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Chicago
Wedding Photography Questions and Answers |
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. |
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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. |
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Question: |
How
many weddings have you photographed? |
Answer: |
Under
the LOFTUS PHOTOGRPHY banner
, we have photographed over 100 weddings. |
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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). |
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Question: |
Where
is your photography studio located? |
Answer: |
We
work out of our home studio in Lombard, IL.
Consultations are by appointment only. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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) |
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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. |
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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. |
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|
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. |
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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.
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|
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. |
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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. |
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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" |
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|
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. |
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|
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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Question: |
What
do you charge for prints? |
Answer: |
See
your specific quote for pricing. |
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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) |
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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" |
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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. |
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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. |
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Question: |
Do
you offer coffee table books? |
Answer: |
Yes.
The world of digital photography allows for
creative, customized books to be made. |
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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. |
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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). |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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