Frequently Asked Questions

Client FAQ

What style do you typically shoot your weddings?

While the bride and/or wedding party and family gets ready, I use that time to document everything as it unfolds. The emotions, the interactions, the anticipation. During the ceremony, I approach it the same way. Alin, and I try to make family formals quick for everyone but more importantly, fun. Not stiff. With the bride and groom portraits, I want them to be comfortable with me. I’ll usually have them pose a certain way and then crack a comment for shock value which will usually get me the emotions and laughter I want in the shot and that is when I’ll click it. Then we get to the reception, where the real fun begins. We get in there with everyone while everything is going on and at that point, they’re so used to us, no one pays attention to us anymore. And that’s when the magic happens. It’s perfect.

 

When looking for my wedding photographer, what is the most important thing that I should consider?

When you’ve communicated with them (by email, phone, in person, etc…), are you comfortable with them? Or do you get a weird vibe? Are you IN LOVE with their work? Does their vision match your vision? Do they “get you”? Do they care about you? Are they more concerned with selling themselves? Or are they more interested in finding out about you, how you met, your wedding day visions? Don’t settle for anything less. Your photographer will be there with you throughout the entire day, so it only makes sense that you are comfortable around them.

 

What are some important questions I should ask all of my potential wedding photographers?

What is your style of shooting a wedding? Do you have an assistant or a second shooter present with you on my wedding day? Do you bring backup equipment to your main equipment? Do you have liability insurance? How much coverage do you provide on my wedding day? What is your plan if you get ill, or if another emergence situation pops up and you find that you cannot shoot my wedding?

 

Do you guarantee any shots at a wedding?

At every wedding, I recommend that we do formals after the ceremony. These formals should contain family members and/or friends that you absolutely would not want to miss out on a photo with on your wedding day. Since the rest of the day is documented in a photojournalistic fashion, no shots are guaranteed.

 

Can I give you a list of photos that I want taken throughout the wedding day?

I would love to have a list of the family members you’d like photos of during the family formal shots. Any other lists will distract from real moments being captured. Find a photographer who “gets you”. That way, you won’t have to worry about shots that are important to you being missed.

 

What time of day is best to do the bride and groom portraits on the wedding day?

Because the sun sets at different times of year and the location of the wedding also matters, a good rule of thumb is to try and do them between 30 minutes-2 hours before sunset. You can take a portrait at noon and take that same portrait in the same location with the same people in the same pose at an hour before sunset, and it will be a world of a difference. Simply put, mid-day light is highly unflattering on humans. Wait for the sun to be much lower in the sky to get the best results.

 

How long would I need for portraits on my wedding day?

For family formals I would set aside between 10-25 minutes depending on how many family members are involved. For the bridal party creatives, I would leave aside 10-25 minutes as well, depending on the size of the party. For the bride and groom photos, I would set aside a minimum of 20 minutes. Anything less, will feel rushed and stressful. Ideally, if you would like a large variety of shots, locations and poses, set aside a minimum of 45 minutes.

 

What is the turnaround time for wedding photos?

You will receive all of your wedding photos between 8-12 weeks after your wedding day, unless otherwise discussed.

 

How many images will I receive?

If we are shooting a wedding that is a minimum of 8 hours, we deliver between 400-600 fully edited images.

 

How will I receive my wedding day images?

You will receive 400-600 fully edited high resolution images on a disc.

 

When I get my disc, do I own the rights to my wedding photos?

Many people get confused by this. The photographer, in most cases, will always own the rights to their photos. This means, that the photographer can use the photo for advertising and marketing purposes for their website, blogs, competitions, etc… When my clients get their disc of images, they will receive a reproduction release. They can use this release to print any of the images up to any size and up to any quantity. They can share these images with their family, friends, and hang them up on the walls of their home. What the reproduction release does not allow, is for the client to enter any of their images in contests, alter or edit them in any way, and sell them.

 

Can I post my wedding/session photos to my Facebook, personal blog, MySpace, Google+, etc…?

Absolutely! All I ask is that whenever you post any of your photos, a photo credit is given.

 

Do you edit the photos on your blog and website, but do less work on the remaining photos that we get?

All of your wedding photos will receive the same treatment as the photos you see on my website and blog. This way you know what to expect. What you see is what you get with me.

 

Do you give out the RAW unedited files?

I do not. Every image that leaves my hands, is corrected for color, white balance, and exposure, and has my personal edits applied to them.

 

How do you process your images? Do you do any black and white images with color-spotting? Or vintage effects/toning? Sepia?

I go through each and every single image and decide whether it should be in color or black and white. Unless otherwise discussed, I process most of my images in color. If an image is processed as a black and white, it is usually because I feel it makes for a more emotional shot than it would have been in color. As far as vintage processing, color-spotting, sepia, and such. I don’t do them. It’s not my personal style. If this is something that is important for you to have, I’d be happy to refer you to other photographers who may better suit your needs.

 

What is the turnaround time for albums?

It’s hard to say, since it all depends on how quickly I receive the revision requests and approvals.

 

What type of albums do you offer your brides?

We offer gorgeous fine art coffee table style albums for our brides.

 

Will my wedding get blogged?

If time allows, I do my very best to show my personal favorite images from every session or wedding on my blog. My main goal is to get my clients all of their wedding day images finished on time, so it is not guaranteed that every session and/or wedding will get blogged.

 

What if I don’t want my wedding blogged or used online for your portfolio?

I use the images from every wedding I shoot to continue the building of my portfolio, as well as helping me to market and continue to grow my business. If this is something that you foresee being a problem, then I would be happy to refer you to another photographer who would be willing to accommodate your request.

 

Besides, the wedding day, what other type of sessions?

Engagement session, bridal session, trash the dress session, boudoir session.

 

Why is it important to do an engagement session?

An engagement session is great for the couple who may be nervous about taking pictures on their wedding day. It gives you and I the chance to break the ice, and be comfortable around each other. That way, when the wedding day comes, it’s one more thing you don’t have to be nervous about. Also, you and your significant other can get used to posing with each other as well so that by the time your wedding rolls around, you’ll nail it.

 

My wedding is not in the U.S.A, do you travel?

Yes! And we love to travel. Our passports are current and always stay current, so we are ready to pick up and go at any time.

 

What additional fees are involved if I need you to shoot my destination wedding?

I charge actual travel costs for myself plus an assistant, which most of the time is my husband. He has been at 99% of every wedding that I have ever shot. For weddings in the U.S.A. outside of the Carolinas, we charge roundtrip airfare for 2, hotel for 2 nights, transportation, and food/misc. For weddings outside of the U.S.A., we charge roundtrip airfare for 2, hotel for 3 nights, transportation, and food/misc.

 

I would love to have my wedding featured in a magazine or on a wedding blog. How can I get my wedding on either?

There’s no real way to guarantee that your wedding will get featured in a magazine or wedding blog. I have found that both magazines and wedding blogs LOVE details. Especially details that are personal to the bride and groom. So if you know you want to be featured, you can increase your chances by having a lot of details to photograph on your wedding day.

 

I just got engaged and am starting the process in planning my wedding. I have no idea where to even begin!

The first thing you need to do is to choose a venue and lock in your wedding date. In order to get the photographer you really want, I would say that it would be the second decision you need to make. After that, it’s all about the details. There are so many wedding blogs out there where you could draw inspiration from for your own wedding. Wedding blogs like, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, Ruffled Blog, Junebug, Rock n’ Roll Bride. You can also collect inspiration boards on Pinterest and that way you can have it all in one place rather than binders with magazine clippings.

 

I want to book you for my wedding date! What should I do next?

Email me at caroline@carolineghetes.com, and let me know your wedding date. I will email you a small questionnaire and request that we speak over the phone or meet at my home studio in South Charlotte. If we can’t do either, we can also stick to emailing if that is your preference. If we both feel that we are a good fit for each other, then we can proceed to booking. In order to hold your wedding date, a $1,000 retainer fee and a signed contract is required. The remaining balance is due 1 week before your wedding day. All payments as well as contracts are done electronically and securely over the internet.