F.A.Q.
WHAT IS YOUR STYLE?
Our style is best described as artistic-documentary. We are documenting your day as it folds, capturing real emotions, but we also put a lot of energy into creative perspective of each shoot. We often experiment with different lighting techniques, backgrounds and styles, to get the most of your creative portraits. Whether photographing a small intimate wedding or 500 people ceremony, our goal is to capture every memorable moment, the atmosphere and your emotions.
SHOULD WE MEET?
We love to meet our clients in person, to learn more about them and their expectations for the wedding day. Sometimes they are not able to meet with us due to busy schedules so the majority hires us without an in-person meeting. We are very quick, and very thorough, with emails and phone calls and are able to answer most questions in those ways. If you do not live in Chicago but would still like to see us, we can also schedule a video meeting. We can always find a method that works!
HOW MANY PHOTOGRAPHERS WILL BE AT MY WEDDING?
We always have two photographers at the wedding. The second photographer is responsible for shooting the groom getting ready, all details, providing a second angle on the ceremony and reception, and assisting the lead photographer with off-camera lighting for creative portraits. If the wedding is extremely demanding and over 350 guests we will bring an assistant as well.
DO WE NEED ENGAGEMENT SESSION?
Engagement sessions are useful in many ways. For one, if we do them early, you can use the photos for Save the date cards. You will feel more comfortable on the wedding day if you worked with your photographer before. It is two hours of practice. If your wedding is not in the city and you really want some photos of Chicago skyline and Riverwalk, engagement sessions are perfect addition to your wedding day photos.
HOW MUCH COVERAGE DO WE NEED?
Every wedding is different but typically we recommend us arriving during the last hour of bride prep and staying at least one hour into open dancing. It is always best to have a consultation before deciding on coverage.
WILL YOU TRAVEL FOR DESTINATION WEDDING OR ENGAGEMENT SESSION TO ANOTHER CITY?
We will gladly travel to any destination. We can book our own airfare, hotel and transportation to make it easier for you.
WHAT IF IT RAINS ON OUR WEDDING DAY OR FOR ENGAGEMENT SESSION?
If you have an outdoor wedding, most of the venues provide a back up. Same goes for us. We will always make a back-up plan when it comes to wedding party photos on locations. For engagement sessions we recommend rescheduling and waiting for a perfect weather. If you are curious how we handle rainy day wedding check out Rainy Wedding on our web site.
DO WE NEED A PERMIT?
If you have your heart set on certain location it is up to you to check requirements and pay applicable fees if required. We can always help with suggestions so do not hesitate to ask.
DO YOU OFFER VIDEO?
Yes, we do offer videography. The best part about this bundle is that our photo and video teams work together all the time. So you’ll get a better wedding day experience and peace of mind knowing you hired the best team possible for your wedding.
DO YOU HAVE LIABILITY INSURANCE?
Of course. We do request you to let us know at least a month before the wedding so that we can contact Insurance Company in timely manner.
CAN WE SEND A LIST OF PHOTOS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO RECREATE?
If there are any particular shots you want, feel free to tell us. We work for you and want you to be happy with your images. You can always send your Pinterest board of the images that you like but it is important that you trust us to capture your wedding as we think best. Every wedding is unique and even if you wear the same outfit or book the same venue as someone before you, does not guarantee you will have the same photos.
HOW MANY IMAGES WILL WE RECEIVE AND HOW LONG UNTIL WE RECEIVE A FINAL PRODUCT?
Number of the photos depends on wedding day coverage, number of guests, type of the event etc. Our average for 8 hour wedding is around 600 images. Online galleries are posted within 4-6 weeks from the wedding date. Delivery time for the album is around 4-6 weeks after the final approval.
ARE OUR IMAGES WATERMARKED?
We do not put watermark on our images. This allows you to print your images anywhere you want and we can also include a print release if you need one.
CAN WE ORDER PRINTS?
Your digital files are available on your online gallery and they are password protected. From your online gallery you have the option to order prints from our trusted printing lab. If you decide to print photos somewhere else, please contact us for recommendations for printing companies.
DO WE HAVE THE COPYRIGHT TO THE IMAGES?
You can use your images in a personal capacity any way that you like. Want to order prints? Create albums? Share with your friends? You can do it all! We will include print copyrights with your images. What you will not be able to do is sell them for money, license them for commercial use or give permission to anyone else to do these things. WS Photography will maintain the ownership copyrights to our images.
CAN WE GET THE RAW FILES?
The RAW unedited files are not available for viewing or purchase. RAW image is unfinished product and we only deliver fully processed files. We work really hard on every single image that you will get. Images will be optimized for exposure, white balance, sharpening, color correction, lens correction, crop and overall enhancements. Post processing of the photographs is demanding job because we process every photograph individually to bring out it’s best.
CAN WE GET MORE IMAGES?
The images selected for editing and final delivery are very carefully chosen. We only delete doubles, eyes closed, flash did not fire, somebody walks in front of the lens, blurry images. The images not selected aren’t archived, therefore not available.
HOW DO WE HIRE YOU?
Once we receive your signed contract and retainer your date is fully reserved.
