Q & A
Add ons
Thank you cards
100 pcs - $250
250 pcs - $400
Wedding day coordination *
$2000
We are a licensed business and have professional liability insurance up to $1,000,000
(includes Third Party Property Damage at the same limit).
PAYMENT AND TAX QUESTIONS
Trust is built and maintained by many small actions over time, that's why we post clearly our prices and policies in this website, we want to avoid lengthy negotiations, playing prices up or down depending in the venue, the day, the season, etc.
Being straightforward, consisting and clear from the very beginning is our first step to build an strong relationship with you.
Q: How do I reserve you for my date?
A: All dates are reserved once we receive your signed contract and retainer.
Q: What if we exceed our contracted time for our engagement shoot and/or wedding day coverage?
A: We understand that not everything goes as planned during a wedding.. We will never "just pack and leave". If your contracted time is about to end and there is still important events we think you may want us to cover we will ask you if you want us to stay longer. The rate totally depend of your package,
Q: Is travel included with your prices?
A: Yes and no. Anywhere in the lower mainland is included, (around 50km from our studio) But if we have to drive few hours somewhere in the mountains for an engagement, jump on a ferry or book a flight: we will have to discuss some gas money.
Q: Is there an additional fee if we pay via credit card?
A: Yes and No. There's no additional fees in the main packages however the smaller packages may have the credit card fee excluded. Late payments or bouncing fees might apply.
Q: In your packages you mentioned an "assistant". What's that , how much are we paying for that person?
A: An assistant is an extra hand we bring for the day. It help us to carry gear around, guarding gear and belongings when we are outside, driving, holding light stands, setting up, packing up and miscellaneous things that could happen during the day so we don't need to be away from you. You are not paying anything extra for the assistant (If anything just the meal at the reception). removing the assistant from your package don't change the price at all.
Q: If we cancel the wedding, will we receive our retainer fee back?
A: Unfortunately no. Retainer fees are used to reserve your date. Once we’ve reserved your date, we do not accept new clients for your date. You're hiring a team of sometimes 5/6 people who have committed to do not do anything in your wedding day so retainer fees cover are a small token of commitment from everyones part.
Q: If we change our wedding to a different date, will we be able to use our retainer fee towards a future date?
A: This is taken on a case by case basis. The reason for canceling and our availability is taken into account. Also, if rates change from your original date to your new date, the new rates will apply.
Q: If I pay for my package in cash will we be able to avoid paying sales tax or receive a discount?
A: Unfortunately, collecting in cash does not exempt a photography studio from paying BC sales tax on the amount of the package price when a physical product is delivered, whether that product be an album or any other physical product. However, we do offer tax-free services and packages that fall within BC Law if you would like a service only packages.
General Questions
Q: Do you deliver every image you shoot?
A: No, we do not. We eliminate duplicate images, test shots, missed focused shots, shots with bad expressions and other images that may dilute the overall product delivery. We don’t expect you to have the expertise or the time to zoom into each image to select the one with the sharpest focus, so we spend hours doing that on our end. For example, candid laughs and emotional tears are some of the best images from the day. Unfortunately, they can also yield some unflattering facial expressions. We might snap a few extras of any of these moments to make sure we have a great shot with the ideal expression for the moment. With our expertise of processing thousands of images each year, we may eliminate ones that we feel are duplicates and only deliver the best ones.
Q: What's the documentary video / long edit?
This is easy, We grab all RAW the footage from the wedding and put it together. Cutting the ends, shaky stuff, out of focus and things that you wont usually use in the video. We add some music when it's needed and voilà!
Q: What's the "save the date video"?
A: Think of this like an electronic invitation. Save the date is an small video (1 min) that announces your engagement and date of ceremony to people that you're inviting to your wedding.. Save the date video are done during your engagement session.
Q: Does your studio provide videography services?
A: Yes. To see examples of our videography services, click here
Q: Have you shot at my venue before?
A: We have shot in a lots of venues, so there is a good chance that we have. However, if we have not, we will get to the venue early on the day of and be sure to perform a thorough walk-through to scout out the best photography locations. We also do extensive online research prior to your big day!
Q: Do you do destination weddings? What additional fees are associated with destination weddings?
A: While we are based out of Vancouver BC, we serve clients all around the world. Our destination wedding photography packages include the cost of travel and reasonable accommodations.
Q: Which photographer will be shooting my wedding?
A: Typically, the photographer you meet for your engagement session will be photographing your wedding. You may request to meet with a specific photographer; otherwise, we’ll make the decision based on personality, availability, language abilities, and your referral.
Q: Do you provide partial day coverage?
A: Some of our packages are available for a minimum of six hours.
Q: Does your studio do headshots, individual portraits, family portraits, newborn shoots, commercial photography, or other types of photography?
A: Yes, we have experience in many fields of photography. Feel free to contact us.
Q: Do you shoot Quinceaneras, Debutants, Bah Mitzvahs, or Corporate Events?
A: Yes. These are all considered as ‘event photography.’ We have chosen to focus and excel at wedding and event photography, and we would love to cover your celebration.
Q: What if our ceremony is in a different language?
A: Our photographers and cinematographers speak many different languages, including Spanish, Mandarin, Azerbaijani and others. However, we have also covered many weddings in which we do not speak the primary language of the ceremony. We approach these weddings with research, understanding the traditions and culture of the wedding. We also have talk-through meetings with our couples before the wedding to ensure we are aware of the major moments. Lastly, we always ensure that we stay alert, leaning on the instincts that we have developed for capturing the emotion and the stories at any given moment.
So while different languages can present challenges, in the end, artistry, creativity, and storytelling are all universal concepts that our team will portray in your photography and cinematography.
Q: What is your photography style?
A: Our team is acclaimed for developing a unique style of wedding photography that is deeply rooted in wedding photojournalism while influenced by fine-art and fashion photography. We love using creative lighting, unique perspectives, angles, compositions and artistic post-production refining to bring out our clients personalities and beauty while telling their wedding story. We pride ourselves on not just being photographers, but rather artists creating unique and expressive imagery. To see examples of our style(s) please click here.
Q: Can I see a full event from start to finish?
A: Of course you may! We pride ourselves on the consistency of our work. We understand all photographers post their best shots from each wedding on their websites so it’s hard to determine how well he or she will perform on the wedding day. That is why we encourage all of our potential clients to view full events from all photographers they meet with to see how well the photographer performs throughout the day.,
Q: My venue is very dark. How does your studio handle these situations and can I see samples?
A: We have shot in the darkest of dark chapels and reception halls so no need to worry! If the situation allows, we will set up additional lighting to ensure we get focused pictures. Some chapels do not allow for flash photography; and for that reason, we shoot on camera’s with superb low-light performance and lenses with low apertures.
Q: Is there a style difference among the Farawayland photographers?
A: We do tailor our shooting style and techniques to our client requests. For example, some clients may prefer a light and airy look while others may prefer dramatic lighting and shadows.
Q: How do I get my wedding published on other wedding blogs or magazines?
A: Please request a list of our favourite wedding blogs and the instructions for submission.
Q: Do you edit all the images ?
A: Yes we do. Every image we deliver is edited . This involves colour correction, exposure adjustment, selective black and white processing, clarity adjustments, tone-mapping, and other corrections. Many photographers will not edit any images, or will only edit “selected” images from your wedding. This means that you may have pictures that are too dark, have strange skin tones or other common photography flaws.
Q: What is the difference between retouching and editing; and why are there's additional costs for retouching ?
A: A custom post production/edit (retouching) is anything that requires work in Photoshop such as removing entire objects from the scene, cleaning and smoothing skin, changing the size and shape of body parts or other objects in the scene, adding objects to a scene and other custom work. We charge hourly for this kind of post-production as the time required ranges depending on the complexity of the project. Please contact our studio for a quote for custom retouching.
Q: Do you shoot in JPEG or RAW?
A: We always shoot our images in RAW.
Q: How many hours do you suggest we set aside for wedding day photos?
A: Take a look at our Ideal Wedding Photography Timeline to see a detailed breakdown of how much time you would need to have set aside for your wedding photos.
Q: I have downtime between events on my wedding day. Will I be charged for that downtime?
A: For a variety of reasons, we have to charge for the time in between events. The fact is, we’re never truly rest during the day, whether we’re backing up images, setting up for the next shoot, traveling to the second location, taking venue shots, or making up for lost photo time because of unforeseen wedding day delays. In many cases, we use that “downtime” to take you and your significant other out for a photo session or more family portraits.
Q: Why do we need to charge for additional coverage?
A: We’ve dedicated the entire day to your wedding, so we won’t be racing off to catch other plans that evening. However, we need to charge for additional coverage primarily because there are costs of having the team stay for additional hours. The shooters and lighting assistants all require additional compensation. Furthermore, the additional photos taken will need to be edited which adds to our overall costs.
Q: When can we expect to see our photos from our engagement session?
A: Editing for engagement sessions is completed 3-5 weeks after the date of the shoot. If you require the images to be completed prior to 3-5 weeks after the date of the shoot, a rush process fee will be charged.
Q: When should we do our engagement session?
A: We encourage you to do your engagement session as soon as possible. The latest we suggest is at least 10-12 weeks prior to the wedding date due to the time necessary to edit each image and complete your product order(s).
Q: Can we schedule our engagement session for the weekend?
A: Because most weddings occur on weekends, we typically do not shoot engagement sessions on weekends. If you can only do your engagement session on a weekend, we can tentatively schedule your engagement session on a weekend, however, if a wedding is scheduled for that weekend, later on, we will have to reschedule your engagement session. We also like to shoot on weekdays because locations are typically less crowded.
Q: How many images do you typically deliver from an engagement session? From a wedding?
A: We typically deliver anywhere from 30-50 images per 2-hour engagement shoot and for a wedding, we typically deliver over 500 images. Keep in mind these numbers may vary depending on the flow of the day and the number of events/activities needed to be captured.
Q: When and where can we view our engagement pictures?
A: Your engagement session images will be completed no more than 5 weeks after the date of the shoot. We will provide a private online gallery.
Q: How long does it take to get my prints?
A: Product creation times vary, however, print orders will generally be completed within 6 weeks after the product order is submitted.
Q: How long does it take to get my album?
A: As with our other products, production times vary. However, you can typically expect to receive your album 3 weeks after placing the order. The process prior to placing the order varies in duration depending on how quickly you respond to the instructions for the album design as well as the number of changes you request after the initial designs. Some brides complete this within a month or two; others take over a year.
Q: How long does it take to get my sign-in book?
A: The sign-in book takes around 3 weeks to print after the order is submitted. As with the album, the time it takes to get the order ready for print depends on how quickly you respond to our instructions and how many changes you request.
Q: How many pages and images do we get in our wedding day album?
A: Our signature album contain 20 pages and 40 images with an album cover. If you’d like to add more pages and images, each additional page can be added at additional cost and includes the design time/revisions.
Q: Do you guys provide framing services as well?
A: We do not provide framing services, however, we can provide you with recommendations on where to purchase and frame your images.
Q: How do I get started on my wedding album?
A: The instructions for your wedding album will be emailed to you.
Q: How do I get started on my engagement album?
A: The instructions for your engagement album will be emailed to you.
Q: What rights do I have to the digital prints?
A: You have the right to reprint images whenever you want. However, you may not sell your images for profit or publish your images without our written consent.
BUSINESS INSURANCE AND IMAGE BACKUP QUESTIONS
Q: Do you back up our images? How can we ensure that our images won’t be lost?
A: During the event, we shoot on two cards at the same time. This instantly creates a backup of every image in the camera. Afterward, we separate the primary cards from the backup cards, should anything happen to one set. We then back up the images to a local server set up in a RAID 1 configuration, as well as copy them to an offsite hard drive. At any given point before delivery of the images, there are two copies of the files in separate locations.
Q: Do you have liability insurance?
A: Yes. Many venues require the photographer to have Liability Insurance. So before hiring Uncle Joe, make sure he’s covered.
MEETING POLICY QUESTIONS
Q: We live out-of-town. Is it possible for our family/friends to meet with you instead?
A: We’d love to meet your relatives, answer their questions and review our work with them. If possible, we’d like to at least have an online webcam chat with you to get to know you better.
Q: We’re very busy and won’t be able to meet. Are there any other options?
A: We would love to meet with you prior to our engagement shoot or wedding; however, if you’re too busy or too far away, we can handle everything remotely. Just let us know what information you need and we will do our best to accommodate your request. For example, if you would like to see more of our work, we can gladly show you complete events online. If you would like to talk about packages and get a sense of the photographer’s personality, telephone calls, and webcam appointments can be arranged.
Q: Do you travel to meet clients?
A: Due to the limitations of our schedule, we can’t always travel to meet clients. If you would like to schedule a meeting, please contact our studio at 604-600-7235.
Q: How do I set up an appointment to meet you in person and see some of your work?
A: Contact our studio at 604-600-7235 or email us by clicking here