Frequent questions about wedding photography

What makes you different from other professional wedding photographers in Victoria?

There are a lot of great choices in Victoria, British Columbia. We've met some truly talented wedding photographers and the competition is stiff. We all have our own creative style and unique offerings so it's hard to compare. However, we can tell you that our may be a little bit different from other photographers in the following ways:

• We give you a disc with high resolution printable images you can take to any lab. Many wedding photographers will give you a disc, but it will have low resolution images that cannot be printed. Having high-resolution files means you have control over your images -- and it means don't have to worry about spending money on anything after your wedding day is over.
• We also provide you with a DVD slideshow set to music that you can share with friends and family.
• To save you the time and expense of burning discs for others, we make a special copy for each set of parents.
• We also provide you with an online gallery that's linked to a professional photo lab. That means your friends and family can order prints directly without needing to go through you.
• You are welcome to come back to us at any time (at no extra cost) to request further touchups to your images for up to one year. We'll even put the edited files on a new CD for you.
• We give you 4x6 unmarked prints (meaning we don't stamp our logo on them) and some of our packages also include credits towards enlargements or albums.

What is your approach to photographing weddings?

Remember those stiff school or prom portraits that had you sitting for minutes at a time holding a smile or a pose for ages at a time? Well... we are the exact opposite of that. We spend the time to get to know you, to find out the kinds of images that appeal to you and to find out the way you want to spend your day. Most importantly, we put a great deal of effort towards dicovering what makes you relax in front of the camera. Our greatest goal is to allow you to relax and enjoy your wedding. Our team of photographers strives to create images that tell the unique story of your day. We want to give you images that are unlike anyone else's.

What is your style - are you photojournalism, fashion, fine art?

Actually, we offer a blend of all of the above, or you can pick just one and we will customize our style for your taste. We have fashion photographers, creative photojournalists, fine art photographers, and traditional portrait artists. We invite everyone to come into our studio and we will show you examples and ask you about your preferences.

What exactly does wedding photojournalism mean? Does this mean you never take posed or directed photos? What if we want some traditional portraits of our families and friends?

If you choose our wedding photojournalism approach we can be as hands off or as hands on as you like. Most people prefer to have their wedding day covered without intrustion, but still want to spend some time doing straight-forward posed family portraits and relaxed-yet-creative couple and wedding party portraits.

How do things generally flow on a wedding day?

Every wedding is different and, after a consultation with you, we will create a custom photography itinerary for your day with lots of flexibility. However, here's how most wedding days generally flow:

• Preparations: We generally approach preparations as photojournalists, capturing moments as they unfold. That means we aren't spending a lot of time asking you to "look this way" or pose. Occasionally, we will get requests for posed portraits during this time and this is no problem. If there is time, we will sometimes spend a few extra moments taking some creative images before the wedding ceremony. Although these images are directed, they will be captured with story-telling in mind. We always strive to tell the true story of your wedding day.
  Approximate time: 30 minutes to three hours.
• Wedding ceremony: We approach every wedding ceremony as photojournalists. We have a strict policy to never intrude on your ceremony. We simply capture it as it happens. We will also consult with you and/or your ceremony official to understand if there are any rules or restrictions on photography during your ceremony.
  Approximate time: between 30 mintues to three hours.
• Post-ceremony greetings: The time after the wedding ceremony when your guests are greeting you for the first time is always filled with emotion. This is when we're able to capture the most beautiful candids of you and your guests.
  Approximate time: 20 minutes.
• Family portraits: Weddings are about family reunions and it's important to have some group portraits of everyone coming together. Your parents and grandparents will cherish these pictures. Since children and elderly people often get tired during these pictures so we try to keep this session to less than 30 minutes. Each group generally takes about three minutes each to photograph, this means keeping groupings to under 10. We'll work with you to determine how best to approach this session with your particular family group. And don't forget... we will also take requests at the reception to photograph any groups that may have been missed during the official family portrait time.
  Approximate time: 30 minutes
• Wedding party portraits: We will work with you and your wedding party to create some relaxed yet creative pictures. If you browse our wedding photography gallery you'll see many examples of the kinds of things we can do. We direct this session rather than pose - that means we aren't spending lots of time positioning hands in 'just the right place'. We want everyone relaxed and having a blast! One thing to keep in mind... if you bring your wedding party along with you to all of the locations on your list they may start to get a little bit tired while they are waiting for you to have photographs of the two of you alone. You may also find it a bit distracting to have an audience while we're working with you together as a couple. You may want to limit your wedding party portraits to one location or ensure there is plenty of food and entertainment in the limo for your party's downtime.
  Approximate time: 20 minutes to one hour.
• Portraits of the two of you alone: Forget the 'look this way and smile directly at the camera' approach you get from everyone else. We believe that if you are thinking about where to place your hands, how to position your legs, etc., it will show in your smile. A natural smile photographs better than a forced one and our biggest aim is to make sure you can be yourself, have fun and look natural. We want to work with you to tell a story, incorporating the details that make your wedding story unique. We may ask you to walk over to a park bench and have a conversation or we'll try to get you both to laugh. One of us will have a telephoto taking candid-inspired portraits while the other may have a super wide angle lens capturing you with the details of your surroundings. If you take look through our wedding gallery you'll see what we mean.
  Approximate time: 45 minutes to 1.5 hours
• Reception: Here is where we generally return to our wedding photojournalism approach, capturing the reception events as they happen. We'll sometimes get asked to take some posed pictures of guests. This is absolutely no problem. Sometimes there are other reunions happening and we know it's important to capture everything.
  Approximate times: pre-dinner cocktails (30 minutes), dinner (1 hour), speeches (30 minutes to an hour), dancing (one to three hours).

Do you ever take couple pictures before the wedding so we can spend more time with our guests after the ceremony?

Absolutely. Many people opt to do this and it does mean you can spend your entire wedding celelebration doing just that -- celebrating!

I look terrible in pictures. I'm worried about how I'll look in pictures on my wedding day.

We hear this all the time and that's why we take the pressure off "put your hands this way and your feet that way" and instead work on getting you to relax in front of the camera. Even during directed moments we will provide you with some straight-forward instructions like, "go over there and make each other laugh," and then we photograph you acting naturally. Candid and natural photos always look nicer than 'stare at the camera and smile' photos. Many of the people in our wedding gallery told us they were uneasy about having their picture taken and yet they all look like rock stars! I'll bet you won't be able to tell the people who were more camera shy than others. Some of our packages include a a pre-wedding engagement session to get to know you better and allows you to become comfortable having my camera around you. The greatest compliment we could receive from you or your guests is hearing that you forgot we were even there. This is always our number one goal because it means you are being yourself and enjoying your wedding rather than worry about photography.

Everyone has a digital camera these days - why should we hire FunkyTown Photography?

All photographers working with FunkyTown Photography have intensive training and experience photographing weddings. We all hold diplomas in photography from the Western Academy of Photography -- an intensive one-year program that teaches you everything from portraiture to lifestyle to studio photography to fashion to weddings.

This is our full-time career and our experience and camera skills mean that we make the most of any situation, venue or person (including very difficult lighting situations). Our professional telephoto lenses can do things like selective focus that you can't get from traditional point-and-shoot digital cameras. And our ultra-wide-angle lenses allow us to capture stories within each scene that are difficult to get with a traditional camera. We work quickly, effectively and discreetly to produce images that you will treasure forever. Plus, we take professional pride in paying attention to your needs during your wedding day to ensure you get exactly the kinds of pictures you want.

Both of our principal photographers also back up their photography skills with journalism degrees, plus experience producing, writing and filming documentaries. Telling a story visually comes naturally to us and it's something we've always loved doing. We also have extensive experience with Adobe Photoshop and are able to provide you with professionally-edited images -- touchups are all included with your packages.

What happens if it rains on our wedding day?

We all know that rain can happen at any time of year on teh west coast and we always come prepared for any weather. We have props like parasols and we know some fantastic places around Victoria where we can get you some shelter from the rain. We're also prepared to shoot indoors if needed.

What kind of wedding photography equipment do you use?

We use digital SLR cameras with portable flash units.

How many pictures will we receive on our discs?

Expect about 150 images per hour of photography.

I've heard that some wedding photographers only give low resolution (unprintable) proofs on CDs. Will the images on our CD be printable?

Absolutely. We will provide you with the highest resolution possible so you can take your pictures to any print lab. Pictures will blow up to poster size.

How long before we see our pictures?

Normal viewing time is after your honeymoon, about three weeks to one month after your wedding to allow us the necessary time to put together professionally-edited package. We appreciate that our clients can get curious so we usually post a sneak peek of your wedding images on our blog.

How much time do you spend on images after the wedding?

Will you provide us with black and white wedding pictures?

Absolutely. That's the beauty of digital wedding photography. We take all pictures in colour, and convert them all into black and white. We will provide you with a selection of images - both in black and white and colour - that are the most flattering and that will look and print their best.

Do you charge extra for travel?

Yes. We ask for $50/hr of travel time, plus any necessary ferry or flight costs if your wedding is outside of the greater Victoria area. We also offer complete packages for destination weddings with travel costs built into our prices. Please inquire for more information about our destination photography services.

I'm considering hiring you to photograph our wedding somewhere other than Victoria, B.C. What experience do you have in other locations (Paris, New York, Florida, California, Ontario, Brazil, Costa Rica, etc.?)

Both Christina and Eunice have traveled and lived in various locations across North and South America, plus Europe. Eunice grew up in Brazil and knows the country intimately. She moved to Florida before heading up to Victoria B.C. and has traveled throughout the states. Christina grew up near Toronto and spent 10 years in Ottawa. Her previous work in high tech took her to Paris and other destinations in Europe (England, Italy, Switzerland, Greece) several times a year, plus she has spent time in most major cities in the USA. She now travels yearly to Costa Rica, the rocky mountains of Canada and Calgary. We would love to help you with your destination wedding and we would be happy to discuss our experience further with you.

What are your wedding photography packages?

We'd be happy to mail you our package and price guide. Please send us a note with your wedding date and location and we'll tell you more about our offerings.

Do you offer a discount on weekday weddings in Victoria, B.C.? What if I'm getting married in the winter?

Yes, we do provide discounts if your wedding is on a weekday or if you are getting married in the winter. Please drop us a line and we'll quote you our weekday or winter package rates.

What other costs should we consider?

There are no hidden fees and the package prices cover everything except PST and GST, which we are required to charge as a British Columbia business. Some packages include albums or you can purchase an album separately at any time in the future. You get a disc with high quality pictures you can take to any photo lab and we will give you advice about approaching your lab. If you would prefer that we arrange for enlargements, this is no problem. We have a price schedule for prints that we can provide you upon request.

Can we include you in our gift registry so guests can contribute towards the cost of our photography?

Absolutely. We allow your guests to purchase gift certificates towards your wedding photography.

Do you take credit card?

Yes. We accept Visa and MasterCard. We also offer a discount if you choose to pay with cheque or cash.

What is required to book the date?

We require both a deposit of $500 and a signed contract. This guarantees your date.

Do you mind if people other than you take photographs during the wedding?

No , we don't mind at all. The more the merrier and you'll get more pictures that way! However, since other cameras and flashes tend to distract people during the posed group portraits, we do kindly request that all guests' photographing group photos wait until after we are finished.

Do you photograph same sex marriages?

Absolutely! And if you're having a small wedding with under three guests let us know and we'll send you our elopment pricelist.

What kind of clothing do you wear to the wedding?

We wear clothes that are suited for the occasion so that we blend in with your guests, yet do not limit us when we are trying to work.

How do we arrange a consultation with you?

We offer a no-obligation, personal consultation for each couple considering our services. During the consultation, you will be able to view samples of our work, including assembled photo albums and framed art prints. After the consultation, we do not put any pressure on couples to book with us. We welcome you to compare us with other photographers to determine the style you like and the offering that works best for you before making a decision. Our hours are Monday to Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and we do consultations by appointment. Drop us a line to set up an appointment and we will look forward to your visit.