Do you use an assistant or is it just you?

Answer -As a minimum I always use one assistant. His/her job is to take care of handing me new film when it is needed, a fresh towl for the bride to freshen up and carrying the equipment from one location to the other. Short, he/she takes care of all the little, but important things so that I can fully concentrate on you and the task at hand. If it is a larger wedding party I additionally use an photo assistant. Those are mostly young, aspiring photographers, who are in training to become masters of the trade. Their job is to re-load my cameras, see that the lighting is set up ahead of time and take pictures from alternative angles. The main photography and artistic responsibility however will always stay with me. If the budget allows it and the bride wishes so I use a professinal make-up artist who normally assists me on my commercial shoots. For complex ligthing situations, i.e. ball rooms, big reception areas etc, I have our lighting technician seting up our studio ligths at the location.

Do you shoot film or digital?

Answer - We shoot digital. With the new Nikon d2x 12.4 Mega pixel digital camera, I can truly say that digital photography now meets the highest professional standards. For you as a client this has the big advantage that you can see the results of your wedding pictures way faster then in the past. In most cases we are now able to get you the proofs of your wedding photos on a CD at the same day . With this you have plenty of time to make your selection and can take the printed photographs home with you.

What are proofs?

In the old days , photographers presented clients with proof pictures printed on special paper. These images would last for a few weeks and then fade. These days we are using hi-tech proofing methods: Online and CD. That means that you initially view the images on a computer or television screen. You then select from the screen and have your photographs printed according to your selection.

Should we do the formals before or after the ceremony?

Some couples think it is bad luck to see each other before the ceremony. If following this tradition is important to you, all of the photos of the bride and groom together will be done afterwards. However, getting all the formals done at the beginning has several advantages: If your ceremony ends after dark, you might miss out on the beautiful, turquoise caribbean as a backdrop. Flowers, clothing and make-up are fresh, and you can carefully budget time for formals. If you feel that formal photos are important to you, set aside at least one or even two hours fort it. Ideally, this session should finish about half an hour before the ceremony begins. If you do formals immediately after the ceremony, please be aware that guests have to wait before they can greet you, and members of the bridal party will have to pose for pictures rather than mingle. About 50% of the weddings I photograph have all the formals taken before the ceremony. Talk it over with your spouse to be and see what shedule fits you best.

Can other people take photos during the formal photography?

Of course many guests find snapping a few pictures a pleasant part of attending weddings. This is not not a big deal for us and we are happy if they do so when formals are over. When we are working through a pre-determined series of formal pictures with a timeline set, snap-shooters will slow the process. A problem arises also when there are several cameras aimed at a formal group and the subjects will be looking at different lenses. The diverted attention will ruin your picture. Another reason is when we are using a light-sensing trigger device on a second flash, other flashes will trigger this flash, ruining the pictures [that you are paying for] and again wasting time and energy. Ideally, guests should show respect for the bridal party and their wants for professional photographs and put down their cameras during the formal session.