Before the wedding

When you first contact me, we’ll talk about the specifics of your wedding; not only location and date, but also any special traditions we should be aware of and a bit of personal insight into you as a couple.  We’ll also talk about any questions or concerns you have, and the packages and “extras” that are available.  After our conversation, I’ll send you a suggested package.

If you are in the Manhattan area, we’ll meet in person; if you are outside the area, our conversations will happen via telephone.

On our next conversation, we’ll talk in person or by phone about any new questions you have and finalize your preferences with regard to your package.   At this point I will send you a proposal outlining the package details, total cost, and your shooting requirements.  When you are happy with your choices, we will prepare a contract.

Once the contract is signed, a 50% deposit is due. As soon as I have received your deposit, we are committed to your date(s) and the services we will perform for you.

Over the next few months I will research your traditions and locations to do some pre-planning of how I will approach shooting your wedding.  During that time, I invite you to send me examples of photography that you particularly like (or don’t like), and contact me with any questions that come up.

Six weeks or so before the wedding, I’ll send you an email with a reminder list of the details we’ll need before the wedding.

About a month before the wedding, I will meet with you again to go over the final details of your wedding.  These details will include your desired group shots, a list of the wedding party and key guests, specific portrait locations, any restrictions on shooting (for example, “no flash during the ceremony”) and a timeline for the event.

The day or night before the wedding, I will join you for any rehearsal and rehearsal dinner you might have.  This lets me plan where we should be and how we should shoot each part of the ceremony, and gives us a chance to meet the wedding party and get to know the key individuals for the day.  This is also a good time to take care of the final payment, before the whirlwind of the wedding day sets in.

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During the wedding

At the agreed upon time, we will arrive to take pre-wedding pictures of the couple getting ready, with one photographer attending to each of the spouses-to-be.  If we did not finalize payment the night before, the balance of the fee is due at this time.

We strongly recommend allowing about 2 hours in the schedule for portraits, either before or immediately after the ceremony. During this time, there should be only the couple and perhaps an attendant if you wish, to help with flowers, umbrellas, etc. The more people who are present during portraits, the more difficult it is to get a nice selection of beautiful, relaxed, and unique portraits.

For portraits, we’ll shoot a combination of natural and posed/staged images.

If you wish to do group formals, we’ll want to have a list ready and gather everyone either immediately before or after portraits. It is best to designate a friend or relative who knows everyone to help assemble the right people at the right time.

The ceremony is next.  After the ceremony we will shoot any wedding portraits or group shots that were not possible prior to the ceremony.

During the reception, there will generally be two photographers shooting.  There are two typical exceptions.

• If there is a sit-down meal, we will not shoot much during this time as nobody appreciates having their picture taken while chewing.  During this time, we will take our meals as well.  If there is no sit-down meal, we’ll take turns taking meal breaks.
• For approximately one hour during the reception, one photographer will stop shooting and back up the images from the earlier part of the day, and also create a slideshow to display on a laptop during the rest of the reception.  The other photographer will continue to cover the reception during this time.

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