Wedding Photography FAQ

Digital Files/Images

Do I get digital files? We provide every client with an online gallery of fully edited digital photos via an e-mailed link that is easily accessed from your phone, tablet, or computer. This link is used to share the photos with friends, family and social media. The high resolution downloads allow for quality printing up to size 8x10. Anything larger than that will require additional processing for optimum quality.
Are all my images edited? We post process every image that goes into your gallery: color corrections, adjustment for exposures, selective black and white edits are just a few.
Do you photoshop my images? Every gallery contains photos that are custom edited as mentioned above. More extensive photoshopping for face retouching, body warping, etc is an additional process requiring more time. We provide this at an additional fee per image.
How many photos images will my galley contain? Every wedding is unique so there is never a set amount of photos. We find that most of our galleries contain 600-1,500 fully edited images after test shots, duplicates, etc images are filtered out. Engagment galleries tend to have 40-70 images.
Do we get every image? We take our time and experience to go through all the images and remove anything that might weaken the final product. The images filtered out are the test shots, duplicates, had someone walk through the frame, hands in the air and other less desirable circumstances.
When can I expect to see my images? We have a 90 day turn around for all projects and 30 days for engagment sessions. We often return them sooner but like to have a cushion to ensure adequate time to really sit down and give your project the attention it deserves. We try our best to post a sneak peek of each event.
Can I see a full gallery? Please! We encourage every couple to ask for a full gallery (or two!) from prior weddings as we understand that most images displayed for advertising are the choice picks from the day. Those do not always give a complete picture of what a full day will resemble. We have multiple galleries from all types of weddings, cultures, and other events that we love to share.
What if I lose my downloads and my galley is no longer available? We strongly encourage you to download your gallery upon no less than two sources within one year of receiving the link. Once the gallery has been archived we charge a $250 fee to reprocess/repost the gallery.

Prints

Will I be able to make my own prints? With your online gallery link you are not limited to printing with just us or any one location. Selling images for profit or publishing of any images will require written consent from Santiago Almada Photography LLC.
Where should I have prints made? We have put a lot of time and work into vesting companies for our larger prints on different media such as metal, wood, acrylic, pre-framed and ready for a wall. If you’re interested in these types of prints we have examples on display at our home office. We’ve done the work and research in an attempt to make it easier for you to visualize your memories displayed for everyone to admire and give you peace of mind that the prints will be the highest quality.
What if I want a print larger than 20x30? Prints larger than this need extra processing to ensure the image will not lose quality in the translation. We offer this service for larger prints purchased through us.

Albums

Do you sell albums? We do! Over the years we’ve tried and sampled many different album printing companies/services, vetting them so your don’t have to. We offer one album (30 pages) in two different sizes: 12x15 and 8x10.
How do I make my album? Your gallery will contain a folder that you will fill with selected photos for the album. Our team will arrange the photos in a way we feel best depicts your wedding story and then send you a video of the proposed layout. You will be able to give us feedback and any edits. Once fully approved by you, we will send the album off for printing.
What if I need more pages? We find that 30 pages is often more than enough to give your wedding story a beautiful format. But after creating the album, if more pages are needed, they can be added at an additional fee per page.
Can I add photos from other events related to the wedding? Of course! Your galley will contain all the captured moments surrounding the wedding including the engagment shoot. So when you go to select your photos you will be able to add photos from everything that we’ve captured.

My Venue

Have you worked there? Chances are if your event takes place in Phoenix we have worked there. For any venues we’re not familiar with we will schedule a day to do a walk through or arrive with enough time to scout out great locations for photos the day of. We will also research the location online prior to your event.
What is your ideal lighting? We love natural light and how it allows the creative adventure of taking an existing space and turning it into a natural studio. As we all know not every day is going to have the perfect natural light or be outdoors.
What if lighting isn’t ideal? For these occasions, our team is well versed in creative off camera flash techniques ensuring we are never limited by space, lighting, weather, or location. We have extensive experience with shooting in dark churches, full-sun, very restricted catholic venues and many more extreme conditions.
What if my venue doesn’t allow flash? For venues that do not allow flash we have cameras that specialize and perform in low light settings. During post processing, we will be able to lighten images without compromising quality.

Wedding day

I have a break between events, will I be charged for that time? During these breaks we will still be working. This includes backing up footage, charging batteries, driving between locations, setting up at the new locations and using it as overflow time for unforeseen delays. This way we do not(?) have to charge for the downtime. This is also the time we use for other sessions such as: your formals, wedding party or family photos.
What if we need additional time on the day of the wedding? We understand that all weddings have unforeseen circumstances that may require additional time. Thirty minutes before we are contracted to leave, we will speak with you to ask if you would like to extend the time or if there is anything else you’d like us to capture prior to packing up. If extended time is needed it will be charged at the rate written into your contract in 30 minute increments.

Second Shooter

How many people will shoot my wedding? We include a second shooter in every package. For some of the more involved cultural wedding events we will offer a third shooter.

Gear

What gear do you use? We shoot with Canon’s professional line of cameras. Each main camera has two locations for memory cards so that all files are saved not once but twice for added security in the event that one card malfunctions. We are also equipped with off camera flash set-ups, stabilizers, external audio recorders, and mics just to name a few additional things we have at our disposal for documenting your big day.

Food

Do we need to add you into the count for dinner? I, along with my team, work hard to make sure we go above and beyond expectations to capture every precious moment of your day. Feeding the crew is often a forgotten detail. However, we do require a meal on any event over 4 hours. This is to ensure that we are able to be with you throughout the entire day and not miss a moment because we had to go get take out or pay a delivery guy.

Destination Weddings

Do you travel? We love the opportunity to travel! As logistics for traveling: setting up the hotel, car rental, and plane tickets can be time consuming we do all of this for our team. You don’t have to worry about any additional planning.
When do you arrive for my event? We will always arrive no shorter than one day prior to the first event day allowing for unexpected events with airlines etc..

What is your rate? Prices on travel will include travel cost and reasonable accommodations. Lower rates may apply to cities in Washington State, California, or Georgia. Send us an email.

Additional Services

Do you only do weddings? While weddings are our main focus, we also have experience with a variety of other types of photography including: Quinceañeras, multi-day cultural events, head shots, corporate events, family shoots and promotional studio shoots.
What about Video? While photography is our main focus we also specialize in documentary style video. This style is a linear depiction of the day with full documentary of the ceremony/program and highlights of the rest of the days- events like getting ready and reception dancing. We do not offer both at the same time.

Languages

What languages do you speak? Our team speaks both Spanish and English.
How do you handle events in other languages? We put extensive research into understanding the traditions and cultures of each event we have the pleasure to be a part of. We will have a meeting with you prior to the event as well as relying on our vast experience with multicultural events to be prepared for the major moments of the day.

Payment

How do I guarantee you will be at my wedding? We require a signed contract with a retainer fee of 50% of the total package amount. Once the contract is signed and the retainer fee paid the date is yours!
How do we pay? Currently we accept cash, money order, bank transfers, and credit card payments. All credit card transactions will be charged a transaction fee of 3% of the total amount.
What happens if we cancel, do we get our retainer fee back? This is considered on a case by case basis with the reason and timing of the cancelation taken into account. We cannot guarantee a refund of the retainer fee as we will not be accepting additional weddings on your day once we’ve committed to your event.
What if we need to move the date, can we put the retainer fee towards the new date? Again this will be decided on a case by case basis as we can not guarantee we will be available on the new date. If rates have increased in the interim you will be charged at the new rates for the new date.