FAQ
Are you lgtbq friendly?
It’s sad that we live in a world where I need to state this, but HELL YES WE ARE LGTBQ FRIENDLY! We also try our best with only suggesting other vendors that are LGTBQ friendly as well, so be sure to ask us about our preferred vendors list if you are having a tough time finding the right people for your wedding.
Are you cool with multi-culture weddings?
Once again, it’s dumb that I even need to say this but YUP! I don’t care about the color of your skin or if your religion is based off of worshipping cardboard boxes, everyone is accepted here.
My venue is very dark. How Do you handle these situations?
I come from a fairly heavy background of night photography…so as weird as it is to say, but I thrive in dark venues. I have some of the best gear to shoot in dark venues, and I am also trained to use flash photography during the reception to keep all photos looking fantastic.
Also don’t worry, I do not use flash photography during the ceremony unless requested.
Do you also provide Videography services?
While I’m not the person behind the camera and editing, GDA Weddings does contract our videography services with other industry professionals. We have no issues with you hiring us just for photography, but if you’d like to make planning on your side much easier we definitely suggest to book a videographer through us. This not only gets a team of photographers and videographers that enjoy each other’s company, but we also respect each other’s craft and will ensure that we work together to deliver the best possible recap of your wedding.
If you are interested in seeing past work, be sure to request it in your inquiry!
Do you deliver every image you shoot?
We do not, our job is to make you look good and if I can be honest for a moment…MANY photos don’t capture us in our best moments. Whether if someone was blinking, making an awkward face, or if the photo was out of focus. There are many reasons why we do not deliver all images that we shoot to the client.
But it also doesn’t make sense practically as well. At times we take several photos just in case if someone blinks or something happens in a photo, often times many photos are VERY similar to each other. Also photos take up a large amount of space, with an average wedding being 2k+ photos. If we kept all photos we would have to add an additional charge to all clients just to keep purchasing hard drives.
can i print my own photos?
Yup! All packages come with printing rights to your own photos. But I still suggest for you to check out our exclusive wall art and album collections.
Not only would you be getting a superior product compared to most print shops, but these are truly unique pieces of work that your friends and family will get jealous of. Be sure to ask to check out some samples during our consultation and viewing parties!
Have you shot at my venue before?
Regardless if I have shot at your venue or not, I ALWAYS arrive early in order to investigate the venue in order to learn the layout, and any possible changes. Typically this is enough to know exactly how to shoot a wedding, but if there is any unique details we should know be sure to bring it up in our consultation meeting.
who will be shooting my wedding?
I (Gary) will be the lead photographer for all weddings for the time being. If I’m not the lead photographer this will be mentioned in the consultation meeting. I also hires other photographers to 2nd/3rd shoot for my clients and videographers to handle all videos.
do you only do wedding photography?
Nope! I specialize in wedding photography but I shoot for just about everything minus newborn photography. So if you need a photographer for family, maternity, branding, etc then I’m your guy!
what is your photography style?
It’s best to describe my style as bright and vibrant. Plus throughout a wedding I am mostly shooting candid “journalistic” shots, but then during your portrait sessions I shoot in a classic bright editorial style. I best describe it as the “magazine look”.
Also I try to pose couples in the most casual way possible….by playing games! So half the time I’m getting photos in very natural candid ways.
Do you shoot in Jpeg, or raw?
From a photography stance, if you are delivering the goods then it doesn’t matter how you save your files. But we do capture all photos in RAW because it allows us to edit photos the best way possible.
Do you edit all photos?
I edit all photos that I deliver. I want our final product to reflect my brand and I would never deliver an unedited photo because that can poorly reflect on my brand and it would be terrible customer service to you!
Upon special request we do have the option to deliver photos unedited for an additional fee
How many hours do you suggest we set aside for wedding day photos?
How badly do you want fantastic photos?
I will never request a ridiculous amount of hours to shoot on your wedding day because it’s your day to have fun! But a safe rule of thumb is to give us an absolute minimum of 30 minutes for each TYPE of creative session that you want. With the maximum time being 60 minutes if you really want to ensure great results from that session. These include:
-Getting ready
-First look
-Bridesmaids and groomsmen
-Immediate Family
-Couple’s Session
It’s also wise to plan your wedding around these shoots. For example, if you are having a later wedding it’s a smart move to schedule many of these shoots before the wedding even starts so you can just enjoy your day!
Do you have insurance?
Love Long and Prosper is a fully insured wedding photography company that has coverage up to $1 million for general liability insurance. So be sure to check with your venue to see if this is required, MANY PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESSES DO NOT HAVE INSURANCE.
How long do you backup our images?
This depends on your service, but this ranges from 2 years of backup, up to 5 years.
I can hold onto photos for longer if special requested.
Do you do destination weddings?
YES!!! I would love to be considered as your photographer for your destination wedding. Because it is something I am planning on doing heavily in the future I currently give couples huge discounts to include me in their destination weddings!
How long will it take to edit our photos?
Due to ensuring that every photo comes out perfect because I put a lot of time into touching up your photos, and removing imperfections that would otherwise ruin a perfect photo, I have a lengthy editing process that usually involves SEVERAL reviews.
Engagement shoots can expect their photos within 4-6 weeks.
Weddings can take 8-10 months.
How many images do you typically deliver?
Here at Love Long and Prosper I do not promise and limit clients to a certain amount of photos. If I shoot a wedding and I notice that all 3,000 photos were perfect and unique, then that client will receive 3,000 photos (have mercy on my soul on how long that would take to edit lmao). But after shooting a bunch of weddings I have noticed the following:
Engagements – you can expect 20-30 images per hour.
Weddings – On average you can expect 70-100 photos per hour.
What if I accidentally delete all photos?
We are not in the stone age of photography where I will have to hunt down the film from your wedding and sit in a dark room for half a day processing your photos all over again.
If I still have your photos, I will gladly send them over to you at no additional fee. Now if this becomes a habit and you are requesting your photos every other week, then I may have to charge a few grand to detour this behavior 😛
Do you meet in person? Video call? Over the phone?
I HIGHLY prefer meeting in person when possible, and when that isn’t possible a video call is fantastic as well. While I have no issues with doing consultation calls over the phone, we also feel like you do not get a strong connection with me over the phone. Half of my charm is making you feel comfortable, I want to be the go-to person for any and all questions, I want you on your wedding day to feel comfortable enough to ask me for any photo requests. I feel like customers that only communicate by phone calls do not reach the level of comfort that I wish for all of my clients, so I highly encourage meeting in person and on video calls.
How do we reserve you?
I do not consider a client booked until your contract is signed and we receive your initial retainer. If I receive none of those things I will keep your wedding in mind, but if another client contacts us for the same date they can potentially book us for that date.
If the wedding is cancelled do we receive a refund?
All retainer payments collected up to that date are non-refundable. This is because I had to turn away other clients for the day of your wedding, and I had to make accommodations for your wedding that typically are not reversible (gear rentals, booking 2nd photographers, booking lighting techs, etc.)
If I happen to book another wedding for your date, I typically will have no reason to hold onto your retainer and I may CONSIDER a refund. Just be aware that this is not required for me to do.
if we switch dates can we apply our retainer fee to the new date?
Typically no, a new date is a new booking, and I would have to charge for that new date. But this is a case by case situation, there maybe a situation where we can apply the retainer fee to the new date.
Covid for example is a perfectly valid reason for a no-fee rescheduling on the first instance of it.
Do you charge a traveling fee?
For 2021 we will not charge any traveling fees as long as we agree to work on your wedding and engagement. Consider this a secret promo.
Do you offer any weekday, and off-season types of discounts?
Sorry but we do not offer discounts for these days. Our prices are set to keep us in business, and any additional discounts (except for planned promotions) would set us in the red.