Wedding FAQ

At least 30% of our wedding clients live out of state, but are planning a wedding back home in PA. We have FaceTime & Skype capabilities to help assist in the consultation process. We believe it is important to meet face to face, but distance does not always allow that. Fortunately the world of technology has saved the day.

Do you offer videography?

For the engaged couples out there who are looking for something absolutely unique, and do not want the traditional wedding video… you won’t want to pass on this opportunity! We’ve started an amazingly modern, yet somewhat vintage, alternate to wedding videography utilizing “stop action photography.”

We’re calling it our “Photo Film.”

We are booking only a small number of these this year, so email us ASAP to be one of the lucky ones!

Are the photos on your site ‘real brides’?

Lots of photographers hire professional models and put their photos on their website as ‘original brides’ after instructing them what to do and make them pose for hours in a location that is a perfectly planned day. Don’t fall into this trap. The reason that wedding photography is one of the hardest to photograph is because the wedding photographer has to deal with real life situations, real life people who are not professionally trained to pose, and work within a variety of time and location restraints. We have only seconds to capture genuine emotions! When looking for a photographer for my own wedding, I am sure to look for someone who can definitely capture that moment.

Can you tell me about why the second photographer is always included in your wedding packages?

You will receive a much greater variety of angles and shots with two, instead of one. However, SkySight Photography is my own eye, and so I will be the main photographer the entire time. The second photographer at your wedding will be for back up and second angles. Even the best FBI agents call for backup, right!?

How many weddings do you book per year?

Due to high demand in Pittsburgh and Westmoreland county, as well as getting booked for destination weddings several times a year, I am booking only 15 total weddings per year. This is so that we can concentrate 110% on your wedding, be completely focused, and turn around your proofs within a reasonably quick amount of time. Dates are going fast, and only a few spots are left, so call soon to reserve your wedding.

How do you get interesting shots?

My goal is to create and capture your day exactly as you remember it – magical. In order for the photos to reflect the memories in your mind, they need to be unique, interesting, natural, fresh, real, creative, the list goes on. During the 8 hours I have to capture this event, I’m dedicated to that goal the entire time. I love what I do, so its easy for me to keep high energy about what I do the entire time I’m doing it!

I want to know more about boudoir sessions, but I’m too nervous to ask, What can you tell me about it?

Boudoir sessions are for any woman, of any size, and any age. What is it? A photo shoot to display your natural beauty and personality through amazing, eye catching images. A lot of the women who have purchased these sessions have given the photos in a discreet leather black book to their future husbands for a unique wedding gift. I’ll say one thing… Curves are IN! So remember no matter how you feel about your body, you CAN do this. The misconception is that only fit women will put themselves in front of the camera in this way, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.

View our sneak peek video to see what it’s all about!

Where should we go for our photo session after the ceremony?

Think outside the box. Most people first think of a park or common site like Mt. Washington, which can definitely be beautiful options! But sometimes the more unique, the better the shots can be. Think of an overgrown field, a blooming garden, an architecturally amazing building, an art museum where you spent your first date, where you first kissed, your university campus, a bridge, a railroad track, a candy shop or even your favorite cafe. These locations bring about ideas that will make your wedding photos unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Imagine a bride and groom sitting at an outdoor cafe bistro table, leaning over to steal a kiss!

Do you take all the photos on your website, and will you be the photographer at the wedding?

Yes, and Yes! I do not advertise my photography and send somebody different, and I guarantee all the photos on my site are mine, with an exception of a few that were taken by my assistant!

Why is wedding photography so expensive?

Wedding photography is an investment, for something that you will keep your entire life and most likely will out-live you as it will be passed onto your children and grandchildren. Photography is like most investments, I believe you truly get what you pay for. I believe strongly that the quality of work I provide to each and every client of mine is top notch, and worth even more than the package prices I offer. To be cliche, good photography is priceless. Since I am located in Greensburg I tell people often, I’m a Pittsburgh photographer for a Westmoreland county price. What I mean by this is that in the city you will find photographers in the range of $5000 and above for the same quality I can offer, for a better price. In the end, you just need to remember that the only thing left after the big day is your wedding photos… the cake will be eaten, the champagne emptied, and the music gone. And the question is, are you willing to budget shop on something that important?

If a couple is on a budget, how can you accommodate them?

Well first of all, we offer packages that range on different levels. You also need to remember that photographers will often include a lot of filler items in their packages that are not that necessary to beef them up to sell easier. You will end up paying for an album that has lots of pages and a beautiful box to put it in, however if you don’t love the actual photos it’s not worth it. So if you’re budget shopping, my advice is to stick to the most important- the basics- which is: a good photographer. You can always purchase an album after the wedding as an add-on! Why not utilize the gift money received to have your guests help purchase the album for you? So the golden rule here is, don’t sacrifice the quality of photos for large prints and books if you can’t afford the big fancy diamond package.

How much work do you put into a wedding?

The reason wedding photography costs in the thousands of dollars is because of the amount of work. While some people may think a photographer shows up with a camera and snaps a few shots, they don’t realize all the behind the scene hours that have been put into it. In addition to the 8-12 hours we spend on your wedding day, we may put anywhere from 20-30 additional hours of work into editing, backing up, proofing, designing albums, and more. So one wedding for me is usually equivalent to most people’s entire work week.

Why should the bride and groom consider an engagement or “Luv My Dress” session?

I actually encourage couples to consider doing both. The engagement session is a great casual set of photos to have that showcases how in love you are, because the wedding photos will be very formal. In addition, its a great way for me to break the ice of getting to know the couple. The bride and groom also benefit from learning how to pose together as a couple since a lot of the poses are similar to wedding shots.

The ‘Luv the Dress’ session is a ton of fun. These photos are taken after the wedding, and there are many reasons to try it - maybe it rained on your wedding day and there weren’t any outdoor photos taken, maybe you want to wear the dress again but let your hair down and get casual, or maybe there’s a location you would have loved to shoot at on your wedding day but couldn’t because of time constraints. The other great reason to try this session is to get some really artistic unique shots, like laying in a beautiful field together – which you may not want to do on your wedding day. Don’t worry about the dress, if you don’t want to mess it too bad, we can play it low key with the ‘messy’ part.

Read a story from one of our brides who LOVED her LUV MY DRESS session!

Also, read our top 10 reasons to try a LUV MY DRESS session!

Can you explain photography copyrights?

Photographers almost always retain the copyright to their images, but handle giving away the rights to use their work in a few different ways. Some do not release the rights at all. These photographers will require you to purchase the photos from them forever, at their rates. We offer an option for this, as it gives a cheaper package option. However, we strongly suggest everyone consider the package that does release the rights to you. We believe strongly that wedding photos should stay in your family forever, and having the ability to print those photos for your 50th anniversary is something you should be able to do! Some people ask why the cost is so high for the CD (We offer it for $750 as an a la carte add on, or included in all packages over $3000). This is an easy explanation. We offer the CD at the average amount we would sell prints for otherwise, if the client did not have the CD. For example, a client may purchase $500-1000 worth of prints for family and enlargements for their home if they came to us after the wedding to buy them. This is how we price the cost of the CD.

What quality resolution are the photos on the CD?

I give all of my clients the images with the highest quality jpeg possible. The jpeg file type gives you the ability to do anything with the images easily without special software. So, printing them on your own computer or posting to facebook is simple. However if you choose to print the photos as a wall size portrait through a professional custom print lab, you can do that too, because they are full resolution. Some photographers will release the images on CD with what they call a ‘copyright release’ however it maybe have limitations in the fine print. Beware of this because they will give the photos only in low to medium resolution, therefore you will only be able to print up to a 5×7 or maybe 8×10 max. You can be sure we do not do it this way.

I have heard about brides and grooms who decide to do their formal portraits before the ceremony, do you recommend this?

I have done this on request, and it works out well in many instances, however I definitely respect the traditional practice of not seeing each other until the ceremony. So whatever you decide I am willing to work with you. Advantages to doing the photos prior to the wedding… You can still surprise each other with a romantic ‘first glance’ greeting, which can be very emotional and definitely a great photo opportunity. It allows us to spend a lot of time on your photos as well, especially if the ceremony and reception are timed out close together or are in the same location. However, if you want to do all the photos after the ceremony but only have 30 minutes, I’ll be happy to work with that too. I have been called on many occasions ‘The fastest photographer’ they had ever seen. I promise I do not rush, however I have done enough weddings that I am confident and able to move quickly. My process is laid out well in advance of what shots need taken, so we professionally move the shooting along swiftly.

How are you able to deal with a lot of people, such as a wedding party of 16 or more people?

Not a problem for me! I love working under challenging circumstances. I am not afraid to speak loud to get everyone’s attention when I need to. I own a photo studio and shoot with babies and children all day long Monday through Friday, so keeping the attention of those who are distracted is my specialty!

For those of us who follow photography a bit and care to ask, what type of lenses and equipment do you use?

I believe strongly in ‘fast’ prime lenses. For those not sure, these are lenses that do not zoom. Most people see the big long lenses that zoom from very wide to across the room, however these typically are a lesser quality than primes. A prime lens is typically short and discreet looking, however they are the best quality in my opinion. A good lens makes a huge difference in the look of your photos. With a prime lens I am able to get tack sharp eyes and amazingly soft beautiful skin. A fast lens means that you are able to shoot faster shutter speeds in lower light. To explain further, I can shoot naturally without needing a flash most of the time, and also gives me great shallow depth of field. (What is shallow depth of field? It means the subject is very clear and the background is very blurry. This creates a great professional quality effect). My equipment of choice is Nikon… Always has been and always will be!

How long have you been doing photography?

My first camera was a blue plastic one, I got it at age 6. I took a roll of 110 film and shot each picture on it very very carefully around my yard. I put each of these pictures into an album that I still have today. I treasured those photos and was critical of which were better than others, even then. I learned the art of film photography at the age of 17 and knew instantly that it would be my career. I fell in love with the art of painting with light (ie: photography). I feel so lucky that I had to learn on film as opposed to digital, because I truly learned the techniques of photography. Film forced us to know our equipment so well because we did not know what the photo looked like until we developed it. So you had to get the light just perfect. Since I learned that way, it is instilled in me and has never changed. To the date of this interview, I have been shooting photography seriously for 11 years, owned my studio for 7 years, and have done over 175 weddings.

Can you elaborate on the boom of photographers in the last few years?

I warn people against the ‘casual shooter’ wedding photographers out there. Digital has enabled people to pick up a $500 camera at Best Buy and call themselves a wedding photographer. A lot of people don’t realize that there is no regulations in the photo industry that requires you to have a certification, so anyone out there can claim they are a professional. However you need to do your research to determine if they really know what they are doing. Look at their history, bio, and portfolio and compare their credentials. Not that these are ‘bad’ choices for a wedding photographer if perhaps you’re on a very tight budget, however I do feel strongly you get what you pay for in photography.

I am interested in hiring you for a destination wedding, is it any different for you than shooting a Pittsburgh wedding?

Not really. Of course I have to travel to get there, but that is about the only difference to me. Once I am there I am shooting the way I always do, just some new scenery! I love to travel and do so often, so I am used to carrying the equipment on the plane and going through the extra check list of items to do in order to make it happen without any failure. We are now shooting about 20 percent of our total weddings out of state, so getting outside of the Pittsburgh box is not a problem for me.

If my wedding is not in Pittsburgh, what are the additional travel fees?

Travel fee is usually done on a custom basis, and is made up of mileage or airfare plus hotel accommodation for photographer and assistant. Up to 30 miles from our studio is included in the package price at no charge. E-mail for rates to travel beyond 30 miles. If flight arrangements are required, mileage rate does not apply; airfare for photographer’s assistant and two nights of lodging fee are required (night prior to wedding plus wedding night). We love to travel for weddings, and do so often, so don’t hesitate to inquire no matter where the destination!

See the wedding prices page for more details on current travel fees.

What did you learn from doing a photo expedition with National Geographic that applies to weddings?

I was fortunate enough to be able to spend two weeks in Morocco shooting with Nat Geo photographer, Massimo Bassano, and learn from him. Since I had already been shooting for a while and knew the photography basics, I learned more about capturing the moment from Massimo…which is photojournalism 101. In his career, he is responsible for getting that split second moment that potentially would grace the cover of their world famous magazine. So his views are very opposite of the portrait photographer, who concentrates on posing to create a photo. He knows how to truly capture what is happening that moment. What I learned from him is priceless and definitely carries over into wedding photography tremendously.