FAQ | Bayphoto Net Photography

Frequently Asked Questions

How would you identify your wedding photography style?
I will call it "Fusion of photojournalistic and glamour photography style." I originally focused on fashion and glamour photography and I knew how to capture the most beautiful side of a person by instinct. Before I started wedding photography, I also shot many events such as fashion shows and dance competitions and learned how to capture the critical moment. I typically take pictures un-intrusively during the preparation, ceremony and party. I will work with clients to pose both comfortably and creatively after the photojournalistic style shooting.

Do you offer special techniques such as hand-coloring or toning?
Yes I will selectively retouch certain pictures to make them more eye-catching. There are many different styles to choose. Each picture is individually retouched, lighting-adjusted, face enhanced and color-corrected with Adobe Lightroom to ensure the quality of work. Certain pictures will be further enhanced with Photoshop.

Do you have experience shooting wedding in various lighting situations?
Absolutely. I am comfortable with any lighting conditions. Indoor environment (church, hotel, etc) is the easiest to shoot. Outdoor lighting is harder to control but I am one of the best outdoor photographers available in Bay Area. Please check out the fashion session and you can see lots of outdoor scenes.

Is your media preference film or digital?
It is pure digital. I switched to digital the very first year it is available on the market because it is the future of photography.

How many photographers do you work with?
I worked with many photographers before. I typically work alone during the wedding ceremony. One person is enough and is much less intrusive. Sometimes, I bring an assistant photographer to help capture the scene from a different point of view.

Do you guarantee your presence at the actual event?
Absolutely. I typically come 10-15 minutes earlier than scheduled to get familiar with the environment.

Do you sometimes book yourself for more than one wedding in a day? Weekend?
To provide the highest wedding photography quality, I book no more than one wedding a day.

Do you have a replacement photographer in case you become unavailable on the wedding day?
Yes

What kind of equipment do you typically bring with you on the day-of?
I have two professional cameras to bring: Nikon D700 and Nikon D300. The lens that I typically bring are Nikon 24-70mm F2.8, Nikon 85mm F1.4, Nikon 12-24mm F4, Nikon 10.5mm fisheye, Nikon 35mm F1.8 or 105mm F2.8. I also bring two flashes: Nikon SB-900 and SB-800 to take care of the extreme dark scenes. I do not use tripods since according to my experience, tripods will cause more trouble rather than help the picture-taking.

Do you charge hourly or full day?
I offer several standard wedding photography packages. Please see the service page for details. Customized packages are also available per request.

If hourly, are you available for shooting overtime? If so, how much do you charge for overtime?
Yes I am happy to work overtime. The hourly rate is charged based on the package price.

Do you require a meal break? If yes, do you require that the wedding party provide your meal?
Yes. A good meal is needed for the photographer to perform well since the cameras with quality lens are heavy to carry around whole day. Typically, when the guests start eating, the photographer and the DJ will also start eating in a side table alone.

How many breaks do you usually take throughout the day?
Typically a few 2-4 minutes breaks.

Do you charge for travel?
Travel is free if the wedding/event is within 100 miles round-trip to San Jose. Otherwise, a destination fee may apply.

How soon after the event are the proofs ready for viewing?
Typically 2-3 weeks. It shall be less than 4 weeks by the contract.

Do you reserve the right to publish the photos?
Yes. It is important for an artist to show people his work so that I reserve the right to show the works.

Do you provide the digital files and/or negatives (or copies of the negatives) to the couple?
Yes. A CD/DVD with high-resolution images and print rights will be provided for wedding photography packages priced $999 or higher. It is also possible to purchase the DVD alone.

What kind of wedding albums do you offer?
The wedding albums are optional. Bayphoto Net uses AsukaBooks and VisionArt to provide customized high quality wedding albums. A customized 12.5"x11" hard cover coffee table album with 20 pages is available for $299. For other options of wedding albums, please contact us directly.

When will I get the final work (DVD and prints)?
The DVD is typically within 4 weeks. The prints will be ready in one to two weeks after the customer selects the photos to print. They will be mailed together to the clients in one package.

What is the deposit rate and why it is non-refundable?
The non-fundable deposit rate is 50% of the package. It should be paid as early as possible to reserve the date exclusively for you. It happened many times that the potential customers could not have me take pictures for them due to the conflict reservation. Because the particular date is reserved for the client exclusively, the retainer is not refundable even if the event is cancelled.