Frequently Asked Questions This is a not-so-short list of the most common questions I'm asked regarding wedding photography - hopefully many of your questions can be answered here - if not please drop me an email - I'd be happy to chat with you about your wedding details and photography needs. - When I get my high-resolution images on disc, will there be any copyright markings on the photos? - Who is the actual photographer who will be at my wedding? - Why is the booking deposit non-refundable? - Can you recommend other wedding service providers? - Do you provide any type of gift registry service? - Where do we meet with you to discuss your photography services? - Do you visit the wedding venue before the wedding date? - Do you attend the rehearsal? - It is a requirement to provide a meal for the photographer at the reception? - Is there any limit on the number of locations I can use for photography? - Why is wedding photography so expensive? - How long after the wedding will it be before I receive my photographs? - Do you have a studio where I can get some portraits done? - Can I drop by your studio anytime to view album samples? - What type of camera equipment do you use? - Do you do other types of photography besides weddings? - What happens if I develop a small blemish on my wedding day – can you fix that in the photos? When I get my high-resolution images on disc, will there be any copyright markings on the photos? No. The photos are yours to freely reproduce for your own personal use and are unmarked. You can upload images or physically take the disc into your favourite photo printing store and order prints – you don’t have to order prints through us. Who is the actual photographer who will be at my wedding? Yes, if I meet with you to discuss your wedding photography I will be the actual photographer at your wedding.  I show only images from weddings that I have shot so you get a true sense of my own skill level & shooting style as a photographer.  In the event you request a second photographer to be at your wedding, you will have a chance to meet the second person, but usually not at our initial meeting. Some larger studios that have many photographers working for the same company show prospective clients only their best photographer’s photos, but the actual person that shows up at your wedding is not the person’s photos you looked at.  That is not the case with Go West Studios – you are meeting the actual photographer. Why is the booking deposit non-refundable? The booking deposit is to allow me to be comfortable that you are in fact going to use my services on your wedding day.  Once you’ve booked my services, I reserve that day & time for your wedding.  If you were to cancel at anytime before the wedding, I might not be able to book another wedding at the last minute and thus lose a day’s work. Especially in the summer months, I do get multiple requests for many weekend wedding dates and the first couple to make the deposit reserves my services. Can you recommend other wedding service providers? Yes absolutely. Having attended many weddings, I have seen & met with many other wedding professionals who I would readily recommend – everything from florists, caterers and decorators to cakes specialists & wedding planners to name a few. Please inquire at our initial meeting, I’d love to provide a list of quality people who I’ve worked with in the past. Do you provide any type of gift registry service? Yes. Not many photographers offer this service, but we are pleased to offer a gift registry to our booked clients. As part of any package (no extra cost) you receive gift registry enclosure cards that can be sent out with your invitations. Your guests can pay for part of your photography service fees as their gift to you. This is especially appreciated by couples that already own many of the common household items given as gifts at a wedding. Who needs an extra blender or ironing board? Gift certificates can be purchased in $50, $75 and $100 denominations or any combination of those amounts. When you book your initial consultation with me (absolutely no obligation) you will receive a full information package with samples of the registry cards & a literature package of tips for making your wedding day a success! Where do we meet with you to discuss your photography services? I usually meet clients in one of three places. If you are in the Vancouver area, I have an office on West Broadway at Cyprus.  Another option, to save some travel time (and gas) is meeting at a mutually convenient coffee shop (like Starbucks or Tim Hortons) if you're not in the Vancouver area. Or, if you prefer, I am happy to bring my sample albums to your home! Do you visit the wedding venue before the wedding date? Usually – yes. If I have never shot at a particular location before I will visit the venue a few weeks before the wedding. You do not need to attend, it’s just for me to make sure I’m prepared to deal with the lighting situations and find the best spots to pose group shots. Since I’ve already shot in many parks and other venues around the greater Vancouver area, I don’t have a need to visit a location I’ve already become familiar with. There is no extra fee when I do a venue check before a wedding on my own schedule. Do you attend the rehearsal? Usually I don't attend rehearsals.  Unless there is some specific reason to do so, I haven’t found it necessary to attend rehearsals.  If you would like me to attend your rehearsal, I can usually do that (subject to my schedule / availability), but there is a small additional fee that is not included in any of the package prices shown on this site. It is a requirement to provide a meal for the photographer at the reception? The short answer is no, it’s not a requirement. However, on bookings of 7 hours or longer, I do require a meal break (you would expect no less from your employer). Many couples will provide their photographer a meal after the wedding guests have finished eating since it allows the photographer to stay in the reception area and catch any impromptu or unplanned events that may need to be photographed. If no meal is provided I leave the reception area for a short period to take a break. Is there any limit on the number of locations I can use for photography? No, there is no limit. From a practical standpoint, you should keep the locations to a minimum to allow more time for photography and spend less time on travel. Travel time does take place within the number of hours you have booked for your photography. Why is wedding photography so expensive? Only about 20% of the work on any given wedding photography package takes place on the actual day of the wedding. Many of my full 6 hour plus photography packages actually involve about 30 - 40 hours of work. Most of the work takes place after the wedding is over as I clean up and retouch the photos, prepare DVD’s, order prints, co-ordinate album printing etc., not to mention the cost of printing the professional albums, which is surprisingly high. How long after the wedding will it be before I receive my photographs? It depends on the package you have booked and number of hours of photography. If you are only booking a 3 hour – digital only service, you will usually have your digital files on DVD-rom within 7-10 days. If you are booking a full day of photography (7 hours plus), it could take as much as 2-3 weeks before seeing proof albums and index print booklets. The reason is simply that the more photographs I take, the longer it takes to process digital enhancements & create prints etc. The higher end albums like the Renaissance series are extremely nice, but do take a long time to produce. It’s not unusual for the whole process to take 2-3 months to get your finished albums. Good high quality albums take time! Cheap, quick albums, do not. Do you have a studio where I can get some portraits done? Yes, I do have shared studio spaces in Surrey & Vancouver. Full studio lighting and backdrops are available for your professionally posed portraits. At your request I can also have a make-up artist present to assist with your make-up. Please enquire for further details on studio portraits. Can I drop by your studio anytime to view album samples? I keep office hours strictly by appointment only.  The fact is that MOST of my work takes place outside of the office and many of the pre-wedding meetings take place in more convenient locations. For example, if you live and work in White Rock, I don’t expect you to drive all the way out to Vancouver to view some albums – I would be happy to schedule a meeting at a mutually convenient location.  In fact, I live in Richmond and often it’s a drive for BOTH of us to go to the office when there’s frequently a better solution that involves less travel for everyone. What type of camera equipment do you use? I am pleased to use Canon cameras & lenses for all of my photography work. Although it is one of the more expensive brands of equipment, I believe providing a quality product to my clients is very important. I use a digital camera and post-process images using Adobe Photoshop – the standard for photographers interested in high quality image manipulation & processing. As a side note, this is a good place to point out that the quality of the “name brand” of equipment, no matter how expensive or fancy it is… these things are all much less important than the photographer’s skills. - Do you do other types of photography besides weddings? Of course!  Although weddings are a specialty, it is only one part of my photography business.  As you can see from samples throughout this site, I cover events, portraits, business and corporate events & pets etc. If you have a project that would benefit from having a professional take care of the photos, drop me an email and we can discuss the details and options without any obligation or commitment on your part. What happens if I develop a small blemish on my wedding day – can you fix that in the photos? Yes absolutely. There is an additional fee for air-brushing and other advanced image manipulation – but it is available if desired. Small blemishes, teeth whitening etc. are fairly common fixes and are not usually that expensive to fix.

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