Before
the wedding
- Engagement Portrait Sitting: As part of the diva package, Neil includes a basic portrait sitting for the purpose of getting to know you and to get a preview of your interaction together. If you would like to add an engagement portrait session to your Debutante package please contact us to set a time and view the pricing of this service.For you, this is a chance to get used to Neil being there, observing, watching and capturing you with a lens. Neil also wants you to gain a working knowledge of the online proofing experience so that the proofing, editing and ordering process with go more smoothly when your wedding photos are available. The proofing web site is a powerful tool that will allow you to get the most value from your photography and becoming familiar with it before you have a few hundred photos to sort through is important. If you need help getting into the saddle we'll walk you through it over the phone or in person to make sure you understand all of the potential.
- Pre-wedding meeting: A week ahead of time, we'll take an opportunity to chat with you on the phone to finalize information from your wedding worksheet and to discuss any final details, such as the formal list and special requests you might have for your wedding. We rarely meet with couples before their wedding, you will be busy and need time with family and friends and we have found that a 10 to 30 minute phone call is quite sufficient to make sure we are up to date. It is important for us to understand some of the history of your relationship, themes in your ceremony and any other meaningful parts of your wedding so that we has a solid understanding from which to begin to create the photo story of the events.
On the wedding day
- Who will be there? Neil Cowley will be the primary photographer at your wedding. Neil shoots every wedding that he books and never "hires out" so you can rest assured that he will be the person behind the lens. If you have chosen a package with a second shooter, the assistant photographer will also be at your wedding. Our most popular coverage package is the Diva as it provides a male and female photographer. Liesl is the preferred second shooter and you can see her portfolio through this link.
- Getting ready: Depending on your preference this can be as early as the salon visit that morning or as late as the boutonnières being put on. You may not feel comfortable at first, but some of the most precious moments occur as you're with your family and close friends in the hours and minutes before the ceremony begins. If you are uncertain about being photographed at this point, Neil encourages you to trust his experience and discretion and open up to allowing him into your life. Neil and Liesl operate in an unobtrusive manner and blend into the background quietly observing and recording what is happening around you.
- Ceremony: Your preferences for documenting the ceremony will be carefully observed by us. We deeply respect the religious and social importance of the marriage ceremony and tailor our coverage to your taste from extreme stealth to quiet exploration.
- Formals: Working from the formals list you provided us before your wedding, we'll work quickly and efficiently to involve your family and wedding party in "formal" portraits. This is usually done within 20-30 minutes (a little longer with large families) to get you to your reception as quickly as possible. Still, we all have fun! It's not just a series of forced-smile, hands-at-the-side photos. Expect a variety of relaxed portraits and come with a few ideas that reflect memories together and the nature of your wedding party.
- Planned events: Because Neil shoots documentary-style, he doesn't direct any of the action. Time for the cake cutting or first dance? Go for it. We will never ask you to "re-create" the moment so we can record it, as we will have typically already photographed it. You will become familiar with looking over your shoulder to see a tall guy with a camera to his face snapping here and there, or a short gal laying on the floor to get the perfect angle. Only rarely will we ask you to do anything, and everything we ask will just come naturally, anyway.
- Late-night party? Got to the reception and found that everyone was having such a great time you'd like to extend the reception's time by a couple of hours? No problem. Just let us know how long you'd like us to stay. If it's longer than the coverage provided in your contract, it will be billed later.
After
the wedding
- Proof delivery timeline:
- 5-24 Days: Your proofing web site at Pictage.com that is password-protected will become active showing you all of the available images from your wedding. The first stage is releasing the images to you (the couple) to preview, alter, sort and finalize. This stage allows you to make private any photos from the set that you don't want your guests to view. You may also add captions explaining or describing the photos for those who were not at the event. Once you are satisfied with the photos on your site, you must release the event to your guests so that they can view them online.
- 14-30 Days: When you have edited the images to your satisfaction, you then contact the studio to have your proof prints made. In this correspondence we'll ask what border style you want, as well as any upgrade options that you want such as an album. You may then select your album style. If you are interested in having us build an album for you at this time we will walk you through the process of choosing your favorite images and design style.
- 30-365 Days: You and your friends and family can order reprints directly from the web site, alleviating you of the burden of collecting reprint orders or passing around your proof book. Print orders are generally shipped within 7 business days to the address specified.
- Optional services
- Album selection and design: You may pre-purchase an album package, or you may decide on an album a year or two after your wedding. Whatever your timing, our custom designed books are worth the investment to hold your memories for a lifetime and beyond.