Frequently Asked Questions

We are located in Burnsville, Minnesota, just south of the Twin Cities! 

Yes!!  It is because it is VERY important that we meet prior to the wedding.  The most important thing to us is that you are comfortable working with us.  The easiest way to become comfortable with us is to meet with us.  Check out the next question to understand that process more. 

There are two ways that we do consults.  One (our favorite) is in person.  The other option is on the phone.  We don't do Zoom because our Wifi is a little wonky, so a phone is far more reliable.  We very much prefer in person consults because they are more personable.

All in person consults are done at our home in Burnsville, Minnesota.  We make food and drinks for you and sit down to talk all about your wedding!  It's a lot of fun.  We started doing this in the last year and were a little worried about how it would go over, but so far, everyone has absolutely loved it.

There is no straightforward answer to this, as all dates are different.  What we would advise is booking ASAP.  We typically book 12-15 months in advance, but again, that is not ALWAYS the case, so don't assume. Our busiest months are June through October.  Again, though, don't assume.  Always contact us about your date.

Yes. 

Typically, we require 50% to book your date. However, we understand weddings are expensive.  We also understand that often times, you're not only putting down a payment for photography.  It's other vendors at the same time.  If you are looking for payment plan options, let us know.  We are here to help! 

A 50% non-refundable retainer is due to book your date, unless we are working on a payment plan with you.  That puts you on the calendar.  We accept cash, checks, and cards.

Two weeks prior to your wedding, we will sit down for a second consult.  At that consult, we will go over everything that will happen and everything that CAN happen.  After 14 years of weddings, we know that there is a solution to everything the day of.  

You will know what to expect the day of two weeks prior and we will be available to answer any questions you have. 

This happens more often than you would think.  You can add on extra time to your day at any point up until we leave for the night.  On the day of your wedding, that is all we do.  We have had people come up to us when we are packing up for the night and ask us to stay.  We simply charge our hourly  rate which must be paid when asked to stay.

Wedding photography turnaround time is typically 1-2 weeks. 

Rarely, in the case of an emergency situation, we require a third week.  If that happens, you will be notified.  

We also provide clients with samples with 24 hours of a wedding (pending travel). 

All photos will be available to you via a personal gallery that allows you and anyone you want to view them access.  If you would like, you can also purchase products such as prints, books, etc, from the gallery.

Awesome little tidbit - it works the same with your engagement photography.  So by the time you get your wedding photography, you'll already be familiar with it.

The number of photos you receive depends entirely on your day.  We aim to photograph 100 photos an hour, but different logistics can change that number. 

Here are some examples:

- How many people are in your wedding party and families.
- If you do a first look or not.  
- If things run on time.  
- The dance floor (this honestly is the easiest way to get SO many photos!  Get people on that dance floor!)
- The weather. Honestly, in MN, it's such a huge factor.  Often times, couples won't want to go outside in very cold or very hot weather. 
- How many hours you have photography for.

Yes.

We get asked this all the time.  What you see on this site are not photos straight out of the can.  

Wedding photography remains online for one year.  

This amount of time will give you ample time to download your photos multiple times over.  We will also remind you to download them, so please do.

Yes.  All our wedding packages come with a complimentary engagement session. We highly recommend doing one because then you get to learn how we photograph and work.  That way, you're that much more comfortable on your wedding day!

It's Minnesota, we get it.  The weather is crazy.

We do allow you to reschedule your engagement session in case it rains or there is other bad weather.  Be aware that during the busy seasons (summer and fall) a reschedule date may not be available right away.

We do not do sessions when it is below zero.  As much as you may think you can handle it, it's miserable and you can see it in the photos.  It's also dangerous, so we don't do it. 

Look, the only reason we are comfortable in front of the camera is because we do this for a living. 

99.9% of our clients say they aren't good in front of a camera.

Part of our job is getting to know you and make sure you have fun with us.  We work with you to get to know your personalities and help you throughout the process, including posing and more.  

Engagement sessions always start a little stiff, but I guarantee that you'll be having fun once we start things up.  It's crazy how many people have told us, "That was a lot better than I thought it was going to be."

It's a big question, but here's what it boils down to:

- When you book with us, we work to get a date on the books for that session right away.  The session itself doesn't need to be soon, but you need to book it soon.  This is because summer and fall dates book as far in advance as a year.

- We can help you with a location if you don't have one.  Most people don't and we have a list of great places.

- You can change an outfit.  We often recommend having a casual and fancy outfit to get a great variety of images.

- You will also receive our exclusive Engagement Photography Guide filled with lots of great tips for your session!

Oh, absolutely!

We highly recommend that if you have your pet with at your session, bring someone else with that can watch them when we do photos of just the two of you.  Mainly because, we can't.  We've had people who have brought dogs and just assumed we could hold onto them when shooting. 

Yes.

It's really important as photographers that we are able to light any situation.  We bring lights and flashes with us.  We also have cameras that can go really high with the ISO without looking too grainy. 

Kyle has shot concerts for decades and flashes are not allowed in concert photography.  This has forced us to learn even more how to deal with really dark situations.  

Yes.  There are many venues that require insurance and we are able to provide that to them if necessary.

This is a question you should ask all your vendors.  It's SO important.

Wedding photography is our livelihood.  It pays all our bills.  So we take it very seriously.  We take good care of ourselves during wedding season.  It would take a lot for us to not shoot a wedding.  By a lot, we mean, extreme fever, hospitalization, and the like.  

In this case, you would always get one of us, along with a second photographer.  We have a community of photographers we trust that can back us up if necessary.  Also, we always edit your photos, regardless of who photographs them. 

In the case of something breaking - we have a crazy amount of backup gear.  We come to a wedding with five camera bodies, ten lenses, and a slew of lights, batteries, and SD cards.  And as stated above, everything is insured! We're all set there!

In the case of a cancellation, your 50% non-refundable retainer still remains non-refundable. 

The easiest way to explain why is because our days are like inventory.  If you book with us, no one else can. Since dates can book over a year in advance, we may not be able to recuperate a cancelled date.  

Yes.

Not a lot of people know this, but our business got its start with the LGBTQ community.  We photograph everyone. 

We have no problem keeping your photos offline and private to you.  

In the past, we have had several couples ask that their photos not be online (website, socials, etc) for a number of reasons.  

As far as we're concerned, they're your photos.  We have enough photos in our archives to use for our online use.  Just make sure to let us know!  We'll gladly add it into your contract as well. 

You'd be surprised how often we get this question.

The answer is yes.  We actually never even realized how many photographers cannot do this.  

Yes.

The very easy breakdown to this is that we both shoot all day long EXCEPT during family photos.  Kyle does all the family photos because there is no reason to have two people do them.  All family members will do in that scenario is ask which camera to look at. 

While Kyle does the family photos, Tracy runs around getting details of the venue, candids, and more. 

Weddings are great.

We know a lot of photographers that are terrified at the notion of shooting a wedding.  We come from a customer service background and believe in always giving a client a wonderful experience.  Due to that, we view it as working with people and not just shooting a wedding. 

Getting to meet new people and tell their story is an amazing experience and we are so grateful that we get to do this.