Frequently Asked Questions

What is your approach to photographing weddings and portraits?

I strive to photograph you being you: catching the little glances between the
happy couple on their wedding day, getting shots of moments between family
and friends, and portraying the real emotions along with the story of your day.
Being photographed at your wedding should not get in the way of the fun, so
most of the time I will be covering all of the activities with as little intrusion as
possible.  Focusing on documenting your day rather than orchastrating it is
very important to me – it is YOUR wedding day and it should be experienced
honestly as it happens.   The only times that I step in to give instruction are
during the posed family and group portraits and the portraits of the couple
after the wedding, as this ensures you all look your best!

The same applies to portraits – with just a little more structure. To create beautiful
images that look like spontaneous candid moments, there is often a little posing
and direction involved. I promise I’ll never tell you to say “cheese,” but I can’t
promise that I won’t say anything cheesy.

I always emphasize that we discuss your wishes prior to your scheduled session.
It’s important to get all of the planning taken care of before the big day so that our time together can be relaxed and fun.

We love your work, how do we book you?

Get in touch – send me a message or call me. I want to hear all about your
plans! We can talk about all of the details over the phone, or schedule a time
to meet up in person or via Skype, or exchange emails – whatever is most
comfortable for you. Be sure to send a date and basic details with your first
contact so that I can check my availability and provide you with pricing and
coverage information. I’ll draw up a contract for you once we’ve determined what package best suits your needs.

What payment methods are accepted? Do you charge sales tax?
What is the payment schedule?

I accept both checks and credit card payments.  Residents of Indiana will
be charged local sales and use tax rates on all portrait and wedding packages, including those that are only receiving digital files. This tax amount will be added to the full
portion of any payment submitted (and promptly sent off to the tax man.)

For weddings 50% of the final balance is due upon signing the contract in order
to reserve your date. The remaining payment is due 4 weeks prior to your
wedding date. Albums and prints pre-purchased with a wedding package will
be available at a reduced rate of 15% off and included in the retainer and final
payment. Additional products can be added on at any time after the wedding or session.

A retainer equal to 50% of the session fee and signed contract is required to reserve your time and date for all portrait sessions (other than those included in wedding packages).

Please remember that Wedding and Portrait Dates are only considered “booked”
with both a signed contract and paid retainer. I am not able to hold dates without
the submission of both items.

Are you insured?

Yes! I carry business liability insurance and can provide a Certificate of
Insurance for any venue that requires one.

In addition to liability and other equipment insurance, I am always as prepared
as possible for anything. I carry backup equipment to every wedding and portrait
session that I photograph and have a first aid kit, sewing kit, (and other random
items) that have saved the day more than once.

I am also part of a large network of local wedding photographers who are available to assist in the event of an extraordinary emergency.

Why should I have an engagement session?

A fun portrait session that focuses on you as a couple is one of the best ways
to get to know each other so you’ll be comfortable and relaxed on the big
day. Plus, you’ll get beautiful images to make a guest book or prints for your
reception! It is best to schedule your engagement session at least 8-10 weeks
prior to your wedding date, to allow for the images to be processed and for
products to be delivered.

How and when do we receive our images?

For both weddings and portrait sessions you will receive a link to a password-
protected gallery to view your images, share with friends and family, and
purchase prints. A USB drive of all full resolution JPEG files and web resolution
watermarked JPEG files is included with all wedding packages, and is available
for purchase (individual files or all files) with all portrait sessions. Portrait
sessions purchased or included with wedding packages will receive a disc of all
images.

You can expect to receive your gallery link and USB drive of images within 6-8 weeks of your wedding date and within 3-4 weeks of your portrait session. Portrait
sessions generally yield around 30-60+ final images depending on the type of
session, and wedding packages range from 300 – 1000+ images depending on
the number of hours of coverage selected.

A personal use printing release is included with all digital files that are delivered
in print resolution. This will allow you to make prints for personal use at your
local print lab. Copyright ownership is retained by Anne Marie Carson for all
images.

Do you edit every image that I receive?

Every image is retouched for exposure, color balance and optimal sharpness for
both screen and print. Any image that is chosen for your albums or any other
printed product will receive additional editing time to remove any blemishes, light
skin smoothing, removal of distracting components from the background, etc.
Additional extensive editing requested is available at an added hourly fee.

Do you do any special processing or spot-coloring on your photos?

My goal is to create consistent and timeless images in both black & white
and color. Every image is edited individually to care for all details without
looking “dated”.

What is the process for ordering prints and albums?

An online password-protected gallery will be presented upon the completion of
your images for all wedding and portrait packages. Prints from my professional
lab can be purchased through the gallery. Additional products, such as canvas
prints, framed prints and mounted prints are also available.

Albums can be pre-ordered with any wedding or portrait session at 15% off the
premium rate. The total balance for pre-orders will be due with the final payment
for the wedding date or portrait session. Additional albums can be ordered at
any time.

The cost of your album also includes the selected number of spreads, any added
features (such as embossing) and creative fee for the design process. The
original design and up to three revisions are included; additional revisions as well
as added spreads and features are available at an additional cost to be paid at
the time of order.

Still have more questions?

You can send me a message at any time through the contact form, via email at anne@annemariecarson.com or give me a call at 512-217-9716. We can also set up a time to meet for coffee or via Skype,
if that’s more convenient.

Curious to know more about me? You can add my personal page on Facebook,
read random thoughts and funny things that my kid says via Twitter, and add me
to your circles on Google Plus.