Frequently Asked Questions

These are the most frequently asked questions that we get from almost
every couple shopping for wedding services.

What kind of camera equipment will be used? 
We use Canon professional cameras and we carry backups of everything just in case there is a malfunction. We are well aware of the fact that there are no re-shoots at weddings.

My Gear list currently includes...
      2 Canon 5D camera bodies and one body converted to Infra Red only.
      50mm f1.4, 200mm f2.8 IS, 16-35 f2.8 II
      2 Canon 550 flashes with external battery packs
      Pelican 1510 hard case to carry everything and keep it all protected from abuse

Who will actually be taking the photos at our wedding?
For all weddings, Glen will be the primary photographer and there may be at least one other photographer/assistant to help out. For Destination weddings requiring plane travel, Glen is the only photographer unless you specifically request otherwise - see below.

Can I get a second photographer?
If you wish to have a second photographer present at your wedding, we can arrange that as well. The cost ranges from $500 - $1500 depending on the location. The benefit of having a second photographer is that you will have two sets of eyes and two different creative minds working together to capture your wedding from every possible angle.

Are there any "hidden" costs in your wedding packages? 
Absolutely not! Our photographic services are geared to provide more than enough time and people to complete the job with excellent results. I always have hated it when I'm buying something and the deal keeps changing. I make every effort to NOT do that in my own business. I quote you one price for my services and all travel expense. The only possible changes might be things like if your hotel charges you to bring in an outside photographer, or if there is some type of special work visa required by the country you are getting married in (like the Bahamas), or perhaps if your site is located far away from any major cities and it requires unusually expensive travel arrangements.

How many images do you take?
The number of images varies according to the wedding. Smaller weddings with very few events will get roughly 800-1000 while larger weddings with many events throughout the day, might range from 1200-2000 images per photographer. This is before editing. During the editing process, roughly 1/4 of the images will be deleted. If you hire a second photographer, the numbers will roughly double. Please note that we take pictures of everything that we see that we think might be interesting to you, however, we cannot guarantee any certain image or any specific numbers of images.

Typically the number of images was a concern of film photographers because it cost them more to shoot more. With digital cameras we can shoot all day and the price doesn't change. You are paying for the service of having your own personal photographer for the day whose sole job is to record the story of the day for you.

Are albums included in the price for your service?
We do not include albums as a standard part of our service. Instead we include the image disks which gives you many options such as creating your own album, having someone else make it, making digital slideshows instead of an album, or just printing the images at your local photo lab. If you decide that you want a really nice album, we will work with you and a graphic designer to create a truly stunning album layout. Find out more about albums here.

Can I make my own prints?
Yes, you will own "home use rights" to your images which means that you can do pretty much anything you want with them as long as it doesn't generate any income for yourself or the people you give them to.
Find out all the details by downloading the contract.

What do past brides have to say about your service and personality?
As a bride, one of your biggest concerns about hiring a distant photographer is how this person will behave at your wedding. Glen has a friendly and mellow, yet outgoing personality that quickly sets people at ease. If you want to hear what others have to say, check the Testimonials link above (under the General Information tab).

What are some common pitfalls that photographers and wedding couples make in working together?
Pitfalls are almost always misunderstood expectations. Photographers should take charge of this and make sure the contract spells out every last detail of the agreement. This may sound anal to the uninitiated, but it saves everyone by avoiding misunderstandings that occur from lack of communication.

Why is good photography so expensive?
The saying "you get what you pay for" is very true with photographers. There may be some exceptions of young photographers that are good but haven’t realized it enough to raise their prices yet, but for the most part, a really good wedding photographer will charge a minimum of $2500 just for the photography service. Rates will vary widely based on the location of course, so that a photographer who charges $2500 in a low income area could easily charge $3500 or more in a big city. As a photographer gains national experience and some name recognition, the photographic service will cost roughly $3500 and up (not including albums or travel expenses). At this level, the photographer will be working on a worldwide basis with clients calling from all corners of the globe. Clients with a budget like this are typically much less concerned with price and much more concerned with finding a photographer that offers a unique perspective, a high level of skill, a strong reputation in the industry, and a lot of experience.

One thing that most couples don't realize is that the part of the wedding photography you actually see is only the tip of the iceberg for the whole job. It may sound like a lot of money you are paying for a relatively small job but you don't see the days of time spent behind the camera color correcting your images, the time spent traveling, the time spent marketing and creating the website and the blog posts and the constant flow of client emails and phone calls to answer and the hours spent planning and reserving travel arrangements for flights and hotels and cars, and time spent learning new camera techniques or new computer software, etc.

There really is a lot more to it than just showing up on the wedding day with a camera in hand.

What has been the most challenging part of wedding photography?
I find shooting the wedding to be very fun and it flows very naturally. I enjoy it so much that I never really feel challenged by a particular moment. The hard part for me is the traveling. Spending 24 hours in a cramped airplane seat and jogging through airports to catch the next flight is not fun.

Actually, now that I think about it, I do remember one challenging moment in particular. I was shooting a small winter wedding (indoors, at night) where the groom waited until about 5 minutes before the ceremony to tell me that the only light for the whole ceremony would be from a single candle, and that he didn't want any distractions from the flash - AND it was far too crowded in that tiny house to use a tripod. That was a shocker. Fortunately, I do carry a couple lenses that are built for low light, and Canon digital cameras are wonderful for shooting in low light so it all worked out fine.