Hi Jenny,
Thank you for contacting me!It's an honor to be considered to document your wedding and I appreciate your time and consideration in advance.I am available for your wedding date so please tell me more about you and your wedding! Have you booked your Big Sky venue yet? Where are you located? Are there any other vendors I can help you find?
If you visited my website you'll know that my goal as a wedding photographer is to make custom art pieces for every client to have hanging on their walls and to tell each story with a beautiful, hand crafted, custom designed wedding book that will preserve your story for generations to come.Creating beautiful artwork amidst the chaos of a wedding day is a very difficult challenge, but it is a challenge that I have overcome enough times to feel confident in saying that I can deliver beautiful artwork to each and every client.To do so however, requires a collaboration with you, the client.Being that I am motivated to create artwork, and artwork cannot be made in high volume, I limit the number of weddings I take on each year to ensure that each of my clients receive my undivided attention.In return, my clients need to be similarly motivated to create beautiful artwork for their home and to ensure that their story is preserved in a heirloom quality wedding book.
The next step will be to meet in person at my studio to discuss the details of your wedding and your investment with me and the products I offer.If we cannot meet in person then we can meet on skype or google hangout instead.But just so you have some idea of the investment you'll want to make with me, here is some current information on my pricing:
I do not charge any travel fees if you book one of my top two collections.Booking requires a $1,000 down payment.My collections start at $3,499 and most of my clients choose to make a total artwork investment of $6,000 or more.All of my collections include a wedding album and an engagement session.
Thank you again for your consideration and I look forward to hearing more from you!
PaulBellinger
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PaulBellinger Photography
Hi Jenny,
No problem! I understand it can be overwhelming since this is your first time hiring a wedding photographer. I go through this often, so it's no big deal for me.
All digital negatives are given as full resolution, so currently that is 5760 x 3840 pixels in jpeg format. At 300 pixels per inch that's 19.2 x 12.8 inches, and those files can be upscaled several times over for larger prints. But that's the difficulty with large prints, they require skill to make because they require upscaling and sharpening and it can be very tricky. Combine that with all of the other difficulties of print making and that's why my clients prefer the simplicity of ordering through me and knowing their prints will be perfect with no hassle at all.
But as I mentioned, even though you will have files that could be used to make very large prints, your print release legally only allows you to make prints as big as 8x12 inches until 10 years after your wedding.
I have attached an expired set of print collections for post-wedding and engagement print collections to give you some idea. These prices are always changing as the prices I pay for prints are always changing and I am always adding new products to meet my clients demands and continue to raise the bar. A new price sheet for print collections will be coming soon as I've recently been working with a local printer and will be integrating those new products. Keep in mind that there is no obligation to buy and there is no time limit on how long you can wait (although in the case of engagement photos, those photos are needed right away for so many different things that most couples do purchase them as soon as possible).
Regarding coverage, the Platinum Collection comes with a two hour bridal session that can be swapped for some other kind of coverage. So if you want to shoot at the waterfall and barbecue the day (or two days) before the wedding that's fine. What did you have in mind for the rodeo? I can shoot you guys at the rodeo as long as they allow cameras and you have an extra ticket. We can shoot for a couple hours at the waterfall and I'd be happy to tag along with you at the rodeo if that's what you were thinking.
Same thing with the engagement session, although I highly recommend doing it months before the wedding so that we can get comfortable with each other and do some practice posing and have some time when there aren't a ton of people around. Usually the engagement sessions are the most fun!
My goal is always to make the most beautiful artwork possible and if I have to stay an extra night or put in some longer hours, I'm going to do it. You would only be charged for extra time if you wanted to still do separate engagement and bridal sessions and add on a day or two of out of town coverage. If you want to do that you can simply add on an additional bridal session or engagement session on the a la carte pricing (although I would probably just upgrade to Black Label at that point because the Black Label book alone is worth well over the $1000 increase in price, plus you get an added session and a second shooter).
Alright Jenny, I hope that answers all of your questions! Sorry for such a long reply! That's what you get with me though!
Thank you!
Paul