FAQ’s
What is your photography style?
Rick and Lee cover weddings in a very journalistic style but doesn’t think photography should be limited by a “style.” While they are very hands-off and unobtrusive in their coverage of the day they do believe that there is a time and place for gorgeous, casually posed images of the bride and groom together. So while they won’t stop you and make you pose while cutting the cake, they would like about an hour (or more!) alone with you both (if possible) sometime during the day to create some images of you without your wedding party or guests looking on. Rick and Lee also believe strongly in preserving all of the details of the wedding; from your cake to your shoes, so their work is very flush with detail images. Their images of the guests at the wedding are almost 100% journalistic and they won’t stop entire tables at the reception and make them pose for “table shots”, preferring instead to capture them laughing, smiling, dancing, drinking, and having a great time.
Do you still take posed family images?
Absolutely. Rick and Lee believe in those family images, as they are records of your entire family at an important time in their history together. A few weeks before your wedding they will send you a questionnaire covering the details of the day and among the other questions is a list of posed images – these are the family groupings that they traditionally photographs at each wedding they cover. You will have space to write in your own additional groupings. Please bear in mind that the hallmark of Rick and Lee’s’s coverage is journalistic and real-time, so a very long list of posed images will hinder their ability to cover the event in a documentary manner. they provide you with nine groupings and strongly suggests your final list include no more than twelve or thirteen total. These groupings are quick, easy, and largely informal and Rick tries to make them pleasant and enjoyable for everyone involved!
Can we give you a shot list of photographs we want you to take?
Other than the family groupings, no. It is very helpful to know what important relatives and friends are coming to your day, and if any events bear special significance, but repeated requests for posed images and having Rick work “from a checklist” is counterproductive to the work you’ve seen here on their website. “Shot lists” provided by many major bridal magazines are a great idea, but please understand that Rick and Lee generally will capture those images without prompting. Providing them with a very long list of college groupings or high school friends or extended family at the reception will result in a lesser amount of documentary coverage and more time spent rounding up guests to check the groupings off of a list.
When will I see my wedding photos?
Online galleries are posted within two to four weeks of the wedding date. Digital files are available on that date. I go through a careful process of choosing the best images from the day and processing each of them with individual attention.
How many pictures will we receive?
The number of photographs taken depends on many things – the type of event, hours of coverage, etc. Think of it this way, the more animated the event, the more photos we take. Our goal is to document your day in the best way possible and the more that there is to photograph the better! The national average is roughly 100 images per hour of service but often it’s much, much more.
Do we keep the negatives?
It depends on the package that you choose. If you choose one of our standard packages, then yes, we provide the selected, edited high-resolution digital files (the digital equivalent of negatives). When the files are released to you, we will provide you with a PDF release that will allow you to make unlimited personal reproductions and copies for your friends and families. We do retain the copyright to the images and the right to use them for promotional purposes, competition, professional review, and so on.
Do we get the raw, unedited files?
No, these files are not available for viewing or purchase. This is very much like asking your caterer to give you the leftover ingredients used to make your dinner. The images selected for editing and final delivery reflect our very high standards and everything else is not archived in the studio.
Can we see the all of the images that didn’t make the “final cut”?
Please note the answer to the question right before this – in short, no. The images delivered to you are very loosely edited and we want to deliver to you the very best ones. We eliminate duplicate images, test shots, missed focused shots, shots with bad expressions and other images that may dilute the overall product delivery. For example, because we shoot with large apertures, sometimes we take a few extra shots to make sure we have the perfect focus. 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. If there are a handful of images of you together with your mom laughing we’re going to include everything that isn’t an absolute duplicate and so forth. Please know that when “editing” we’re not striving to reduce a random number of images to deliver and eliminating “good” pictures. The images not selected are not archived and therefore not available.
How does the album design process work?
Rick gives you 6 months to make your album selections before the book is subject to a fee due to increases in yearly production costs. You do get to preview your album design and make a minimal amount of changes to it before a change-fee is assessed. Once you approve the layout Rick will help you choose your album cover style, color, imprinting, and other small details. Then you’ll sign off on the book and it will go to print. All of this process can be completed online simply and easily. Once you choose your images it takes about four to eight weeks to produce your first draft and each round of changes generally takes two business weeks to complete.
We want a different size album than the standard ones you offer. Can you get different sizes or add more pages?
Yes, I can order albums in a variety of sizes. My “standard” packages include the most requested sizes, but I am happy to create a new package for you based on the size and type of album you desire.
What is the online gallery?
The online gallery is a private, password protected section on our website where all of your wedding photographs will be placed online for you and your family and friends to view. It is also a secure shopping cart – which allows you (and your family and friends) to order prints and products and select album prints online. All you have to do is provide the password to anyone who you want to be able to view the images.
Do you do engagement sessions?
Yes, we do. Please take note that most engagement sessions have to be done Tuesday-Thursday because of a heavy wedding schedule but there is occasionally Friday or Monday availability. Please note that all engagement sessions must be completed prior to the wedding date. If included as part of your contract, the engagement session itself is offered as our gift to you with the understanding that any prints, products or digital files resulting from said session are sold separately.
Do you have insurance?
Yes
What kind of equipment do you use?
We use top of the line professional grade Canon cameras and extensive backups.
My venue needs a certificate of insurance. Can you provide that?
Yes. We do request that you let us know at least three months in advance of the wedding as it does take time for our insurance company to process and provide that document.
How long have you been in business? How many weddings have you photographed?
Rick and Lee have been in business since 1990 and has photographed over one thousand weddings.
Can you hold the date for me?
I’m sorry, but we can’t hold the date or pencil you in. To be fair to everyone we can’t “hold” a date without a retainer and a signed contract. We accept bookings on a first come/first served basis.
What is your payment schedule like?
A booking fee/retainer of approx. $900 is due to reserve your date. The remainder is due three weeks prior to your wedding.
Can we pay you part of the amount after the wedding?
No, I’m sorry, but we do require full payment before the event.
I have to cancel my wedding. Can I have my retainer back?
No you cannot. The retainer fee and all monies paid are non-refundable. The retainer guarantees that we will hold the date exclusively for you and once you’ve signed the contract we do turn down all other commissions for that date.
We want to commission Siegel’s Portrait Design for our wedding, when should we book?
ASAP. Since we cannot “hold” dates or “pencil you in” dates are booked when…well, when they’re booked. Most of Rick and Lee’s commissions contract them within a year of the wedding date.
Can our family and friends take pictures? Is that OK?
Of course they can and it doesn’t bother Rick or Lee in the least bit! They do request they not swarm the family photographs right away because they prefer all eyes facing them in your images, but they don’t mind at all if they snap away from the background. Rick does not allow family or friends to come along for the bridal images or the images of you two alone for privacy purposes and because, frankly, other people can be distracting! Think of it this way, you are investing good money in our services and you have a great expectation on our results not the photos of your family and friends. We would hate to miss a shot because an ‘Uncle Bob’ got in the way of you walking down the isle for the first time. You only get one shot at it and well meaning relatives can sometimes ruin our images by trying too hard to get the shot that was meant for us to get. More and more, couples are going “unplugged” and asking that no one bring their cameras to the wedding and just have a great time!
If we run overtime, will you stay?
Surely. Siegel’s Portrait Design does have an overtime rate and it goes into effect only with your permission and approval that they continue coverage. they will bill you for those hours after you return from your honeymoon.
