Why should we choose Michelle Brooks Photography?
You shouldn’t – unless you have looked through our work & absolutely fall in love with our style, & talk with us & feel that “click” that lets you know you can trust us to document the most important day in your life. We want our clients to feel that they made the best possible choice in photographers, before & after their wedding day.
How far in advance should we book you?
It’s best to go ahead & book your wedding date as soon as you have made your decision to use us, for a couple of reasons:
1) the date will not be held until a wedding photography contract has been signed, &
2) you will lock in at the current price, future price increases will not affect you.
We have a list of shots we would like; will you work by this?
If you’ve made your decision to entrust us with capturing your wedding’s moments mainly because you want the same style images you saw in our portfolio, please consider that these are the results of our style of photography, which is largely spontaneous, candid & natural. Lists not only tend to slow things down & make the experience more tedious for everyone involved, but they also stifle creativity. Of course, if there are a few shots that you’ve had your heart set on, we’ll be more than happy to work those in; it’s the lists with sub-categories that scare us!
Do we get a cd with our package?
Everyone wants the best value for their money; we get that! We feel the same way & we want our clients to feel that every cent they’ve spent on their photography was worth it.
I deliver all clients their edited, high-res images via a PASS online gallery (to view a short video on PASS go to https://vimeo.com/channels/491915 ; to view a real PASS gallery go to http://michellebrooksphotography.pass.us/2012favorites/ ) Why PASS? Just to name a few reasons:
- PASS gives you your images the instant they are finished, no waiting for discs or flash drives any more {yay}
- Images can be instantly downloaded onto your own computer, shared to Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest with a click of your mouse
- Your collection is safely stored in the PASS cloud, free for 30 days but a $29 upgrade gives you TEN YEARS storage!
- Order prints directly from your PASS gallery & have them delivered to your door
- Custom app for smart phone or tablet
- Easy sharing of your gallery with family & friends
- Friends & Family can tell you how much they love your photos by leaving comments in the Guestbook feature.
- It’s uber cool (:-)
Neither of your wedding packages exactly fits our needs; are we out of luck?
Oh, heck to the no! We’ll tailor fit a package to fit you like a second skin. Just let us know what you need.
Will you travel?
Please! Take us to Italy for your destination wedding! Yes, we love to travel. Of course, there are expenses that must be covered. Give us the details & we’ll work out a package for you.
How many images will I get?
We do not limit the number of images for any of our sessions. Obviously, weddings are going to have more images than engagement or bridal sessions, but a full day wedding package can range from around 300 – 700 images or more, depending on what the package includes (pre-ceremony shots, preparation shots, reception exit shots, etc). Other sessions typically have 35 – 70 images.
How long will it take to get the edited images?
Our turnaround time is not going to be the quickest you will find & there’s a good reason for that – every single image that goes into your collection is fully edited. That takes time, a lot of time. If a fast turnaround time is the most important thing to you, we’re probably not for you. Many photographers will edit only a select amount of images while making only basic if any adjustments to the rest; that’s not for us. We want every image we give to you to be the best it can possibly be. We think you’ll find it’s worth the waitUsually it will take 6-8 weeks for wedding collections, depending on how heavy our schedule is, for us to get the images edited, retouched & uploaded to your private, password-protected gallery. The brilliant thing about getting a PASS gallery for your collection is that, as soon as I have finished editing – BAM! They will be uploaded & you’ll be able to view them in all their glory! If your package includes an album, allow an additional 3-6 weeks to receive it after you have approved the final design. Other sessions will take approx. 3 weeks.
For sessions other than weddings, typical turnaround is about 3 weeks.
Is it all right if family members or friends come along for the session?
Our answer to that question would have to be — it depends on the session. For a Bridal Session, it’s actually pretty helpful to have Mom or a friend or even your hair/make-up artist along to assist with handling the dress or veil, wardrobe malfunctions, & carrying things you might bring along to keep yourself gorgeous & fresh. Engagement Sessions are a whole nother animal; it can be difficult for a couple to be intimate & relaxed with each other with others looking on, especially a parent. For the best results in this kind of session, we need you to be able to give your full attention to bringing out the facets of your relationship you want to show in your photos. That is usually achieved if it’s just us & you. If you do decide you want parents or others to accompany you, we ask only that you gently remind them beforehand that they refrain from giving directions to you while we’re shooting (i.e., “Smile, honey, you’re not smiling!”) or change the flow of our working by asking for a lot of certain poses. That doesn’t mean we don’t want you to ask for your “dream shot” or even show us examples or ideas you’d like us to try– we {heart} when our clients do that! We just want to make certain we give you the style & verve in your collection you want, & we do that by staying true to our work flow.
One firm restriction we have is that there be no other photos taken during your session by anyone else, other than one or two snapped on a cell phone for a Twitter or Facebook post
Are there any advantages to the bride & groom seeing each other before the ceremony (First Look)?
First Look photos have become very popular with couples, & there are good reasons; it allows the two of you the intimate, private experience of seeing each other in your wedding day attire & sharing those moments only with each other (while we capture it all for you) without the distraction of the audience of your guests. It also allows us to be sure of getting those initial blissful reactions, something sometimes not possible during the ceremony because of venue restrictions. Another benefit is that it can help you both to begin to relax & look forward to the approaching moment when you are pronounced husband & wife. Think of the precious minutes of the two of you, heads together, laughing and/or crying as you share the excitement of the journey you are about to begin together. We {BIG heart} First Looks & highly recommend them.
