How I Protect Your Wedding Day Memories
Beyond Backup Gear
What If Something Happens to Me
I take on every wedding with a high level of responsibility, but I don’t leave my couples’ important day to chance. In the rare event of a severe medical emergency, I am part of a trusted network of vetted local professionals who take photos in a complementary style to my own. An associate would step in to execute taking photos on your wedding day, while I retain full responsibility for editing and delivering your final gallery to seamlessly match what you hired me for.
It feels crazy to say, but I maintain perfect attendance — so I haven’t had to trigger an emergency replacement. Still, knowing I have vetted peers in my corner means you don’t have to take my word for it and gives everyone involved peace of mind.
When the Weather Has Other Plans
It actually rained on my wedding day and it enhanced the day — better stories, magical sky and lighting once the storms cleared all made for a better day that we could work around. We didn’t need clear umbrellas, although a bit of rain made the DJ at our ceremony site nervous and gave us a little less time outside during our cocktail hour.
My gear can handle a little rain and I have ways to stay covered. The amazing part of rain and weather brings magical lighting. During our timeline mapping, we’ll identify the best covered ambient-light spots at your venue so we don’t miss out if the weather shifts.
Your Images Are in Good Hands
Things that keep me up at night and why I am extremely careful with your images and data storage. Technology is not always reliable and things fail — because of this my two main cameras have redundant card readers. The card readers are writing the same information to both cards, so if one card fails, I have a backup. One of each of those cards are pulled from my camera into a waterproof case and are imported to my computer, my backup hard drive and my private cloud storage. They also stay on those cards until they are delivered to your private gallery, if not longer.
I don’t have a picture taken in the last 20 years that isn’t backed up somewhere. That’s not a figure of speech — I still have every image from my first paid session. I have had clients ask for access to their galleries years after their wedding date. It is possible to request a gallery be resurrected, but please allow up to a week for it to be ready again.
Coverage That Follows You
I carry full general liability coverage, meaning your venue gets their required documentation long before your date arrives, keeping your wedding day worry free. Beyond that, I carry dedicated off-premises equipment coverage for all of my gear. The real benefit of having the right coverage is the protection of not needing to use it.
” From the very beginning, working with Anne has been such a special experience for our family. She photographed our engagement, our wedding, and has continued to capture every milestone since, including our newborn and now our family as our children grow. Having someone who has grown with our family in this way is truly priceless!”
Kelly C.
“Amazing work! She was prompt, professional, and knew exactly what to do to get us the perfect pictures. We went to a couple of spots downtown and the results were fantastic. If you’re looking for photography you’re going to treasure for a lifetime, Anne is where you need to go!”
Chad T.
No timeline survives contact with a wedding day completely intact — and that’s fine.
More to it than Gear
There is something to be said about being practical and careful with your images. I like to make sure that I am covered so that you never have to worry. Were there some hiccups in the beginning? I once had to run to a pharmacy during dinner to get more batteries for my flash. I have since retired that flash and now use a lithium battery that holds a charge for so much longer than an entire reception and doesn’t overheat.
The Gear Itself
To say everything has run smoothly since day one isn’t accurate. Very early on, I only had one battery that died with a half hour left until the event was over, now I have no less than 3 cameras and 8 fully charged batteries.
Lenses, I don’t necessarily have multiple versions of the same lenses, but I do have more than one lens that will work in multiple situations. Hopefully I won’t bore you with the details, I have wide angles, the medium focal range and the mega zooms. At a wedding I usually have two cameras on me at any given moment, one with a wide angle lens to get the whole scene or group and then the tighter focal point to get a candid that you might not even know I am taking.
When the Day Runs Long
My timelines are living documents, just like the day. My strategy starts before your wedding and incremental buffers are built into the day so that you can relax and go with the flow even if that flow runs into a kink. That is what we are all here for — I will work with the coordination team (planner or venue) to seamlessly prioritize what matters most to you and your partner. There is also an approval process to the wedding timeline that you receive from me; questions and suggestions are always welcome.
I like to show up early. Once I showed up 45 minutes early when a couple was over an hour late for their first look, which was in their hotel room where they were getting ready together. To say that I was able to get a lot of photos of the venue before they were ready for me was an understatement. I was also capturing both photo and video for them that day as a solo photographer — the time I had to gather both photos and video was helpful in the long run.
What Booking Actually Looks Like
Life happens, and plans can shift.
Your retainer fee secures your date exclusively on my calendar — once that date is set it is yours and I am turning down any other person that inquires for that day, meaning this fee is non-refundable. Delivery timelines and sneak peeks are clearly defined in writing so you know exactly when to expect your gallery. If life shifts and you need to reschedule, my contract allows your payments to transfer to a new date whenever possible.
Once you are booked with me you will receive two separate questionnaires. I really hope they are painless and even a little fun to do with your partner. I am also open to feedback — if there is a question on there that gives you pause feel free to let me know.
The first questionnaire is so that I can get to know you as a couple before your first session — silly stuff about your pets or favorite meals. You will receive this soon after you book me. There is even a bit about me in there too, that might help you get to know me.
The second questionnaire, which you will receive about a month before your wedding date, leans into the details of your wedding day — getting ready locations, ceremony start time, anything your venue has provided — and then goes into names, emails and social media handles for your vendors so I can get in touch with them and tag them when possible. This questionnaire will help me formulate a draft of your wedding day timeline.
For couples who are planning remotely or just prefer talking things through, I am available via video chat or phone throughout the entire process. Modern technology can be a wonderful thing — once upon a time I met with clients at a coffee shop to show them my portfolio. Now most of that lives online and we can really talk to each other without the background of a busy restaurant. I can’t promise my dogs won’t let us know they are there if something outside is especially interesting.
Above all else, I don’t take the responsibility you are giving me lightly. I am here for what you want and need — from your engagement session to when your final gallery and album have been delivered. That is one of the reasons I have had so many clients return for their other big milestones.
Date Ideas
I love playing tourist in this city — if you’re looking for recommendations on where to spend time before or after your wedding, I’ve got thoughts.
Silent Advocate
If you want to understand a little more about the approach behind all of this, and what it actually feels like to work with someone who’s built their whole practice around staying out of your way:
