Frequently Asked Questions

Information exchange is a key part of photography. This page is setup to answer some of the photo questions that many people have in regards to professional photography - maybe even some questions you haven't even thought of yet! If you are looking for a wedding photographer, I suggest you read through (or at least skim), the photo tips on this page. It will help you out and inform you - no matter who you choose to take your photos!

If you have a question you would like to ask and you do not see that it has already been addressed on this page, please contact me.

Sincerely,
Charlie Zimmerman



Wedding and Portrait FAQs

Equipment and Technology FAQs



Question: Do you create wedding albums for your customers?

Answer: Yes and No. I focus my time and energy on taking and digitally creating the best pictures possible. I leave it up to my customers to decide how best to present and display these images when printed. I inform all of my clients about how and where all professional photographers order their albums and I encourage my clients to make their own albums to ensure their unique tastes shine through, and to save lots of money.

The wedding package includes a leather album that I like so much I used it as a gift-album for my family of my own wedding. Weddings also include an online gallery to digitally share your photos with friends and family.

However, for insistent clients I will make them additional albums at a 100% mark-up (or more) from cost; this is still cheaper than much of my competition, but a lot more than if you make your own through the same album companies. I'm not in the album business, I'm a photographer, so don't count on this.



Question: Do you sell prints from studio sessions, weddings, or something else I might hire you to shoot?

Answer: No. I supply images on CD (and for weddings in an album, and online) and I tell you where I get my prints done. You're free to use cheap walk-in places like Walmart or CVS to get prints made, or even use your own home printer, but all of these ways have different prices and qualities and I let you the customer decide what balance is best for you. I do not seek to make money off of prints at some large mark-up.

I am a photographer who desires to earn income from creating the best images possible, I am not a printer seeking to gouge you for each print you want to display.

I get most of my prints done via Adorama as I find their quality and prices to be very reasonable.



Question: What type of equipment do you use?

Answer: I shoot with Nikon digital equipment and I have multiple camera bodies and professional lenses. For the studio I have Alien Bees lighting equipment. Further details can be found on my equipment page.



Question: You do wedding photography part time - shouldn't we be looking for someone who shoots weddings full time?

Answer: There is no doubt that there are advantages to hiring a wedding photographer who shoots weddings full time. However, there are also disadvantages as well.

Some of those include how busy the good photographers are and how much time they can spend editing each wedding that they shoot. I've been offered several full time wedding photography jobs by full time wedding photographers who would like to take me on as an associate. I've said "no", for the same reasons I limit the number of weddings I accept each year: I don't want to compromise the quality of any event just to increase the quantity I shoot.

Another popular concern about part-time photographers is the quality of their work. That's one of the reasons why I put so many images up on my web site: you can be the judge of the quality of my work. Each of my lens reviews has sample images. Check some out for more.



Question: Some wedding photographers do not allow (or severely limit) guests taking pictures. How do you handle this?

Answer: I don't have a problem with guests taking pictures so long as you don't either. Some people feel that they need to take pictures next to me to save you money - I give all couples all of my images so this isn't needed - and it can slow things down when it comes to posed family photos. I work for you and if you don't mind I don't mind.

I make sure that everyone at the camera-line gets their shot so I can also be sure you are looking at me when I take my photos. And if someone walks into a photo, I just retake it - that's the huge advantage of digital photography today.

Sadly, some guests in the past have been rude or bossy of the photographers. I leave it up to the bride/grooms as to how to handle these people who may be negatively impacting the photos. I just go with the flow. I've written an entire article about these gusts here, but every photographer has their own long list of stories.



Question: Can you shoot color? Black and white? Maybe a mix of the two?

Answer: All images are digitally recorded in color. I will often convert some to black and white to draw on emotion in the frame, but I really look for great colors when I shoot. I can also combine images into a black and white image that still has one bold color shining through. For example, look at the images on the right and below.

Because all images are recorded in color, your CD-ROM and/or DVD will include the various versions (ex: color, BW, maybe a mix) that I generate as I edit them. If you do or don't like an image in black and white, you will still receive it in color and are free to print or use any version.



Question: Do you travel outside of PA to do photography?

Answer: Yes. I consider travel on a case-by-case basis, depending on my schedule, the distance to travel, and the excitement that the job affords. I prefer to drive, if possible, due to worries about flying with lots of expensive equipment. Travel costs are usually based on my costs meaning I don't charge for the time involved in traveling.



Question: Do you have some sort of blog or other updates about what you're up to?

Answer: No. There are several professional photographer magazines that tout using a blog as a way to connect with your clients and to ultimately drive more sales. I'm content with my sales as is, and I feel that time spent writing is time not spent photographing. I admit I have given it some thought as I think it might be a fun rainy-day thing, but I have enough work to do in photoshop that I look forward to a rainy-day just to get that done.

If I do start one it would be as an equipment review thing only, not an update about today's or yesterday's job. I've found many sites from other professional photographers valuable recommendations to my students considering equipment purchases and I feel I could add something to that community of reviews.

Other than for-hire work I think equipment questions are a top reason that people ask for my help and with technology always changing a review is also not forever. Today's best lens or camera is quickly surpassed by tomorrow's inventions so I see a reviews areas as more of a blog and less of a static content kind of thing. If equipment reviews interests you, let me know as it might serve to get me more motivated.



Question: I have a picture from a magazine of this really pretty bride, can you take a picture just like this of me?

Answer: Probably, but it might take all day and we wouldn't have time for your wedding. Keep in mind that just like perfume advertisements or clothing campaigns, the brides in your wedding magazines are actually models on a set with a crew, a lighting design, and an art director.

If I studied the layout I could probably recreate the lighting itself, depending on complexity maybe the set as well, but this is running into days in the studio, not minutes at your ceremony and hundreds of dollars spent just on a single image.

You would probably be happier having a unique image created where you look just as stunning and beautiful, and that I am sure I can provide.



Question: We're really on a tight budget, what can we get for less money?

Answer: Well, I guess I could take all of the pictures out of focus, or leave the lens cap on. Okay, I'm kidding about that.

On a serious note, I put a lot of time into your event, not just on the day itself, but on the following days and weeks where I edit your photos to make them the best they can be. To reduce that is to reduce what I believe in. And, to remove a second photographer or the online gallery or the album, again compromises what I believe to be necessary for a complete package.

To me, there are three levels of photographers that you will likely encounter. The prices I listed are based on my area (Central PA), but you may see higher or lower prices where you live.

If you own your images you can order albums months or years after your ceremony, but you can't retake the images themselves. Because of this I recommend thinking about getting the coverage you need for your event and the best possible images. You can budget to order albums weeks, months, or even years later or make them yourself to save even more money. If you have to settle for average pictures then no amount of fancy albums can improve them.



Question: I had someone else shoot my wedding, will you fix the photos?

Answer: No, I'm sorry that things didn't work out for you with another photographer but I feel each artists' work should stand on its own. I use my editing skills to enhance only my own work so that I record what I saw in my mind, even if my camera saw something slightly different.



Question: If you were hiring a photographer, other than yourself, what would you look for?

Answer: I look for many features and goals that I find good photographers share.

First, ask yourself some questions about your own likes and dislikes. Do you enjoy the more modern style of photojournalism with lots of candid shots? Do you really love the more late 70s style where everyone is always looking right at the camera and is clearly posed? Are you the type who needs to have a certain brand name to feel you received quality or do you see refinement in specialized artisans as well?

Have you asked around yet? Find out who your friends had photograph their wedding and ask to look at their prints or albums. Think about the different styles your friends liked. Ask how much they spent for coverage of the day, and how much they ended up spending afterwards on prints and albums. Ask what they might have done differently.

Search the internet for photographers you like, even if they aren't in your price range or local to your event. This way you can get a feel for a type of photography you prefer and that that will help you when interviewing those who are in your budget or are local to your event.

First, a few things I suggest as red flags to avoid:

Now, some things I think are important, and why:



Question: Do you rent or loan any equipment?

Answer: No, I own all of my own equipment and it is is for myself and my staff's use only.

I do not loan or rent camera equipment including studio lighting and the studio space itself.



Question: Why do you have so much equipment information on your site?

Answer: The equipment reviews serve two main goals.

One goal is to educate and inform attendees of my classes and other interested consumers about the functionality of this equipment in a real-world setting. Camera equipment is expensive and people in the market for gear often look to those who rely on it day-to-day for tips and knowhow. As someone who enjoys helping others learn, I have found this to be a natural outlet for information that I have often had to learn "the hard way."

The other goal is to inform clients that I actually do use professional equipment. A motivating factor is that I try to keep my prices low, which means I am often competing against someone with less equipment options. This doesn't mean that they are necessarily a lesser photographer, but sometimes it is a clear indicator that someone could not live up to a client's expectations.

Good equipment does not imply a great photo. Good equipment just gets out of the way of the photographer. When you're on a job and need to perform, good equipment matters. I could very likely take a great photograph using a consumer point-and-shoot camera, but the shutter lag an on-camera flash would get in my way of my artistic goal. It would also slow me down considerably. Having better equipment means I'm more free to get in and get the shot right away, and that is something people want when they hire a photographer.



Question: Why doesn't your website look like every other photographer's site?

Answer: It's simple. I don't want to confuse people into thinking I'm anything like other photographers.

I hand-code everything on this site without any hired design team or bulky software program. This ensures a clean layout designed to load fast, to be easy to use, and to try to not distract you from making an informed decision about the work of myself and my team.

I feel that a website that resizes your browser and makes you sit through a dozen photos while blaring music (so people at work know you're not doing work) before you can get to any substantive content doesn't do you a service.



Question: Are you a member of any clubs or organizations of photographers?

Answer: No, and each has its own reason why not. For clubs, I find that I end up spending my time just helping others while getting little learning in return for myself. I like to look at artwork that is better than mine for inspiration, but instead I find myself just spending time helping others. I think I can instead do that via the web so that I can help many people at one time with instructional articles and reviews. This way I only have to say/write something once and everyone can benefit, regardless of being a member of a club or not.

For the professional photographer organizations, while I often find their magazines or trade journals interesting, these are (for the most part) organizations that people give money to so that they can feel better about themselves. No photographer takes a better picture simply by giving money to one of these organizations. Maybe other photographers get something out of this sort of "advanced photography club" where each member is at a higher level than a normal amateur shutterbug, and if that is the case then I wish them the absolute best of luck. Personally, I learn best by actually going out and taking pictures, not reading about someone who has been in the business 30 years who figured out on their own to go out and just take pictures to get better at it. For the annual dues to some of these organizations I could purchase a new memory card or invest in a lens, and those are things that I know will help me in my photography.



Question: Are you hiring?

Answer: No, not at this time. We have a full staff as well as some new people I am training to add some redundancy to the team (like in case someone gets hurt) so we are quite well staffed at the moment.