ANDRENA PHOTOGRAPHY
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Wedding Photography FAQs

BEST LOS ANGELES WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

As a wedding photographer serving Los Angeles and Orange County, Andrena Photography offers collections for weddings of all sizes, ranging from small weddings to multi-day celebrations with more than 1,000 guests. I love shooting weddings of all kinds, and have expertise in Russian, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Indian (including South Indian, Punjabi Hindu, Sikh, Gujarati, Bengali, Sindhi, Ismaili, Jain and fusion), Jewish (Orthodox, Conservative and Reform), Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox and Armenian weddings. I also love shooting Same-Sex and Gay Weddings. Don't see your ceremony type listed here? Chances are I've photographed it, so don't worry. :) And on those rare occasions when I encounter something new, I am committed to understanding each and every tradition, and to documenting your event with painstaking attention to detail.



FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who Will be My Photographer?

I personally photograph all weddings I book.

I've seen your name as Andrena and as Dina Douglass. Why?

My given name is Andrena, but I was rather hyperactive as a child, and my mom simply couldn't say it fast enough when I ran out into the street. She thus shortened it to Dina, which is my nickname, and is what everyone calls me. Andrena is my legal name.

THE BASICS

How would you describe your photography style?

I offer stylish portraits as well as subject-unaware documentary photography. In this way, I am able to provide clients with a well-rounded collection of images from their wedding day.

Do you always work with a second photographer?

I work with an experienced second photographer on all events. For very small events, I may work alone or bring a non-shooting assistant to help with lighting and gear. My second photographer has worked with me for nearly 10 years, and is an incredible talent.

PRICING & BOOKING

What's your price range?

Please contact me via email for current pricing.

Do you do custom quotes for complicated multi-day weddings or destination weddings?

No two weddings are the same, so I am happy to do custom quotes. If your event requires a custom quote, please ensure that you provide me with the following information: locations for all events, number of days, number of hours per day, guest count, and how many albums might be desired (just one, or one main album and two parent albums). Please also let me know whether you want to do an engagement session.

Do you charge travel fees?

Travel fees usually apply for jobs that are more than 75 miles from my Los Angeles studio, and for destination weddings. For most destination weddings, I ask for two plane tickets (for me and my second photographer), excess baggage fees (for our gear), ground transportation, hotel and breakfast each day. Please see “Destination Weddings” elsewhere on this FAQ page.

How do we book you? What are your payment terms?

Simply let me know what collection you’d like, and I can then put together a contract for you. I request a retainer equal to one-third of the total collection price with your signed contract. The remaining two-thirds (or balance payment) is due about a month before your wedding.




TIMELINE

How should we set up our timeline to ensure we get everything we want?

One of the most important steps in your wedding planning process is ensuring that you have an accurate and reality-based major events timeline. This will serve as a realistic guide for vendors as well as your family.

Setting a realistic timeline -- with ample time for bride and groom individual portraits, bride and groom together portraits, bridal party images, family photos and capturing your beautiful decor -- will help ensure that no one ends up disappointed. After all, you've spent your life thinking about this day. We want to document each and every thing that happened, as well as most (if not all) of your cherished guests. I am happy to help our clients understand how long things might take, and then to work this understanding into their timeline.

I am skilled at putting together reality-based major events timelines that can then be provided to your wedding coordinator or event planner. I don't want to step on any toes. My goal is simply to ensure that there is enough time to create all the images you’re hoping for.

What happens if things run late on the day and there’s not enough time to get everything we want? Do you do day-after sessions?

Despite best intentions, people sometimes run late. But if you are running one hour late on your wedding day, that might mean that you don't have enough time for your photographer to take bridal portraits or to capture all the family photos you wanted. Where weddings are concerned, it's better to be early than late.

Weddings are uncontrolled events and things can sometimes get off schedule. If things fall behind a few hours and we are unable to create the portraits that you were hoping for, you can always book us to shoot a day-after session. A day-after session is where a couple dresses up in their wedding outfits and we do a portrait shoot without any pressure. Many venues allow us to come back on their property to do a day-after session, as long as it is during the week and does not interfere with another event.

We want to do a lot of group shots. How should we manage that?

I am very experienced handling jobs that involve many group shots, and can easily provide you with an accurate estimate of how long it will take to create all the images you want. To ensure you get all your desired group shots, I recommend the following:
- Make a list of group shots for each side (bride’s side, groom’s side).
- Assign a male relative on each side to line up the families. Brides often ask that coordinators help with this, but we have found that guests and family members are more responsive to male family members (preferably with a booming voice).
- Start with the largest groups first, as these will involve the setting up of chairs. It’s best to do the biggest group, then the next biggest group, etc., as this will ensure that we can just remove a few chairs for each image.

Can you work from my Pinterest board or a shot list?

While I am happy to review a Pinterest board, such boards often contain the best photos from numerous weddings, without regard for the time it took to set up each shot. Many Pinterest boards also bear no resemblance to a couple’s actual wedding. I do appreciate shot lists for group shots or family formals.



IMAGES & FILES

Do your collections include all the files?

Yes. I include all the color-corrected files with every collection. For collections that include albums, I also include the retouched album files.

What is the difference between a color-corrected file and a retouched file? And what is a RAW file (.CR2 or .NEF) vs. a JPEG?

Pro digital cameras create digital negatives that are called RAW files. These files are .CR2 (Canon) or .NEF files (Nikon), and require special software to view. RAW files are generally quite flat in appearance, as they seek to capture as much digital information as possible so it can then be interpreted using various software programs. Once the files are interpreted (or “color corrected”), they are then converted to JPEG (which is the format most people recognize).

How many images do we usually get?

I am generous with images, and generally remove only the clunkers and repeats. To date, my studio has never once received a complaint about too few images. In fact, I usually receive comments on too many. The image count itself depends on the guest count, hours and complexity of the day. A 15-minute ceremony at an eight-hour 100-guest wedding will generate fewer images than a two-hour ceremony at a 16-hour 500-person wedding. Once I know the guest count and hours associated with your wedding, I can provide you with a reasonable estimate of how many images you will receive.

Will we receive all the images taken?

We provide you with our selects, which represent the best images from your event. If you wish to own all files taken, you can purchase the full RAW shoot for an additional fee. RAW files are not JPEGs, and will require special software to view and convert to JPEG. They will also be uncorrected (or straight out of camera, as shot).

Color vs. B&W

Digital cameras capture in color, and we proof in color. We love B&W, though, and can convert any album spread to B&W upon request.



ALBUMS

How long does it take to get our album?

My goal is to get your album to you as soon as possible. Once I release your image gallery, I will create an album design for you, then send you an online version of the design. You can then send me changes via email or we can set up a phone appointment to make revisions and finalize. Once you sign off on the design, we begin the retouching and alignment process, and once we're done with that, we send your design off to the album manufacturer. We want to get your album into your hands as quickly as possible.

How soon after the wedding will we see our album design?

You should expect your design 1-3 weeks after we release your gallery.

What kinds of albums do you offer?

We offer beautiful custom albums that include custom fabric boxes with an inset photo. Cover styles include leathers, fabrics, Japanese book cloth and photo-metallics.

DESTINATION WEDDINGS

Will you travel overseas to photograph our destination wedding?

Yes. We love photographing destination weddings, and have photographed weddings in Colombia, Ecuador, Ireland, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Serbia, Turkey and the British Virgin Islands. In fact, I was recently named one of the Top 20 Destination Photographers by Bride Box. My work with destination weddings has also been profiled in feature articles in Popular Photography, Rangefinder, Bride & Bloom and on the Tenba web site.

How much does it cost to photograph a destination wedding?

We put together custom quotes for all destination wedding inquiries. To put together an accurate quote, we need to know location, guest count, how many days we’ll be shooting, and how many hours per day we’ll be shooting. We also need to know how many albums you might want.

What travel fees would be involved?

We ask that our clients cover two plane tickets, one hotel room (two beds), excess baggage fees, ground transportation and breakfast each day. For international travel, we prefer to arrive at least two days early so we can scout and get on the right time schedule. Arriving early also ensures that we are still on time for your event, even if flights are delayed.


Thanks so much for reading, and please contact us if we can answer any additional questions.

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