Frequently Asked Questions regarding the wedding planning process, pricing structure, album design process and how Jennifer is to work with.
{STYLE, RATES & BOOKING}
What is your photography style?
Jennifer Bowen’s passion behind her work is to ultimately capture the essence of the people being photographed, as well as emotion of the moments. She strives to take photographs that make you feel something. Her work has been described both others as romantic, emotional, timeless and sophisticated. Jennifer is not interested in chasing photographic trends but she does wants you to love your photos as much 30 years from now as you do today. She also knows that most brides and grooms invest a great amount of time into looking their best on the wedding day, so her goal is to also create modern yet natural looking portraits of them they will be proud to show off. She helps her clients with some “posing” tips, specifically during family formals and the bride & groom portrait time, but her intention is always to capture each unique relationship as naturally as possible. Even if her couples are some what posed at times, she never ever wants them to look cheesy, stiff or uncomfortable!
What is Jennifer like to deal with on the wedding day and before/after the wedding?
She has been told by most clients that she is very easy to work with, kind, unobtrusive and a calming presence on the wedding day. Her approach to documenting a wedding is that the bride and groom (as well as their family members and guests) are the stars of the day, not the vendors. She is there to capture the day for the bride and groom and hopes to do it with kindness, decorum and professionalism. She also expects this from any of her second shooters or assistants who may also help on the day. Likewise, Jennifer comes from a business background, so strives so be professional, prompt and diligent with all the pre-wedding and post-wedding communication.
What are your rates?
Jennifer’s 2012 package rates start at $5,750 for all day coverage + products. During the off season or non peak wedding dates, she may be willing to slightly customize packages for smaller weddings or reduced coverage needs. She also has an associate photographer whose rates start at $2,950. For full pricing & package information, please inquire.
How do we book you?
Simply let us know you would like to book your date and we will send you a contract based on your wedding photography package needs. Once you send us the completed contract with your 33% retainer deposit, the date will be locked in for you. The initial 33% deposit is nonrefundable since we will start turning away other business for your wedding date.
Can you hold the date for me?
We cannot hold a date without a retainer and a signed contract. We accept bookings on a first come/first served basis.
What is your payment schedule like?
The initial non-refundable booking fee/retainer is 33% of the total wedding package. The second 33% non-refunable payment is due halfway between your booking date and wedding date and the final 34% balance of your package is due 7 days prior to the wedding date. For weddings booked within 3 months of the wedding date, the payment plan is 50/50%.
Can we pay you part of the amount after the wedding or after we view the images?
No, we require full payment 7 days prior the wedding being photographed. But you can rest assured that you will receive your images.
If I have to cancel my wedding, can I get my money back?
All monies paid to date are non-refundable. The retainer guarantees that we will hold the date exclusively for you and once you’ve signed the contract we do turn down all other commissions for that date.
What happens if you cannot photograph our wedding?
Pretty much the only thing that would prevent Jennifer from photographing your wedding is if she died. But in the case of some extreme emergency that prevented Jennifer from photographing your wedding she or her associates would have a replacement photographer at your event. Jennifer is also part of both local and national organizations as well as local networking groups that would help ensure another pro would be there to cover your wedding. Essentially, Plan B would go into effect and you would not be left high and dry.
How far out do you book weddings?
Jennifer books most weddings one year out, but also books weddings from anywhere between 1-11 months as well. We would recommend reserving your date as soon as you are able. Arizona’s peak weddings months are March-May and October-November and those dates do go the quickest.
{PROCESS & PLANNING}
How much coverage will I need?
That depends on your schedule and the events or portions of the day you would like to have covered. We recommend a minimum of 7 hours coverage to ensure that we capture the flow of the day in true photojournalistic style, but most full day coverage ranges from 8-10 hours. We have found that anything over that can be overkill and couples get overwhelmed with the sheer number of images a 10-12 hour day would result in. For smaller weddings, we occasionally do 4-6 hour days (off peak wedding days) where it may be a good fit, and in that case, the couples typically pull together an ala carte package based specifically on their needs.
Do you provide more than one photographer?
For weddings larger than 60 guests, Jennifer always brings another professional photographer from her team with her. For weddings larger than 200 guests, she typically provides a third shooter as well. She will usually have an assistant with her as well, but for very small weddings (50 or less), it may just be her, unless a second photographer is requested or added for those.
Do you meet with us again before the wedding?
We certainly can. Most of our clients prefer to talk via phone to walk through their wedding timeline planning (4-5 weeks prior to their wedding date), however if you want to meet at your wedding venue, we are more than happy to do that, provided its local :-)
What can we expect after we book you?
After the initial booking, if your wedding is some time away, things may be quiet from us until you are ready to book your engagement session (if you plan to do one). Just let us know the timeframe you would like to do your engagement session and we will work to get it scheduled. About 4-6 weeks out from your wedding date, we will send you a form that will ask about planned formal photography groupings, your vendors and your timeline. Most clients prefer to walk through this timeline over a phone call and we like to do this with you so that we can work to maximize your photography timeline. If you are working with a professional full service wedding planner, they will likely handle this timeline planning for you and we can work with them directly on that end.
We want to get a guest signature album containing the images from our engagement session, do you offer those?
Absolutely. We love these books and our clients do to! You will need to allow 4 week turnaround time to design the book, proof it, make any changes and then for the manufacturer to print it. If you are doing one of these books, we recommend you plan your engagement session 6-9 months before your wedding if possible or no less than 3 months from your wedding.
Do you work from a set “shot list”?
Due the nature of Jennifer’s style and documentary approach, she does not work from magazine or website based “must-have shot lists” for the entire wedding day. However, please understand that because we are photojournalistic in nature and have photographed hundreds of weddings, Jennifer and her team will generally capture all of those images anyway. We will however request a list of family formals that you would like taken on your wedding day as well as inquire about religious or spiritual traditions that may necessitate certain shots on your wedding day. These questions will be on the form that the studio sends you 4-6 weeks before your wedding day and is not required to be sent back to the studio until at least one week prior to your wedding. Jennifer will look to you to provide what family groupings you will want to have since family dynamics are different for everyone and she does not want to assume that a traditional check list will work for everyone.
How long does it take to get our products and images?
Online galleries are posted within 3-4 weeks of the wedding date. Digital files are available within 6 weeks of the wedding date. Upon final approval of album designs, most albums are ready for delivery within 6-10 weeks.
How many images will we get in our online gallery?
The number of photographs taken depends on many things including hours of coverage and the types of events. Smaller or shorter weddings may have 400 finished images and longer wedding days can often have as many as 1200+.
Do you include the negatives in your packages?
Yes, each of our packages contain the digital negatives on a disc for you to keep. The images are for your personal use only. We do retain the copyright to the images and the right to use them for promotional purposes, competitions, etc. You will get a written release that will allow you to make unlimited personal reproductions and copies for your friends and families.
Where do we view our proof gallery when its complete?
Jennifer will email you with all the details you will need to view your images and order enlargements when the proof gallery is ready. She will also include instructions on creating personal folders of favorites for your album or other products you may have in your package. You will then be able to let all of your guests and friends know the online link so they can view and order images from your wedding as well.
Can friends and family also take images at the wedding?
Of course! The only time Jennifer will not permit others to stand behind or off to the right of her to take photos is during the bride & groom portrait time, mainly so that they are not a distraction to the bride & groom, to allow privacy to the couple during this time, to respect the copyright integrity of those particular images in how they were set up or posed by Jennifer, but lastly, for safety reasons. Jennifer often moves quickly and could back up into your guests accidentally. The only other thing to consider is that if your guests are budding or hobbyist photographers with higher end cameras and are taking lots of additional pictures for you, you may want to request that they try and stay out of the line of sight of the main photographer’s lens simply so that they are not in the background of many of your images.
{WEDDING ALBUMS AND ALBUM PROCESS}
What types of albums do you offer?
Jennifer works with a few different high end wedding album companies to design custom, quality wedding coffee table books and albums for clients. At the initial consultation meeting, potential clients can view the different books and options and Jennifer will work with her clients after the wedding to create a custom and unique book that reflects your own style and tastes.
How does the album design process work?
The album process is largely client driven. Jennifer gives her clients the time they need to pick the images for the album. However, if you don’t select your images within 6 months, then Jennifer and her team will predesign an album for you using Jennifer’s favorite images and then will send you a preview. You will then have two rounds of changes to your album before change-fees are assessed. Each round of changes takes 1-2 weeks to complete. Once you approve the final design, Jennifer will help you choose your album cover style and other details inherent to the finished product. Once you sign off on the book, it will go to print where most manufacturers will take 4-8 weeks to print, bind and ship. Some couples have their finished album in their hands within 2 months after the wedding if they are very quick to pick images, while others who do not pick them by the 9 month mark can expect for it take a year to receive their finished album.
{TRAVEL & DESTINATION WEDDINGS}
Do you travel for destination weddings?
Absolutely! Jennifer lives in Scottsdale and photographs many local weddings, however she also travels to most parts of the world and certainly anywhere in the US to document weddings for clients. Jennifer is extremely comfortable and experienced with traveling, so you can rest assured your event will be well documented anywhere in the world. She has photographed weddings in France, Mexico, Napa, San Diego, Ohio and engagement sessions in NYC, Cape Cod, Napa, Laguna Beach, San Diego and more. If you are planning a destination wedding in Italy, Hawaii, or the Caribbean Islands, let us know so we can work with you!
What do you charge for destination weddings?
Destination weddings are quoted completely custom because of the unique locations and needs inherent to planning them. Jennifer will include all the necessary travel costs into the package so that you are never billed after for travel, lodging or incidentals. Jennifer will make her own travel plans and work with you to determine what kinds of events you would like covered while on location.
{THE BUSINESS DETAILS}
Do you have insurance?
Yes.
What kind of equipment do you use?
Jennifer uses top of the line professional Canon camera bodies, L-series professional lenses and flashes. She also brings backup equipment and lots of batteries and compact flash cards.
How long have you been in business?
Jennifer has been in business since 2004 and has photographed over a 100 weddings.
by jenjoaz
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