FAQ
Advice
1) What advice does Jessica Elizabeth have for couples looking for a wedding photographer or cinematographer?
a) Make sure your personalities and sense of humor are a good fit because the photographer and/or cinematographer will be with you most of the day.
b) Make sure you like the photographic style and then trust your photographer to capture their creative vision to the fullest.
c) You get what you pay for- after the wedding day the photos are what you will have left. Don't be afraid to ask for payment or financing options if the photographer you would like to hire is above your ideal budget.
Photography Coverage
1) How many photographers will I need at my event?
For a wedding with a single venue/location and about 75-200 guests, 2 photographers is recommended. For weddings with multiple venues and/or more than 250 guests, 3 photographers is recommended.
We also offer photography coverage by 1 photographer for small/intimate weddings.
2) What is a Signature Photographer?
Robert, Jessica, Allison, and Joel are the four Signature Photographers for the Jessica Elizabeth brand. Robert and Jessica founded the company together in 2008 and have been shooting and working together for over 10 years. Joel and Jessica went to film school together beginning over 15 years ago. Allison and Robert have photographed many wedding together over the last several years and have mastered the Jessica Elizabeth style. Together, these four photographers are responsible for creating the Signature Jessica Elizabeth look.
3) What is a Lead or Second Photographer?
A Lead or Second Photographer is an associate photographer who we have worked with for multiple events and trust to work for Jessica Elizabeth and our clients.
4) How many hours of Wedding Day Coverage is recommended?
In our experience, we find that 8 hours is often a good balance between covering the majority of the wedding day activities and maximizing our couple’s photography investment. On average it takes about 8-10 hours to cover from the last 20 minutes of “getting ready” through the last formal reception activities (usually the cake cutting or bouquet/garter toss).
We do offer wedding day coverage for 2 hours and up for elopements or smaller more intimate weddings.
What's it going to cost?
Every wedding is unique as are the photography needs and interests of the bride and groom, so there is not one magic solution to wedding photography coverage. Coverage options and pricing varies accordingly.
Please contact us and we would be happy to provide coverage recommendations and a written quote for your specific wedding.
To give you an idea of our popular offerings:
A full 8 hour day of coverage with one Signature Photographer and a Second Photographer including basic editing and online proofing gallery starts at $4,950.
A full consecutive 8 hour day of coverage with one Lead Photographer and a Second Photographer including basic editing and online proofing gallery starts at $3,950.
We also offer single photographer coverage and wedding day coverage for 2 hours and up for elopements or smaller more intimate weddings. Please contact us for more detailed information so we can help recommend the photography collection that is best for you!
Booking, Contracts, and Payment
1) Do you have a contract?
Yes. We believe in clear expectations and mutual protection. Our contracts are prepared in house by our counsel. You will be provided a contract for your review and given an opportunity to ask questions before you sign or agree to anything.
2) How do I reserve my event date?
All event coverage is reserved on a first come first serve basis. To reserve your date simply return the signed contract and retainer.
3) What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash, check, and money order. However, to provide a better value to you we prefer checks. Credit Cards payment may be discussed on a case by case basis.
4) How are the payments structured?
Our retainer is due at the time of booking. We will work with you to set up a payment scheduled for the progress payments. The final balance is due 30 days before the event.
5) Is sales tax collected?
California requires us to collect sales tax on all services that result in a tangible product such as prints, albums, DVDs, etc. Thus, most of our services and products are taxable with the exception of service/coverage only where a hard drive to drive transfer occurs and no physical items are delivered. Per state law, these rules apply even if you pay cash.
Post-Production and Delivery
1) How soon are the engagement photos ready for viewing?
Engagement photos are normally edited and available for viewing within approximately 4-6 weeks from the session date.
2) How many engagement photos will I receive?
For our 2 hour engagement session (the most popular option), you can generally expect to receive about 75 photos.
3) How soon are the wedding photos delivered?
Our editing process takes about 8-12 weeks for wedding photos. Since your photos will be around for generations, we don’t take shortcuts with mass filters or automated edits.
4) How many wedding photos will I receive?
On average, a wedding with two photographers will result in 75-100 photos per hour of coverage. So for an 8 hour wedding day with two photographers you can expect to receive approximately 600-800 photos.
5) Will I receive every single photo taken?
In short- no. Since we are masters of our craft we shoot in manual mode and also aim to capture candid moments as well as directed ones. As part of our superior customer service, we filter any test shots, duplicates, or photos with unflattering expressions. We often shoot in triplicates to maximize focus, sharpness, eyes open and expression. Laughter, crying, and smiles can all be very beautiful but if caught at a particular moment can result in very unflattering expressions. No one wants to see that! So our team of experienced editors spends hours upon hours filtering the photos with our trained eyes so that you don't have to spend weeks doing it yourself.
6) How will I receive my photos?
We strongly believe in our clients having a beautiful album after their wedding day so that they can share their meaningful wedding moments for years and generations to come. Therefore, most of our photography collections include an album. A disc of archival digital photos is also provided at the time the album is delivered.
Prior to the album and/or disc delivery, the photos may be hosted in an online viewing gallery for you which is password protected.
Logistics
1) What days are engagement sessions offered?
Since our weekends are reserved for weddings and special events, Engagement Sessions are available Monday- Thursday.
2) How Many Photographers will be at my engagement session?
Most engagement session options include one photographer. Clients may elect to add a second photographer in our upgraded offerings.
2) Do you charge travel fees?
We cover all of our own travel costs for weddings and engagements within 60 miles (each way) of Orange, CA. For each mile thereafter (up to 200 miles), the Client shall pay $2.00 per mile to help compensate a portion actual costs of travel.* For events or Engagement Sessions or Weddings located more than 100 miles each way outside of Orange, CA 92866, Client shall provide Photographer and Photographer’s Assistant, if any, with suitable lodging near the event venue.
Travel Fees for events more than 200 miles outside of Orange, CA are handled on a case by case basis.