Please email us at info@ShaneAndRaychlePhotography.com to check your wedding date availability.
We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions for your convenience. If you’re wondering, yes, all of these questions actually have been asked, as specific or as general as some of them may sound. If you have other questions, feel free to email our studio manager at info@shaneandraychlephotography.com. You may click on any one of the questions in the “Index of Questions” for a shortcut to the answer; or you may browse all of the questions and answers in the “Full Q&A.”
General Questions
- Do you deliver every image you shoot?
- Does your studio provide videography services?
- Do you do destination weddings?
- Have you shot at my venue before?
- Which Master Photographer will be shooting my wedding?
- Do you provide partial day coverage?
- Do you shoot in JPEG, Small Raw, or Large Raw?
- Do you shoot Quinceaneras, Debutants, Bah Mitzvahs, or Corporate Events?
- Does your studio do Headshots, Individual Portraits, Family Portraits, or Product Photography?
Style and Quality Questions
- What is your philosophy regarding photography?
- What is your photography style?
- My venue is really dark. How does your studio handle these situations and can I see samples?
- Are there style or quality differences among the master photographers?
Post Production Questions
- Do you touch up all the images on our image DVD?
- What do you mean by “touching up” the photos?
- What is the difference between basic, advanced, and premium post-production?
Wedding Day Questions
- How many hours do you suggest we set aside for wedding day photos?
- I have a lot of downtime in between events on my wedding day. Will I be charged for that downtime?
Engagement Session Questions
- When can we expect to see our photo’s from our engagement session?
- When should we do our engagement session?
- Can we schedule our engagement session for the weekend?
- How many images do you typically deliver from and engagement session? From a wedding?
- I really like it when you Photoshop our name and date into the save-the-dates, is that included in the package pricing?
- When and where can we view our engagement pictures?
Image DVDs Questions and Legal Questions
- What size can we print our photos up to with our full resolution image DVD?
- What rights do I have to the digital prints?
- Do you provide the RAW files from my engagement session and wedding day?
- How many images do you deliver on the image DVD?
- Do you provide the digital negatives after the shoot?
- When I received my image DVD in the mail it was damaged, how do I get it replaced?
- What if I lose my image DVD?
Albums, Prints, Framing, Sign-In Books, and Slideshow Questions
- How long does it take to get my prints?
- How long does it take to get my album?
- How long does it take to get my sign-in book?
- What albums companies do you offer?
- Can I add more pages and images to my album?
- How do I get started on my album?
- Do you guys provide framing services as well?
- What is the difference between an ‘online slideshow’ and a ‘dvd slideshow?’
Equipment Questions
Business Insurance and Image Backup Questions
- Do you backup our images? How can we ensure that our images won’t be lost?
- Do you have Liability Insurance?
Meeting Policies
- We live out-of-town. Is it possible for our family/friends to meet with you instead?
- We’re really busy and won’t be able to meet. What are our other options?
- Do you travel to meet clients?
- How do I set up an appointment to meet you in person and see some of your work?
Payment and Tax Questions
- How do I reserve you for my date?
- What if we exceed our contracted time for our engagement shoot and/or wedding day coverage?
- Is there an additional fee if we pay via credit card?
- If we cancel the wedding will we receive our deposit back?
- If we change our wedding to a different date will we be able to use our deposit towards a future date?
- Are there travel fees associated with the Engagement Session and/or Wedding Day shoot(s)?
- Do you offer any discounts on weekday weddings, Sunday weddings, or weddings during the offseason?
- If I pay for my package in cash will we be able to avoid paying sales tax or receive a discounts?
Full Q&A
You may choose to navigate the list of questions using the index above or you may read the full Q&A below. The Q&A is divided into sections based on the topic. If you have further questions, email our studio manager at info@shaneandraychlephotography.com.
Q: “Do you deliver every image you shoot?”
A: No we do not. The shots we do not deliver are typically shots where you or your guests are making expressions that are unflattering. For example, when a person laughs, for us to capture his/her expression, we have to shoot several images consecutively. Unfortunately, when we laugh we usually make several unflattering images before and after. So what we do is select the images with the best expression from the series and archive the rest.
Q: “Does your studio provide videography services?”
A: We currently do not provide videography services, however we work with several videographers that have a similar working style to ensure we do not constantly get into each others shots.
Q: “Have you shot at my venue before?”
A: We have shot at hundreds of venues so there is a good chance that we have. If we have not however we will be sure to perform a thorough walkthrough with you prior to your wedding day.
Q: “Do you guys do destination weddings? What additional fees are associated with destination weddings?”
A: While Nashville Wedding Photography is based out of Nashville and Davidson County, we serve clients all around the world. Our destination wedding photography packages are simply our standard packages plus the cost of travel and reasonable accommodations if necessary. Email info@shaneandraychlephotography.com for details.
Q: “Which Master Photographer will be shooting my wedding?”
A: The master photographer you meet with will be the master photographer for your engagement session and wedding. Don’t worry, we’re not going to have some random person show up on your big day! You may request to meet with a specific photographer, otherwise we’ll make the decision based on availability, language abilities, and your referral.
Q: “Do you provide partial day coverage?”
A: We do not provide partial day coverage on weekends. On weekends we only accept clients that require at least 8 hours of coverage or have a budget of $3,000.00 and above.
Q: “Does your studio do headshots, individual portraits, family portraits, commercial photography, or other types of photography?”
A: Although we do have experience in most other fields of photography, we prefer to excel and focus on wedding and event photography. If you need a good referral, feel free to contact our studio manager, Raychle Searfoss, at 615.830.6336 or email her at info@shaneandraychlephotography.com.
Q: “Do you shoot Quinceaneras, Debutants, Bah Mitzvahs, or Corporate Events?”
A: Yes. These are all considered ‘event photography.’ We have chosen to focus and excel at wedding and event photography; and we would love to cover your celebration.
Q: “What is your philosophy regarding photography?”
A: Please click here for details on our wedding photography philosophy.
Q: “What is your photography style?”
A: The Nashville Wedding Photography 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 quality and style, please visit our Portfolio as well as our Blog.
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 put up 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 really 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 bright crisp 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: “Are there style or quality difference among the master photographers?”
A: No. We take every measure to ensure consistent style and quality among our master photographers. First off, all our master photographers started training at the exact same time under the same mentors. We’ve all been in business ever since, developing the unique style you see in our work; and once a week, our studio gets together and reviews images together to ensure that our quality and style are consistent. If one person learns a new trick or technique, he/she shares it with the other two; and on the other hand, all mistakes, wither major or minor are scrutinized by the team in our weekly review sessions. We guarantee that the quality and style of photography you receive will be consistent.
Q: “Do you touch up all the images on our image DVD?”
A: Yes we do. Every image we deliver is post produced with our unique style of basic post production. This involves color correction, exposure adjustment, selective black and white processing, clarity adjustments, tone-mapping, and other corrections. Many photographers will not post product any, or will only post produce “select” 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 do you mean by “”touching up”" the photo’s?”
A: “Touching up” in our studio is the same as basic post production. See the question below for clarification.
Q: “What is the difference between basic, advanced, and premium post-production?”
A: Basic post production, including color correction and black and white processing, are essential to each and every photo. Be wary of studios and photographers that do not perform this minimal level of post production as their clients will receive a product that is far less than professional quality. We perform basic post production to each and every image purchased with a package at no additional charge. In addition, if clients decide to purchase a digital negatives DVD, they can rest assured that all photos on that disc will be processed using one of the basic styles. In choosing a basic style of post production, clients may choose to have all of their images either color corrected, black and white processed, or a combination at the photographer’s discretion (recommended).
* Non-Package Pricing – $4.99 per Image – Min. of 20 images per order
Advanced styles of post production involve much more expertise and in depth development that can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. There are several dierent general styles of advanced post production including: Timeless, Natural and Modern. The Timeless style includes eects that do not time stamp images and are considered more classic and of course, timeless. The Natural style includes eects that are subtle and simply emphasize the natural beauty and colors within the scene. The Modern style includes more trendy and avant-garde eects based on styles in the fashion and modeling world. Each package comes with set number of advanced style post production images. You can choose the images and desired styles, or have the photographers to choose at their professional discretion.
* Pricing – $9.99 per Image – Minimum of 10 images per order
Premium processing styles are styles of processing that take the photograph one step beyond photograph art and in the direction of a graphic art. These techniques require expert level post production knowledge and are extremely time intensive. Premium styles currently include Fine Art and Collage. Fine Art styles use textures and effects to add to the natural ambiance and emotion of a picture; while Collage style post production uses single or multiple images and designs to create a collage piece that is as much graphic art as it is photography. Collages are great for creating large poster size prints that with a unique presentation. Each package comes with a set number of premium style post production images. You can choose the images and premium production styles for each, or you can allow the photographers to choose at their professional discretion.
* Pricing – $19.99 per Image – Minimum of 5 images per order”
Q: “Do you shoot in JPEG, Small Raw, or Large Raw?”
A: We shoot most of our images in Small Raw with certain situations where we move to Large Raw. For our reasoning, please see this section on the Photography Misconceptions page of our website: Common Misconceptions.
Q: “How many hours do you suggest we set aside for wedding day photo’s?”
A: The amount of time we suggest you set aside for photos depends on the time of day.
Preparation Shots – Duration: 1.5 hours
Ideally we would have 45 minutes for the girls and 45 minutes with the guys.
Couples session – Duration: 1 hour to 1.5 hours
We highly suggest doing this before the ceremony in conjunction with a “first look.” That way you can enjoy the rest of your day without having to worry about taking too much time out for photo’s. Also this is when the makeup and hair are fresh. We’ll set up a first look moment so it’ll still be a surprise when you see each other. Be sure to give us at least a full hour so we can capture the amazing shots you see in our portfolio.
Family Formals – Duration: 1 hour
Have a list of pictures that you want with your family/friends right after the ceremony. Typically this is done at the altar but we can do it any location you’d like. Also, have one person of from each side of the family that is really organized (and loud) to move people in and out of photo’s.
Bridal Party (Optional) – Duration: 0.5 hour to 1 hour
This is where we take the bridal party out for some fun shots. This is also nice to handle before the ceremony so that you can rest and enjoy your day afterwards.
Q: “I have a lot of downtime in 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 resting during the day, whether we’re backing up images, setting up for the second venue, traveling to the second location, taking venue shots, or making up for lost photo time because of 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: “When can we expect to see our photo’s from our engagement session?”
A: Post production for engagement sessions are completed within four weeks after the date of the shoot. If you require the images to be completed prior to four weeks after the date of the shoot, a rush-process fee of $100.00 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 eight weeks prior to the wedding date due to the time necessary to post produce each image (4 weeks) and complete your product order(s) (4 weeks). See the engagement session post production delivery time and engagement session product delivery time FAQ’s for more details.
Q: “Can we schedule our engagement session for the weekend?”
Because most weddings occur on weekends, we do not shoot engagement sessions on weekends. If you can only do your engagement session on weekends, 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 and engagement session? From a wedding?”
We typically deliver anywhere from 50-100 images per 3 hour engagement shoot and for weddings we typically deliver 100 images per hour.
Q: “I really like it when you Photoshop our name and date into the save-the-dates, is that included in the package pricing?”
Custom save-the-date images are priced at $100 per image and can be added on to any package through our website
Q: “When and where can we view our engagement pictures?”
Your engagement session images will be completed within four weeks after the date of the shoot. If you require the images to be completed prior to four weeks after the date of your shoot, a rush-process fee of $100.00 will be charged, unless other terms were discussed. The image DVD will be sent out prior to the first day of the fifth week.
Q: “How long does it take to get my prints?”
Product creation times vary, however in general, print orders will be completed within four weeks after the product order is submitted.
Similar to the post production process, if you require rush-processing, a fee of $100.00 will be charged. Additional fees for rush shipping may also apply.
Q: “How long does it take to get my album?”
As with our other products, production times vary, however you can expect to receive your album 4-6 weeks after placing the order. The process before placing the order varies in duration depending on how quickly you respond to the instructions for the album design as well as the amount of changes you request after the initial designs. Some brides complete this within a month or two, others take over a year.
Similar to the post production process, if you require rush-processing, a fee of $100.00 will be charged. Additional fees for rush shipping may also apply.
Q: “How long does it take to get my sign-in book?”
The sign in book takes around 4-6 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 changed you request.
Similar to the post production process, if you require rush-processing, a fee of $100.00 will be charged. Additional fees for rush shipping may also apply.
Q: “What albums companies do you offer?”
We have accounts with most of the major printers, including Graphi Studio, Queensberry, Leather Craftsmen, Willowbook Sequoia, and Finao. After testing the durability, print quality/consistency, and cover style options, we have narrowed our printing partners to a Willowbook Sequoia for standard leather albums and Finao for the premium albums. However, if you prefer the styles of any other album makers, we would be glad to accommodate your request. However, additional fees may apply depending on the printer you choose.
Q: “How many pages and images do we get in our wedding day album?”
A: Our signature Nashville album contains 20 pages and 60 images. If you’d like to add more pages and images, each additional page is $50 and includes the design time/revisions and three retouched images.
Q: “Can I add more pages and images to my album?”
A: Yes! Each additional page is $100 and includes the design time/revisions and three retouched images per page.”
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: “What is the difference between an ‘online slideshow’ and a ‘dvd slideshow?”
A: Online slideshows are the slideshows you see on our blog. These typically include one song and around 60 images depending on the length of the song. We choose the images and the song to fit your wedding day. These are hosted online (on our blog) indefinitely.
DVD slideshows, on the other hand, are DVDs that we create using two songs of your choice and the images of your choice. We still recommend that you leave the song selection and image selection to us, as this is part of our expertise, but if you do want more control, you can have it with this product.
Q: “How do I get started on my album?”
The Album Design Process is outlined here: Album Design Process.
Q: “What size can we print our photo’s up to with our full resolution image DVD?”
A: In most cases, you can print your photo’s up to 20×30 without any quality loss. If you’d like to print larger than 20×30, additional post-production will be required. For pricing on these services, please contact our studio manager at info@shaneandraychlephotography.com.
Q: “What rights do I have to the digital prints?”
A: You have the right to reprint images whenever you want, wherever you want. However you may not sell your images for a profit or publish your images without the written consent of Nashville Wedding Photography.
Q: “Do you provide the RAW files from my engagement session and/or wedding day?”
A: Each of our packages comes with a full resolution image DVD. However, we typically do not provide RAW (unprocessed) files from our shoots because we believe in delivering a finished product. In face, we’re often shooting with the end (post-produced) product in mind. However, if you absolutely want your RAW images, we will provide them to you along with our post-produced JPG’s for an additional fee of $1,000.
Q: “How many images do you deliver on the image DVD?”
A: For an 3 hour engagement session, we typically deliver 50-100 images and for a wedding we deliver 100 images per hour of coverage.
Q: “Do you provide the digital negatives after the shoot?”
A: Yes we do. All of our packages come with Full Resolution image DVDs.
Q: “What happens if my image dvd arrives damaged?”
A: If your image DVD arrives in the mail damaged, please contact our studio manager, Raychle Searfoss, at 615.830.6336 or email her at info@shaneandraychlephotography.com and we will immediately send out another copy.
Q: “What if I lose my image DVD?”
A: There is a $50 replacement charge for image DVDs. We strongly suggest you make at least one copy of the DVD when you receive it from us.
Q: “What type of camera/equipment do you use?”
A: Click here to view our Photography Equipment
Q: “Do you backup our images? How can we ensure that our images won’t be lost?”
A: We have never lost an image from a wedding due to the following backup workflow for each our events:
During the shoot, we back up on a Epson External Hard Drive after each major event throughout the day. This leaves one copy on the CF cards and creates one copy on the Epson External Hard Drive. After the shoot, we back up the CF card to a local server set up in a RAID 1 configuration. Once the images are completed we upload the images to a offsite location and burn another copy for our archives. At any given point, there are two copies of the files.
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.
Q: “We live out-of-town. Is it possible for our family/friends to meet with you instead?”
We’d love to meet your relatives, answer all their question and review our work with them. If possible, we’d like to at least webcam with you to get to know you better.
Q: “We’re really 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 somehow too busy or too far away, we can handle everything remotely. Just think about what you hope to achieve from that meeting and we can think of ways of achieving them. For example, if one of your goals is to see more work, we can gladly show you complete events online. If your goal is 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 currently do not travel to meet clients. If you would like to schedule a meeting please contact our studio manager, Raychle Searfoss, at 615.830.6336 or email her at info@shaneandraychlephotography.com.
Q: “How do I set up an appointment to meet you in person and see some of your work?
A: Contact our studio manager at 615.830.6336 or email her at info@shaneandraychlephotography.com.
Q: “How do I reserve you for my date?”
A: All dates are reserved once we receive your signed contract and deposit.
Q: “What if we exceed our contracted time for our engagement shoot and/or wedding day coverage?”
A: Standard rates apply for overtime. Overtime is billed at the rate of $200/hour per Master Photographer and $100/hour per Associate Photographer.
Q: “Is there an additional fee if we pay via credit card?”
A: Yes. Our credit card processing fee is 2.8% of the total package price.
Q: “If we cancel the wedding will we receive our deposit back?”
A: Unfortunately, no. Deposits are use to reserve your date. Once we’ve reserved your date we do not accept new clients for your date.
Q: “If we change our wedding to a different date, will we be able to use our deposit towards a future date?”
A: Yes. However, if rates change from the your original date to your new date, the new rates will apply.
Q: “Are there travel fees associated with the Engagement Session and/or Wedding Day shoot(s)?”
A: For all engagements sessions, the first sixty miles roundtrip of travel are included or thirty miles each way. All miles in excess of sixty miles roundtrip or thirty miles each way is charged at $1.00 per mile.
All other engagement session destinations not mentioned above beyond 200 miles roundtrip are to be negotiated and will be handled on a situational basis.
Q: “Do you offer any discounts on weekday weddings, Sunday weddings, or weddings during the offseason?”
A: We do not offer discounts on Sunday weddings and offseason weddings. As you know, wedding season is almost year round here so because of that we are shooting throughout the year. However, we have offered discounts on weekday weddings when we have availability so feel free to call Raychle Searfoss at 615.830.6336 or email her at info@shaneandraychlephotography.com to inquire about your date.
Q: “If I pay for my package in cash will we be able to avoid paying sales tax or receive a discounts?”
A: Unfortunately, collecting in cash does not exempt a photography studio from paying Tennessee sales tax on the amount of the entire package price when a physical product is delivered, whether that product be an album, image DVD, or any other physical product. However, we do offer tax-free services and packages that fall within Tennessee State Law if you would like a service only package or if you would like to do a hard-drive transfer of the images prior to the event.