Do you travel?
Where can I find more pricing information?
How would you define your style of photography?
Do you photograph families?
Do you photograph traditional group photos at your weddings?
How do I view and order photos?
Why do you so strongly recommend an engagement session?
How long is an engagement session and what is included?
What should we wear for our engagement session?
Can we have an outfit change during our session?
What is your favorite color?
Does your wife Heather always shoot with you?
Does a second shooter come along to your weddings?
Can I purchase my digital images?
When are we responsible for payment/How does your pricing work?
I love your photography. Can you teach me everything you know?
What if I have questions not listed here?
Yes, and I would love to travel to your wedding or session! I thrive in new places and my creativity can seriously soar! If you’d like my travel costs details, please check out this link: Travel Information.
Where can I find more pricing information?
Please check out our pricing area to check out that information. And then contact me so I can send you more information!
How would you define your style of photography?
Recently there have been terms of style flying around like crazy and many of them are a bit ambiguous. So to put it simply, we consider ourselves modern lifestyle photographers. Our desire is to connect with our clients and document your relationship and your interactions as authentically as possible. We want to tell the true story of who you are and that is what we consider success. We do not call ourselves photojournalists because that term implies that we do not engage with our subjects at all. On a typical wedding day, we do spend some time setting up shots that we believe will help to tell the story of your day. But most of the time throughout your wedding day we are completely invisible and allow your moments to unfold while we simply observe and document. With that said, we do not believe that we are the right fit for everyone. If you feel a connection to us through our photography and are moved by it, then we are the right fit for you. We want to work with couples who put a high priority on photography and are passionate about this art form. And since your photographs are the only tangible remaining thing once your wedding cake has been eaten and your flowers have wilted, we are pretty sure you want your images and album to rock!
Yes and no. As of July 2009, we no longer accept any new family clients. We had to make the difficult decision to discontinue the family and baby side of our business in order to narrow our business focus to weddings. But we do have relationships with past family clients and current wedding clients and our desire is to be their photographer for life! So the rule is: if we’ve photographed your wedding or family in the past, give us a call! We’d love to photograph you again and catch up! If you’re an existing client, consider yourself part of an exclusive club! If you are not a client of ours and need a family session, please contact us and we will gladly refer you to a select few photographers who regularly shoot family and baby imagery.
I don’t see any traditional group photos on your website. Why is this, and do you provide these images?
We certainly provide traditional posed group portraits at every wedding we shoot, and while they are family heirlooms and very important in their own right, they are not what we are most proud of creatively. We want you to hire us for who we are and for our ability to capture the fleeting and beautiful moments that are part of your day. Your favorite images from the day are going to be unprompted, natural images that depict who you are and feature your interactions with each other. THAT is why we do what we do! Simply put, group photos don’t require significant artistry or intuition, so they are not what we brag about on our website.
How do I view and order photos?
We use a professional online lab called Pictage for proofing and ordering. If you’re looking for a particular gallery from one of our clients, please use the contact us form.
Why do you so strongly recommend an engagement session?
We really want to get to know you, and unless you are a professional model, you are not accustomed to being in front of a large black camera and lens. The engagement session is a perfect time for us to hang out together, ease you into life in front of the camera, and of course, to provide you with beautiful professional images from a brief and unique time in your lives. Then, come wedding day, you two are relaxed and we’re old friends. A very important key in a successful client-photographer relationship!
How long is an engagement session and what is included?
An engagement session is typically about 1.5 to 2 hours long, and includes a blog, an online gallery for proofing and ordering, and depending on which Collection was purchased, an incredible album to brag about to all of your friends!
What should we wear for our engagement session?
You should truly wear what you are most comfortable in. We don’t mean that literally, because if you wear 3-inch stilettos every day and they are horribly uncomfortable, please feel free to wear them to your photo shoot! But we desire for your photos to convey who you are and accurately reflect your personality. So, if your favorite pair of shoes are a pair of black Chuck Taylor’s, it may not be in your best interest to don a pair of heels and expect to be happy with your images! The same is true for hair and makeup…be true to yourself and let your personalities shine through! You are cooler and more interesting than you think. Trust us.
Can we have an outfit change during our session?
Sure! Just be aware that the amount of time it takes you to change will be time away from shooting! But one outfit change is perfectly acceptable and pretty standard for our engagement sessions. A second location is also allowed, but again, can take away from the time desired for shooting, so the closer the locations, the better!
Green. Thank you for asking 🙂
Does Heather always shoot with you?
My wife is my best friend. We work really well together and she’s so fun to hang out with. And it’s a bonus that she’s a great photographer as well! Since we’ve had our second baby, we’re in a period where she doesn’t get to shoot with me. But that will change as we go through our next season.
Does a second shooter come along to your weddings?
If you need a second photographer documenting your wedding, I can certainly get one to come along with me! It is an add-on so please make sure you add it into your collection!
Can I purchase my digital images?
But of course! Everything has a price tag, right? Digital negatives can be purchased for $100/hour of coverage. So for an 2 hour engagement session, they would be $200. Or for 12 hours of coverage for a wedding would be $1200. Not too difficult, right?
When are we responsible for payment/How does your pricing work?
Regardless of the wedding Collection chosen, we require a $1,500 deposit with the remaining balance due 10 days prior to your wedding day. We can accept check, cash, or credit card forms of payment and are happy to work out a payment plan based on your needs.
I love your photography. Can you teach me everything you know?
Thank you! I’d love to teach you how to use your camera more effectively but I don’t want to teach you how to shoot like me. We don’t need another Rich Smith. I want to teach you to shoot like yourself! If you would like to know more about my one-on-one photography workshops please visit our “for photographers” section.
What if I have questions not listed here?
Please don’t hesitate to shoot us an email at info@richsmithphotography.com or give us a call at 423.402.0331. Our office hours are Tuesday-Friday 10-7 EST