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Below you will find the answers to all of our most frequently asked questions. We know that it’s a lot of info, so if there’s anything you’d like to learn more about, don’t hesitate to get in touch here.

How long have you been shooting weddings?

Nora has been photographing weddings for almost 15 years… that’s 300+ weddings! This will be Cory’s 8th year photographing weddings, and 6th year doing it full time at Solare.

Where can I find your complete pricing information?

Packages with Cory or Nora start at $4000 and always include the following:

  • Pre-Wedding Planning Session – essential for figuring out what’s going to happen so it’s smooth sailing on the day
  • Day-of Coverage – the time we are there with you on your day
  • High-Resolution Digital Images on USB – these photos are yours forever!
  • Online Gallery – for sharing and sharing and sharing!

Optional add-ons include albums, parent books, or an engagement session. Contact us (here) for complete information about our packages, and to check availability for your day.

If you are planning a micro-wedding or elopement, or you feel as though you’ll need a different kind of package, get in touch and tell us all about it! We’d love to work with you to find the right coverage for you.

We also have two awesome Associate Photographers who start at a slightly lower price point. Katie & Jessie often second shoot with us when they don’t have Associate weddings booked, and they are a great option to consider if you love our style but Cory & Nora’s rates might put a strain on your budget. We get it, and we’ve got you covered!!

When you work with one of our associates, Nora and Cory stay hands on, and we can help with any back-end questions like contracts, editing, accessing your gallery, etc. The Associate Photographer you book with would work with you to make a photography plan for your day! Message us to learn more about our Associate rates and options.

How do you work?

  • Leading up to the wedding, we take the time to get to know you. It’s more fun for everyone on the day if it feels like we belong!
  • We take the time to learn about what’s most important to you. Planning ahead and going over all the details beforehand makes for a stress-free day, for you and for us.
  • On the day, we are ready to roll with the punches if something changes. Weddings can be kind of like an unstoppable force of nature, but we are ready for anything. We are there for you, which means more to us than just for photos. We want you to have the best day possible, and we’ll do everything we can to make that happen!
  • Ultimately, we want you to love every moment – your experience with us, all the feels you get looking through your photos – the big moments and the even-more-special in-between times… finding shots of things you didn’t even know were happening, and reliving all the excitement, chaos, and love that’s frozen in time forever.

What’s your photography style?

Our style is usually described as photojournalism, but there’s a little more to it than that!

  • Most of the day, we are moving around unobtrusively and catching spontaneous moments as they are happening, picking the best angles to creatively capture all the events of your day.
  • During more formal portraits, we are guiding the process with efficiency, going through the list that we determine together during our Planning Session. We are making sure that sunglasses are off, no one is hiding behind their neighbor, and everyone is looking the right way.
  • For photos of the two of you, we like to keep it fun and natural. Genuine reactions make for the best photos! We’ll make suggestions on what to do, but it’s never pose-y or awkward. It’s all about the two of you and and what makes you special.

What about COVID-19?

Our postponement policy has been super flexible even before Covid, and while we hope that events can continue to happen safely, we’ll always work with you to reschedule your date!!

We and all our photographers are committed to helping you celebrate safely. We follow local event safety guidance and do our best to not expose ourselves to unnecessary risks so we can make sure to be healthy and present for your day!!

How many hours do I need? Can I add more later?

  • The best way for us to answer helpfully is to talk about the specifics of your day so we can offer recommendations that will work for you. As a baseline, we find that 7 hours is the minimum we suggest for full day coverage (micro-weddings excluded) – any less than that, and things end up feeling rushed.
  • Some other factors that make a difference: length of ceremony, travel time between locations, whether you’d like to do a first look and/or some of your formal photos before the ceremony, whether you have traditional elements you are incorporating (such as a ketubah signing, tea ceremony, etc.).
  • Contact us and we’ll be more than happy to talk through your day with you and provide an informed recommendation on the right amount of coverage.
  • You can add on hours at any point throughout the process, even on the day!

Who will shoot my wedding?

Great question! It’s so important to us to provide continuity to our clients… so if you meet and book with Nora, it will be Nora and her second shooter by your side on the day. If you book with Cory, it will be Cory and her second shooter getting all your must-have shots.

Does my package include a second photographer? Why two?

Our full coverage packages will always include a second photographer. We feel that two shooters are necessary at certain times to really capture the story of your day. Sometimes we’ll be shooting in the same area, especially when all the action is in one place (such as the ceremony) but there are other times (such as getting ready) when we’ll split up to achieve the best coverage.

Who will be my second shooter?

We work with a dedicated team of second shooters, all of whom have been personally trained by us. They are a great group of people! We don’t assign them until we get closer to the big day, so that we can allocate them based on location and cut down on unnecessary travel.

How many wedding photos will I get? Is there a limit on how many you take?

  • We never put a limit on how many photos we take… and we take a lot!
  • Part of our editing process is selecting the photos that will go in your Final Collection. Usually it ends up being at least 75-100 images per hour of coverage.
  • We’ll make sure to include any photos you, your family, or your guests specifically requested, as well as lots of details, candids and special moments so that your collection really tells the story of your day!

Do you shoot in Black & White or color?

The photos we take are all color Digital Raw images, that we can then choose to turn black & white as part of the editing process. Your Final Collection will include a full set of color images, and also select black and white image duplicates.

Can we give you a shot list?

  • The short answer is YES! We absolutely want to know the shots that are the most important to you. We’ll work with you beforehand to understand family dynamics, the different group photos you’d like to get, and any other special shots that are meaningful to you.
  • Most of the day, though, our focus is on capturing all the genuine, unscripted, in-between moments that are even more wonderful because they weren’t planned, which won’t happen if we try to force poses or situations just to get a particular shot.
  • If exploring generic lists from wedding planning websites or Pinterest is helpful, that’s totally fine! Take inspiration from these resources if you need help with a place to start, but build your list from scratch and think about everything as it relates to you and your day.

Should I do an Engagement Session?

Yes! Engagement Sessions help us get to know you better, and learn what you like. More importantly, they help you feel more comfortable with us and in front of the camera! It’s also nice to have some non-selfie photos of yourselves to put up in your home or on your desk at work.

What happens in an Engagement Session?

An Engagement Session lasts about an hour. The location is up to you, within an hour or so of travel from us in Concord, NH. You can pick somewhere that’s meaningful to you, or a spot that’s got a lot of variety if you can’t decide on what you like best. If you don’t have a location in mind, we’re happy to make suggestions! We stick to one location and one outfit, so that we can get into a good flow, use our time to get to know you and what you like, and avoid taking up session time with travel or changing.

 

What happens after the wedding? When will I get my photos?

Even after the wedding day is over, we put in a lot of work behind the scenes so that you’ll have a set of photos that you love!

Sneak Peek
We’ll put up a sneak peek of your photos on Social Media. We’ll do our best to make this happen less than 3 weeks after the wedding, and let you know as soon as they go up! We sometimes post a shot or two on Instagram earlier than that, so be sure to follow us there too :)
FB: facebook.com/solareweddingphotography IG: @solarephotos

Photo Selection – We’ll select and edit your Final Collection. You’ll typically get 75-100 images per hour of coverage in your Final Collection, and we’ll also include some duplicate black & whites.

Editing – When editing, we go for a bright and crisp look. Our monitors are specially calibrated to edit photos. Your monitor may display your photos slightly differently, but we’ve made sure that your photos will come out great in print and albums.

Photo Release – Final Collections are usually available to be viewed online 8-10 weeks after your wedding date, but can take as long as 12 weeks depending on the time of year. As soon as your Final Collection is ready, you’ll get an email with a link and password to your gallery. You can send this link to family and friends as soon as you are ready to share them!

Are our photos edited?

YES. When you see your Final Collection in your gallery and on your USB, the photos will be consistent with the style you can see on our website. Bright, crisp, vibrant colors and clean, consistent tones from shot to shot.

What will you wear?

Black or dark colors so we aren’t standing out in a crowd. We like to call it “moveable business” attire, so that we can blend in, but still get on the ground for that perfect angle if we need to!

Can my guests take pictures?

Absolutely they can. There are only a few times during the day when we’ll ask for some space to do our thing solo:

  • Our biggest concern is getting you the photos you want, so we usually ask that guests aren’t behind us during formal photos. This helps cut down on straying eyes, and helps the process go smoothly. Similarly, during couple portraits, we like to have a natural, easy flow to the photos, and a feeling of intimacy, which is easier to achieve when other guests aren’t nearby.
  • Some couples also like to incorporate requests for an unplugged ceremony in their program – we love unplugged ceremonies, because it allows everyone to be really present with you, but of course this is totally your choice. We will say that there are few things more distracting than having a cell phone sticking into the aisle as the bride is walking down.
  • Ultimately, we know that your friends and family are excited to celebrate the day with you, and this includes taking their own photos.

Do you have insurance?

Yes. We can provide your venue with a certificate if need be, so just let us know.

Do you have backups?

Also yes! Although we maintain our gear well to ensure we don’t need it, we always have backup equipment (camera bodies, lenses, batteries, lights) just in case. We even have an in-camera backup memory card, so that every image taken is saved twice right away.

How do I book? What is your deposit?

When you are ready to move forward, we’ll write up a contract with the package you’d like to book with, and directions on how to fill everything out.
The deposit is usually 50% of your full package price, but we can be flexible if you have special circumstances. Just let us know and we’ll talk it through.
As a small business, checks are preferable, but we do also accept credit cards! Your date will be booked when we receive both your contract and deposit.