FAQ

WHEN DO I BOOK MY WEDDING ON YOUR CALENDAR?

HOW DO I BOOK YOU?

WHAT IS YOUR SHOOTING STYLE?

WHAT IS YOUR EDITING STYLE?

WE GET PRETTY NERVOUS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA… WHAT WILL OUR SESSION BE LIKE?

DO YOU WELCOME LGBTQ COUPLES + FAMILIES?

DO I RECEIVE HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES TO KEEP?

HOW MANY PHOTOS WILL I GET?

DO YOU PROVIDE 'BLACK & WHITE' PHOTOS, TOO?

DO YOU PROVIDE UN-WATERMARKED PHOTOS FOR A CLIENT TO DOWNLOAD?

HOW TO YOU DELIVER THE IMAGES TO US?

DO I HAVE TO CHOSE A WEDDING COLLECTION NOW WHEN I BOOK? … I’M STILL UNDECIDED

IS THIS COMPANY LICENSED & INSURED?

VIDEOGRAPHY?

DO YOU SHOOT INTIMATE + SMALLER WEDDINGS?

HAVE YOU SHOT AT MY VENUE BEFORE?

DO YOU OFFER ANY DISCOUNTS ON WEEKDAY WEDDINGS, SUNDAY WEDDINGS, OR WEDDINGS DURING THE OFF-SEASON?

WHAT IF OUR CEREMONY IS IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE?

DO YOU BRING BACK-UP CAMERAS & GEAR WITH YOU TO AN EVENT?

DO YOU BRING YOUR OWN LIGHTING GEAR & STANDS?

MY VENUE IS DARK AND BARELY ANY LIGHT... WILL YOU BE ABLE TO PHOTOGRAPH IT?

PINTEREST VS ART

WHEN DO I GET MY PHOTOS ?

ALBUMS, CANVAS, & PRINTS... DO YOU OFFER THEM?

HOW WILL YOU KNOW MY WEDDING TIMELINE & DETAILS?

HOW LONG DO MOST TYPICAL WEDDING ELEMENTS TAKE?

WHAT IS A "FIRST LOOK"?

WHAT TIME SHOULD WE GET MARRIED?

HOW LONG WILL HOST THE ONLINE GALLERY?

WHAT IS A "UN-PLUGGED WEDDING"?

WHEN DOES THE SESSION START?

DO YOU USE A "SHOOT LIST" FOR WEDDINGS?

TATTOO REMOVAL?

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPANY POLICY

MINI-SESSIONS & SPECIALS

DOES SMP PROVIDE THE RAW MATERIALS?

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

DO YOU BACK-UP YOUR DIGITAL FILES OF MY SESSION/EVENT?

HOW LONG DO YOU KEEP THE COMPLETED PHOTOS?

FAQ

WHEN DO I BOOK MY WEDDING ON YOUR CALENDAR?

As soon as possible, would be my recommendation!

Do you love my team and I to be there to capture your wedding, event and/or session? Then, you have to know, I do book incredibly FAST. I am a Florida success story with my inclusive + affordable pricing; plus my years of experience in the this field.

I advertise and market the business heavily for the coverage of the entire State of Florida - all regions for weddings since I include all travel expenses on the wedding day already within price. No additional fees at all. This makes my team popular not only in South Florida, but also in the Florida Keys, Central Florida, West Florida, + North Florida regions.

All our bookings are First-come, first-serve policy. Due to our easy 2-step Online booking process, even couple who do not speak to me on the phone or email me can book any available date/timeframe from the comfort of their computer.

Weddings + Events are strictly one (1) wedding/event per date. No exceptions. I want to be YOUR photographer - I want to capture it for you, and I can only be in one (1) place at any given time. If you want me to photograph your amazing wedding/event, please reserve early + in advance, to guarantee, I can capture it for you and provide you the exceptional SMP service.

HOW DO I BOOK YOU?

For easy reference, you can find the Agreement to complete + sign @ the bottom of the first (1st) Introductory Email we sent you after you inquired, and also on the same page as our Pricing + Investment Guide link we sent you in the first (1st) Introductory Email. Easy, online 2-step process for any client, anywhere!

WHAT IS YOUR SHOOTING STYLE?

We like to consider our approach and style of photography as “editorial photojournalism”.

The term “photojournalism” has become quite a buzz word in the wedding industry, however true definition translates to “news photography”, as it is not art-directed or styled in anyway. In today’s world of Pinterest-worthy inspiration, it’s easy to see that true photojournalism just isn’t realistic in terms of the wedding day or even a portrait session. For us personally, we have certainly adapted the foundations of this technique so we can be as unobtrusive as possible while shooting, allowing us to photograph in a more fluid way, capturing authentic and candid moments. There are exceptions of course, like during portraits or family formals which requires us to be a bit more directive. And with our distinct commercial and design influences, we aren’t just shooting to document the day, we are also shooting in a way that we know will lend itself better to the design of your final products and wedding album.

As creative, storytelling photographers, we aim to artfully record and present the authentic story of your day… allowing you to truly experience the magic of your wedding day. We do that by unobtrusively capturing candid moments as they happen, without directing or intervening. This inconspicuous approach helps us capture the natural magic of your day, revealing the true essence and character of yourselves, your guests and your experience. When the time is right, we will also take a more active role in offering direction, making you shine brighter than ever by posing you in flattering, natural ways that don’t look or feel posed and contrived.

WHAT IS YOUR EDITING STYLE?

As a photojournalistic photography company, we keep the images, as captured, true to the beauty of that moment alone. We only apply our 'Signature Look' to each image, and that will reflect our 'Look' on your own day and unique moments. Every single portrait & wedding is different: all sorts of different elements, attire, props, persons, light, weather conditions, environmental limitations, availability of things/persons, locations, etc. Every single one of those things plays a role in the look of the image overall. We keep our editing to: Signature Look plus any cropping (if needed), straightening (if needed), exposure balance, temp balance, clarity, noise reduction, etc within Adobe Lightroom. We do not photoshop persons\bodies or alter the image captured beyond our Signature Look unless to add a simple overlay to enhance the image with sunlight, weather climates, sparklers, confetti, rose petal tosses, bubbles, etc - typically used in Grand Exits and/or Portraiture for the betterment of the image visually for full effect.

As you can see just from looking through our site, all of our images are edited with the same kind of polish and finish. Sometimes, images can vary slightly in their color tones or brightness and this is mainly because every wedding/portrait is different and lighting or environmental conditions can vary depending on the time of day or season. However, our overall level of consistency is the result of our professional expertise and many years of perfecting our editing style.

WE GET PRETTY NERVOUS IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA… WHAT WILL OUR SESSION BE LIKE?

You should expect to have FUN! LOTS OF FUNNNNN!!!!

Almost ALL of my clients tell me they’re awkward in photos, but luckily thats my specialty!

I love to make people feel comfortable and laugh, and I will do almost anything to make that happen, so relax, enjoy and go with it! Often, I’m taking photos documentary-style while you’re hanging out, talking, laughing and being yourself. If anything looks weird, or I want you to change up what you’re doing, I’ll let you know. My goal is to make sure you have fun on the session AND that you look at your photos later and think, “WOW, I look amazing!” because you ARE amazing!

DO YOU WELCOME LGBTQ COUPLES + FAMILIES?

Yes, we whole-heartedly do not discriminate against anyone. We welcome everyone because we strongly believe we are all equal and deserve love in our lives. Olga founded the company with the simple notion that moments should be captured and remembered for years to come. Everyone deserves that. Everyone matters to us.

DO I RECEIVE HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES TO KEEP?

Yes!! All of our clients receive DIGITAL DOWNLOAD to your computer of the edited high-resolution images we provide you.

A lot of photography companies say they give the disc of images, but that can be very deceiving as some companies only give a 4×6 resolution w/ watermark all over them in the center of the image (low-resolution, that when enlarged to 8x10 will be blurry/pixelated). So, if you ever want an 8×10 print or canvas print, you have to spend hundreds of dollars with that company for the rest of your life for Printing or Enlarging Services. We’ve even heard some studios making photos into squares & only providing photographs with a watermark on them. That way prints and frames can ONLY be ordered by that company and nowhere else. SMP believes in not taking part in these practices... we prefer to give the completed high-resolution photographs and a finished product to our clients, plus the Online Gallery, which makes sharing with guests super easy!

HOW MANY PHOTOS WILL I GET?

No cap on the amount of photos I give.

We provide the greater majority of all the photographs taken, as long as they meet our artistic expectations. And we do automatically provide more vs less - our one rule: To provide you all the photographs that come our fantastic and even good. We do pride ourselves in allowing you to have many photographs to keep and remember your beautiful day by.

Color or Black & White? I deliver all photos in BOTH.

You will get all the photos in our unique and timeless color-toning as well as in my artistic black and white.

MINI SESSIONS: We do cull, apply our Signature Look to each image, and upload the images to an online gallery for you. If the Mini Session advertised 5 to 10 images, you will receive 5 to 10 images in Color, and also those same ones in Black + White, as well. SMP will cull (selection/elimination of images process) ourselves, and provide you the best 5 to 10 images from the mini-session. Please remember, a Mini-Session is NOT a regular session. It’s not as long and will not provide as many images. It is a short session of 10 to 20 minutes in length and typically only 5 to 10 images only are provided for the highly discounted promotion price.

DO YOU PROVIDE 'BLACK & WHITE' PHOTOS, TOO?

We will edit as many gorgeous photographs as possible for you. And we will deliver them to you in both Color and also in Black & White, too. Yep! Double the images!!! HOORAYYYY!

DO YOU PROVIDE UN-WATERMARKED PHOTOS FOR A CLIENT TO DOWNLOAD?

Yes, we do! Easy + simple! We will not be placing our logo on the high-resolution completed images we provide you for your personal printing purposes.

HOW TO YOU DELIVER THE IMAGES TO US?

We provide all your high-resolution, completed images on a private Online Gallery. It's a great software used for viewing, sharing, printing, and downloading your images with yourself; but also with your family and friends that you want to share with.

All our clients will have access to a SPECIAL CODE that will allow them to save 15% OFF all their printing from our professional printing lab on the Online Gallery - and the code doesn't expire, it's unlimited! Yay!

All our galleries are sent to our clients and then are available for their use for the next 30 days to view, share, print, and even download directly from the Online Gallery.

DO I HAVE TO CHOSE A WEDDING COLLECTION NOW WHEN I BOOK? … I’M STILL UNDECIDED

Nope, when you book our services, you reserve all the pricing for the Event/Wedding . You can chose the collection up to you before the wedding. We make booking super-easy! Alot of couples book us right away to guarantee our services, while they might still be planning their Big Day details. Relax, and plan away your gorgeous event… We’ll touch base with you three (3) months prior to the wedding to get all the amazing details, ask which Collection and services/products you would like, + also to draft you a detailed & organized wedding day timeline.

IS THIS COMPANY LICENSED & INSURED?

Yes, SMP is a licensed State of Florida professional photography company with licensed photographer(s), professionally educated editor(s), and assistant(s).

SMP is also fully insured for the highest general liabilities that even the largest of Five-Star Venues require. If your venue requires a Certificate of Insurance, please have them email us directly - usually they want this form to be as close as possible to the date of the event.

VIDEOGRAPHY?

We believe in hiring one company to focus on one major element of your wedding. Our company provides only photography services. We want to excel in our product and services of photography 110% to each client. In an industry where some vendors want to offer you everything for one low, cheap price - you really do have to wonder (?) how will they make sure to quality control each service they are providing you to ensure you love everything you receive. Photography and Videography each individually are huge responsibilities. You’ll want to make sure the company hired for each focus on that one sole task alone.

For videography, we have a large list of videographers to recommend found on our Vendor’s List.

DO YOU SHOOT INTIMATE + SMALLER WEDDINGS?

YESSSSS!!!! I absolutely ADORE them. Intimate weddings definitely have my heart. It’s always amazing to be able to document your special day without all the chaos of a big wedding. I even offer smaller collections to fit the less coverage needed on a smaller, intimate wedding day.

HAVE YOU SHOT AT MY VENUE BEFORE?

We have shot at hundreds of venues across the entire state of Florida, so there is a good chance that we have already been there for an engagement, wedding, or both! However, if we have not, we will get to the venue very early on the day of and be sure to perform a thorough walk-through to scout out the best photography locations. We also do extensive online research prior to your big day!

DO YOU OFFER ANY DISCOUNTS ON WEEKDAY WEDDINGS, SUNDAY WEDDINGS, OR WEDDINGS DURING THE OFF-SEASON?

This question is a new one trending because some venues do offer this with their catering services. Alot of hotels + resorts want to book their ballrooms all week to make the most profit.

Photography is different. We offer the SAME level of expertise, quality, and experience to all weddings alike. We do not offer discounts on weekday weddings and off-season weddings because regardless of the day, you will be receiving the best of the best service and product. As you may know, wedding season is almost year round here in sunny Florida with its gorgeous beaches that bring in the tourism all year around - there is no off-season. Because of that, we are shooting throughout the year both events and also portrait sessions. We also cannot offer discounts since the costs associated with the wedding remain the same (second shooter rates, primary photographer rate of pay, editing team rate of pay, etc.).

We do promise you that our rates are beyond fair and affordable for the quality you will receive. We always want to make sure the quality, beautiful photography is available to most. We do include taxes already and all travel in the ENTIRE state of Florida in our pricing for you as a set standard.

WHAT IF OUR CEREMONY IS IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE?

Our photographers and team members speak many different languages, including Spanish and others.

Olga, our Master Photographer & Owner is Cuban-American, born in the United States and speaks fluent in both Spanish and English, with no accent at all.

However, we have also covered many weddings in which we do not speak the primary language of the ceremony. We approach these weddings with research, understanding the traditions and culture of the wedding. We also have talk-through meetings with our couples before the wedding to ensure we are aware of the major moments. Lastly, we always ensure that we stay alert, leaning on the instincts that we have developed for capturing the emotion and the stories at any given moment.

So while different languages can present challenges, in the end, artistry, creativity, and storytelling are all universal concepts that our team will portray in your photography.

DO YOU BRING BACK-UP CAMERAS & GEAR WITH YOU TO AN EVENT?

You can never be too careful with your photos! We even bring the back-up gear necessary for portrait sessions, as well. We can never be too careful. Instead of asking the photographer how many megapixels their DSLR camera has, ask them if they actually have backup equipment equal to the equipment they are actively using. What happens if the camera over-heats, falls & breaks, or just simply doesn't want to snap a photograph?!?! It’s really important on the day of the wedding for the photography crew to have at least two camera bodies each on them just in case. That's why all our photographers will arrive to your session and event with ample lens, at least three (3) DSLR camera bodies per every one (1) photographer, and extra SD cards, Ext Flash-heads, etc. We come fully prepared so you can relax and enjoy those moments we will be capturing.

DO YOU BRING YOUR OWN LIGHTING GEAR & STANDS?

Yes! Of course we do! While we are natural light photographers, we do use top-of-the-line Canon External Flash heads mounted on our cameras, and we combine that equipment with soft boxes and light stands. It all depends on our session or event, but our photographers take the time to prepare for your session and event in the best ways possible. We know we can't depend simply on Mother Earth and her Sunlight, or on a hotel room to light a beautiful Bride properly as she's preparing for her BIG DAY.

MY VENUE IS DARK AND BARELY ANY LIGHT... WILL YOU BE ABLE TO PHOTOGRAPH IT?

As professional wedding photographers, we can assure you that we have shot in all types of environments as it regards to lighting. From super dark churches, getting ready rooms with no beautiful natural light anywhere, and reception halls, to extremely bright sun at high noon. We bring all the equipment, lenses, and lighting to be able to document in any environment.

OCF stands for off-camera flash. It is a technique and system of lighting that produces artificial light when there is no natural, gorgeous, beautiful light in a space we need to capture. While, it does seem attractive on a cell phone to document a darkly lit reception with uplighting, as professionals, we do need to use OCF to be able to properly document and capture the decor pieces of a wedding day if no natural, soft light is provided in the space.

We are experienced at OCF techniques - Off Camera Flash which is what a professional photographer needs to have for any wedding and formal event.

PINTEREST VS ART

Use Pinterest to GUIDE you in finding the right photographer: Collect images you like, look at the overall STYLE of the photographs you have pinned, and then find yourself a photographer that displays that type of work. Hire that photographer. Now, rest. At this point, you have hired a photographer you trust and adore. You shouldn't try to have a photographer you have hired attempt to photograph like another photographer. Pinterest can discourage the creative process overall. As photographers, the images we create are like one-of-a-kind art. There are so many aspects that go into composing a photograph, most importantly the lighting, environment and the subjects. Sometimes, the most amazing photographs happen by chance and can’t be re-created. Unpredictability is one of the things we find most inspiring and exciting about photography. We love when we are able to blow our couples away, and give them images that are better than anything they could have ever dreamed up or expected. We are able to create these images when we are given time, complete trust and artistic freedom. It may appear simple, but there are a lot of things that make up a good photograph. As photographers, we see photos in a very unique way. We notice the lighting, coloring, the location, time of day, the body forms, the props, the clothing, the natural elements (wind, sun flare, fog), the posing, the height of the couple, ect. We know from experience that ALL of these aspects are what create the mood & feel of that particular photo. When our focus is on re-creating, we aren’t able to truly create. Knowing how important all of the elements are that go into a photograph are what make us feel discouraged when presented with a Pinterest board of inspiration. We jump into problem solving mode…how are we going to create that wind swept beach photo in a hotel garden setting? How are we going to shoot that epic bridal portrait in a messy and chaotic bridal suite? How are we going to serve our clients, but still do our best work? Re-creating someone else

WHEN DO I GET MY PHOTOS ?

Thank you to our amazing and dedicated editing team (a group of individuals who sole job is to edit images on time consistent with our style by simply applying our 'Signature Look' - we do not photoshop) are lighting quick.

All photographs captured by our team are edited through the editing team we have on staff.

WEDDINGS & EVENTS // 3-12 weeks on average. Usually less than 8 weeks.

PORTRAITS // 5 days to 14 days on average. Usually less than 1.5 weeks.

ALBUMS, CANVAS, & PRINTS... DO YOU OFFER THEM?

Absolutely!! Each Online Gallery that my clients receive is set-up with a direct printing service feature. AND - Remember, you (the client) receives the PERSONAL PRINT RELEASE for personal printing of your gorgeous images.

HOW WILL YOU KNOW MY WEDDING TIMELINE & DETAILS?

Once you become a SMP Bride, we will send you a questionnaire two (2) months before your wedding date for you to fill out with all your fun details! Once we receive this back we can finalize your photography timeline for our teams' movements on the big day. Once you book us, we are always here along the way and love to be apart of your planning process prior to the final timeline being put into place. We will always want to provide our Brides and Grooms their own personalized photography timeline. It allows everyone to know how the photography will be captured.

HOW LONG DO MOST TYPICAL WEDDING ELEMENTS TAKE?

It is crucial that you create a timeline for your wedding day, something your wedding planner can assist you with organizing. There should be an estimated start and end time for hair, makeup, reception setup, etc. Within that timeline should include all your photo sessions such as the first look, bridal party photos, and couple’s session. Not sure how much photo time you’ll need for each section of the day?

Groom Getting Ready \\ 40-45 Minutes Minimum

Bride Getting Ready \\ 1.5 Hour Minimum

Ceremony Setup, Metering, + Decor Shots before Guests arrive - ***Photography*** \\ 30 Minutes Minimum

Ceremony Coverage \\ 30 Minutes to 1.5 Hours - depending on traditions

First Look + Couples \\ 45 Minutes Minimum (15 mins for First Look, 30 minutes for Bride/Groom Formals)

Family Formals \\ 20-30 Minutes (depending on groups)

Bridal Party Formals \\ 15-25 Minutes (depending on amount)

Bride + Groom Formals \\ 30+ Minutes

Bride + Groom Room Viewing & Details \\ 10 Minutes

Reception Formalities \\ 60 Minutes minimum

Bride + Groom Sunset Shots \\ 20 minutes

Reception Dancing + Candids \\ 60 Minutes minimum

The Grand Exit @ Reception End \\ photography will need to stay covering the entire reception.

WHAT IS A "FIRST LOOK"?

A first look is when the bride & groom see each other for the first time prior to the ceremony. Same can be done with the parents of the couple. This is a private and intimate moment between the bride & groom. This decision is entirely up to the couple, however many couples now are opting for a first look to get pictures done early and focus more on spending time with their guests after the ceremony and enjoying their cocktail hour and the reception. We can also do "Father & Daughter" reveals, "Son & Mother" reveals, etc.

A "first look" is important if you are planning on having a sunset ceremony and leaving little to no daylight for pictures after. We encourage our couples to do a "first look" so that pictures can be done outdoors in natural light prior to the ceremony, then after the ceremony a few more romantic sunset shots and then you are free to enjoy your cocktail reception. Benefits of a "first look" include time alone together, emotional reactions, opportunity for more images, you will be refreshed and all your nerves will be gone, and your big day will last longer with more memories to make!

WHAT TIME SHOULD WE GET MARRIED?

Should we be asking you? YES! Good lighting is super important and you should definitely be aware of it especially when it comes to planning your ceremony time (and if you choose not to do a first look). I am a natural light photographer, meaning I prefer to utilize natural lighting (aka the sun), and yes, we can always light your photographs artificially - with external lighting units, but the truth is - Sunsets are much more gorgeous. Make sure my style fits your wedding!

HOW LONG WILL HOST THE ONLINE GALLERY?

The Online Galleries are hosted for each client for one (1) month guaranteed. This is a very amazing way to easily share your photographs with family & friends. Simply provide them the link. We do try to keep the Galleries hosted longer than a month, but due to the max storage, we do have to delete the gallery from the server at some point.

WHAT IS A "UN-PLUGGED WEDDING"?

An "un-plugged wedding" or ceremony is when you ask your guests to put away their cell phones during the ceremony. Yes, I would absolutely suggest an un-plugged ceremony because I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve had someone hang their arm out in the middle of the aisle directly in front of me (or better yet - actually STAND right in front of the camera with no care for the Professional hired) and ruin my shot. You paid good money to have a professional capture these moments, and that’s my job, but in actuality they are ruining your photos, not mine.

In addition, during the ceremony people are too busy on their cell phones playing photographer that they miss the ceremony because they’re not paying attention. I have your best interest in mind. The ceremony is very important -- Let's work together to make sure you get the best of photography during this intimate and important moment.

WHEN DOES THE SESSION START?

SMP Staff Members value your time and we always make sure to be on time or earlier, preferably, to each Event/Session to make sure we start at the agreed time. As part of our policy, the session time starts when we arrive and are completed in setting up our gear. If our client(s) are fifteen, twenty, thirty, forty, or even an hour late to the session/event, our company is still owed for our time to service you at the time you requested for your session. So, for example, if the session starts at 10:00am, with SMP on time to the Event/Session site, and the client is fifteen minutes late or more to the session, we now only have forty-five minutes or less to work with for posing & capturing (unless you would like to purchase more time for your portrait) and full payment for our time is non-refundable. This is standard policy to prevent client(s) from arriving or being ready 30 minutes to even hours late to an Event/Session at a time they specifically requested us to book for them.

DO YOU USE A "SHOOT LIST" FOR WEDDINGS?

SMP always refers to a shoot list to be able to add that essential tool to capturing the moments at your Wedding. Also, please keep in mind that every Wedding is unique, and there will be some elements like other Weddings, and some different, unique elements making up your Wedding Day. Some clients hire us for Ceremony, some for Prep, Ceremony, and Reception, and some for 12 to 14 hours of coverage. Each Wedding is unique, and we do use a Shoot List to make sure we capture your Wedding the best.

TATTOO REMOVAL?

This is truly a common question, and it’s easy to answer: SMP does LIGHT RETOUCHING and this not include tattoo removal. Some people love their tattoos, some of them would prefer to hide them. IF you want to hide them, please ensure your clothing will fully cover the area, or hire a airbrush artist to do so for you. The editing for tattoo removal is intense and takes a much longer time of editing and post-processing to do so. If you have a tattoo is 1000x easier to have a make-up artist airbrush the tattoo(s) to ensure that no matter the pose, the tattoos are not visible, if you are trying to hide them from photographs.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPANY POLICY

Our team, when hired by our clients, chose only our company for all their photography needs for the Event/Session. This means that we will be their Exclusive Photographer(s) for their Event/Session. Which entitles SMP to be the ONLY photographer(s) at the Event/Session. It is understood that no other photographer, either amateur or professional, shall be allowed to photograph at the event in a way that interferes with the photographer, and or the photographer(s) for SMP deems interfering with our team. Please be aware that sometimes guests, families, and friends might feel the "urgent" need to capture all your beautiful moments, which might lead to them obstructing our way or ruining photographs. We kindly ask for you to remind them that you have hired a professional photography company to capture the moments, and for them to enjoy the event by dancing, drinking, talking, eating cake, and making beautiful memories with family & friends.

MINI-SESSIONS & SPECIALS

Occasionally, we will offer Mini-Sessions on a particular day in a specified location, which are typically 10 to 20 minutes long, and centered around a theme — Spring Time Fun, Beach "Bum" Cuteness, Easter, Mother’s Day, Summer Fun, Fall, Halloween, St. Patty's Day, Princess & Princes, Christmas, etc. This allows us to schedule several families back-to-back, which keeps the cost low — it’s a win-win situation for everyone! SMP does NOT guarantee that we will have ANY mini-session opportunities per any calendar year due to our high volume in clientele from Weddings and normal Portrait Session bookings. We only offer them when the right circumstances present themselves, and you have to remember that due to our high demand in Weddings, we are usually too busy to have mini-sessions multiple times a year. We do try to offer one type of mini session at least once a year.

MINI SESSIONS: We do cull, apply our Signature Look to each image, and upload the images to an online gallery for you. If the Mini Session advertised 5 to 10 images, you will receive 5 to 10 images in Color, and also those same ones in Black + White, as well. SMP will cull (selection/elimination of images process) ourselves, and provide you the best 5 to 10 images from the mini-session. Please remember, a Mini-Session is NOT a regular session. It’s not as long and will not provide as many images. It is a short session of 10 to 20 minutes in length and typically only 5 to 10 images only are provided for the highly discounted promotion price.

DOES SMP PROVIDE THE RAW MATERIALS?

SMP is hired to take the time to, not only capture moments at your Event/Session, but to edit the photographs, selecting the best images, and editing those digital images to our artistic standards. We eliminate duplicate images, test shots, missed focused shots, shots with bad expressions and other images that may dilute the overall product delivery. For example, because we shoot with low apertures, sometimes we take a few extra shots to make sure we have the perfect metered light. We don’t expect you to have the expertise or the time to know how to meter light, so we spend hours doing that on our end even during the capture of the session or event - That’s what we are hired to do. In another example, candid laughs and emotional tears are some of the best images from the day. Unfortunately, they can also yield some very unflattering facial expressions and body movements. We might snap a few extras of any of these moments to make sure we have a great shot with the ideal expression for the moment. Also, the same with dancing shots - we have seen our fair share of expected nip-slips from dresses jumping to high to the beat, all the way to a guest sitting too fast on a person’s lap for a quick photo and accidentally showing her underwear as she leaned forward into a hug. With our expertise of processing thousands of images each year, we may eliminate ones that we feel are duplicates and only deliver the best one. We do not provide any unedited, original digital frame negatives to any clients for any price. Providing all, or some, of the original digital frame negatives is a choice of the photographer and/or photography company legally. SMP always retains full copyright of all the images taken on our cameras. The work we share with our clients & the public is an artistic representation of our company, photographers, and our work; which is why we want to always make sure your finished product has been through post-processing & retouching with our editors.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

As a professional photography company, SMP does retain Full Copyrights at all times of all the images captured at any Event/Session. We will release the Print Release to the client(s) that hire us for their individual sessions and events for the completed digital JPEG images that are retouched and provided to them. The Print Release is only for private use, not for publishing or licensing on any website and/or publication. If publication or licensing occurs without SMP's knowledge and consent, complete royalties & fees are due to SMP. We kindly ask that you provide us credit on the photographs. The Print Release is for personal printing services only to the CLIENT only who purchased it.

DO YOU BACK-UP YOUR DIGITAL FILES OF MY SESSION/EVENT?

Yes, in three separate locations to prevent theft, misplacement, accidents, or complete loss during the editing process. We go to great lengths to protect your most precious moments while we are busy editing.

After Delivery of the Final Product: You (the client) are fully responsible to back-up & secure your completed photographs for the future. Yes, we retain all the completed & delivered photographs for up to ONE (1) CALENDAR YEAR after the date of the session/event/wedding. We would be more than happy to advise you on many ways to protect your images for the long-run: print the images, burn a CD(s), DVD(s), and USB Flashdrives of the digital images in multiple places, place a copy of the digital files in a safety deposit box, place the digital images on multiple flash drives/external hard-drives/cloud storage, and. Make sure to always protect your images because in the course of time, there could be theft, robbery, accidents, loss of the materials. Always plan ahead and secure your memories.

HOW LONG DO YOU KEEP THE COMPLETED PHOTOS?

We keep the edited, completed, and delivered photographs of your event or session for up to one (1) calendar year. Originals are culled and deleted after in the editing process is completed, and edited files are backed-up and delivered to the client digitally. After that time, your completed product would have already been delivered to you, and it is your responsibility to make copies of it, and most importantly, safe-guard against any accidents of losing the completed material. We always recommend that as soon as you receive your final product from us, to always back-up your photographs to a computer, extra disc, flash-drive, cloud, external hard-drive, server, or whatever you are comfortable for saving the photographs to. All RAW materials are deleted once gallery has been uploaded and delivered to you via email. We do keep the same, delivered high-resolution edited JPEGS up to one (1) year after the event date only.

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