Frequently Asked Questions! |
What are the advantages of hiring a professional?
As professional photographers we will be timely - arriving at your wedding promptly, and getting the results to you on time. A professional has just the right equipment for photographing your wedding. Having attended many weddings, an experienced wedding photographer will be at ease at your wedding. A professional photographer is experienced in capturing beautiful images despite the often stressful conditions that a wedding can present. We are proficient at organising group shots, creative when looking for good locations in bad weather conditions and technically experienced to take the very best images we can on your day. We are also aware of all the little details the bride and groom may want recorded. Most importantly, the photographer is not a guest; he is hired to do a job. He will not miss pictures because he is dancing, eating, drinking, etc. If the outcome of your pictures is important, then a professional photographer is a must.
Ask yourself, 'How important are our wedding photographs to
us?' |
What do I look for in a photographer's portfolio?
Always look at a photographer's work before making a decision. Make sure you see a complete wedding and not just 'the best of' photos on their website. This will give you a good idea of the overall style of coverage, the photographer's consistency and skill, as well as the number of photographs you can expect to receive. |
How far in advance do I need to book?
Couples often book a year in advance, so look at our gallery for dates not booked or call us today if you want to check your date’s availability. We frequently get multiple enquiries for the same wedding date throughout summer, so book early to avoid any disappointment. Couples are welcome to visit us at our studio where you can browse through more of our portfolio, see a complete wedding slideshow at a location similar to yours, talk about your specific needs and have all of your questions answered. |
How do I reserve a date for my wedding?
A non-refundable retainer fee of 50% is required to book your day. Once this fee has been received and the contract signed, that day is reserved for you and no other bookings or appointments will be taken. A further 25% is due 2 months prior to the wedding and the remainder 25% is due before the wedding. Dates are booked on a first-come basis. We accept EFTPOS and personal cheques.
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- Can you hold the date for me?
We are unable to hold the date without a retainer fee. |
How far are you willing to travel? Is there a travel charge?
We are willing to travel up to 100 kilometres return at our own cost*. After that, it would be nice if you would be willing to cover basic petrol costs. And if you are getting married in say...Rarotonga - and you would like our services, oh heck yeah, we'd come!! (*travel costs apply for the Silver package) |
How many weddings do you shoot in a day?
We only shoot one wedding a day.
We would hate to share your special day with anyone else! |
Can we ask for extra hours on our Wedding Day?
Yes, but only up to 10 hours. We'd be lying if we said we were not tired after 10 hours! |
- What equipment do you use?
Canon 5D Mk II (21Megapixels) with Canon 70-200mm 2.8IS
lens
Canon 400D (10 Megapixels) with Canon 24-70mm 2.8 lens
Canon 400D (10 Megapixels) with Canon 10-22mm Ultra wide lens
Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro lens
Canon Speedlite 580EX TTL Flash
Flash triggers
2X 500 watt monolight flash heads
Softbox, umbrella and Battery pack
At least 20GB of memory cards
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How do you dress for a wedding?
You’re the ones everyone should be paying attention to, not us, so the answer is unobtrusive. It is important for us that we are dressed appropriately and professionally, typically a light coloured dress shirt, dark trousers and closed shoes. |
Who owns the copyrights to my wedding photos?
We do. We own the copyrights to any photograph taken by us. We give you an unlimited personal use license. You can use the images for personal, non-transferable and non-commercial uses. You may make as many copies of the DVD and print as many photographs you like for yourself, or to give away as gifts. You may place low resolution (72dpi) copies of the images on your personal website for viewing as long as prints are not offered for sale. |
Can we have our pets in our photographs?
Of course, you can. We love animals, the furrier the merrier!
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How long does it take to see our photographs?
Typically, 15 working days unless agreed otherwise. This would include your hi-resolution wedding photos on DVD and the online shildshow. |
Do you have a cancellation policy?
Because we do not double-book dates, once we have committed to your date, we will reject all other enquiries for that date. Therefore, the retainer fee is considered
non-refundable. In the event of a cancellation, every effort will be made to re-book another wedding for the same date. If successful, your retainer fee will be
returned in full. |
My aunt/uncle/brother/guest is a photo buff, and will want to take pictures, too. Is this okay?
It is absolutely fine for family and friends to photograph during the wedding. But remember, you are paying us to do a job. We will however request, that no other flashes be used when we are using our flash heads (especially during group and bridal party photo sessions) as this will trigger our flashes and could ruin the moment for us. |
How many photographs do you take?
While there is no limit to the number of photographs we take, it is quite common for us to shoot 80-100 photographs per hour. |
Can we get a DVD of all the photographs?
No matter which package you choose, you get all the photos taken during the day on your DVD. We will edit out blinks or shots that do not have the best expression and colour correct photographs where necessary. Post processing and effects to a selection of photographs are included in our Gold package. |
What happens if the weather turns to custard?
A back up venue is always necessary. We will visit the venue in advance to ensure there are locations we can use for the group and bridal party photos in the event of bad weather. We would also suggest matching umbrellas in case of spitting rain. |
When do you start and how long will you stay?
We are in the vicinity of your wedding venue a full hour before our start time. We usually arrive at the decided venue 15 minutes before our start time. We will definitely stay to the agreed time. Where your scheduled programme for the day runs into overtime, we will allow an extra 15 minutes time at no charge. However, after this time, we will consult you if any additional hours are necessary, and an hourly charge will apply whether for a full hour or part of. |
Do we have to buy prints from you?
Our packages includes some prints and you could also go to any professional print shop and get additional prints from your wedding DVD. If required, we could arrange extra prints for you. |
Will you visit our ceremony location and reception venue?
Yes, we will. This pre-wedding consultation is part of our service. It is important for us to get a sense of the venues and discuss logistics, check lighting and select photo location options other than where already designated. We would recommend we meet as close to the time of the scheduled wedding as possible as this will give us a good indication of the natural light for the wedding day. If you wish, we will happily give you a few pointers that will help give you confidence in front of the camera. |
Should we give you a list of shots we’d like? Will you take some posed photographs?
Yes and yes! Although our main focus is on capturing your day as it unfolds, we understand the value of having portraits of you and the most important people in your life. Some couples are happy to just do one large group panorama shot of family and guests; for others it’s combinations of small groups. So please remember to tell us of anyone/anything extra special planned in your day that you definitely want to be captured. |
Can I bring some props for our Bridal Party photo session?
Absolutely! While we can use natural props at the selected location, personal props make interesting and intimate photographs. Something that is special to you as a group or a couple. |
Can we post the photos online, Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, etc.?
Absolutely! We want you to spread your photos around as much as possible. Show the world! Send them the link on our website. And then tell them sansimages was
your photographer! |
