This weekend marks the beginning of the 2018 bridal show season. Here at Dave Zerbe Photography, we look forward to attending these events as it gives us a chance to meet with future brides and their families for the 2018, 2019 and even 2020 wedding season! Planning a wedding can seem like a daunting process but we do our best to ensure that it doesn’t have to be that way.
A large benefit of attending a bridal show is that it allows you to explore many great vendors and to get answers for those questions that have been rushing through your head.
We understand that some cannot make it to a bridal show this season due to prior commitments, and there is no reason that your question(s) should be unanswered! Below, our photographer, Wayne Becker, Jr. has listed some of the frequently asked questions he receives at Bridal Shows and his responses to help determine whether or not Dave Zerbe Photography could fit the need as a potential wedding photographer.
Q. Does your photography packages include two photographers or is there an upcharge to add one? Is having two photographers really even necessary?
A. Each of our packages includes two photographers within the cost. Having two photographers to capture your wedding day is a lot more important than some would make it out to be. There are plenty of photographers out there who are quick on the trigger but it’s quite impossible to be in two places at once. As you begin to plan the morning of your big day, you most likely will have the bride and groom get ready in two separate locations. Many couples choose to do this in order to fulfill that element of surprise, the first look. With only one photographer it becomes a challenge to capture both the bride and groom. With two photographers, not a single moment will be missed.
Lastly, it is important to know that every photographer has a unique creative style. One photographer may capture a better angle than another. At the end of the day, you will have plenty of photographs to choose from and we can promise you that you will be very happy with the results.
Q. Why should I have a professional photographer? I have a friend who has a nice camera and can take the photos!
A. This is one of those questions that gives me nightmares. There are plenty of interesting stories out there where a friend, or even close family member has photographed a wedding for a bride and groom. Some horrible conclusions resulting from such actions include the person losing the photos, or taking months to get the photos over to you unedited.
Being a professional means we have been trained in the many fields of photography. We have years of experience photographing weddings and formal events. We know the ins and outs of the wedding day and take great care in making sure your photos (once photographed) are stored and backed up so that there is little to no chance of them disappearing. Our most important point when it comes to being a professional is the guidance we provide throughout the process. It’s one of those things that just comes with the package, knowledge and experience is truly worth the cost.
Q. Do you charge by product or by the hourly rate?
A. This is a very important question that you should ask every potential photographer you consider as this could make or break your budget. At Dave Zerbe Photography we work by creating a package that includes all of your wants and needs. We do not believe in charging by the hour because as we know, weddings don’t always go as planned. It is not fair nor worth the hassle to the client if the day lasts a little later than expected. We will NEVER ask you for more money if the timeline did not go as planned. We like to work with you, not just for you.
In all of our packages, we offer unlimited time with the photographers on the wedding day. This ends up usually being between 8 and 12 hours depending on the length of your special day. We think this is much easier, and in turn gives you less stress on your wedding day knowing your photographer is there all day no matter what!
Q. What is better? Digital Files or Prints?
A. This question shouldn’t be which one is better, the question should be what are you looking for? We offer both in almost all of our packages because we believe in the digital age, but still also believe that prints are just as important. Sadly, we’ve all been there when a CD has broken, or a computer has crashed. Sometimes prints are the safest bet. If the prints are framed and cared for correctly, they will last well beyond your lifetime.
Q. Where do your albums come from? How are they produced? Why is a quality wedding album important?
A. Our albums come from Queensbury, an amazing company located in New Zealand. This has been the company that we have used for years due to their wonderful handcrafted style. We truly believe that their work is unmatched in the album industry. It’s all about their meticulous work that they put into every book making sure everything is perfect and will last a lifetime.
Receiving a quality wedding album should be important to you because it is the book you can look back on years after your wedding. Each album is carefully crafted with your input sharing the story of your breathtaking day from start to finish.
Q. How do I see my images after my wedding?
A. After your wedding, we take the thousands of images back to our studio and begin the process of narrowing down to the best photographs that were captured. Once narrowed, we base edit the photos by correcting the color and light density. Lastly, we post the images to an online password protected gallery that you (or anyone given the password) can access. It’s quite simple and only takes a few weeks to happen!
Q. What kind of camera equipment do you use?
A. There is a plethora of great camera equipment out in the world and it really doesn’t matter which manufacturer you’re using as long as the photographer knows how to use it. The camera should never make the photographer, the photographer should always be making the camera look better.
Our camera of choice is the Canon 5D Mark III which is absolutely a brilliant choice for wedding photography.
Q. How strong is your editing, do you do more of a natural look, or Photoshop heavy?
A. Our main goal is to match the look and feel of what each bride and groom are looking for because we realize that everyone is truly different.
It is now fully up to the client on how much Photoshop work we do to their files. Once images are chosen and sent to our in-house Photoshop artist, the client can decide if they want to keep the images as natural as possible, or if they want to do some moderate to heavy Photoshop work to the image. Most want a good middle ground and we completely understand that frame of mind!
Q. How many photos do you take on the day of? Is there an upcharge per photo? Is there a limitation?
A. We offer unlimited images and locations when it comes to your wedding day. There is no upcharge if we take more images and there is definitely no limitation. We work with your needs!
Q. Do you offer engagement sessions?
A. We most certainly do! In every package we offer an engagement session. These sessions can be done at any time leading up to your wedding day. Many clients like to utilize these sessions to capture photographers for signature portraits, guest sign-in books, guest gift wallets, save the dates, and even invitations.
Another great feature of the engagement session is that it gives us time to get to know our couples while gaining a better understanding of which photography style works best for them. We find that this session also helps clients get comfortable in front of the camera, but also with their wedding day photographer.
Hopefully these responses answered some of those un-answered questions that have been running through you mind. We always hope that you’ll choose us as your wedding photographer for one of the most important days of your lives. However, we definitely realize that there are a ton of photography choices out there. Make sure to ask all your questions and more when speaking to a potential photographer!
If you still have un-answered questions, please feel free to reach out to us via email at allofus@davezerbestudio.net or give us a call at 610-376-0379! As always we look forward to hearing from you.
Dave Zerbe Photography will also be present at the following bridal shows:
Lehigh Valley Winter American Bridal Show at Allentown Fairgrounds’ Ag Hall
Sunday, January 7th, 2018
Fun 101.3 Wedding Show at the Eden Resort & Suites
Sunday January 14th, 2018
Wedding Showcase at The Inn at Reading
Sunday January 21st, 2018
Y102 Bridal Show at Crowne Plaza Reading
Sunday January 28th, 2018
2018 Wedding Showcase at Stokesay Castle
Sunday February 25th, 2018
Hope to see you there!
