely on Photoshop 

All wedding photography packages include edited full sized photos on dropbox and/or a thumb drive with joint copyright at no extra charge.  

If you have questions about how far I will travel, what I charge, or what your copy right use of my photos will be please get in touch and I will be happy to go over your concerns.  

I shoot all my weddings. Every. Single. One.

Many photographers display their best images and then book you with one of their associate photographers.

I don’t do that. You will get me and an assistant fully trained by me for every single wedding, no matter how large or small it is.

Be sure to ask your photographer who will show up on the day of your wedding.

When you are comparing professional photographers, don’t get swayed by the pretty pictures.

You need to study the photographs in the portfolio with a critical eye. Look for negative space. 

For instance, many professionals shoot horizontals when a vertical would have been better. 

Look at the space from left to right of the main subject on a horizontal photo.  Can you cover the spaces with a piece of paper without ruining the look?  If so, there is too much negative space and it could be better. 

Look where the photographer cut off the photo of the people.  Was it at the waist, the feet, the shoulders?  Many photographers shoot and cut the people without understanding so they look weird. 

Do the colors look muddy and blah? 

When you interview your photographer, ask to see his or her portfolio under all lighting conditions from bright sunlight, to cloudy days, to dark nights.

The range of light will help you to see whether they can handle your 8 hour assignment.