What is the process of booking you for our wedding?

Contact me with an inquiry for your date, include your budget and area you plan to get married. I'll answer those questions, send along my contract, and pricing and packaging information. If I am free on the date you are inquiring and am within your budget, I would love to go for coffee and meet with you both to show you in person my products, and get to know you better. This meeting is also a great time to sign a contract and book your date. To book your date I require a 50% non-refundable deposit and a signing of my contract (all outlined in the contract). Usually afterwards we talk about your engagement session (complimentary with most of my packages) and when would be the best time to set that up. If distance is a factor and we are unable to meet, a simple phone conversation/video chat will do.

Do you travel?

I do! I live in Edmonton, Alberta and frequently visit my hometown Fort McMurray and other surrounding areas such as Jasper, Calgary, Red Deer, Athabasca, Banff, and Canmore etc. A set amount for driving kms is an additional charge. For destinations that require flights and accommodations, it is a simple additional billing of flights, hotels, Car Rental (if needed), taxi, etc. All you are responsible for is reimbursement of these charges.

Do you work with a Second Photographer/Assistant?

It depends on the situation actually! I'll explain. Depending on the wedding package, most packages include a second photographer for the ceremony and family photos (about 2-3 hours). I do this because I feel it is of the utmost importance to have a backup if technical failure in a camera were to happen, and it's easier to corral a big group of people (family formals) with an assistant. Additional hours can be purchased, if you were interested in - for example- having the guys getting ready captured.

What is your image process after the wedding?

After a long day of photographing, as soon as I arrive home I backup my images onto 2 hard drives. The next day I cull the images down to the best (taking out blinking, duplicate, the flash didn't fire, someone mid eating, sneezing, great Aunt Meredith blocking my view in the ceremony, images). I edit a color version and BW version of each image. Throughout this editing process I'll post some sneak peeks on social media (unless otherwise specified) to tide you over while you wait for your finished images. Once I've finished editing the images I order a USB and photobox to send to you. Once you've received the USB of your wedding images and photobox you can pick out your included prints, and extras if wanted (the boxes hold at least 100) and send those prints your way. Voila you have all of your images!

How long before we receive our photos?

4-6 weeks. A few sneak peeks will be posted on social media before you receive all of your images. A blog post highlighting your wedding day will be posted at the time you receive your wedding images.

How many images do you usually include?

The amount of images taken depends on many things. The amount of hours covered, hours of dancing, events happening within the time covered, number of guests, etc. I average about 350 colored images. (700 total) for an 8-10 hour day.

Do we get the copyrights to the images?

This is a popular question. As of November 7th, 2012 Copyright means that I am the creator and owner of the images. Photographers don't even have to sign a copyright agreement, but it is wise to do so anyway, to give the clients an extra reminder and acknowledgement that they agreed to it. Copyright transfers are not possible, but you have the ability to share and print your images. If other vendors from your wedding want photos, they HAVE to do that through me. They cannot use images taken by me, to freely advertise themselves. For more information on copyright laws check this link out: http://capic.org/copyright-laws/

Do we receive every image?

Not every image no. I take duplicates of every scenario to make sure I have images that are sharp and well composed. I do not include images of people blinking, hair blowing in the face or just being weird in general, someone mid eating mouth full of food, or someone suddenly standing in front of me with a cellphone at the ceremony blocking my shot (although I might so you can shame them). In hiring me as a professional, you need to trust that with my experience I will get the images and include them.

Do we receive RAW unedited files?

Also a popular question! No, you are hiring me as a professional. My editing style and composition are a part of my photography and make me distinctive as a photographer. That's how clients decide to book us; they like our style and can imagine their wedding photos to be in that style. Raw files are not the final product. If another client were to see the unedited photos or edited-by-the-client photos, those are not the images I want my name to be associated with, I can actually lose clients that way. Another misconception is that RAW solely means "unedited". Although this is true, you need special programs to even open a raw file to begin with. We as photographers are not "holding your RAWs hostage" or anything like that. You wouldn't ask a popular baker for the ingredients to his bestselling cake.

When is the best light for photos?

The best way to determine this is time of year. The best time for lighting is called "golden hour", which is the hour before the sun sets. With most outdoor weddings the ceremony starts in the middle of the day with the lighting being directly above, which is usually not the greatest. Having some sort of shade or light diffuser (overhanging arch with fabric) is best. Or having a later ceremony. I have a huge concentration on formal photos (photos of the bride and groom) and those are best when the sun is lower in the sky. The best way to figure out when sunset is, is to google "Sunset time in _____(month)"

How does the album design process work?

Once you've had time to look over your images from your USB, I'll get a list of your favorite images that you want to see in the album (about 5-10 per section of the day, for example the ceremony, or formals). I design the album and send the draft to you to look over. Each album has 3 rounds of revisions included, in case you'd like to switch out an image, take out an image etc. Once I've gotten the ok from you both, I order it and drop it off/mail it to you when I receive it. I'm usually very quick in my album design and revisions, so the amount of time before ordering the album completely depends on your response time.

How long have you been in business?

I started "Captive Beauty Photography" in 2011 with a passion and a dream. I quickly gained a ton of support in the community in Fort McMurray and have been growing ever since. In 2013 I started formal training in everything photography related and was humbled at all the knowledge I gained. In 2015 I graduated with honors with a diploma in Photographic Technology. In 2016 Captive Beauty Photography became Elena Evelyn! That is my journey thus far.