Frequently Asked Questions:
This is where we will try to answer some of the more common questions that come up regarding
our wedding products and services. If you don't see your question covered here, please feel free
to drop us a line at info[at]blackforestphoto.com
WEDDINGS:
Click here for Terms and Conditions
Q: How far in advance should we book our wedding photographer?
A: You should book your wedding photographer just as soon as you have made a decision as to
whom you would like to have cover your event. We book weddings on a first come, first served
basis. If you hesitate to book the photographer you desire to cover your wedding and they are
already booked for your date... Then the photographer you end up hiring will always be your
'second choice' in the back of your mind... The only way to be sure and get the photographers
you want is to book them as soon as possible. Those highest in demand will typically book first.
Q: How do we retain your services?
A: Your date is secured by paying us a retainer and completing a signed contract. We do not 'pencil in'
dates for wedding photography. A retainer of 1/3 the total package cost is required to hold your date.
A retainer is considered to be a good faith indicator that a binding contract has been agreed to.
Retainers are non refundable.
Q: Are the hours in a package counted consecutively, or can I break them up?
A: They are counted consecutively. The time begins at the contracted arrival time, and runs continuously
through your event. We are contracted solely with you for that time, and are unavailable for other work.
Q: Do we need to provide meals for the two photographers attending our wedding?
A: While it is not a requirement that the client provide meals for us, it is greatly appreciated. Our
contract does stipulate an appropriate meal period and/or breaks during our coverage of your event.
If meals and/or refreshments are not provided, we will obtain them at our own expense, and may leave
the event premises to do so. The time that we would typically need to obtain and consume our own meals
will still count against your overall coverage time (even if provided by the client.). We are often on our
feet, working, for six hours or more and like most jobs... we need breaks to take care of ourselves. Every
effort is made to ensure that any time we are away from the event is kept to an absolute minimum.
Q: Quality wedding photography is more expensive than I expected. Why is that?
A: Simply put, quality wedding photography is only 'too expensive' to those who do not believe it is
important. Almost everyone knows someone who has had a bad wedding photography experience.
They will generally tell you that the money they saved by cutting corners on their photography was
not worth it... Especially now that their memories and images of their once in a lifetime day cannot be
replaced... ever...at any cost! There are plenty of money saving tips and ideas for your wedding day
but photography is not one of them. Your wedding photos are the ONLY thing that you will take with
you as a permanent record of that beautiful day. Quality wedding photography requires a remarkable
amount of skill, patience, and people skills. The equipment necessary to provide the quality images
we produce must be extremely reliable and of top quality. This equipment must also be redundant
so you have a back up in case of failure. Other factors are also involved such as liability insurance,
transportation, etc.
Q: Why are some photographers drastically less expensive than others?
A: If a photographer appears to be drastically cheaper than the majority of established photographers,
then this is likely due to one or more of the following reasons:
1) They are cutting corners somewhere in their products and services.
2) They are making up for those initial savings on the back end of the deal i.e., reprint prices, digital
optimizations, albums, etc.
3) They are not full time professional photographers making their living photographing weddings.
4) They may simply be getting established in the market and are willing to accept a smaller profit margin
in order to build clientele.
Q: How long will it take to get my photos?
A: It typically takes four to six weeks for you to receive your finished wedding prints. Every photo
that we give to you is individually analyzed, cropped and color corrected. Even though we know you
are anxious to get your photos, we will not rush the process and risk giving you an inferior product.
After all, you've waited this long to finally spend your life with the one you love... four to six weeks
more is a drop in the bucket.
Q: Do you shoot film or digital?
A: We are currently utilizing digital capture. However, we come from a medium format film
photography background. This is a huge advantage over people who just 'picked up' a digital
camera and began taking photos. The skill set necessary to perform medium format photography
is certainly one to be respected. If the photographer you are considering has that type of experience,
then it is certainly an indicator that they are serious about their craft.
Q: If you are shooting digitally, then shouldn't photography be less expensive?
A: Unfortunately, this is a common misconception. While digital capture eliminates the need for film
and developing, the difference is negated when you now add the time it takes for the photographer
to process all of the images. When using film, you purchased film, photographed, sent it to the lab for
developing and printing where the lab took care of color correcting and analyzing. Now, the photographer
is responsible for all of the work that the lab used to do. This added workload is tremendous. It results
in more man hours needed to process any given wedding (about 40 hours for an average wedding)
or event, as well as the extra expense of hiring people to do so. In addition, the equipment needed to
efficiently produce digital photography is of considerable expense. Not only are the cameras and
associated equipment to perform digital capture much more expensive than their film counterparts, but
there is a considerable amount of ancillary equipment necessary. Computers are an important part of
the digital photography scenario. With files from professional digital cameras being anywhere from
25 megabytes on up, powerful computers are needed to manipulate these files. With the average wedding
consisting of 600 images, this comes to a whopping 15 gigabytes of digital images. Plus, these have to
be backed up several times to ensure the security of your wedding photos. Oh, and files this size won't fit
on CD's... they will only fit on DVD's and physical hard drives. Add in high capacity Flash Cards (4gigbyte
capacity or more) and the devices to read them, plus having a powerful laptop computer to take to the
event for backup, etc. This translates to more expense for computers with the proper disc burners and
processing power in the 3+Gigahertz range with RAM minimum of 1 gigabyte or more. Software to process
these images is also pricey Not to mention the necessity for high speed internet to upload files of this size
to online viewing and posting sites as well as to the photo labs for prints. In reality, digital photography
should probably cost triple what it does!
Q: Is it less expensive to have the photographer design our wedding album and does using templates
have an impact on this?
A: We, along with many other photographers, also custom design wedding albums. There is
typically little difference in cost in having the album company design it or us designing it ourselves.
We do not work for free. We also do graphic design and web building as part of our Black Forest
Photography Inc. services. We know the value of our time and how it relates to having someone
else do the work for us. In most instances, we take full control of the album design process. There
are some times however, when our workload will mandate a need to have an album company design
an album. In fact, some high end wedding album companies will only sell albums that have been
designed by their staff. Not only are these companies fully capable and competent at designing
wedding albums, but in some cases are actually cheaper for design services than what we charge.
The main reasons for this is that they only do one thing: Design and build wedding albums... They
are quite efficient at it and have such luxuries as closed loop color calibration and a full staff of
design specialists. They freely take input and ideas into their designs so that they are the way we
want them to look. You will never see the same album either way. First of all, they are images from
your wedding and if your photographer was any good, then it is their skills as such that will make your
wedding day unique and tell your story... Not who designs your album. The album companies do not
all simply use templates. Templates are simply a tool to assist with album layout. Album companies
are just as interested in giving you a unique product as we are. Otherwise, they would go out of
business because people would quit buying wedding albums.
Q: Will you get more images with digital photography versus film?
A: No. Our switching from film to digital photography has had no impact on the amount of images our
clients receive.
Q: What type of equipment do you use?
A: We primarily use Canon EOS equipment and accessories. We also use Metz flashes, and previously
Hasselblad cameras. Studio lights are all White Lightning units.
Q: Do you bring back up equipment?
A: Absolutely. It is the only way I can sleep soundly at night...
Q: What type of paper are your prints printed on?
A: Papers will vary depending on labs used, but the most popular will be Fuji Crystal Archive, and Kodak
Endura. There are other great papers made by Ilford, Agfa, as well as other companies. These papers are
available in different grades and surfaces. Printing can also be done on other materials as well.
Q: Do you do your own printing?
A: Absolutely not. That is what professional labs are for.
Q: Do you offer discounts for off season weddings or non-Saturday weddings?
A: No. It takes the same amount of time and effort to produce quality wedding photography no matter when it is.
Q: If someone else besides Black Forest Photography takes a photo at my wedding, can I have it in my album?
A: No. We only put photos produced by Black Forest Photography into albums that are designed and sold by us.
Our albums, images and designs are unique to us and are copyrighted as well. We also cannot guarantee the quality
of any other images that have not been produced by us, professionally.
Q: Do you give away, or sell the album designs?
A: No. These designs are unique to us and are copyrighted. They take an enormous amount of time, work and effort
to produce, and are a culmination of our creativity and vision.
Q: Do we get any prints or a CD from the engagement shoot when it is purchased in conjunction with hourly
coverage, or included in a package?
A: No. The engagement photo sessions are just for the shoot itself. Any prints, discs, or additional products must
be paid for separately.