What is it like working with you?
I try to be as unobtrusive as possible (and have been commended by many of my clients for doing so successfully despite being 6 foot 6 inches tall), and I laugh and have a fun time with guests while working so that they’ll all feel comfortable around me and will be themselves when I’m taking pictures of them. I’ve actually had several of my couples say their friends and family thought I was just one of the wedding guests! I am self-contained and mobile, so that I can quickly get myself into the best available position. With my couples, I work very hard to make sure you don’t even have to think about me during your wedding day. We plan ahead in order to avoid problems and to know as much as possible about your day. You have enough distractions without having to worry about your photographer, so I make sure you don’t have to. Behind all of the humor and seemingly cavalier facade during the actual wedding day, is a fierce professionalism that is dedicated to making your experience as perfect as possible. I look like I’m just having a good time with you in order for you to feel at ease and enjoying yourself. I do that because it makes for better photos and a better experience for you. And I do sincerely have a good time with you, but it’s all alert business on the inside!
My business style is modeled after a company which I hold dear to my heart: Disney. My wife and I are unashamedly “Disney Dorks.” We love the business model they have developed in terms of customer service, and feel it is vital to your satisfaction with us that we follow that same model. When we honeymooned at Walt Disney World, we came back and told everyone about how wonderfully they treated us and what a magical experience it was. I resolved that in order to have our couples feeling the same way about Chadwick Creative Arts that my wife and I feel about Disney, I will always provide the same unbeatable customer service and love to my couples. And, it works! I recommend highly taking a moment to read the customer reviews for me on The Knot and WeddingWire. Don’t take my word for it, take my couples’ words instead!
What is your photographic style?
You will see from my portfolio and samples a combination of posed and candid shots. I strike a balance between what people often term as “formals” and candid shots, shifting that balance to one side or the other based on your wishes. I am a firm believer in the idea that act naturally is an oxymoron. You’ll hear me say “breathe” often throughout the day because I like taking pictures of people who are relaxed and who are enjoying themselves. That’s not only true of candid photography, but of formal portraiture as well. I utilize humor and a light-hearted environment for the process of shooting formal portraits because it’s important to me that everyone has a good time – that translates into much better photographs!
Why should I pay more for something my Uncle Bob can do with his nice new camera?
This is a question being asked more and more frequently by couples of late, due to the increasing cost accessibility of decent cameras. Nearly every family now has at least one person with a relatively decent camera. That’s fantastic, and I’m all for it. However: Owning a nice set of golf clubs does not make you ready for the PGA Tour. Spending good money on a really nice power drill doesn’t make you ready to build a house. There are years of practice, skill, and expertise required as well. Wedding photography is so much more than just pointing a camera at something and getting a nice snapshot. It’s even more than just knowing how to take a great picture. Wedding photography is a rare combination of photographic artistry and skill, preemptive troubleshooting, psychology, psychiatry, crowd control, and concierge service. If that weren’t enough, your wedding day is not going to be reproduced for the sake of going back for a retake. There are no redo’s. Additionally, you will spend months if not years planning your wedding day, and your photographs are what will last beyond that day, telling the story for you to have and share, for the rest of your lives. On your wedding day, there is only one shot to get the photographs you will be looking at forever. If so much pressure was being put on a basketball player to make a free throw, who would you rather shoot that free throw? A top-level NBA star, or your Uncle Bob who just bought a nice new basketball? I wrote a blog post on this in response to an irate bride posting on Craigslist about what wedding photographers charge. You can read it by clicking here.
There are photographers on Craigslist offering up services for as little as $500
That’s great, and for some couples who don’t have high regard for their wedding photography, these photographers might fit their needs. I once read something I liked on this particular subject. Hiring a photographer from Craigslist (or similar sites) to photograph your wedding day is like going to a dental school to get a root canal. You might luck out and get a great young dentist with a very bright future ahead of them, or you might wind up with… well, something less than ideal and probably the source of some long term discomfort. If your wedding day photographs are important to you, wedding photography is like any other service or merchandise: you get what you pay for. I wrote a blog post on this in response to an irate bride posting on Craigslist about what wedding photographers charge. You can read it by clicking here.
What is your photography background?
I was a music education major in college (all those years ago) and while living life as a performer and stage director, took up photography as a hobby. Eventually my performer friends asked me to photograph their weddings as a gift. I was immediately hooked and pursued it seriously a short time after. I have been in business since 2002, starting out as a theatrical photographer and over time shifting my focus almost exclusively to wedding and event photography. In the beginning of my journey to making photography more and more of a principal focus in my life, I graduated from the New York Institute of Photography and have been consistently shooting between twenty and thirty weddings (or more) a year ever since.
Should I meet with you in person?
Meeting with your photographer in person is helpful, but not an absolute requirement. It’s important because I’m the one who is likely to spend the most time with you on your wedding day. Getting to know me better (and vice-versa) is helpful not only to put you at ease with having me taking photo after photo of you, but for me to know you better and understand how to interact with you in a way that will keep you relaxed and enjoying the process.
How long until I get my photos?
The longest I have ever taken to get an online gallery up and ready for sharing is five weeks. Typically it is between three and four weeks, and can fluctuate based on how many weddings I have in a given weekend. The data DVD with your images sometimes takes a little longer due to the printing process of the DVD case itself – plus, I tend to design and send those for printing in batches. However, in that time if the images are in the online gallery and you want an “unofficial” set burned so that you can use the images prior to the really nice DVD case getting to you, I’m always happy to put that together and send it to you promptly.
How many photographs will I get? Do I get all of the photos you take?
That’s a rather broad question and difficult to answer definitively, because the number of photos I take depends on many factors including activity and environment. I take multiple photos of any given shot (people blink, scratch, get distracted by a shiny), so what you get is a culled set of your day with only the best of each shot. In other words, if I take two or three shots of a couple posing for the camera on the dance floor, I’m going to give you the best of that set. For a typical six hour shooting day with two photographers, I will usually deliver between three hundred and seven hundred shots. But, there is no hard fast rule and there is no guarantee of a certain number. It all depends on how much actual shooting time there is, how much activity is taking place, and other restrictions sometimes beyond our control.
How do I reserve my date? What is your payment schedule?
Once we have discussed your wedding needs and determined which package is best for you, I will send you an online booking proposal. Once you are ready to sign your contract, a 1/3 retainer fee is due. This can be paid online with any major credit card (get those reward points!) or by sending in a check. Once the contract is signed and your retainer fee received, your date is reserved. The second 1/3 is due two weeks before the wedding date, and the booking system will send you a reminder in the highly unlikely event you might be just a tad distracted two weeks out. The final 1/3 is due approximately two weeks after, based on your wedding date and any travel plans you may have.
Do you travel?
Yes, and I love to travel! Certain travel distances are included with each package I offer. Any travel above and beyond that distance (round trip) is added onto the package price at a rate of $25 per travel hour. If the wedding is a destination wedding, reimbursement for any travel expenses actually incurred is required, such as airfare and/or hotel accommodations. I do have a passport and love to travel internationally as well. I do extensive research on any location at which I am shooting, both prior to travel and while I am there, so that I have all of the information required to provide you with the best photographs of your destination wedding you could dream of having! In addition to your wedding, I will also be shooting locally as an architectural and landscape photographer, providing a more comprehensive coverage of your wedding.
What is the advantage of hiring a destination wedding photographer?
It sometimes seems easier hiring someone on-site, and that’s fine for the wedding day itself. However, hiring someone close to your normal residence facilitates the post-production process of ordering prints and albums and ensures that your customer service options are much better. It is also quite helpful in the planning process. You will have the chance to discuss your needs in advance and communicate your style preferences, hopes, and expectations.
Will you be my photographer? What if something happens to you?
Michael Chadwick (me) is always your primary photographer. Packages typically come with a second photographer, and I work with a few different photographers based on their availability. If something happens to me I always enlist one or more of my second shooters to cover for me in the event of an emergency. I’d have to be bleeding from both eyes not to be there, and it has never happened (knock on wood), but the backup plans are always in place. It’s sort of like taking an umbrella with you to make sure it doesn’t rain, but I do it anyway… just in case.
Do I need to know anything going in about my wedding day photography?
I recommend you communicate thoroughly with both me, and with your guests, about expectations. The more I know about your wishes, the more I can make them come true. I also suggest you instruct your guests in the ways of wedding day etiquette, and not just with respect to photography. On the photography end, it is much appreciated if you let your guests know that while they are welcome to take as many pictures as they like, they need to be considerate and not bar the way of the photographer you have hired. Some couples have even given their ceremony a “no tech” theme, banning phone cameras and other electronic devices entirely. I’m all for that!
What is your refund policy?
The contract spells it out in more specific terms, but essentially once I book you for your date, that date becomes unavailable to anyone else. Therefore, if you cancel your wedding photography with me at least ninety (90) days prior to the date, your retainer fee will be returned to you if and as soon as another wedding packaged is booked for that date. Once the ninety day threshold is passed, the retainer fee is refundable solely on my discretion. This is basically because at such a late date it is unlikely another wedding will get booked.
What kind of images come on the data DVD?
I would call them “medium sized high resolution” images. The images are 240dpi jpg files and vary in file size from 4 to 10 MB depending on the color content in the photograph and any cropping I might have done. There are no watermarks on the normal photos, and on the web-friendly sets there is a very small watermark on the bottom of each photograph. These are easily high enough resolution to get good sized prints up to 11×14 or larger before seeing any reduction in quality. I keep the RAW files on archive permanently, transferring them to new media when necessary in order to protect them for the long term. While I encourage you to go through me for any prints or products requiring even higher resolution files, I am always happy to provide my couples with large format files when necessary. I do not do that by default because the large file sizes are a bit unmanageable on most computers.
What rights do I get for using the photos?
You get unlimited personal use rights to your photographs. That means you can do just about anything except sell them or publish them without permission. Permission to publish them electronically and in print is granted so long as any photographs used are accompanied by photo credit as “Photograph by Chadwick Creative Arts.” Any commercial use of the photographs is not permitted without specific permission. If you wish to use any photograph for commercial (trade) use, please contact me to work out the commercial rights usage.
Are you insured?
Yes, I carry a $2,000,000 aggregate commercial liability policy and am happy to provide appropriate documentation to your venue upon request.
I have more questions.
I’m happy to answer any of your questions by email or phone, just reach me through the Contact link at the top!
