I’ve compiled a convenient Lake Tahoe wedding photographer FAQ to send to my potential and booked wedding couples because I want to make sure I’m as open with information as possible about my Lake Tahoe wedding photography!
Hi, I’m Jentry, founder and lead photographer of Fifth and Chestnut Photo Co. I’ve written the following FAQ to be open about your photography experience with myself and my team of photographers! If you have any further questions after reading through this information, please don’t hesitate to call me at 775-335-9807 or email me!
Wedding Photography FAQ by Lake Tahoe Wedding Photographer
How would you describe your STYLE?
We describe our style as authentic and heartfelt…catering to your unique romance. We don’t use trendy filters in our editing, nor do we fall into the hype of other trends because your photos should stand up to the test of time. So we edit in a genuine, classic way – true to the mood of your real wedding day. We would also describe our style as polished. We are very attentive to your final edited images, down to the cropping of each photo.
Who is your ideal couple?
A couple who values the timelessness of our style, and appreciates that we’re preserving their personal story as a legacy to future generations. A couple who is adventurous, not overly concerned with getting a little dirt on their wedding attire, and craves a genuine and authentic reflection of their romance.
How many weddings do you shoot every year?
We shoot approximately 10 weddings per year. We only commit to shooting ONE wedding per weekend (with some weekends totally off in between), so that each couple gets the time, attention and energy they deserve from us while we create wedding day fine art for them. Not to mention, weddings are typically 14+hour days for us (wake up early, prepare, shoot all day, travel, upload/archive images etc), and doing those for two or three days in a row is not a life goal of ours <<insert laugh-crying emoji here>>
We put in A LOT of hours before and (especially) after a wedding, and if you’re hiring someone who shoots upwards of 40 weddings a year, your images probably aren’t getting the attention they really deserve from the photographer personally – and neither are you. We come to each wedding ready to rock it.
What kind of investment should we be prepared for?
We offer three wedding collections, ranging from $4399-6399. ALL of our collections include:
- At least 8 hours of wedding photography by two professional photographers (typically myself – Jentry – and a secondary professional from our team).
- My time culling the RAW images (selecting the best images from your day – usually about 800-1000 images), editing (color correcting, adjusting contrast, brightness, sharpness, cropping etc), exporting your hi-res edited wedding images and preparing a highlight slideshow for you to view together.
- Custom-drafted photo timeline
- Wedding Guide – designed to walk you through the entire photography process!
- USB drive of your hi-res edited images in a beautiful wooden display box.
- 1-hour engagement session in the Reno/Tahoe area + online download of the hi-res edited images.
Couples who prefer collections with albums an wall art typically choose either our $5399 or $6399 collection, and we absolutely recommend these options so you can start adorning your home with the images from your wedding day ASAP. We can also customize your wedding collection by adding on hours of coverage or products from our a la carte menu (max of 10 hours total for a wedding day).
Will you travel for my wedding day?
We can travel throughout the U.S. as our schedules permit! We can provide a quote for travel and accommodations after a detailed conversation about your wedding plans.
Can we book you for less than 8 hours?
If you’re eloping or having a small, intimate wedding day on a weekday, or in the off-season weekends (November-April), we have Elopement Collections that might suit your needs! If you are having a full traditional wedding day, 8 hours is our minimum, since we know with experience that cutting the time might exclude so many precious moments from your photography collection. If you have something totally out of the traditional wedding day box (and this happens, of course), let’s talk!
Can we book you for more than 8 hours?
On your wedding day, if you decide you want more hours of coverage (if you booked one of our 8 or 9 hour collections), my team is happy to shoot for a max of 10 hours. We will square up the additional cost of coverage after the wedding day, so no need to whip out the credit card on the spot.
How do we know how long our portraits will take on our wedding day? Will you be there for our getaway at the end of the night? When do I need to be ready for photos?
As part of our wedding process with you, we will send you a link to a questionnaire that will give us a ton of essential information that we’ll use to create your unique wedding day photo timeline. In combination with your planner’s timeline, and your DJ’s order of events, this photography timeline will structure your wedding day from the time we arrive until the time we leave. As long as this questionnaire is filled out in a timely manner, you will know exactly when your hair and makeup needs to be complete – how long your portraits will take throughout various points in the day, and whether or not you’ve booked enough coverage to cover your sparkler exit. This timeline is one of the most important services we offer, and your questionnaire response is paramount in creating it. Wedding photography without a timeline is chaos. If something throws the timeline off, we know exactly how to catch back up because we have the whole day laid out. It’s magic.
Can I give you a shot list from Pinterest? I really love some images I found there.
We don’t accept shot lists of any kind other than your specific family formal portrait requests. But we do ask you to notify us if there is anyone in particular you would like me to make sure we get photos of, or particular items that are meaningful to you at your wedding (if it wouldn’t be obvious – like for example, you’re sewing a special patch into the interior of your wedding gown).
Pinterest is a fun tool for wedding planning and envisioning your day, but asking us to recreate a shot by another photographer is asking us to copy someone else (aka copyright infringement – yikes). Also, we can’t recreate things like the time of day in which a photo was taken, or a particular landscape that just doesn’t exist at your wedding site. If we attempted to recreate something purposely, you may be disappointed – and we aim to take your breath away with unique imagery.
We will photograph you in a way that is true to our artistic vision and style. We enjoy working with couples who completely trust us to create amazing images that are authentic to their individual wedding day. That level of trust is paramount in our relationship.
Should we provide dinner for you on our wedding day?
Yes, please. Make sure to ask your caterer to provide a meal for our team (your photographers & any assistants that may be present). Dinner is one of those essential things for us wedding vendors – since we are not only on our feet all day, but usually running around like crazy without even stopping for a bathroom break most of the time. Your caterer may ask you to purchase these meals, or they may be included in their service. We encourage you to speak to your caterer very directly about “vendor meals” so there are no surprises for any of us. And if you’re wondering WHERE we should eat, vendors always appreciate a table at your reception. When we’re in another room (or down the hall, or outside etc), it’s much harder (or often times impossible) to know if something important is happening that needs our attention.
If your dinner is plated, our team should be provided with our meals right after you and your wedding party are served. If your dinner is a buffet, we should go through the buffet line directly after you and your wedding party. If you don’t inform your caterer of this beforehand, your caterer might tell us to wait until all of your guests have gone through, which is huge disservice to you because we may then be unavailable to capture the moments of you interacting with your guests when you’re done with your meals.
Who are the photographers on my wedding day?
I will typically be one of your main shooters, along with a secondary photographer from our team. That secondary photographer is chosen from our roster of exceptional professional photographers, based on their availability. At times, I myself (Jentry) may be unavailable on your date, so two of our professional team members will photograph your day. This would all be planned out upon booking! We do not bring amateurs with us to document the most important day of your lives. I have chosen only the most professional of photographers to join my team. You will only get the best from us.
What happens if you get sick on our wedding day?
This is something we always make sure to prepare our couples for, because anyone is subject to catching the dreaded flu or dealing with medical (or other) emergencies. I personally have photographed weddings through laryngitis and sinus infections (ugh!!), but there have been instances where I couldn’t be present on a couple’s wedding day myself even though I was the main photographer slated for their day. But don’t worry – if your main photographer on your wedding day is unable to be present, your secondary professional photographer takes their place and we appoint another photographer to the secondary position. As a Fifth and Chestnut team, they will handle the wedding professionally and provide a great experience for you.
Do we really need a wedding album?
Definitely. Although we offer a starting package without an album, we highly recommend purchasing one up front. Once your wedding day is over, life carries on very quickly and you may never hold a printed wedding album if your collection doesn’t come with one. It’s just hard to get to…believe me!
How many images will we get?
The number varies greatly from wedding to wedding, but you can expect at least 80 final edited images per hour of coverage.
What happens if your camera breaks during my wedding day?
Not to worry, we have backup equipment and we will just grab our other camera(s) and get back to work. You have our word that we do EVERYTHING humanly possible to protect your images in every way – while we’re shooting, all the way through backing up your images as we edit, storing your final images “in the cloud” and storing them off-site in addition to our office storage. You’re in good (and kind of OCD) hands.
What do you do with all of the photos we don’t receive on our USB drive?
Those hit the cutting room floor. They are unusable for any number of reasons. For example, an image could be out of focus, a test shot, or an experiment that didn’t turn out to our liking. They could also be duplicates of the excellent shots you’ve already seen. We will delete the unused files after we have selected and edited your final images. In other words, what you see in your wedding collection is all that exists.
When will our photos be ready?
Engagement photos are typically ready in 4 weeks, and wedding photos are typically ready 9 weeks after your wedding date. We will post sneak peeks of both your engagement and wedding as we can (usually about 2 weeks later). Due to our shooting, editing and appointment schedules, we are unable to provide anything other than the sneak peek images sooner than the rest of the collection.
Can we have your RAW images?
We don’t transfer our RAW files under any circumstances. And trust us, you really don’t want those ginormous files…they are hard to store and they are definitely not as pretty as the edited versions.
What will you wear while shooting our engagement & wedding?
During your engagement, we will climb on rocks, squeeze ourselves between trees and crawl on the ground, so you can expect us to be wearing workout gear….yoga pants, a sweatshirt and sneakers. Photo sessions are kind of a workout, and being able to move around more flexibly helps us focus on our creativity. I personally have straight up ruined many workout leggings and shoes at photoshoots. I am not afraid to dive into mud, or snuggle with a thorny bush to get a particular shot.
During your wedding, we will STILL be climbing rocks, getting in water or army-crawling in grass to get “the shot,” but we will also be dressed in a way where we won’t look entirely out of place at your wedding. Therefore, we’ll ditch the workout gear in favor of comfortable slacks & dress shirt, or a comfy dress with leggings….business casual style. Also, we will probably be VERY sweaty and dirty at the end of your wedding day, and you’ll have amazing photos to show you just what we were up to the whole day.
What should we wear for our engagement?
Don’t fret about outfits just yet! We will send you a comprehensive list of tips to get the most out of your engagement session with us – including a long list of helpful wardrobe tips.
What if you’ve never photographed our venue before?
In that case, we look forward to shooting somewhere new! We will do research on your venue and we will show up in advance (either early on the day of your wedding, or even on a date beforehand) to scout locations and get a game plan prepared for your wedding day. We are ALL about preparation and we will do whatever it takes to get acquainted with your wedding venue. In the rare case that we would’t be able to scout your location beforehand, don’t worry – shooting weddings has gotten us VERY used to thinking on our toes.
We love your portfolio, but can we see a full wedding?
Of course, and we’re glad you asked. Here’s one in Tahoe City! And here’s another at West Shore Cafe! Want more? Just ask! I think it’s important to view a photographer’s full body of work. That way you have a better idea of what to expect on your wedding day, and if you don’t see something you’d like to see – we can chat about it before your wedding day!
Do you have proper business credentials and insurance?
You bet we do! Fifth and Chestnut Photo Co is a Limited Liability Company, and we are insured and carry state and city business licenses. We also pay our taxes 😉 If your venue needs proof of liability insurance, we are happy to provide it.
Do you have a studio or do you work from home?
Fifth and Chestnut Photo Co is one of the few photography teams in the Lake Tahoe area with a brick and mortar photography studio. It’s a cozy place to meet and plan. Plus, if you are interested in an indoor photography session, or a boudoir session, our studio is the perfect place to do that!
What’s a boudoir session?
A boudoir session is a private and confidence-building romantic stripped-down portrait session of a female in an intimate bedroom-like setting. Our boudoir sessions are catered to your vision of how you want to be represented (either for yourself or your partner), whether that’s sexy-casual, sexy-glamorous, or sexy-sportsy-rocker-flirty-nerdy. No matter what the “look” of your session is, it will be beautiful, tasteful and fun! It’s a no-dudes-allowed zone and we do everything to make it a comfortable experience for you – and luxurious pampering by an amazing hairstylist and makeup artist is included! Contact me for more details.
Can you be our photographer after the wedding day?
Oh my gosh – yes! If you decide to have children, we can be there for your maternity, newborn, baby, child and family photography needs for LIFE. We also photograph high school seniors, and anything family related. It’s the highest compliment when our wedding couples come back to us for ALL of their photography needs throughout the years. It’s an absolute HONOR to be a family’s historian and visual storyteller, so yes, yes and more yes!
Tell us more about you, the woman behind the scenes!
Although I breathe, sweat and bleed (mostly because I’m clumsy and will do almost anything for the perfect shot) for my photography business and my team, I also do all of those things for my beautiful family. My motto is family first – which has helped me shape my business into something that brings a work-life-balance to our lives. It offers me flexibility to be with my family at important times, and to spend precious time with my kids…helping them grow and learn. It keeps me passionate about what I do. My photography business is such a personal part of myself that it’s sometimes hard to separate, but I am always striving for the perfect balance between being an artist/entrepreneur with being a great wife and mommy. My youngest son is three, I am currently expecting twin babies, and my step-son is a whopping twelve-years-old. My husband works for the magnificent City of Sparks, where we reside (and adore).
I also have graphic design and illustration skills, and one of my dreams is to write and illustrate a children’s book. Additionally, I have a love/hate relationship with Netflix and HBO.
If you have any questions about myself, my team or our services, or how we can provide an amazing Lake Tahoe wedding experience for you, please get in touch. We want to know you, and we want to create wedding day images for you to treasure your whole lifetime 🙂