FAQ
Below, you'll find answers to some frequently asked questions. If you require further information, feel free to reach out—I'm available and more than happy to assist. Just drop me an email directly at hello@kwonphoto.com.
General
Q: WHO IS KWON AND WHAT'S YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE?
A: Hello! My name is Kwon and I am a wedding photographer based in Los Angeles, California. Please visit About Kwon for more info.
Q: PACKAGE INFORMATION
A: I understand wanting to know my price list without having to ask. For a variety of reasons, my rates are not listed from my website. Feel free to use contact form or email me for more information.
Q: WHAT ARE YOUR OPENING HOURS?
A: KWON PHOTO is open Monday through Friday, 10am to 7pm. Consultations and sessions by appointment only
Q: DO YOU PROVIDE VIDEOGRAPHY SERVICES?
A: No, I don’t. However, I have worked with videographers and I am happy to send you a list.
Q: DO YOU OFFER STUDIO SESSION?
A: No, I only do outdoor photography. Sessions can take place at outdoors and I will travel to the outdoors.
Q: HOW MANY WILL WE GET?
A: For engagement session, typically we deliver around from 50 - 100 images per locations, so 100-200 with TWO locations and 150 - 300 images for THREE locations.
On your wedding, I don’t set a maximum limit and will take in excess of 2000 photographs on each camera, these are then edited down to usually between 400-800 images of the very best images of the day. Please note that these numbers may increase or decrease on the follow of the day or activities and events.
Q: HOW SOON WILL WE GET OUR PICTURES?
A: Within two weeks of your portrait and engagement session and four weeks of your wedding, your photos will be posted to online gallery. You will be able to see and download the pictures and order prints instantly from online gallery system.
Q: CAN YOU HOLD MY DATE?
A: I’m so sorry, but I cannot hold the date without a deposit and a signed contact. I accept booking on a first come/first served basis.
Q: IF WE CANCEL THE WEDDING, WILL WE RECEIVE OUR DEPOSIT BACK?
A: The deposit and all monies paid are non-refundable. The retainer guarantees that I’ll hold the date for you and only books one wedding per calendar date.
Q: OK! I’VE DECIDED TO GO WITH YOU. WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?
A: That’s great to hear! For weddings, we ask for a deposit, 30% of the total amount, to be paid to secure your wedding date.
Engagement
Q: WHEN SHOULD WE DO OUR ENGAGEMENT SESSION?
A: The latest we suggest is at least two months prior to the wedding date. Post production takes about 2 weeks and your products need at least 2-3 weeks to be done.
Q: CAN WE SCHEDULE OUR ENGAGEMENT SESSION FOR THE WEEKEND?
A: Most weddings occur on weekends, we typically do not shoot engagement sessions on weekends. If you can only do on a weekend, we can tentatively schedule your session on a weekend, however, if a wedding is scheduled for the same date later on, we will have to reschedule your session. We also prefer to shoot on weekdays because locations are usually less crowded and fewer traffic jams.
Q: DO YOU PROVIDE HAIR AND MAKEUP SERVICES?
A: No. We do not provide hair and makeup services.
Q: CAN WE SHOOT WITH A WEDDING GOWN AND TUXEDO IN OUR ENGAGEMENT SESSION?
A: Absolutely!
Q: DO YOU HAVE SOME PROPS?
A: No. However, if you’d like to have props, it is recommended to bring some more personalized and familiar to you both.
Q: CAN I BRING PETS OR KIDS ON ENGAGEMENT SESSION?
A: If you want your pets or kids to be part of the shoot, bring also a trusted friend or a family member to watch the pets or kids while we’re taking pictures. By the way, I have no allergies to dogs.
Q: IS IT IMPORTANT OR NECESSARY TO HAVE AN ENGAGEMENT SESSION?
A: For both ways, it’s a best way to get to know each other before your wedding day. Not just for clients, engagement session helps to understand my clients and get used to being in front of the camera with showing your expression each other. It also can provide some great images for Save the date cards and images to use at your wedding day.
Q: WHERE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND HAVING AN ENGAGEMENT SESSION?
A: Los Angeles has always been a melting pot of cultures. We have scouted and shot in many unique locations. Also, please bear in mind timing when you choose locations, I don’t want you to loose on your precious shooting time by choosing multiple locations. Please contact me for more information.
Q: When should we be thinking about starting a session?
A: We call sunset the golden hour, and we think of it as a time when we can do some really nice shots, so we start 1-3 hours before sunset, depending on the package you have.
Q: Off Limits – Getty Museum, Getty Villa, The Grove
A: These following locations are off limited for engagement.
Wedding
Q: DO YOU HAVE LIABILITY INSURANCE FOR MY VENUE?
A: Yes! We carry $2 million dollars of insurance coverage. If your venue requires proof, we can provide a certificate.
Q: How can we determine when you'll start?
A: As the wedding approaches, a question I get asked a lot is when do I start shooting?
If you have a rough timeline, it's easy for me to give you an idea, but if you have nothing but the ceremony and reception start times, it's a little bit harder.
There are usually a lot of activities going on during the reception, and the last one is the open dance, where you dance with your guests, and that's usually the last part of the reception. Once that starts, I'll shoot for about 10-30 minutes and then my job is done. At that point, you will subtract the amount of time you have for the wedding from that time and that is usually when I start.
For example, if your open dance starts at 9pm and you have a 9 hour wedding day, then 12:30-9:30 would be my start and end time.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO TAKE PHOTOS ON THE DAY OF THE WEDDING?
A: This is a rough guide to the amount of time required to shoot the different types of photos you typically do at weddings.
Preparation : A minimum of 30-45 minutes for both men and women, but more is better.
Bride + Bridesmaid : 30 minutes
Groom + Groomsmen : 30 minutes
Wedding Couple Together : About 60 minutes. With "look first," it usually takes about 10 minutes, and the rest is for couple shoot.
Wedding party : 20-30 minutes
Family Portraits : Based on the number of groups you want, but in general, 2 minutes for 2-8 people groups and about 5 minutes for 8 people or more large groups.
Q: I HAVE A BREAK TIME BETWEEN CEREMONY AND RECEPTION ON MY DAY. IS THIS INCLUDED IN WORKING HOURS?
A: For a variety of reasons, wedding photography coverage has been consecutive including travel time between locations. We suggest you that those break times can be used for a photo session or family portraits.
Q: HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD WE SET ASIDE FOR SUNSET PHOTOS ON OUR WEDDING DAY PHOTO TIMELINE?
A: This depends slightly on where you are and how long we have already filmed with you. If we already had about 20-30 minutes of couples photo time, it would be perfect to set aside 10-15 minutes for a few sunset photos under the colorful lights.
Sunset times change daily and depend on the wedding venue. So find the sunset time for your wedding day / location here and schedule a little reception "downtime" (during dinner or around the start of the open dance?) 15 minutes before sunset so you don't miss anything important while taking sunset photos.
Q: WHEN SHOULD WE FEED YOU?
A: Wedding photography is a very active profession and by the time the reception starts we will always be trekking for miles with very heavy equipment hanging from us. So we have to eat. A good hot meal gets us back to action, refreshing and ready for the rest of the evening!
When we eat is just as important as whether we eat or not. The best time is when you, Bride and Groom are eating. why? Because it's usually the only time people don't want to be photographed (photos of people dining are probably the least flattering photos we can take) and when other events don't happen. If you have to wait for everyone to fill up, your meal is done and ready to toast, dance, hang out and take great photos! So, if possible, let your caterer / coordinator know that we need to eat at the same time as you, and schedule it on your wedding day photo timeline so you don't miss it.
Q: DO YOU HAVE A PHOTO SHOT LIST THAT I COULD REVIEW FOR THE DAY OF THE WEDDING?
A: We don't create shotlists because every wedding is unique in location, time, and love story. However, let me know if there are any special moments you’d like to happen, like a first look with your bridesmaids or your dad, a letter or gift exchange. I do need to be made aware of special personal details to which they may not otherwise pay special attention.
The only list of photos you will need is a list of official family photos you want (this will be requested in the questionnaire we send you). This gives you ample time to complete the family formula. Help make that part of the day go much smoother.
Q: do we need a 2nd photographer?
A: Based on my experience having two photographers at your wedding is invaluable. Here are my top two reasons why you need two photographers.
- Large Weddings - Do you have more than 120 guests? or more than 3 wedding parties on each side? A single photographer can’t be everywhere at once, whereas two can divide and conquer. During the cocktail hour, for example, I’ll be focused on your family and bridal party portraits, whereas a second shooter can capture candid images of your guests and the venue.
- Different Locations - This applies to scenarios where the bride and groom get ready at different locations as well as different venues for the ceremony and reception.
Post Production
Q: CAN I CHOOSE PHOTOS OF MY SESSION?
A: For what I was taking photos, there may be dozens or hundreds that are slight variations on it that are all a little bit less good. Eyes closed, hair in face, maybe your dog eyes closed. These photos you never see are the outtakes, the blurry shots, the duplicates.
I’ve spent my time combing through all of them, doing side-by-side comparisons until I landed on the best ones. The selection process is to whittle down the excess, exposing the heart of the shoot so I can give you what you need: quality, professional photos.
I’ve spent looking at your photos and paying attention to what makes them good or not. My ability to choose the best images for the assignment is one aspect of what I’m being hired for. Delivering 10,000 mediocre photos is not respectful of your time, because you shouldn’t have to do my sorting work for me.
Q: PHOTO DELIVERY
A: After the photos have been taken, and the images have been edited, the best part is receiving your final gallery. You can visit the gallery and download images as much as you can up to 6 months after the delivery.
Our customized wooden USB and box costs $30 and it comes loaded with all your edited images in high resolution images. If you had engagement and wedding sessions together, it requires two orders.
Q: HOW LONG DO YOU PROVIDE ONLINE GALLERY?
A: Our password protected online gallery, where you can share the photos with friends and family. It also has a shopping cart, which allows anyone to order professional lab prints. All you have to do is sharing the site address and your passcode. Portrait and engagement session will be held for 3 months and wedding for 6 months.
Q: DO YOU CHARGE RUSH FEE?
A: If you want images to be completed prior to two weeks (portrait and engagement) and four weeks (wedding) after the date of the shoot, a rush-edit fee of $100 will be charged per each week.
Q: DO YOU PROVIDE THE RAW FILES?
A: All the packages come with high resolution images, however, we do not provide RAW(unprocessed) files from our session because we believe in delivering a refined product to our clients. We’re often shooting with the final product in mind. High Resolution can prints up to 24×36 inches without a problem.
Q: DO YOU TOUCH UP THE PHOTOS?
A: All the images we deliver will be post produced with our signature style. This includes color correction, exposure adjustment, selective black and white processing, and clarity adjustments. Advanced post production includes touch ups such as removal of blemishes and bags under eyes, etc. All the album packages include custom advanced post processing services; up to 10 images for each session without a charge.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET PRINTS AND ALBUMS?
A: Print and Canvas : Orders will be completed within 2 weeks.
Albums : You will receive album layouts within two months after picture lists submitted and make three rounds of changes to it before a change fee is assessed. Once you approve the layout, the time it takes to produce an album is usually 4-6 weeks.
Q: CAN I ADD MORE PAGES AND IMAGES TO MY ALBUM?
A: Additional page can be added with additional cost.