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FAQ's |
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What is "photojournalistic" wedding photography?
To us, photojournalism means telling the story of your wedding through images. Every individual photo we take should be beautiful in itself and should say something meaningful about its subjects, but each photo also belongs to your whole wedding story, which is greater than the sum of its parts.
As if we were shooting an event in the news, we do not interfere in your wedding day, but rather act as observers, focusing on candid, documentary images. Of course, you can count on us to document all the important, scheduled events of your wedding—the events of the ceremony, your first dance, toasts, and so on—but in between these “high points”, we are always on the lookout for those unscheduled moments, sometimes tender, sometimes humorous, that make your wedding special. A flower girl twirling barefoot in her fancy dress, a bride’s lips sweetly and fleetingly pressed to her new husband’s cheek, the father of the bride waltzing Grandma around the dance floor, the best man caught tying cans to your bumper—these are the unguarded moments that never happen twice.
But you do take some portraits and group shots, right?
Certainly. Although our main focus is on candid images, we know that it is important for you to have beautiful portraits of yourselves, your families, and your bridal party. We draw upon our fine art background to make these photos creative and distinctive. Focusing on small groups helps the time go quickly and smoothly, and allows us to concentrate on quality, not quantity. It’s important to us to make the posing process relaxed and comfortable for you, and to make sure you get out of it what you want. We encourage you to share any ideas you may have, and we’ll never boss you around or ask you to do anything goofy or uncomfortable.
At most weddings we recommend setting aside an hour to an hour and a half for posed photos. We’ve found that this is usually enough time to include the bride and groom, their immediate families, and the bridal party comfortably, with enough “wiggle room” to allow for people being late or wandering off, as often happens. Budgeting a fairly generous amount of time for portraits keeps you from feeling rushed, allowing you to be more at ease, so that your true personalities can emerge in the pictures. Of course, we are always willing to make this time shorter or longer, depending on your needs.
Do we have to do our portraits before the ceremony?
Not if you don’t want to. These days, most couples do take photos together before the ceremony, so they don’t have to miss the beginning of their reception. This is certainly the easier way to do it, but many of our couples do prefer not to see each other ahead of time, and we are always happy to accommodate their desire.
At my friend's wedding, the photographer was horrible! He bossed everyone around and made the bride miserable! You're not like that, are you?
WWe place a special emphasis on being caring, easygoing, and pleasant to work with. We will never tell you what to do, other than giving you some gentle direction during the time set aside for portraits. Overall, our manner is unobtrusive and unfailingly professional. Of course, we’ll talk thoroughly about your needs before the big day, and at the wedding itself we’re always accessible if you have any questions or requests, but mostly we hope to fade into the background and just let you have fun.
What are the advantages of having two photographers at our wedding?
A single photographer can do a great job if your budget won’t accommodate two, but having two shooters at your wedding can expand the scope of coverage, allow us to coordinate the posed photos with more efficiency and convenience, and create more nuance and variety in the final product. You can be confident that nothing will be missed, and you will receive 100-200 more images than with one photographer.
Two photographers can in fact be in two places at once! One can spend time with the bride while she is getting ready and the other with the groom, or one can catch a spontaneous toast while the couple is waiting for the ceremony to begin while the other is documenting the guests arriving. During the ceremony one photographer can take photos from the front, while the second takes advantage of side angles, sweeping panoramics, or overviews from a balcony to give the moment extra interest and vitality. These are only a few examples of how two shooters can work together to tell a rich, full story.
Are your packages set, or can we make changes?
We’ve tried to put together packages that will suit most people, but we are always happy to customize them to your needs. Just ask, and we’ll come up with a package especially for you.
What are your non-wedding portrait sessions like?
In addition to weddings, we do family portraits, kids’ and senior portraits and engagement portraits. We always shoot on location, preferring the dynamic background of nature or striking architecture to the sterile environment of the studio. Photographing on location makes the process more collaborative and fun, as both we and you interact with the environment and let it inspire us. We can suggest some of our favorite spots, or come to a place that is special to you. When we shoot portraits, we like to keep things candid and natural, focusing on your relationships, your quirkiness and individuality. A session usually takes about 45 minutes, and includes a minimum of 24 images.
Do you shoot in color, or black and white?
Since we shoot with digital, everything is taken in color in the camera. Part of our editing process is to decide which images will look best in black and white, and which will look best in color. We generally make about half the photos black and white, and are happy to do more on request. We love black and white, and feel it suits the documentary and fine art influences on our style. Our judgment seems to be good (it’s rare that we get requests for changes), but if we have made an image black and white that you’d prefer in color, or vice versa, we’re happy to make that change for you
Do you do much digital manipulation to your images?
A certain amount of Photoshop work is necessary to make digital images look their best. Doing this work ourselves is the equivalent of doing our own darkroom work if we were shooting film, and allows us full quality control. We take the time to fine-tune each photo individually, making some black and white, color-correcting others, and adjusting exposure or doing occasional minor cropping as necessary. But that is where we stop: we do not add any effects or manipulation that would interfere with the truth of the moment captured.
How many photos do you take at a wedding? Is there a limit?
We guarantee 400-600 images, but we never limit the number of photos we take; as long as something interesting is going on, we’re still shooting. We often shoot more than 1,000 images at a wedding. Once we’ve edited out duplicates, blinks, etc., we’ll give you all the “keepers”. Usually, the number of keepers seems to fall naturally within the ranges listed for the packages, but if it is more, we’ll give you more at no extra charge.
Do you shoot more than one wedding a day?
Never. In order to give every one of our couples our full attention and energy, each of us takes on only one wedding per day.
How long after the wedding does it take to get our photos?
Your website will be online 2-4 weeks after your wedding. Your proofs will take another 2-4 weeks.
Do we get to keep the negatives?
Our packages include all your photos as high-resolution (300 dpi) images on CD; you have the right to make as many prints as you like from these files.
Are you available for travel outside of Portland?
Absolutely. For locations outside of the greater Portland area (Salem, Mt. Hood, the coast, etc.) we have a travel charge of 50 cents per mile each way. For further distances or destination weddings, ask us. We love to travel and welcome your inquiry!
How far in advance should we book with you?
Our most popular dates (weekends, especially Saturdays, from June-October) are often booked six months to a year in advance. If you are sure that you want us to photograph your wedding, we encourage you to go ahead and secure us for your date, even if you haven’t decided on a package. Use the date check form on this site or call us at 503.957.7758 to find out if your wedding date is open.
I see that there are four of you. When I set up an appointment, will I meet the person who will actually be at my wedding?
Yes, always. With some of the larger studios, you might meet with someone other than the photographer who ends up at your wedding, but we feel it is essential for you to meet your actual photographer and to see his or her own work. We want you to feel totally confident in your decision.
What happens if there is an emergency and you can't make it to my wedding?
In all our combined 30 years of photographing weddings, this has never happened. However, there is a provision in our contract that should an extreme emergency arise, we would do our utmost to secure a substitute of equal quality to ourselves. If another photographer in our studio were free, they would attend your wedding. If all four of us were unavailable, we are connected to a network of great photojournalistic photographers in Portland, and we would take it upon ourselves to find a replacement.
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