FAQ
You’ve Got Questions…
I’ve Got Answers!
Whether you are planning a big wedding, tiny wedding, or an elopement, weddings in the Bay Area are a lot of work. The best piece of advice I have for you is to ask for help. Use the resources available to you. Having worked with hundreds of couples over the last 20 or so years, I am a great resource, and always happy to share my knowledge. If you haven’t read it, please check out my Tips for Planning an Awesome Wedding blog post. It will give you helpful hints no matter where you are in your planning process. Whether you are planning a wedding locally or at some exotic destination, there are some basic questions that you probably would like to have answered.
Jump to the FAQ or scroll down.
It was remarkable how he effortlessly captured the candid and intimate moments, all while being the sole photographer… What sets Gabriel apart is not just his undeniable talent, but also his advice and support.”
-Sarah + Mike
WEDDING FAQ
My photography style is documentary, editorial, photojournalistic, candid, casual, and fun. I want to help you optimize your time with your guests, keep the day flowing, and capture the real moments, the good times, the joy. You know you love your partner, and your wedding is a way of sharing that love with your nearest and dearest (and that one relative your mom made you invite). I will blend in by being another one of your guests. We will take a breather and recharge and you will barely realize we are taking couple photos. I hope to bring a touch of style and fun to your wedding.
Creating trust and a relationship with my couples is an important part of what I do. I love working with couples and their families and will personally be with you on your wedding day. A wedding is such a personal affair, you want to work with someone who feels like one of your community.
While every wedding is different, I usually find that between 6-9 hours is about right for most full-sized weddings. Tiny weddings and elopements usually require less time. If you are having a small San Francisco City Hall wedding, 1.5 hours is typically enough time. I will work with you to figure out how many hours of coverage is right for you.
Your full-resolution edited digital wedding images will be delivered through a password-protected online gallery. You can share the gallery with friends and family, download the images, and order prints. This gallery will be active for 3 months after your wedding.
Once you have downloaded the images from the online gallery, you are welcome to make prints from your favorite lab. There are many online photo printers to choose from. The images will not have any watermark, and you will have rights to share and reproduce the images for personal (non-commercial) purposes.
Nope. Almost never in my opinion. Having worked with and without second shooters, I feel like it is better for my couples when fewer people are covering the event. The images from two photographers tend to be somewhat redundant, and often we will inadvertently get in each other’s way. I have been shooting solo for about 10 years. Unless you have over 200 guests (even then it is questionable), you shouldn’t need a second photographer.
I have superhuman powers, I never get sick, and rain does not get me wet. But, on the off chance that I am so sick or injured that I can not make it to photograph your wedding, I will make every effort to find an excellent photographer from my network of pros with a similar style.
I don’t want to promise something that I can not deliver. While I try to photograph as many of the guests at a wedding as possible, my main focus is on the action, the story, the people having fun, and guests who seem most important to you. To expand the coverage and get more + different images, I suggest getting a photo booth or photo station. The most surefire way to get a picture of everyone at your wedding is to do a big group shot right after the ceremony.
I am always trying to optimize the day so that my couples have as much time as possible with their friends and family. I typically will take folks out for a casual “walk about” close to sunset or around the end of the day when there is a natural gap in events. This is often toward the end of cocktail hour or after the main course at dinner. We will duck away for 15-20 minutes and be back before you know it. I try to keep it fun and casual, and it usually feels like a refreshing recharge.
In my experience, a timeline is much more useful than a shot-list. I will work with you to help build a timeline that includes enough buffers to allow for the unexpected. We will optimize your day so you can spend as much time as possible with your friends and family. Since I want to make sure that you get the pictures that are important to you, if you have any specific request, you are welcome to ask before the wedding day or the day of.
And then when it was time for the various group shots, I admit, I doubted him. Sure, I will stand here, hold still, smile and look at the camera. But good luck with the rest of this clown show, Sport. And yet. He was a crazy mother-, blustering father-, drunk brother-, distracted toddler-, crying bridesmaid-, distracted in-law-whisperer.
-Maggie + David
WEDDING FAQ CONTINUED
Whenever possible, I do posed pictures with the immediate family and wedding party before the ceremony. I keep the combinations down to just a few important groupings. Whenever possible, I take individual portraits during this time. If there are extended family, friend groups, or any other posed group shots that people want, I tend to do those pictures during cocktail hour. Cocktail hour posed group pictures are casual.
Doing a photoshoot before the wedding is a great way to work out some of your photo jitters, get some cool shots around town, and practice working together. If you have the time and budget to include one, by all means, do it. But if not… it is ok to skip it.
In general, the more activities, action, and story elements that you have at your wedding, the more final images you will receive. As a rough number, you can expect between 50 and 100 images per hour of shooting. For an 8 hour wedding, typically between 500-800 pictures. I try to deliver a balanced selection of images that reflect my artistic style, capture the best action, and give you a sense of the overall story of the day.
You can expect to have the images within 4 weeks of your wedding, but I will usually have them to you within a week or so.
Most certainly. Printed albums are one of the best way to show off pictures of your wedding. I offer album design for $800 (this includes cover design and one round of edits) plus $10/ page for printing.
I do not offer bulk unedited images. While I would love to think that every image I take is a work of art, the reality is that sometimes it takes several tries to get that perfect shot. Sorting through the less-perfect images, redundant pictures, and outtakes and curating a well-edited set of images is a big part of the service you are paying for. I adjust the color, white balance, exposure, etc to produce a look and feel that is consistent and unique to me. The edited images that I deliver are the final product.
There is no travel fee for local weddings within 50 miles round trip of 94607. Locations farther than 50 miles from 94607 will incur a $1.25/ mile travel fee. Venues further than 2 hours away will require hotel accommodations in most cases. If you are getting married at a location that requires air travel, I charge $50/ hour for travel time plus actual travel expenses.
My preferred payment method is Venmo, though I also accept checks. Since the credit card companies charge about a 3% fee, if you would rather pay with a credit card, I will pass the credit card fee back to you.
If you like my work and the style of photography on this site and have taken a look at the pricing and feel comfortable with the price, the next step is to chat. Hopefully, after we talk out the details of your wedding and share a bit about ourselves, you will still be interested in having me join you on your wedding day. Excellent! I will send you a questionnaire. Once I get the filled-out questionnaire, I will draft an invoice and contract for you. If there are any changes or adjustments that need to be made, we can make those changes easily. If all looks good, you will send a 50% deposit to hold the date and digitally sign the contract. Closer to the wedding date, we will work on the timeline together. The remainder of the invoice is due at least 2 weeks prior to the wedding.
Family Portrait FAQ
30 Minute Session – $850
1 Hour Session – $1,200
1.5 Hour Session – $1,800
All sessions include travel in the Oakland and Berkeley area. Edited high-resolution images will be delivered within 2 weeks of the session.
I can recommend some parks, or if you want to shoot at your house, sessions at home can be great too. I love documentary, editorial, day-in-the-life style shoots where kids and parents are at home being themselves. I will work with you to settle on a location that feels good. While based in Oakland, I am happy to travel anywhere in the Bay Area for family shoots.
Morning and evening tend to be the best time for outdoor shoots. I try to avoid shooting outside in the middle of the day when the sun is directly overhead. If you have kids who take naps, please take into consideration naps and sleep schedules.
Yes. I love dogs. They can be a wild card since some take direction better than others, but yes… bring your dog. Or cat… or iguana.
The session fee includes up to 5 people. If you would like to add additional people, there is a $50/ person charge for each extra person.
Solid colors tend to be good. That said, I always advise people to avoid solid white and solid black. If you have fun/goofy outfits that you want to wear, great. Let your personality shine.
I have two kids of my own and am pretty good at connecting. And I think it is ok if your kid is a bit slow to warm and doesn’t want to smile or be super engaging. We will get pictures that remind you of who they are right now.
No problem. If you are sick, the weather is bad, or if you need to reschedule for some other reason, we can do so easily. There is no change fee, and happy to reschedule as long as I am available on the new date.
Yes. You will receive full-resolution digital images ready to print and can send them to your favorite lab for printing.
I accept Venmo (preferred) and check. Full payment for the shoot is due before the date.
Engagement Session FAQ
- If you feel shy in front of the camera, doing an engagement session, can get some of those jitters out and give you a feeling of what it will be like to work with your photographer (hopefully me).
- It is a great opportunity to get fun professional photos of you as a couple in a relaxed environment.
- If you want to send out a save-the-date or put some professional pictures on your wedding site.
But in the end, it is a personal choice. Not everyone has the time, budget, or inclination to do an engagement session, so don’t sweat it.
If you have decided to do an engagement session, I will work with you to figure out a date, time, and location that works for us. I usually do sessions in Oakland, Berkeley, or San Francisco. We can do your session at home, at a local restaurant or bar, at a park, at the beach, etc. There are lots of great outdoor locations close by. If you have a specific spot in mind, let me know.
It is helpful to imagine that you are on a fun date/ adventure with your partner. Dress up, dress fun, bring your dog. If we are going to an outdoor area where we will be walking, make sure to wear good walking shoes. Bonus if you have shoes that are fun and are decent for walking in. If possible, avoid wearing solid black and solid white.
The timing is up to you, but you probably want to give yourself a good bit of time if you are looking to use an image for a save-the-date card or some other printed material for the wedding. Midweek is typically a better time for me than weekends.
You can bring a change of clothes, but make sure to consider that you may need to carry the clothing, and find a place to change. I usually like to keep things simple, so unless you are doing the shoot at home, maybe think about just having one outfit. Remember, keep it real and fun. If it doesn’t feel like you, don’t do it.
To take advantage of the best light, I usually schedule my sessions an hour or so before sunset. Sessions usually last about an hour.
If the forecast calls for rain, we can always reschedule. Consider that sometimes it clears up toward the end of rainy days and you get an epic sunset. Overcast days can be great for shooting. But, if you want to reschedule a shoot, it is usually not a big deal.
You should get your images within a week or two of the shoot. Expect between 50-100 images. I will deliver the digital images to you electronically.
Yes. Please feel free to make prints and share the images online. If you do post images online, please tag me with all use.
ELOPEMENT
TINY WEDDING
FAQ
If you are getting married at San Francisco City Hall or are having tiny weddings where the main focus is the ceremony, and some couple photo, 1.5 hours may be ample time. If you are planning something longer, I will work with you to determine how much time is best.
Yes! I have lived in the Bay Area for the majority of my life, so I know a lot of great spots. Always happy to help people find somewhere cool.
One of the benefits of having a smaller wedding is that there is not as many moving parts to consider. That said, it is still a surprising amount of work. I have a great list of vendors that I can share with you.
Yes. San Francisco City Hall is one of the coolest, affordable, indoor venues in the Bay Area. I have photographed there many times. If you are considering getting married there, let’s talk.
Chances are … yes. Some places are a hard yes, and many places require a permit, but do not enforce it. Permits to have a wedding at a state or local park are often cheap and easy to obtain, so there is little downside. But if you find yourself on a craggy cliff overlooking the Pacific without a permit, I wouldn’t sweat it.
In the unlikely event that I get sick or I am unable to photograph your elopement or tiny wedding, I will find an awesome photographer to replace me.
Overcast days are great. And rain can be cool too. If you decide to postpone because of the weather, I will work with you to find a new date when I am available to shoot. Your deposit will be applied to the new date.
If you cancel your wedding, your deposit will not be refunded. Thankfully, cancellations are very rare.
You should expect your password protected online gallery from which you can share and download your images within a couple weeks of your wedding.
Still have questions?
Drop me a line. I would love to chat.