Do you design wedding albums? What is the process for crafting an album?
Indeed! Printing your photos is the most romantic thing I know, next to pizza + Netflix. I love crafting high quality, durable and beautiful wedding albums for you! My most popular size is a 10x10, and the most requested cover is leather. I have options for other sizes (6x6, 8x8 and 12x12) and covers (vintage leather, alligator leather and suede). Most commonly, albums are ordered with 30-40 pages, and you can add in multiples of five pages and up to 60 pages total. Colors range from espresso brown to charcoal gray with red, black, white and olive green in between, among others.
To start the design process, I'll ask for a certain number of your favorite images from the wedding day, depending on the size and number of pages you opt for. After that, I'll lay them out in a chronological order; take a look at a recent album I designed from a
wedding at the Beaver Creek Lodge in order to best get a feel of how I organize photos within the pages, and take a look at Tiffany + Matt's
Cherry Creek wedding album to get an idea of the quality and durability of the albums themselves.
After I send you the proofs, I'll ask for any changes you'd like to make. Two rounds of revisions are on the house, and afterwards each chunk of revisions is an additional $25. Once you're happy with the layout, I'll send it to the printer! Local pick-up is offered for free, or we can meet for coffee and reminisce over the photos! If your schedule is packed, I do offer shipping straight to your door for an additional $25. Album pricing begins at $250 for a 6x6 album with 20 pages.
How long have you been a Denver wedding photographer?
My career as a wedding photographer began in
2009, when I photographed my first wedding at the Three Trees Chapel in Littleton, Colorado. Since the inception of Urban Safari Photography, I've shot more than seventy weddings across the state, the country and the world. I've shot in
India,
Hawaii, the Dominican Republic and at some of Colorado's most amazing wedding venues such as
Della Terra in Estes Park, the
Inn at Cherry Creek, and
Red Rocks.
Where can I see reviews from past clients?
Feel free to peruse the
customer testimonials here on my blog, or head to WeddingWire where I am so proud to say that I have a 5-star rating from some really lovely past clients! There are even more reviews on Google and Yelp!
Do you have travel fees for weddings in the state of Colorado?
For
Denver weddings, Boulder weddings + Fort Collins weddings, I do not require an additional travel fee. Some mountain weddings do incur an additional fee, depending on the distance from Denver. Please inquire for details.
Do you travel out of state, or out of the country, for weddings?
I sure do!
Destination weddings are such a blast and I'm happy to travel for your special day! Pricing will vary depending on the venue and travel fees associated with traveling from Denver to your special location. Ask me for more details!
Will you do a venue walk-through before our wedding day?
Definitely! Chances are, I may have already shot at your wedding venue, but I am more than happy to scout the venue with you and address any questions you might have during that time.
What do your wedding collections include? Do I get the hi-res digital images?
All of my wedding collections include single-shooter coverage with me, plus hi-res digital images in a blend of color and black and white. Hi-res images will be delivered electronically, as Urban Safari is going as green as possible! Therefore, I no longer offer discs or flash drives. Additionally, a private, password-protected online proofing gallery is also set up for you to view all images + order prints. If you'd like to purchase an album, engagement session or an additional second-shooter for your wedding day, I offer those products + services at additional à la carte pricing.
How many photos will I get?
There are two factors that directly correlate to how many photos you will get. One is how much time you book. You will definitely receive more images if you book an all-day collection as opposed to a six-hour package. The second factor is if you choose to add a second photographer to your collection. On average, I estimate that by myself, I amass close to 50-75 photos per hour of shooting. You'll definitely get more photos (and from different angles + perspectives, too) if you add a second photographer to your collection.
What do you think are the most important pieces to a successful wedding collection, in addition to receiving the hi-res images?
Above all else, I believe a second-shooter at your wedding day is paramount. By opting to have a second photographer at your wedding alongside me, you receive more photos from a different perspective of your wedding day. A second photographer can capture spontaneous moments, for example, while I'm working to get the family photos in order. It's a superb way to see your wedding day from a different perspective than my own. Also, in a worse case scenario situation, if something happens to me and I cannot physically make it to your wedding, the second photographer will automatically assume the role of lead photographer and you will have an amazing photographer at your wedding day.
After that, the engagement session is huge! It's the perfect chance for you to get to know me as a photographer and to see how I work behind the camera and what to expect on your wedding day. This is especially important if you've never had professional photos of you + your significant other done before, as it's the best opportunity to warm up for the photos that will be taken at your wedding.
Finally, I believe 100% that photos should never be left to sit on a computer; therefore, an album or canvas print is also one of my favorite items to add to your wedding collection. There is just something so romantic, so real, about having a photo that you can tangibly touch + show to others when they come to your home.
How early do you arrive + how late do you normally stay?
While this will depend on how many hours you would like to book with Urban Safari, I generally arrive while hair + makeup is getting done to capture some of the getting ready festivities. At the reception, I like to stay to capture the important events such as first dances, the bouquet + garter tosses, cake-cutting and any toasts. I also love to get some wicked fun dancing shots before I leave, too (Carolyn + Matt's
Colorado Springs wedding is the perfect example of this!).
When is the best time to book with you?
Many of my clients will book anywhere from a year in advance to six months in advance, and my calendar fills quickly on the weekends during wedding season. In order to secure your date, the earlier you can meet with me, the better chance you'll have that my weekend date is open for you. To see my current availability, check out my
calendar.
What do I need to do in order to secure my wedding date with you?
A non-refundable retainer of $500 + a signed contract is required to book your date with Urban Safari Photography. The retainer must be paid by personal check, money order or cashier's check. I'm happy to meet over coffee or happy hour to discuss pricing, the contract and any other questions you might have!
Which methods of payment do you accept?
Currently, I accept good old fashioned cash, personal checks, money orders and cashier's checks. If you need to pay by credit card, I accept one payment up to $500 on Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover. The retainer must be paid by personal check.
When do I need to pay you?
In order to secure your wedding date, I require the retainer at the time of signing the contract. After that, the remaining balance is due no later than the day before the wedding. If you are paying the day before the wedding, it must be in the form of a cashier's check or money order. If you'd like to pay earlier, you are more than welcome to write a personal check. If you have an emergency or special situation, please don't hesitate to fill me in and we can work something out.
Do you shoot more than one wedding in a day?
When you book with Urban Safari Photography for your wedding, you are reserving my services and attention entirely. I will never book anything else on the date of your wedding.
What is your turnaround time for the delivery of images from weddings?
Because I work on each image from your wedding day individually, I ask ten to twelve weeks to get the images processed and perfected for you. I do not ever simply dump the photos into Photoshop, hit a button and flip on the TV while the computer does all the work. Each image receives individual attention, to make sure the white balance is correct, the exposure is balanced and the colors are vivid + lustrous. Your images will last you a lifetime and I want to make sure that each image is up to the high quality standards of Urban Safari Photography. However, if I finish before the ten to twelve week range I will definitely deliver them to you as soon as I'm done!
For all other portrait sessions, turnaround time varies from 2-4 weeks. Please inquire for more details.
How would you describe your photography style?
If I had to choose three words to describe my style, they would be
happy,
vibrant and
crisp. In the past, I have dabbled in editing my photos in a more vintage, film style, but I quickly realized this wasn't for me. Currently, I prefer rich, colorful and clean images that are classic + will never go out of style.
I tend to favor a photojournalistic approach that lets moments organically unfold + I capture them as they do. I also feel confident in naturally posing you + your significant other and I will never ask you to do something cheesy or something that makes you feel uncomfortable. I love smiles and laughter, and strive to document your day in the most upbeat + sweetest way possible.
What sort of editing + retouching do you do?
On all photos, I like to make sure that the colors pop and are vibrant + rich. I will add a little contrast if it needs it, and adjust the skin tones and exposure accordingly. For retouching, I will never make you look plastic or unlike your true, human self. I prefer natural retouching and will always remove blemishes of any sort. If you have a special request for retouching, please let me know and we can talk it over.
Do you offer an online proofing gallery where guests can purchase prints from the wedding day on their own?
Indeed! All wedding collections include an online, password-protected, private proofing gallery that contains all images, in color, organized into convenient folders. Guests can then purchase prints that will be delivered straight to their door.
What kind of equipment do you use?
I am a Canon girl and use two professional-level Canon DSLRs. I own a variety of lenses, ranging from 16mm in focal length to get a wide shot of your gorgeous ceremony to 135mm in focal length to get a close shot of you + your significant other without being too intrusive to your special moments. For the reception, I use
off-camera lighting so that no moment is missed, even if it is after the sun has set.
What is your back-up plan in case your equipment fails?
I work with two professional-level Canon DSLRs and take the utmost care in maintaining my equipment. In the event of technical failure in one camera, I will always have a back-up camera of the same professional quality to use for the rest of your wedding day. In the rare case that both of my cameras fail, I will use a camera from my second shooter, who also carries two professional-grade DSLRs. I also bring a wide variety of top-notch lenses to your wedding day to get an array of angles: wide, medium and telephoto.
Who do you choose to be your second photographer? How long will he or she stay at the wedding?
The Denver wedding industry is packed with incredibly talented Denver wedding photographers, and I am so fortunate to work with + know so many of them both as colleagues and as friends. I have a handful of reliable, skilled and friendly photographers that I ask to come as a second shooter for your wedding day. All of the second shooters that I work with also have their own photography businesses, so I know they can handle the fast-paced environment of a wedding day. On your specific wedding day, if you decide to add a second photographer to your collection, he or she will stay for eight hours, unless your timeline requires a different amount of coverage.
I have a friend who would like to build their wedding portfolio and take photos at my wedding; do you allow this?
Per my wedding contract, my second-shooter and I are the only professional wedding photographers at your celebration. Family members + friends are more than welcome to take some snapshots with their phones or digital cameras, but I do not allow other professional or semi-professional photographers to take photos while I am shooting.
Do I need to feed you and your second shooter? When do you typically eat at weddings?
Yes please! I love all sorts of food (cheese especially) and would be so very thankful if you could add to us to your buffet count or arrange with the catering services to provide us with a hot meal. Because we need to be ready to capture action at the reception, we require that our meals take place at the same time as yours so not as to miss the toasts or first dances that commonly take place after everyone has finished eating. Please coordinate this with your catering crew and let your family members know that we will be eating at the same time. We don't require a special place setting at a reception table, as we often need to eat + get our memory cards + batteries ready for the reception.
Do you ever offer discounts?
At this time, I do not offer discounts. I do, however, offer promotional specials on my Facebook page from time to time throughout the year. Keep an eye out for Small Business Saturday in November; I always run a special on Facebook! I also sometimes have fun treats + tickets to local Denver wedding events that I
raffle off on the blog. Make sure to keep up with my blog + Facebook page to get the latest on any promotional specials offered!
Do you have liability insurance?
I definitely do, and can provide a copy to the venue upon their request.
Which other services do you offer in addition to wedding photography?
Jeanne - It’s always a pleasure to hear from someone with exieptrse.
robbery besides - Thanks for your thoughts. It’s helped me a lot.