Frequently asked questions

What is your photography style?

I developed a personal style of wedding photography that can be roughly described as wedding photojournalism mixed with fine-art and fashion photography. I love to use creative lighting, unique perspectives and fine compositions. When working with the couple, the wedding party and family formals, the emphasis shifts to more of an casual portrait approach, placing subjects in a beautiful environment with the direction to be relaxed and natural. Than I add an artistic post-production refining to emphasize atmosphere and clients personalities while telling their wedding story. Do you photograph something else besides weddings? I love to shot weddings but I also love to photograph any kind of events and portraits. Feel free to contact me and tell me what is in your mind!



Do you do destination weddings? what additional fees are added with destination weddings?

My activity is mainly based in California and Bay area but I can work for clients all around the world. My destination wedding photography packages are my standard ones plus the cost of travel and accommodations.



Where is your pricing information?

Please reach us via the contact form. Commissions are quoted based on the information you provide… Please be detailed. I very much look forward to hearing from you.



Do you work with a second photographer or an assistant?

Most packages include second shooter, I never shot alone because I need another back up or another vision from my second shooter.



How can I reserve my wedding date? Can you hold my date?

All dates are reserved once I receive both signed contract and deposit. We require a 25 percent deposit of the total collection you choose to reserve your wedding date. We do not hold any date without a deposit and signed contract. We reserve dates on a first come first serve basis.



Do you deliver all the images you shoot?

No I don’t. I remove duplicate images, test shots, missed focused shots, shots with bad expressions and other bad images . I don’t expect you to get the expertise or (expecially!) the time to zoom into each image to select the one with the best focus, so I spend hours doing that on my end.



How many images do we receive from our wedding?

It depends on the length of the day, the number of locations involved and the number of your guests usually from 500 to 900



Do you edit all the images you deliver?

Yes I do. Every image I deliver is post produced (by me!) with my personal style. You will get a selection with advanced post production. This involves color correction, exposure adjustment, selective black and white processing, clarity adjustments, tone-mapping, and other corrections. The other pictures will be characterized by a basic editing, that mantain the same mood of the advanced edited ones.



Do you shoot in JPEG, or Raw?

I shoot all of my images in Raw. My editing style needs to be based on all the informations the raw file can guarantee to give you the best results.



Can we have a high resolution files?

Yes, high resolution files (not watermarked) are included. Remember just that high resolution files are for personal use only and can not be sold for profit without my written permission.



My venue is really dark. How does your studio handle these situations and can I see samples?

I’ve shot in the darkest place and reception halls so no need to be worried about it. If I can and it’s really needed I can set up additional lighting to ensure we get bright pictures. But I use cameras with superb low-light performance and lenses with low apertures.



What happens if we go over the contracted amount of time?

I understand that not everything goes as planned during a wedding. I never leave on the dot when the contracted time is up. I’ll ask you at the end of the contracted time if you would like to extend it or not. If you would like I’ll stay some more time, I’ll charge the rates specified in your contract rounded to the closest 30 minute increment.



Why do we need to charge for additional coverage?

I need to charge for additional coverage primarily because the additional photos taken need to be downloaded, selected and edited. Moreover if with me there is an assistant or a second photographer I’ll have to pay him for the extra time.



What type of camera/equipment do you use?

We are team of 4 photographers with Canon top of the line SLR cameras and L lens, we also use the new Sony system . All my equipment has backups on site ! O take my job seriously, It's my livelihood.



We are not the professional models. How could we pose ?

Our slogan when take photo is "Unposed let play " . As a photojournalism we always capture the nature facial expression, candid and we always have a way to seeking that nature expression between you two. Be yourseft and we will take care the rest.



What happens if you are sick? Your camera breaks? A tree falls on your car? You drop a light stand on my guest?

In our over 100+ weddings, we have never been sick on a wedding day. For maybe 2 or 3 weddings, one of us has had a cold, but nothing that would prohibit us from shooting. However, should meningitis strike or a debilitating event, we have at our disposal a list of 10 quality subcontractors capable of shooting high quality work that will be summoned, if needed, to take your wedding photos. We also use the highest quality Canon and Sony professional equipment. We come prepared with speedlights, studio strobes, light stands, extra batteries, and back up cameras should our primary bodies become damaged or malfunction. Make sure to ask your photographer about their equipment, if they have backups, and also, are they insured? Passion Studio is licensed and insured carrying $2,000,000 commercial liability and negligence insurance in the event of any incident. This covers things like bodily injury or property damage while we are on the premises conducting business activities. Some studios are not insured--so be sure to ask this important question.



Have you shot at my venue before?

Some couples feel more confident knowing their potential photographer has shot at their venue before. It is particularly important to consider the lighting conditions of the venue as well as other features like ceiling height or lots of wood wall panels throughout the reception hall. The reason is that these types of venues require special skills set to photograph. Your photographer should be a lighting expert who knows exactly how to bring the best out of your wedding venue. With over 10 years of experience, we can say that we’ve been there and seen it all. Regardless of the venue, all of our photographers are continuously trained to ensure they know how to work in any lighting condition.



Do we need to provide you with a "shot list" ? Do you take formal family portraits?

That would be the big help for us and we always recommend you assign one of your family member to help us to check list since we dont know your family members . Family portraits are just as important to us as they are to you! We request a full list of family groupings at least two weeks before the wedding day. This way, we don’t forget anyone and you walk away with all your family photos! If you decide to do a first look for your wedding, family portraits are usually done in nice natural light before the ceremony as well as a few extended family portraits after the ceremony.



How long do engagement sessions take? Can we plan our session on a weekend?

Engagement sessions usually take 3-4 hours depending upon where we are shooting. If we are shooting in Sanfrancisco or Bay area, we typically plan a longer shoot according to traffic. Or, if you want to shoot two locations, we will need a bit more time to shoot. Because we work most weekends shooting weddings, the weekends we have off we will let you know, but we ask our bride and grooms to plan their work schedules in advance to shoot on a week day if possible. Typically our shoot start at an hour to two hours before sunset.



Do you allow friends or family to take pictures during the wedding?

Sure! Make sure they take photos of me working and tag me on social media! Ha! All I ask is that they avoid covering their faces during the ceremony or block the aisle. Also during family portraits after the ceremony, it would be better if friends and family avoid raising cameras while I am shooting just to make sure everyone is looking at the correct camera. Besides that, the more the merrier, right?



What method of payment do you accept?

We use check as our preferred method of payment, we also take cash, Venmo, Paypal, and Zeller.



Do you photograph same-sex LGBT couple wedding ?

Yes, we support LGBT community all the way.



Do we need to feed you at the reception?

It's not mandatory but a vendors meals at the least does miracle after hours of photographing and filmmaking, and ensures I keep a steady camera and smile in the same time. Hangry is not a good state of mind :)