How long have you been in business and what made you decide photography?

     I have been playing with cameras since I was a little kid. My dad (Steve Davidson) was showing me photography from a very young age and I have always enjoyed being behind a camera. I started shooting seriously around 2001, and expanded to weddings in 2004 after Kathryn and I married and she started photographing with me. We decided to take our hobby professional in 2009 after Kathryn finished her degree and could devote herself full time to photography.

We love your services and portfolio! Can you tell us what sets you apart from other photographers?  

       Sure, we are real and forward thinking. Because we are family owned you get all the benefits of working with a friend without losing the security of working with an established company. Kathryn and I are always discussing what we think our clients will want to do with their pictures 10, 20, and 50 years in the future, and always watching for new technology so we can support whatever will come along. I don't want our clients from today to find they can't print their pictures 10 years from now. This is why I always digitally store all our images and have repetitive backups so if you should need your pictures in the future they will always be available.

       Also a part of looking to the future is giving you a CD with your pictures in multiple digital formats. I try to make it as easy as possible to print, share, and show off your pictures. It shouldn't be hard to make memories.

 It all seems so wonderful, but it seems kind of expensive, can we afford this?

      If you compare what we offer in our packages to other photographers, especially traditional photographers where you have to buy prints separately from what you pay for the service, I know you will find that overall we are a great investment. Kathryn is always watching to make sure we are competitively priced for the quality and services we offer.

     The great thing about working with a forward thinking photographer like me is that you don't have to come back to me and pay high prices for reprints or albums. I don't have high lease costs for studio space or large advertising budgets. Instead of trying to make money on prints, I only charge you for my services and let you print at places like MPix.com (the public branch of Miller's Professional Printing Services, one of the best in the world). They charge the public 1/8th what they charge me as a professional because they are trying to compete with places like Shutterfly.com or Walgreens.com. And because I give you a CD instead of prints, you can make your own scrapbooks, slideshows, mugs, or anything else you want to print your pictures on. Of course, I always offer my assistance and expertise if you want really great large prints or albums made for you.

    With everything I offer, I know you will find working with me worth much more that what I charge.

Who do you work best with?

     I work best with couples who plan ahead. Couples who want to sit down with me a month before their wedding and have a list of pictures they want so they can enjoy their wedding day instead of feeling like it is hard work. Couples who are looking  for someone they can trust to get the job done and do it well without them having to babysit.

Who will not benefit from hiring you?

     Couples who are looking to control every aspect of their photography, like someone who wants to be looking over my shoulder checking angles or telling the people in the picture how to pose. Part of the reason couples hire me is because I take beautiful pictures. To get those beautiful shots I need some artistic wiggle room to get what I see is a great shot. I have worked with couples and family members who are like this in the past and they almost always are not as satisfied with the pictures because "something is missing." That something is my artistic eye!

     Also, couples who want to nickel and dime me into a lower price. These tend to be the couples who want me to "shoot and scoot" (or just hand over a CD at the end of the day) or ask "what if we don't get digital mastering...what does that do to the price?" As I said before, we are a great investment and well worth the price we charge. If I feel like someone has or is trying to take advantage of me it really colors my photography and I know my quality suffers. That is not the kind of work I want to do so we both suffer in situations like that.

Since you don't work well with couples who are too controlling, does this mean I will lose control over my photography on my wedding day?

     No, absolutely not. I love it when couples are in to it and participating in creating poses or "directing traffic." I just work better when we all listen to each other and I am given the chance to tweak things as I see them. Some of my most loved work has been where the couple has suggested something and I give it a little flair.

Will you have a second shooter?

     I offer a second shooter, which is Kathryn, if the client would like one. But even when they don't, Kathryn comes along as an assistant because she is extremely well organized and good at making the process run smoothly and efficiently. This means that if something should happen to me on the day of your wedding (or before), that she is also there to take over so you will receive uninterrupted service. Kathryn's artistic vision is different than mine (she likes photojournalistic photography while I am more hands on), but she is a great photographer and I know she could take over for me and do a great job.

Do you have back-up equipment?

     I do have another Canon pro camera, but I also rent a back-up camera for your wedding. This way both you and I know it is covered should something happen.

Will you work with the vendors we already have?

     Yes. I don't like exclusive contracts so I am always willing to work with anyone willing to work with me. There are a few of the vendors we have worked with in the past and found exceptional on our vendor page.

Do you take credit cards?

       Yes we do. We take Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and Debit cards which have the Visa/MC logo. And of course we always accept cash.

Can we get a payment plan?

       Well, we don't make special payment plans, but our general contract does have payments split up. To secure your date you put down 30% of the total, another 40% is due by 2 weeks before the wedding date, and the final payment is due when you get your pictures, which is typically a few weeks after the wedding. Our past clients have really liked this because it splits the payments nicely and is security that you will get your pictures.

Do you have liability insurance?

       Yes we do.

Do you take more than one wedding per day?

       No, and we try very hard not to take more than one wedding per weekend. I am big on giving star quality customer service and I feel it s very hard to have that level of customer service if I am trying to do too much at a time. This is also why I limit us to 24 weddings a year, I really want each of our couples to know that on their day, they are our only concern.

This looks like everything we have been looking for, so what happens next to start the process?

       Well, the first thing is to choose your package and sign the contract. Along with your initial payment, this secures your date. Then, we start talking about your "Must Have" list and your timeline for the day. You don't need to have them all ready until 1 month before the wedding, but it is always good to be thinking about it ahead of time.

     Then, 2 weeks before I schedule a walk through your venue with you to start planning good spots for photos, discuss a finalized timeline, and take care of the second payment.

     Finally, the day of your wedding arrives and Kathryn and I come and capture beautiful memories for you. When our time is over, we head back to the studio to secure your pictures on our server. Then the digital editing begins.

     A couple weeks later Kathryn e-mails and/or calls you to let you know the pictures are ready for you to see and choose which ones will go on your CD. I have online proofing but I like to encourage couples to come in to the studio to see their pictures because our monitors have been calibrated to be as close to printing as possible. That way you know what your prints should look like when you have them done. Once you have chosen your pictures it only takes me about a week to get them in the right formats and put them on your CD. Kathryn then calls to arrange a pick-up time, where you can pick up your CD and make the final payment.

    Then you get to sit back and enjoy your pictures!

Can we talk to previous clients to see what it is like to work with you?

       Sure, or you can check out our Testimonial page and see what our clients are saying about us.

I know you offer albums, but you seem to recommend Photobooks a lot. How is a photobook different from an album and why do you recommend them so much?

      Traditional albums are large books with pictures placed in them. They are very expensive because each has to be arranged and the pictures placed by hand. Photobooks are large books like an album, but the pictures are printed directly on the page. You never have to worry about hand oils ruining them or your pictures falling out of the book. I also like to recommend photobooks because they are less expensive than albums. An album starts anywhere from $400 to $800 and goes up from there. You can get nice 8x8 photobooks starting at $100. I think a $300 savings is worth promoting.

I've heard about your Digital Mastering but I am still not clear on what this is. Could you explain what it is and why it is included in all your sessions?

     That is a great question because I think a lot of people confuse digital mastering with the culling process. All good photographers cull, which means they take out blurry, bright, or dark pictures, or the pictures where someone is blinking. Professional photographers will then do small adjustments where necessary and give you your pictures. Digital Mastering goes beyond these minor edits to smooth skin, make blemishes disappear, or blur tan lines so you remember how great you looked, not how much stress you had that week. I include it in all of our sessions because it is one more way to take care of my clients and make the photography session a relaxed and fun experience.

That is all the questions we have right now, if we think of more can we call or meet with you to discuss them further?

       Absolutely! I highly encourage couples to contact me or to schedule a complementary consultation if they have questions or concerns.