There are two kinds of brides I normally encounter. There's the bride with a binder full of questions and color coded material and then the bride that shows up with that deer in headlights look with no idea what to ask or what details to be in the know about. Whether you fit into one of these categories or you're somewhere in the middle, these questions will hopefully help clarify anything you need to know about wedding photography and about us!

How many weddings do you shoot a year? I used to book every single weekend during wedding season. In my over a decade's experience I've found that quality is better than quantity. This holds true not only for my own sanity but for the experience my couples get. Plus this makes room for other forms of photography that I love doing such as maternity and family portraits. I only accept 10 weddings per year. All other wedding inquiries are then referred to Lily Moon Photography where my team shoots the day of. We also offer day of coordination and wedding planning.

What do you normally charge for wedding photography?: My base price is $4,500.00. I can, however, customize wedding collections specific to my clients needs. Even though I'm based in Binghamton, NY I tend to travel all over the place. It's not unusual for my weddings to take place in surrounding areas like Ithaca, the Fingerlakes region in general, the Adirondacks, Syracuse, bordering PA cities like Scranton, Rochester, Albany etc.! I love to travel.

What is your ideal client?: My ideal client is someone who truly values photography and all that goes into it. I can appreciate those who stick to tight budgets but when I'm hired, I want it to be because they see what I'm capable of and value all the artistic aesthetic I pour into my work. Also, clients who don't take themselves too seriously. Fun is my favorite. We can get it done AND have a great time.

How many images will we get back?: For engagement or portrait sessions you'll usually get back between 75-100 images. For wedding photography that number can vary greatly. For a small, intimate event the return could be anywhere from 500-600 images. For a large event with a huge bridal party and a high number of guests, that number can shoot up to 1300.

Do you have backup gear in case your camera breaks?: Definitely. Not only do I have everything doubled, but I also have some things that are tripled. You can never be too careful! I've heard nightmare stories of people hiring photographers who didn't even bring a backup battery to their wedding. Once that battery was depleted, they were done. I couldn't even imagine. (And for the record, I have about 8 batteries.)

What does a typical wedding day look like for you?: We always make time in our schedule to start early enough to get detail shots and of the bride and groom getting ready. We'll usually leave for the ceremony location 15-20 minutes before the bride and groom so we can set up our equipment and be ready to go once the ceremony starts. We like to seek out the officiant in order to familiarize ourselves with any rules or standards they may have. This goes for videographers too. We like to make sure everyone is correlated so not only are we getting the best shots, but they are too! Right after the ceremony we go into the family shots and then bridal party/bride and groom pictures. We usually try to set a time frame of around 90 minutes in order to efficiently capture everything you're looking for. Once these are finished, we're at the reception until all the big reception events are captured and the dancing photos start to get repetitive. Of course, all of this is flexible and we can customize whatever needs to be customized for your big day!

In your contract it states we can't hire another professional photographer. Does that include videographers?: Definitely not! Video is important and if you've chosen to hire a videographer for your big day, we're in full support! We always make friends with whoever we're working with that day and make sure to correlate as needed. I can't emphasize this enough when I say working as a team with fellow vendors is ESSENTIAL! We value this within our business and pride ourselves in all the positive relationships we've built within the wedding industry world. If you need some videographer recommendations, we can give you plenty of great professional referrals!

Do you give out referrals for other vendors that we might need?: Absolutely! And we definitely encourage this. In fact, a lot of the time I'll just come right out and ask you. We love giving referrals as well as steering you in the right direction based on your needs. There are some vendors whose names we love to get out there because they're just so stinking SPECTACULAR and you should know them too. There are some vendors who work really great with other vendors (which, again, we value above all else!) and there are vendors who don't quite share this value. This doesn't mean they're not great in their own right, but we prefer to steer you towards people we personally know to be rockstars when it comes to taking care of you and jiving with us in a way that makes your day seamless.

Do you travel?: Anywhere. Take me there. I want to go. Thailand? Yup. Let's go. We'll. Go. Anywhere.

What happens if you get sick?: This question comes up a lot. To answer honestly, unless I am DYING, I will be there. Life does happen and if there is something out of my control that happens, you will be the first to know. I'm part of a wide network of photographers and have made great friends in the wedding photography world. There is a 99.9% chance that someone who measures up to my (very high) standards will be there to cover the day with an assistant. I would also be doing all of the editing so the aesthetic would be seamless as far as that goes.

How long will it take to get my pictures?: My contract states anywhere from 6-10 weeks. There will be a definite "end date" listed in your contract where your wedding gallery will most definitely be available. However, I always aim to get them to you sooner! I'm just as excited as you are to get these pictures to you. This process does take some time because these images are all carefully hand selected and edited. I want you to love EVERY SINGLE ONE. I put my heart and soul into the editing process and I hope that anyone who visits my wedding gallery feels that vibe.

How would you describe your style?: My style is light and airy with pops of color. I consider myself a photojournalism, "semi-posed" photographer. What I mean by this is that for the majority of the day I am focused on just telling the story of the natural flow of your wedding day. I want you to see my pictures and remember the day as is. When it comes to taking pictures of the bride and groom, I give direction but I'm NOT putting you in prom pose or some other pose that doesn't look natural. My whole goal is to pull out your natural personality and body language in your pictures. I never want you to look back at your photos and see how stiff you were. I want you comfortable and for the pictures to be taken in a more organic nature. I have a lot of clients who say "We have NO idea what we're doing" which is fine! I absolutely will guide you through the whole process but I'll do it in a way that's full of fun vs. just giving you orders.

Do you offer an engagement session in every wedding collection?: YES! Sometimes clients don't want to partake in the engagement session, which is fine. But the engagement session is offered complimentary to all of my clients because it allows for a solid foundation to be put in place before the day of your wedding. For starters, it helps us to get to know each other. Creating that trusting rapport is such a huge deal when it comes to your wedding day. The more we get to know each other, the more comfortable you'll be with me showing up on your wedding day. This way, I'm showing up as a friend and not just some strange woman. The engagement session also serves as a way for me to see how you are in front of the camera. All of my clients have different needs. If I have a groom who is a heavy blinker, this is good for me to know because that means I'll need to adjust the way I shoot on your wedding day. If I have a bride who hates smooching in front of the camera, this is also important for me to know so I'm not overstepping boundaries and making her uncomfortable. The entire goal is to have you relaxed in your wedding photos so they look natural. There's a huge difference between my clients who partake in their engagement session vs. those who don't. I'm not saying that I can't shoot on my toes because I have numerous times and it's completely doable. But an engagement session REALLY helps!

We are always open to your questions so if there's something here I didn't cover, feel free to email me at Jen@JenPeckaPhotography.com