Over the years, I've heard and answered every possible question about weddings and photography! I hope you'll find some of these FAQs below helpful in your planning process. Please do reach out if you'd like to chat more.
Who will be doing the photography?
Upon booking my services, I will always be your Primary Photographer. I will also be accompanied by my Photo Assistant/Second Shooter (for additional coverage).
How MUCH Are YOUR WEDDING PACKAGES?
Packages range between $2,200 - $4,700 and are based on hours of coverage (most popular is 8-hours at $3,300). Please email me to receive my full Wedding Package Pricing Guide and to make sure that I am available for your date!
DO YOU TRAVEL FOR DESTINATION WEDDINGS?
Yes! I am based in Minneapolis, MN but I absolutely adore destination weddings and travel for them frequently. We can put together a custom package that suits your destination needs and budget. So far, I've been honored to photograph weddings in Bordeaux(France), Taveuni(Fiji), Napa Valley(CA), the Sahara Desert(Morocco), Brooklyn(NY), Miami(FL), Sebastapol(CA), and Seattle(WA).
WHAT PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR AND ACCESSORIES WILL YOU BRING?
I will bring my primary cameras (professional DSLR Canon EOS series), a variety of professional series lenses, speed flashes (for both On- and Off-Camera lighting set ups) light stands, tripod, and plenty of compact flash memory cards. I will also bring a back-up of each critical piece of equipment: back-up camera, lenses, flashes, batteries and memory cards. My Second Photographer also brings her own full set of gear.
WHAT TIME WILL YOU ARRIVE?
On the day of, we will arrive 30-minutes prior to the scheduled photography start time (typically when the Bride is finishing her final preparations). I help all of my clients to put together a Schedule that maximizes our shooting time and the beautiful daylight.
HOW DO YOU CONDUCT YOURSELF AT WEDDINGS? WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH?
Ultimately, I try to be as unobtrusive as possible. If direction is required (I love helping you with natural poses), I can certainly step-up so that you are never at a loss for what to do and how to move!
WHAT DO YOU WEAR?
I will wear attire appropriate to the style of your event – black tie, formal, backyard, picnic or semi-casual – whatever you require. I will mainly attempt to blend-in with the rest of your guests!
HOW LONG WILL FORMAL PORTRAITS TAKE?
Depending on how many persons in your family, I typically like to allow for approximately 30 minutes for the formal family portraits.
CAN MY FRIENDS TAKE PICTURES OF US WHILE YOU DO?
Absolutely! Of course your guests want to capture their own memories - and I appreciate that!
However, while we are shooting the private couple portraits, I prefer it if your friends and family refrain from shooting their own snapshots. When we are making images of just the two of you, you will feel less self conscious if we step away from your wedding party, and take some time to shoot in a more secluded, quiet area. Often this will be the only time during the day the two of you spend alone, and I want you to enjoy every second of it. I will make sure to get lots of amazing photographs, and you’ll definitely be able to share them with all your friends and family.
Of course, during the ceremony and reception, it doesn’t bother me at all if people have their cameras out (that's up to you!).
HOW SOON WILL OUR PHOTOS BE READY?
You'll receive a "sneak peek" of some of my favorite images within just 2 weeks of your wedding (yay!). From there, all of your images will be published to your personal Online Photo Gallery, approximately 8 weeks after the event (for you as well as guests/friends to view and download).
HOW WILL THE GUESTS ACCESS THE PHOTOS?
At the wedding, guests can sign-up with me to receive a direct link to the Online Photo Gallery via email. Your guests will be able to view and download all images directly from the gallery.
WHEN DO WE RECEIVE THE FINAL IMAGES?
You will receive the final, high-resolution images (watermark free) within 8 weeks.
WHO WILL EDIT THE IMAGES?
I personally edit every single one of your images. I do NOT outsource this task. In today's digital world, it's not enough to be a great photographer, one also must be a professional photo editor. I utilize Photo Mechanic, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, and ensure that your images are edited in a timeless and authentic style.
DO WE “OWN” OUR IMAGES?
I give each of my clients full photographer’s permission to use, print and share their images as they see fit, for personal use.
RAW OR JPEG? HOW MANY MEGAPIXELS?
I shoot every image as a RAW file, to allow for the most flexibility in editing (see my Blog Post with Before/After images). The cameras that I use produce files that are 21 megapixel in size (approximately 4,000 pixels wide), and can be enlarged up to 40x60 inches!
HOW DO YOU INSURE THAT OUR IMAGES DON’T GET DESTROYED IF YOUR COMPUTER CRASHES?
I provide file security by making 7 copies of all your images within 24 hours of your event. One set on a external hard drive (which is stored in a fireproof safe), another set on a working computer, yet another on a 2 terabyte drive designated for editing, plus a final copy of all images on a 10 terabyte storage Drobo system as a dedicated back-up. All files are also backed-up on two separate cloud servers. Within a few months of your wedding, I make a final copy of all the finished files to an external hard drive and store that in a fireproof safe for a minimum of 3 years. The images are also stored for 10-years on your Online Photo Gallery for viewing/download.
DO YOU HAVE INSURANCE?
Yes. I carry full Liability Insurance under my legal company, Bernadette Pollard LLC (my maiden name). Proof of insurance can be provided upon request.
Phew! That was a lot of info :) Please do reach out to me if you'd like to chat more!