What kind of cameras do you use?
Do I really need two photographers?
What is your style?
Do you take photographs of all of my guests?
Do you edit all of my photographs?
Can I have the RAW files?
How many pictures do you usually take at a wedding?
How did you get into wedding photography, and how long have you been doing it?
Should I include an engagement session in my package?
How long will my online gallery be available?
My reception area is dimly lit. Have you photographed at venues like that before?
Sony A7 Mark III and Sony A7R Mark II
We say yes! There is a lot going on during a wedding ceremony and reception, as well as numerous details that you have spent
countless hours planning and creating. We don’t want any detail or moment to be missed. Think about the first time you (the bride) are walking down the aisle. Do you want your fiancé’s reaction as well as your parents or guests? What about while each of you are getting ready in separate locations? Having two photographers allows one of us to be with the bride and bridesmaids, and the other to be with the groom and groomsmen. We feel as though providing you with two photographers allows for more angles and perspectives of your big day.
Since we are a husband and wife team, we have slightly different visions and focus’ throughout the day. Ben is generally the lead photographer. He will be focused on all the big events, and take the lead in photographing the bridal party and posed photos. I (Hannah) like to focus on the details. The ring shots, the flowers, the centerpieces, your cake or dessert bar, jewelry, and hair. I don’t want any of those planned out details to go missed, because I know that those are some of the biggest stressors while planning a wedding. That being said, we have a laid-back/candid approach. We don’t want to get in the way of anything going on because we want your guests to be able to see everything as well. But, we will always be right there capturing your memories, and nearby when you want to grab us for a specific picture. We feel as though the candid pictures are the happiest pictures. Why? Because most people don’t want a
camera right up in their space, and tend to put on a fake smile once they see that we are there. We want to get the natural beauty and love that flows from all newlyweds when they are simply having a wonderful time with their closest friends and families.
Some of our brides and grooms are not worried about getting pictures of all of their guests. In fact, they specifically ask us not to do the “table pictures”. We try to get as many great photographs as possible, and capture all of the special moments that occur throughout your day. However, we also have brides and grooms that specifically ask us to “make sure you get a picture of every person at my wedding”! In this case we will tell you that we will try our absolute best. We will take the “table pictures” if you request them, we will take pictures of guests during the ceremony and receiving line, and we will certainly have numerous pictures while everyone is dancing and having a good time. But, we can not guarantee that we will have a picture of every guest at your wedding. Again, knowing that this is important to you, we will pay close attention to some of your guests that may be sneaking out of pictures, but there is no fool-proof method for us to ensure we have a picture of everyone in attendance.
All of the images that you will see, weather it be on the online gallery or your CD will be fully edited. We do go through all of the images taken, and get rid of any photographs that were blurry, not flattering or the lighting was off. We only want our best work displayed, so that is exactly what we will give you.
No. To give you RAW files is to give you our unfinished work. You are hiring us as wedding photographers to photograph your wedding day, edit and color correct those photographs, and provide you with a comprehensive image collection from start to finish that you can share with others and treasure in the years to come. Our name is behind each of those photographs, and we hope that you are hiring us because you love our style and how our images turn out.
This answer is probably ambiguous, but it really depends! If you have a large wedding party/family, a venue with many places to take photographs, the days events are not running behind schedule and it is a gorgeous day outside; you will likely end up with more photographs than when things get running behind, or it is gloomy and raining. A typical wedding averages 550 fully edited photographs. However, depending on the day you may get anywhere from 400 to 800 fully edited photographs back.
I (Ben) have been studying and working as a photographer for the past nine years, starting with more of a focus on advertisement
and commercial work. However, for the past seven years, both Hannah and I have been photographing weddings. In 2012 and 2013 Hannah and I were busy planning our “perfect wedding”. Hannah was focused on all the little details, while I tended to focus on the actual events of the day and the overall picture. At the time, I was attending Rochester Institute of Technology, studying Advertising Photography. My wife Hannah, was working as a Registered Nurse. Hannah wanted to make sure that all of her details and time was well spent, and didn’t go unnoticed. I was put in charge of searching for someone who would adequately capture every part of our day. Soon, my desire to be that photographer and photograph weddings grew, and Hannah fit perfectly as my assistant/second shooter. Together, we make up Ben Belt Photography and are able to capture all the angles, details and moments of your big day!
We do encourage engagement sessions for a few reasons. Many people aren’t comfortable with being photographed. This gives us the opportunity to work with you prior to your wedding day. During this time you become more comfortable with us and the camera, and we get to know you a bit better as well. We have the opportunity to teach you simple tricks to get great pictures and not feel as though the poses are forced. Engagement sessions are relaxed and fun, often providing you with photographs for save-the-dates or other gifts.
We have your galleries available for six months.
Yes we have photographed in dimly lit venues before. If you would like, we can show you the pictures from those ceremonies and receptions upon request. We also like to make sure that we are well prepared for these situations, and will often visit your venue ahead of time to check out the lighting situation. In addition, we own equipment that we will bring with us to assist in lighting up the space if needed for photographs.