I have chosen questions to put on this page that are asked me the most frequently. If you would like to see your question on here, or if I need to elaborate on an answer, click here and I'll put it on here!
Last Updated 12/30/2017
I have compiled the general questions below. Further down are questions specific to session types. Please use the links below to get down to the specific questions you are looking for:
Payments/Financial ~ Consultation/Booking/Availability/Session ~ Cancellation ~ Equipment Used ~ Images
Wedding Portraiture, Senior Portraiture, Professional Sessions, Real Estate Photography
1. Do you shoot Indian, Jewish, LGBT, Non-Cristian, Christian?...
A. Yes! I am an equal opportunity photographer! No matter your race, religion, creed, sexual preference / orientation... I will document it with the same creative, high quality imagery.
1. How do I pay for my session?
A. Online, in person, or by mail... I offer many convenient ways to pay. Request an email invoice if you wish to securely pay online. Make sure to include your name, phone number, and address in the email. DO NOT SEND PAYMENT INFORMATION DIRECTLY THROUGH EMAIL. Only use the invoice link to establish a secure connection.
2. When are my payments due?
A. Online Payments: Must show paid and confirmed in our system. Cash Payments: Day of, before session begins. Check Payments: 7 Days before session and must be cleared into the bank account.
3. Do you charge a fee if my check bounces?
A. Yes. Unfortunately, the bank charges me. To combat this charge, your account will be billed $50.00 to recover the bank's charge, as well as administrative charges to collect the session funds. This fee is due IMMEDIATELY when it is billed.
4. Do you require a retainer?
A. Yes. Retainers are due at contract signing and will be detailed in your agreement. Retainers vary by session type and price.
5. What are some additional costs?
A. I don't like the word hate, but I HATE additional costs. Every package is priced with one set price in mind. Of course I do have A Le Cart items mostly for your convenience. Charges that may not be included into pricing and A Le Cart include parking fees, venue fees, etc.
6. Do you charge for travel?
A. Most packages and pricing will have travel included in them.
7. What is your retainer rates?
A. Please know that our deposit rates vary between session types. All retainers are due at contract signing.
For Weddings and Events: 30% of Package Price.
For all Senior, Professional Sessions, and Family Oriented Shoots: 50% of Package Price.
Real Estate Photography: Total Package due at signing. (explained below)
Consultation/Booking/Availability/Session
1. How do your consultations work?
A. I use my consultations to meet you, for you to get to know me, and to go over specific details of the session. No matter the session, I like to know my clients; and I like my clients to know me. Check out my About Me page to get a head start!
2. Do you travel for consultations?
A. Yes! For comfort, my first consultations are usually in a quiet, yet public and visible establishment.
3. Will you video chat for consultations?
A. This is kind of up in the air. I like to meet my clients in person, but I do offer Skype and Facetime for convenience. Please understand we must meet to sign the contract before the session can happen.
4. Do you sign a contract for every session?
A. YES! I run a professional business and therefore must sign a contract BEFORE a session happens. These contracts are here to serve both myself and you as the client.
5. How long after the consultation can we book you?
A. As soon as we sign a contract, we can book the next available slot! I suggest for shoots that require planning, that we book out in the future. This is your call though!
6. Do you have Liability Insurance?
A. Yes! Should your venue require that information, let me know and I will submit it to them.
7. What if you are late to my session, or vise versa? (This does not pertain to Weddings or Events)
A. I will make it a point to be early to a location. I do this to get my creative juices flowing for one. Two, I like to be prepared in case traffic is bad or a shoot runs over before. This is why I allow for at least two hours between sessions. Should I be late, we can either go over the end time, or I will refund the pro-rated time not used in your session.
If you happen to be late, don't worry, I have a 15 minute grace period.
8. What if the weather is bad?
A. Rain can be kind of beautiful if done right. It is up to you though. We can wait the weather out, safely shoot in the weather, or schedule the next available time slot. We do not offer refunds due to weather though. For time sensitive shoots, we will have an alternative in place.
9. Are you available to stay longer?
A. Well, depending on the type of shoot of course. Most of the time, we are able to stay longer for additional shooting. This will come at an additional pro-rated hourly charge though. Sometimes availability does not allow, so please ask ahead of time if you plan on staying over the slotted time.
10. Do you do video too?
A. At this time, no. My expertise is photography, and I would not want to provide a sub-par product in the video area. We are working on a drone program, but it will not be an inclusive wedding video service.
1. Can I cancel on my contract at any time?
A. Yes. However, stated in your contract are the cancellation details.
2. Will I get my retainer back if I cancel?
A. No. Those are non-refundable fees that guarantee a spot in our calendar. We use those funds for initial labor needed before the shoot even occurs. Those funds are also to protect against any damages resulting in lost bookings for that date.
1. What Cameras do you use?
A. I am a Canon guy. My current bodies are the Canon 7d and Canon 60d.
2. Do you use flash?
A. Short answer, yes! I use some sort of flash to capture every detail possible. I do understand some venues require limited or no flash use and I can definitely work around that.
1. Do I get all images you take?
A. No. You only get the best of the best images to document your session beautifully. I take roughly 100 to 150 images per hour. Some are just not up to par with my standards.
2. What are the differences between edited and retouched?
A. Edited means I clean images up for color, saturation, sharpness and clarity. Retouching means I take it a step further and erase blemishes and other things that shouldn't be in there. For example, the dog in the distance relieving itself...
3. Can I buy the negative or raw photos from my session?
A. We usually do not sell these as every images is a representation of my work. Sometimes the RAW image can be a little inconsistent with my final image quality standards.
4. How long after the shoot are your Proofs available?
A. I usually have Proofs in your online gallery within 48 Hours, this goes for all sessions excluding Real Estate and Professional Sessions. Real Estate and Professional Session Photo Shoots usually are quicker in turnaround time due to their time sensitivity. Your sneak peek will be within this time period as well.
We encourage you to share your Sneak Peek Gallery posted on Social Media pages with friends and family!
5. Do you offer online galleries to purchase images?
A. Yes! Family and friends can search these galleries for images and make their own prints. Downloads will be available as well for a small fee (you will get a USB drive free for your digital files).
6. How do you back up your images?
A. Your images will be backed up on a secure hard drive for life! Images are taken directly from the camera to the back up drive. Then after edits, the edited images are put on the back up drive. This is a free service for you!
7. Do you offer additional USB drives once we get ours?
A. Yes, for an additional $50.00 per USB loaded with images. If you wish to get a blank USB from us, we will provide one for an additional $10.00.
8. Do you offer USB backup insurance?
A. Yes! Depending on the amount of images and the type of shoot, we do offer insurance in case you lose your USB drive or the images on it! Click Here to get a quote on your Image Insurance, and the details surrounding it! Note your information will not be shared with anyone!
9. Who has the rights to the images?
A. You have the right to print the images for personal use, and A.E. Blair Photography retains the rights to the images for promotional use. This is of course excluding Real Estate and Professional Sessions.
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1. I have a lot of downtime between my wedding and reception. Do I get charged extra for that time?
A. Those details will already be figured into your pricing. We use this downtime to edit photos from the wedding and capture small details before the reception happens.
2. How should I prepare for my wedding?
A. Good Mood... Enough Time... Comfortable Clothing... Those three things are all you need to prepare! I will help you if needed :)
3. How many shooters do you bring to my wedding?
A. This is completely up to you. I like to shoot with at least one other shooter to capture every possible moment.
4. You're a guy, will you shoot me getting ready?
A. Again, this is your preference. When I hire a second shooter, I like to target female shooters. This helps ease the bride and her brides maids for the "getting ready" shots.
5. Do I have to provide meals for you and your staff?
A. Yes. We ask this because we will be more productive in the long run. Anything over Five Hours is required. Should you not provide a meal, we will take an hour break at some point to eat.
6. What will you wear to my wedding?
A. It depends on the type of wedding of course. If you are having a casual wedding, I will dress in business casual. If you are having a black tie, I will dress to the nines! I am completely flexible in my attire. Just know I will be dressed to represent my business as well.
7. Will my wedding be the only one you work in a weekend?
A. Yes. You get my full, undivided attention when I work on your wedding. Booking more than one wedding in a weekend would just invite trouble!
1. Which location do you recommend?
A. I love to explore! Inner city, country outskirts, indoor locations... all are suitable locations for your shoot. The question is, what is your theme? We can figure that question when we do our consultation:)
2. Do you do Senior Picture Announcements?
A. Yes! And starting in 2018, they are included in your package! Your package will have at least 10 free announcements.
3. How should I prepare for my session?
A. Good Mood... Enough Time... Comfortable Clothing... Those three things are all you need to prepare! I will help you if needed :)
1. What should I wear to my head-shot shoot?
A. You should definitely wear clothing that would fit the target industry you are creating this image for. Contact me to help you find the right clothing to wear.
1. Can you photograph my property/house right now?
A. I am available usually same-day for Real Estate sessions. Please note however there is an additional $50.00 for same day bookings.
2. How do I get my images?
A. For Real Estate shoots, I like to get my images to you within 24 hours. This is about the only time it will be acceptable for me to email images to you. However, I still prefer to hand deliver a USB with your images on it.
3. How many images do I get?
A. You will get images from all angles of each room, including outside and property. I will let you decide which one is suitable for your clients to view! Don't worry, I will not inundate you with images that are junk!
4. Do you do drone work?
A. We are working on a program right now to have drones at the ready to document your Real Estate needs. Because A.E. Blair Photography is on the conservative side of the law, we are working on being FCC Certified before offering this service.
NEW! Creative Marketing and Design
New in 2018 to A.E. Blair Photography is my Creative Marketing and Design segment. I am now able to use my photography and graphic design skills to further assist both personal and business needs!
Web Design
1. Do you use complicated code or simple templates for your design?
A. I use both code and template for your design needs. The reason being, the more complicated code we put on your website, the more likely Google Search will not recognize it and they will put you lower on the search results.
2. Is SEO included?
A. Yes! Why would I build a website for you if I didn't include SEO with it? Why would you buy a gas powered car if it didn't come with a gas tank?
3. What businesses do you cater to?
A. I will do most individual and small businesses. Politicians, Restaurants, Business Professionals, Churches, Non-Profits, Landscapers, etc...
4. Do you offer E-Commerce platforms?
A. At this time, I do offer select e-commerce platforms. However, please contact me and let me know your business needs beforehand, so I may have a better understanding. Some businesses require large platforms.