Chicago
Wedding Photographers FAQ |
|
Our
FAQ database contains many frequently asked questions from
our clients and website visitors. A highlight of our FAQ categories
include: Photography Experience, Photography Equipment, Wedding
Starter Kit Inclusions, Photography Add-on Products, Photography
Deposits and Payments. |
| |
Photography
Experience |
| Question: |
How
many years of experience do you have? |
| Answer: |
Loftus
Photography was officially established in January
2003. However, Dan and Dawnelle have been freelance
photographers for over 10 years and have worked
for the larger studios. |
|
| Question: |
How
many weddings have you photographed? |
| Answer: |
Under
the LOFTUS PHOTOGRPHY banner ,
we have photographed over 100 weddings. |
|
| Question: |
Can
you provide a list of photography references? |
| Answer: |
Yes.
You can get our wedding references once you have
submitted a quote request and you have been set
up with a client login ID (these can be viewed in
your personal Communications Center). |
|
| Question: |
Where
is your photography studio located? |
| Answer: |
We
work out of our home studio in Lombard, IL. Consultations
are by appointment only. |
|
| Question: |
Do
you perform photography full time? |
| Answer: |
Dawnelle
performs photography and manages operations full
time. Dan is part time and perform business management
consulting as well. |
|
| Question: |
At
what locations have you photographed? |
| Answer: |
A
list of all the venues we have photographed in the
Chicagoland area can be found on the "Ask Kathleen"
page on our main website. |
|
|
|
Photography
Equipment |
| Question: |
Do
you shoot with film or use digital? |
| Answer: |
We
shoot 100% digital these days as it opens up a world
of possibilities with wedding and special event
photography. |
|
| Question: |
What
professional cameras do you use? |
| Answer: |
We
have two (2) Nikon
D2Xs, two (2) Fuji
S3s, two (2) Fuji
S2s, and one (1) Nikon
D70 (use the links to see specifications for
each) |
|
| Question: |
Do
you have "back ups" for your photography
equipment? |
| Answer: |
In
addition to seven (7) cameras, we have back ups
for all of our on-location equipment |
|
| Question: |
The
church we are getting married in is very dark,
can your photography equipment handle dark situations? |
| Answer: |
Absolutely.
Digital cameras perform the same way as film cameras.
We can adjust the ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed
depending on the light situation. In most cases,
religious ceremony don't allow for flash photography
during the ceremony. For these situations, we use
tripod mounted cameras with a higher ISO (if necessary),
larger aperture, and slower shutter speed. Again,
this is the same with film cameras. |
|
| Question: |
Do
you shoot in RAW format? |
| Answer: |
We
shoot a combination of RAW and the highest resolution
.jpg depending on the situation. For formal portraits,
we shoot raw...for candids we shoot high resolution
.jpg. |
|
|
|
Wedding
Photography Starter Kit Inclusions |
| Question: |
Do
you offer traditional wedding packages? |
| Answer: |
No.
We believe pre-defined packages limit the flexibility
of our clients. Our Wedding Starter Kit along with
our competitive ala carte program will allow you
to build "your own custom package" which
will meet your specific needs. |
|
| Question: |
As
it relates to "unlimited exposures",
how many pictures can I expect from my wedding? |
| Answer: |
This
is a tough question to answer because it will depend
on many things: the number of attendants in your
wedding party, the number of locations you want
photographs at, the length of the ceremony/reception,
and the number of guests...just to mention a few.
However, for the average wedding, you can expect
approximately 100 exposures per hour of service.
For example, if your service is for 6 hours, you
can expect approximately 600 exposures to choose
from...if your service is for 8 hours, you can expect
approximately 800 exposures to choose from.
|
|
| Question: |
How
much do you charge for additional hours of photography
service? |
| Answer: |
We
charge our standard hourly rate. See our "Prices"
page for current prices. |
|
| Question: |
Do
you provide backdrop & lighting for formal
portraits? |
| Answer: |
We
can provide our portable studio for an additional
charge (see "Prices" page). We need a
minimum "footprint" of 10' x 10' to set
up our backdrop and lighting and will provide this
at the reception location. Backdrop portraits will
hold groups up to 4 people. For larger group shots,
we will find a suitable location. |
|
|
| Question: |
Do
you provide "Photojournalistic Photography"? |
| Answer: |
Yes.
We always "blend into the background"
so as to capture the best candids available. Today's
term of "Photojournalistic" is yesterdays
term of "candid" |
|
|
| Question: |
Do
you provide "Black & White Photography"? |
| Answer: |
Yes.
You will have a choice of color, black & white,
and sepia from all the exposures we take. All three
of these color options will be viewable from your
personalized web gallery. |
|
|
| Question: |
Do
you offer printed proofs? Do we get to keep the
proofs? |
| Answer: |
No.
We do not offer traditional printed proofs. Our
proofing system is on-line where you and your guests
will be able to see all the photos from your wedding
within only 7 Days. This allows us to keep your
costs down by not having to print all the exposures.
You do, however, have the option to print "Contact
Sheets" (12 photos per page) from your on-line
gallery. This functionality is available to the
bride and groom only. |
|
|
| Question: |
What
are the "Photo Viewing Invite Cards"? |
| Answer: |
So
that everyone can have an opportunity to see the
photos from your wedding, we create custom "invite
cards" that will invite your guests to view
your photos on-line in a password protected gallery. |
|
|
| Question: |
Can
we print photos from the Digital Photo Album CD? |
| Answer: |
No.
The images on the CD are encrypted. The Digital
Photo Album is intended for viewing only. |
|
|
| Question: |
I'm
confused about your "Famous 50 Cent 4x6 First
Runs". Can you explain a little further? |
| Answer: |
This
program allows the bride and groom to order their
first set of 4x6 prints for only 50 cents each.
No matter how many 4x6s you order on your first
order, you pay only 50 cents each. All subsequent
orders will be charged at our standard print prices. |
|
| Question: |
What
do you charge for prints? |
| Answer: |
See
your specific quote for pricing. |
|
|
|
Wedding
Photography Ala Carte / Add On Products |
| Question: |
Do
I pay for prints and add on products prior to
my wedding or after? |
| Answer: |
All
prints and products are purchased after
your wedding once you have seen the photos.
The Starter Kit (as well as any additional hours
you need) are the only things which you need to
pay for prior to your wedding (and the only thing
which your 30% deposit to hold your date is based
on) |
|
| Question: |
Do
you offer photo DVDs set to music for viewing
on a TV. |
| Answer: |
Yes.
We offer customized DVDs set to music which transition
from one picture to another using different transitioning
effect. For standard weddings, we separate
out the DVD slide shows into "Pre-Wedding",
"Ceremony" and "Reception" |
|
| Question: |
Do
you offer graphic design or special effects? |
| Answer: |
Yes.
The world of digital photography opens the door
to many possibilities and we will make recommendations
on which photos would be best for each different
technique. |
|
| Question: |
Do
you offer traditional wedding albums? |
| Answer: |
Yes,
but we do it in a much different way than traditional
photographers. We allow you to go to our vendor
direct, purchase the albums direct, and build them
yourselves. This will allow you to save money
from having an expensive hourly rate added to the
cost of your album. If you would like, however,
we will build your album for you using our standard
hourly rate. An average wedding album usually
takes approximately 2 hours to construct. |
|
| Question: |
Do
you offer coffee table books? |
| Answer: |
Yes.
The world of digital photography allows for creative,
customized books to be made. |
|
| Question: |
I
know your standard time for displaying galleries
on the web is three months. What if I wanted
my photos up longer than that? |
| Answer: |
Not
a problem. Gallery extensions are available
for only a small fee. See our "Prices"
page for more details. |
|
| Question: |
Do
we get to keep the negatives? |
| Answer: |
The
high resolution digital negatives (high resolution
.jpg files) are available for a fee immediately
after your wedding (which includes ALL of your exposure). |
|
|
|
|
|
| Question: |
Do
we get to keep the proofs? |
| Answer: |
We
do not offer printed proofs. Our photo proofing
is done via a password protected web site where
you and your guests can view all of the photos from
your wedding and have a chance to purchase them
directly on-line. |
|
|
| |
Photography
Deposit & Payments |
| Question: |
What
is the deposit amount to book my date? |
| Answer: |
We
require a 30% deposit to book and hold your date.
The remainder of the balance is due on your wedding
day via check or money order. Deposit is refundable
up to 14 days after receipt of deposit. |
|
|
|
General
Photography Questions |
| Question: |
Will
you save the date for me if I don't submit the
contract and deposit? |
| Answer: |
Our
booking system is on a "first come, first serve"
basis. Whomever submits their contract along
with their deposit first is the one
which we will book. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
