“ No question is a bad question”
Wedding Photography is an investment and we believe in building a relationship with every couple we work with. These are some common questions we asked and we would love to answer all the questions 
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Q: Do you deliver every image you shoot?
A: No, we do not. We eliminate duplicate images, test shots, missed focused shots, shots with bad expressions and other images that may dilute the overall product delivery. On an average for 6000 images on a wedding with two photographers on a wedding day, not all images are not perfect. Do you want to sit and go over 6000 images and pick 1400 images check which has perfect focus?
For example, because we shoot with low apertures, sometimes we take a few extra shots to make sure we have the perfect focus. We don’t expect you to have the expertise or the time to zoom into each image to select the one with the sharpest focus, so we spend hours doing that on our end.
Also, we won’t have any benefit not delivering an image which captures a moment or a guest.
Q: Does your studio provide videography services?
A: We have partners who provide videography service and we can always connect with you with videographers. We are open to working new videographers and our belief in a quickly have that conversation with other vendors on the day so that we all get that product we committed to our client.
Q: Have you shot at my venue before?
A: We might have or might have. We usually do all our research before the wedding and always are prepared for worst lighting conditions
Q: Do you do destination weddings? What are additional fees associated with destination weddings?
A: Yes, We have shot in 8 different countries, We love to travel with you to tell your weddings stories. Additional fees are travel associated costs and we do offer a 600$ credit to all destination weddings clients which can be used to prints or additional coverage.
Check out our blog on Destination weddings. Blog Link
Q: Which photographer will be shooting my wedding?
A: You meet your photographer from day one, you see their work and them photography your engagement shoot and your wedding. If you were recommended by a client who worked with Vig and Vig will be the photographer if he is available. If a certain photographer is not available we like, to be honest in the process and we suggest other associates.
Q: Do you provide partial day coverage?
A: We typically do not provide partial day coverage on weekends. On weekends, we only accept clients that require at least 6 hours of coverage and above.
STYLE AND QUALITY QUESTIONS
Q: What is your style regarding photography?
A: Check out our style in the link here – Style
Q: Can I see a full event from start to finish?
A: Of course you may! We understand all photographers post their best shots from each wedding on their websites so it’s hard to determine how well he or she will perform on the wedding day. That is why we encourage all of our potential clients to view full events from all photographers they meet with to see how well the photographer performs throughout the day.
Q: My venue is very dark. How does your studio handle these situations and can I see samples?
A: We have shot in the darkest of dark chapels and reception halls so no need to worry! If the situation allows, we will set up additional lighting to ensure we get focused pictures. Some chapels do not allow for flash photography; and for that reason, we shoot on camera’s with superb low-light performance and lenses with low apertures
Q: Is there a style or quality difference among the photographers?
A: Consistency is the key. We trust that the quality and style of photography you receive will be consistent. However, we do tailor our shooting style and techniques to our client requests. For example, some clients may prefer a light and airy look while others may prefer dramatic lighting and shadows.
BLOG ENTRY QUESTIONS
Q: How do I get my wedding published on other wedding blogs or magazines?
A: Here is the link to our blogs where we tell a story – Claudia and Sumit wedding
POST PRODUCTION QUESTIONS
Q: Do you touch up all the images in our image download?
A: Yes we do. Every image we deliver is post produced and this involves color correction, exposure adjustment, selective black and white processing, clarity adjustments, other corrections.
Q: What do you mean by “retouched image” the photos?
A: “Retouched images” means post processed images.
Q: What if we need more editing or custom editing and why are there additional costs for the custom retouch?
A: Advanced post-production includes touch ups such as removal of blemishes, removal of bags under eyes, removal of fly-away hairs, etc. On the other hand, custom post production is anything that requires extensive, custom work in Photoshop such as removing entire objects from the scene, changing the size and shape of body parts or other objects in the scene, adding objects to a scene and other custom work. We charge hourly for the custom post production as the time required ranges depending on the complexity of the project.
Q: Do you shoot in JPEG, Small Raw, or Large Raw?
A: We shoot in Large Raws and Jpegs on two different cards for reliability purposes.
WEDDING DAY QUESTIONS
Q: How many hours do you suggest we set aside for wedding day photos?
A: We suggest about 1 hour and 30 mins for a bridal party and couple portraits. Here is a link to wedding day timeline which takes about more about your wedding day. LINK
Q: I have downtime between events on my wedding day. Will I be charged for that downtime?
A: Depends on the various factors which may vary but any downtown anytime more than 4 hours not charged to the client. There are various activities whether we’re backing up images, setting up for the second venue, traveling to the second location, taking venue shots, or making up for lost photo time because of unforeseen wedding day delays.
Q: What happens if we go over the contracted amount of time?
A: With our experience as wedding photographers, we understand the wedding day might not go as planned due to various reasons. We never pack up before the contracted time, and moreover, we’re not leaving on the dot when the contracted time is up.
We communicate with couple whether or not if you would like to extend the coverage. If you would like us to stay, we will charge the rates specified in your contract rounded to the closest 30-minute increment.
Q: Why do we need to charge for additional coverage?
A: We are committed to cover your wedding day, However, we need to charge for additional coverage primarily because there are costs of having us to stay for additional hours. The shooters and lighting assistants all require additional compensation per hour. Furthermore, the additional photos taken will need to be post produced which adds to our overall costs.
Q: How long before do I need to inform for additional events or coverage
A: Sooner the better, Again we will love to accommodate all your needs but our wedding day schedule is required a week before where we expect any additional day off coverages. Additional hours can be told on the wedding day and we will our best to facilitate your requests.
ENGAGEMENT SESSION QUESTIONS
Q: When can we expect to see our photos from our engagement session?
A: About 4-6weeks is our committed turnaround time for engagement sessions.If you would like to the results earlier, we charge additional 100$ rush fees to support your needs.
Q: When should we do our engagement session?
A: We encourage you to do your engagement session as soon as possible. The latest we suggest is at least ten weeks prior to the wedding date due to the time necessary to post produce each image (6 weeks) and prints if required.
Q: Can we schedule our engagement session for the weekend?
A: Weddings are usually on the weekends there we typically do not shoot engagement sessions on weekends.
If you can only do your engagement session on a weekend, we can tentatively schedule your engagement session on a weekend, however, if a wedding is scheduled for that weekend, later on, we will have to reschedule your engagement session. There will also be an additional charge for weekend engagement sessions because the few weekends we have free, we spend with our families. We also like to shoot on weekdays because locations are typically less crowded.
Q: How many images do you typically deliver from and engagement session? From a wedding?
We typically deliver anywhere from 50-70 images per 3-hour engagement shoot and for a wedding, we typically deliver 60-80 images per hour. Keep in mind these numbers may increase or decrease depending on the flow of the day and the number of events/activities needing to be captured.
ALBUMS AND PRINTS QUESTIONS
Q: How long does it take to get my prints and albums?
Product creation times vary, however, print orders will generally be completed within 6 weeks after the approval order is submitted through our album proofing software.
Similar to the post-production process, if you require rush processing, a fee of $200.00 will be charged. Additional fees for rush shipping may also apply.
The process prior to placing the order varies in duration depending on how quickly you respond to the instructions for the album design as well as a number of changes you request after the initial designs. Some brides complete this within a month or two; others take over a year. Our contract requests couples to close all albums changes within 4 months, if in condition couples do not respond in 4 months time period, we are authorized to finalize the album on their behalf.
Similar to the post-production process, if you require rush processing, a fee of $200.00 will be charged. Additional fees for rush shipping may also apply.
Q: How many pages and images do we get on our wedding day album?
A: Our albums contains 30 pages and 80+/- images. If you’d like to add more pages and images, each additional page can be added at additional cost and includes the design time/revisions.
Q: Can I add more pages and images to my album?
A: Each additional page can be added for additional cost and includes the design time/revisions.
Q: Do you guys provide framing services or canvas as well?
A: Yes, you can ask our studio manager for more.
Q: How do I get started on my wedding album?
A: We can share with you our video on how album design works.
IMAGE DOWNLOAD QUESTIONS AND LEGAL QUESTIONS
Q: What size can we print our photos up to with our full resolution image download?
A: You can print any image to about 20X30 image size. We compress our online product from JPEG mini although size is small, it’s still a printable image.
Q: What rights do I have to the digital prints?
A: You have the right to reprint images whenever you want. However, you may not sell your images for profit or publish your images without the written consent of Alfaaz Photography.
Q: Do you provide the RAW files from my engagement session and/or wedding day?
A: Each of our packages comes with a full resolution image download. However, we typically do not provide RAW (unprocessed) files from our shoots because we believe in delivering a finished product.
Q: What if I lose my images?
A: We keep a copy on the online gallery for 18 months after your wedding date and we deliver you one set of USBs. Clients are responsible for downloading the images from online product within 18 months time. Clients can always request another with an additional charge 100$ per copy.
BUSINESS INSURANCE AND IMAGE BACKUP QUESTIONS
Q: Do you back up our images? How can we ensure that our images won’t be lost?
A: We have a backup system which we follow in our studio. This is what defines us as a professional photography studio.
Throughout on the wedding day, we backup images once after the wedding ceremony and once after the reception.
This leaves one copy on the CF cards and creates one copy on the Hard Drive or a computer. We also shoot with multiple cards so all cards in our cameras have two copies at all times.
After the shoot, we back up the CF card to a local computer in a RAID 1 configuration and a second copy on another back disk Our studio manager signs on the data transferred and third back of JPEG IMAGES is uploaded on a secure cloud. At any given point, there are two copies of the files.
Q: Do you have liability insurance?
A: Yes. Many venues require the photographer to have Liability Insurance. So before hiring any photographer, please do ask for insurance
MEETING POLICY QUESTIONS
Q: We live out-of-town. Is it possible for our family/friends to meet with you instead?
A: We meet a lot of couples on the google hangouts especially for destination wedding clients.
Q: How do I set up an appointment to meet you in person and see some of your work?
A: Contact our studio manager at 647-921-0006 number and you email us at info@alfaazphotography.com
PAYMENT AND TAX QUESTIONS
Q: How do I reserve you for my date?
A: All dates are reserved once we receive your signed contract and deposit.
Q: What if we exceed our contracted time for our engagement shoot and/or wedding day coverage?
A: Standard rates apply for overtime. Overtime is billed at the rate of $300/hour per Lead Photographer and $200/hour per Associate Photographer.
Q: Is there an additional fee if we pay via credit card?
A: Yes. The retail adjustment fee for all credit card transactions is 3% of the charged amount.
Q: If we cancel the wedding, will we receive our retainer fee back?
A: Unfortunately no. Retainer fees are used to reserve your date. Once we’ve reserved your date, we do not accept new clients for your date.
Q: If we change our wedding to a different date, will we be able to use our retainer fee towards a future date?
A: Generally no, but this is taken on a case by case basis. The reason for canceling and our availability is taken into account. Also, if rates change from your original date to your new date, the new rates will apply.
Q: Are there travel fees associated with the engagement session and/or wedding day shoot(s)?
– North America – $750.00 flat fee
– Europe – $1100.00 flat fee
– ASIA – $1500.00 flat fee
– Outside GTA– $100.00 flat fee for shoots under 6 hours
– All other destinations beyond 100 km round-trip will be negotiated and handled on a case-by-case basis. All prices are in Canadian dollars
Q: Why do you charge travel fees?
A : The primary purpose is to provide adequate compensation for our photographers and our lighting assistants for the additional time spent in travel.
Q: Do you offer any discounts on weekday weddings, weddings during the off-season?
A: We do offer a 500 credit for a weekday wedding. Offseason in Canada is considered December and January in those months we do offer a $500 credit to our clients.
Q: If I pay for my package in cash will we be able to avoid paying sales tax or receive a discount?
A: Unfortunately, collecting in cash does not exempt a photography studio from paying sales tax on the amount of the package price when a physical product is delivered, However, we do offer tax inclusive prices if requested.
