In efforts to try and answer some of the most frequently asked questions, we have compiled a list of popular and common questions you may have.  If there are topics not discussed that you would like to gain info about, please feel free to contact us directly or call to setup a no hassle meeting and further discuss your day and questions you may have together.  We hope the below info will provide some initial help 😉

Matt has been shooting for over 20 years (film & digital) and has been professionally shooting 60+ weddings a year, for more than 12 years now.  Matt has extensive experience with a wide variety of venues, weather conditions, bridal party & guest counts, and plenty of wedding day curveballs over the years.  You can learn more about his history, experience, awards, etc on his bio page, which can be found here.

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In theory, an engagement session is an opportunity for a couple to shoot some photos before the wedding (usually 5-8 months before the wedding is common), in which they can use to not only document this special time in their lives, but use for an announcement or save the dates.  While these are all great reasons for an engagement session, there are some great ways to really make the shoot special and perhaps, kill two birds with one stone… in a sense, you could think of it as a “mini-wedding day” if you wanted.

First and foremost, the day of your engagement session (if doing one), is a great opportunity to schedule your hair & makeup trial.  Not only is this something you can check off your to-do list, but you can also be looking and feeling great for your shoot 😉  Some couples decide they’d like to do two different looks or outfits…. this is not the case with everyone nor necessary, however, some couples really enjoy having a more casual and then a more dressy look, which is fine.  If doing two outfits, you may also want to incorporate two different locations, to compliment the attire of choice.  Doing the less dressy attire first is usually the way to go, while you are warming up and then you can move to the more dressy/classy/sexy attire last, once you are fully warmed up and more relaxed.

Most engagement sessions go approximately 1.5-2 hours and when you’re done, you can maybe treat yourself to a nice dinner out to celebrate a great engagement session.  Not only will you be looking great, but also already dressed for the occasion!

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Our couples should expect to see a thorough & wide variety of images, involving multiple styles of photography (classic black & whites, candids, family portraits, details, photojournalism, etc., however creating compelling, powerful & creative images is one of the things Matt loves shooting most.  A balance of work and all the things mentioned above, is something we take very serious and work hard to achieve at each and every wedding.  Matt works very hard to create a more relaxed  environment and experience for his clients, resulting in a much more natural and fun experience.  He also enjoys working with each couple to personalize and appropriately match their style & look (country/park, urban/city, etc).

Matt also has a very unique & polished editing style that is very important in terms of creating the “Matt Ramos Look.”  You can often tell a Matt Ramos image simply by it’s edit & style, without even seeing the logo, which is something he & his team take great pride in.  It’s not just how the photo was shot, but what’s done with it afterward, to give it that wow factor.

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Matt will always be the lead photographer (along with a 2nd or even 3rd shooting, depending on the size of the wedding)  for all wedding packages and most major projects.  For an engagement session, it would typically just be Matt 😉

For those interested, we also offer Associate Photographer packages, which would include two photographers from our team that shoot with the same equipment and similar style of work.  While Matt would not be present for the actual shooting with this option, he would be very involved before and after the wedding, as well as involved in the editing process of images.  This is a less expensive option for those that may want great photography, but to save a few bucks in the process.

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We shoot primarily, with Canon 5D Mark III’s and all Canon L glass lenses (mostly prime lenses, f/1.2-1.4).  We also occasionally, use small/wireless, off-camera speedlights during the reception, when necessary.

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While a majority of the weddings we shoot are located in and around the Capital Region of Albany, Troy, Saratoga Springs & Lake George, we cover the entire state of New York and New England areas.  If there is a location you are not sure is within the area we would travel, feel free to contact us to discuss!

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Having some sort of a shot list going into the wedding is generally a great idea so that we can make sure to including any of those important people or shots that you are really wanting to have.  Typically, Matt will do a final meeting with all couples approximately 30-40 days before the wedding and during this time thing such as timeline, locations and of course, important people and family are all topics discussed.  Essentially, this would create the shot list Matt and his team would use on the day of the wedding, to ensure no important people or shots are missed.

In terms of other types of photos, if there is something in particular you are really wanting, please feel free to discuss it with us.  While we certainly do our best work when we can do our thing and have our clients trust our vision and style, we are happy to accommodate (within reason of course), some of your ideas or important photos should you have something you are really wanting, that we wouldn’t normally shoot.  In general, we would caution flooding your photographer with a pile of pinterest photos, expecting them to try and copy someone else’ work.   A good portion of pinterest images one may see and like are from styled shoots, rather than genuine images taken on the day of an actual wedding.  Hiring a photographer, whose style and vision you trust is always the way to go, rather than trying to make them someone they’re not 😉

 

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Our normal turnaround time to have all wedding images fully edited and ready to present to you is approximately 30 days.  During slower months such as January – April, this could be as quick as 14 days, rather than 30….. and during peak busy season months, it could be 5 weeks instead of 4.  Our goal is approximately 4 weeks or less, however, we take great pride in the work we do and would rather deliver a great product and work to our clients vs. rush it and not provide our best attention to detail.  Typically, engagement sessions have a turnaround time of 2 weeks or less.

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When shooting a wedding or project, we are generally not counting images as we shoot.  With the freedom that digital photography provides, we are often shooting extra images for best expressions, reducing chances of people blinking, and doing our best to document the day from multiple vantage points.

Each wedding is different.  Factors affecting the number of images we shoot may be based on number of hours we are shooting, family & wedding party size, if there is a first look, and how much time we are allotted to shoot various parts of the day, based on the timeline we have to work with.  An average amount of fully edited images our wedding couples could expect to receive may be anywhere from the 1200-1500 range.

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Once all images are completed and ready to go, we’ll begin a two part process to get your images into your hands.  Aside from the initial teaser(s) we may post via social media after the wedding, we often like to do a blog post of some of our favorite 25-50 images to feature the wedding.  This would be a first opportunity to see several additional images from the wedding and makes for a great way to share with family and friends.

While your blog is being posted, we are on the backend preparing and uploading your online viewing site, as well as a personal flash drive of images for you to keep.  Once the editing process has been completed, we’ll email you a link to your online viewing site as well directly mail you a flash drive of images.  Assuming there is a blog post of the wedding, there will also be a shortcut link at the top of the blog post, for easier access to the images.  The online viewing site is hosted for 1 year and is a great way to share images, select favorites for an album, do full screen slideshows with music and invite friends and family to enjoy with you.  The flash drive we mail you contains all your fully edited images for you to keep and will not be watermarked in anyway.  You are welcome to print from them if you choose and we also include a certificate of print rights, located directly on the flash drive for you.  Please note, you will receive the very best quality of images or products ordering directly from your online viewing site or us directly from us.  You can check out our new online SHOP to view available products.  We are more than happy to help you with any questions you may have.

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We have a beautiful selection of albums and parent book options just waiting to be designed & built for you.  Most of our wedding packages include album credits that can be applied towards your order (these are good for 18 months from the wedding date).

While you can check out some photos and have access to all the album manufacturer websites we offer, Matt is happy to set up a time after the wedding to show you all the different options in person…. seeing, touching and comparing all the different albums in person can really make a big difference in choosing the album that’s best for you.

Couples are able to select images they’d like to have used in the album, and we are here to help to either select (or deduct if too many), so we can create that perfect design and story of the day.  There are different options you can choose from in terms of image counts/pages to choose from… a very popular number of images that many couples tend to go with, is approximately 90-120 images.

We will take care of all the designing of the album (which you will have a chance to see and request edits if not perfect)…. this is about a 2 week process.  Once the album is approved and we place the order, you should expect to have it in your hands within 2-3 weeks.  We are here to help and walk you through the entire process, it’s super easy!

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Locking your date is very easy and consists of a simple contract with the package you want and deposit.  The contract is mainly meant to keep things organized and protect our clients – it will have a complete list of  items  services included in your wedding package.  Should our rates or packages change in the future, you can be assured it will not affect you, nor would anything change from your time of booking.  It also means, we will not discuss your date with anyone else and the date belongs to you.

Our normal deposit is usually a standard $1000 down (which is applied directly towards your wedding package), however we are flexible, and do hold dates for as little as $500 if needed.  We are happy to accept all major forms of payment, including checks, debit/credit cards, and offer flexible payment plans to help clients spread costs and make things more affordable… clients can even make payments directly on our website if they choose via our shop.  Lastly, clients may add us to their bridal registry and have friends and family purchase gifts such as products, engagement sessions, upgraded albums, or credits towards your wedding package in general.

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