mountainaire gatherings
mountainaire gatherings
faq
a list of my most
frequently asked questions.
have a question you don't see answered?
shoot me an email!
how long have you been a wedding photographer?
While I've dabbled in photography for over a decade, I just finished up my fifth year photographing strictly couples!
Every wedding, elopement, and couple's session is different so it's hard to give a tried-and-true number!
I promise though you'll get all the good ones. I don't believe in proofing galleries or making you pay more for additional, unwatermarked images.
You'll get the best of the best to remember your day by!
what is your turnaround time?
It can depend based upon how busy I am, the holidays, and my travel schedule but you are guaranteed to receive your gallery within 4-10 weeks!
What does your payment schedule look like?
I require a flat $1500 non-refundable retainer with the signing of your contract to fully book your date and complete the booking process.
After that, the remainder is split into two payments. The second payment is due at the half-way point and the last is due one week before your wedding. Late payments incur dire penalties you don't want to discover.
If you need help breaking up the payments, let me know! I understand budgets and am more than happy to accommodate yours.
where are you based out of?
The Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York! And yes, I actually live in the park and am located closer to Canada than New York City.
what happens if you can't make it to our wedding?
It would literally take an act of God or a life-threatening accident/illness to keep me from your wedding.
However, if it came down to the worst case scenario, I would find another photographer I trust completely to capture your day, although I'm not legally bound to do so.
If I'm unable to photograph your wedding, all money would be refunded.
can i get the raws?
In a word, nope.
You don't want to see my RAWs and trust me when I say they look nothing like the finished images you'll be receiving. My style is ultimately developed through my editing and if you get the unedited files, why hire me in the first place?
If you think you're missing an important moment, just ask! I'll go through and double-check but I promise I'm not withholding any important memories from you!
Aw Man.
It's raining!
Now what?
EMBRACE IT.
I shoot in any type of weather.
However, if it's bad enough that we're at risk or I may damage my equipment,
we'll reschedule.
If you want to cancel because of a little rain though, rescheduling isn't likely to happen nor will you receive your
retainer back. Wompwomp.
Help!
I have acne!
Will you edit that out?
I want you to feel your absolute best during your session or on your wedding day which is why I will gladly edit out any temporary blemishes (acne, scrapes, cuts, bruises, teeth marks from your new puppy, etc) unless you tell me otherwise.
If you're self-conscious about something please let me know ahead of time so I can pose you accordingly.
More intensive editing (ie you bought a dress 4 sizes too small hoping you'd lose the weight and didn't...) will incur an additional fee.
what happens if we have to cancel or reschedule?
Legally, if you've already paid your retainer, I can't refund it to you unless I can rebook your date within a specified time period. Otherwise a new retainer will have to be paid to hold the new date.
We are
so.not.stylish.
Good luck!
I'm not either!
Luckily though once you're booked, I have a little handy dandy style guide I'll send your way to help us all fake it till we make it.
Do you help in the planning process?
Oh gosh, yes.
I don't expect you to know when the best light to photograph occurs, or how long family portraits might take, or what an 8 hour timeline might look like.
The best photos come from the best planning so ask away. I want to be involved every step of the way to ensure your wedding day or session goes off better than you could have ever imagined (or so your photos will show).
how do
travel
expenses work?
Don't worry, I'm not booking a vacation on your dime! I'll have you cover the basics (flight, transportation, and lodging) and I pick up the rest. I'm more than happy to bunk with your cousins, hitch a ride to and from the airport with your grandma, or camp in your backyard to help save you a little cash money. I'll research the cost of booking of everything and, after sending you an estimated invoice and receiving your approval, will book it all on my own. I'll then send you an itemized invoice of everything you had already
approved (no one likes surprises). You can do your own research to get an estimate of costs as well but I promise I won't be ripping you off!
Can we see a full gallerY?
Yeah, of course!
I send full galleries to serious inquiries only (meaning we have to chat via FaceTime or Skype) first!
After that you'll receive a follow-up email with a butt-load more information for you to peruse.
do you offer albums?
Sure do!
I'm a huge advocate for printing your photos. When was the last time you used a floppy disc? Think your grandkids will know what a USB is? Albums are forever and transcend any and all crazy technology advances. No need to upgrade to the next operating system when you're holding a tangible printed product.
I offer a variety of album options.
Just ask!
we're techies.
what kind of equipment do you use?
I always shoot on two camera bodies during your wedding or session with each camera holding two cards that I can back-up to one another. This means double the back-ups in case of equipment failure!
Both camera bodies are Nikon d750s and I use a variety of lenses -a 20mm, 35mm, 45mm tilt-shift, 50mm, 58mm, 85mm, 105mm, and a 70-200mm.
Never hurts to ask for a discount, right?
Tell you what.
When I can successfully bargain a discount for my groceries, mortgage, utility bills, etc., I'll consider offering you the same discount!
But until then...no.
Please don't ask me. It makes things awkward because it shows that you don't value my work. I will gladly offer payment plans to help you stick to your monthly budget but will not discount overall package costs.
i have a shot list from pinterest...
There are only TWO instances in which I require a shot list --
1) Family photos (because don't ask me to be putting groups of strangers together! It'll end poorly).
and
2) If there's a family or cultural tradition I may not be aware of.
Otherwise, please throw your shot list out the window. By giving me a shot list I'll be more focused on checking off the boxes than capturing your day as it's happening naturally. Ugh.
can we print the photos ourselves?
Of course! Just PLEASE, whatever you do, do not print them at CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart, Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc.
You paid a lot of money for these memories. Treat them right and get them printed at a reputable print lab. Ask me for recommendations if you're not sure or, order through your gallery! All print orders placed through your online gallery are processed by a professional print lab so you're guaranteed your prints will come out exactly like they're supposed to. 25 cent prints are attractive until they turn green after hanging on your wall for a year.
This looks awesome.
how do we book you?
First things first, fill out my contact form! Please do not directly email me with your inquiry as I'll just redirect you to my contact page to fill out my form first. There's a lot of important info I need to know right off the bat!
After that, we'll schedule a video call consultation to make sure we all click and vibe and like each other and etc etc.
If all looks good on both ends, I require a signed contract and a $1500 non-refundable retainer paid to officially hold your date.
No dates are held without those two items so just bear in mind that although we may be emailing, your date can disappear at any time.
