Do you charge travel?
- The complimentary engagement session is for the Fraser Valley! If you're wanting your session outside of the Fraser Valley, let's go! Travel fees vary on location. For weddings, travel is included for all weddings in the Lower Mainland. Travel outside of the Lower Mainland varies according to location.
How do we receive our photos?
- All your high resolution digital photos are uploaded to an online gallery. It's online for 10 years, there's unlimited downloads and you can share the link with your family and friends. There's also a custom app you can download to your phones or tablets for easier viewing and sharing on social media.
How long does it take to get our photos?
- Every engagement session and wedding gets a night of sneak peek of 3-5 photos so you can see some right away. The rest of the gallery is uploaded within 3-4 weeks for engagement photos and 4-6 weeks for weddings.
Are all of our photos edited?
- You bet they are! I want to make sure that all of your photos are consistent and ready to print!
How many photos do we receive?
- I always have a hard time answering this one! I don't have any set number of photos in my head. I just go into a session or wedding trying to capture every single possible moment as it happens. Most my couples respond to their gallery with "wow that's a lot of photos!". I don't limit the photos I give either. Other than deleting the blinking, or obviously unattractive ones (think mid licking lips or chewing!) you get them all!
What if we don't want the included engagement photos?
- The included engagement session is complimentary so it has no monetary value in the package and it won't decrease the cost of the package by removing it. I highly encourage all couples to use the session! Having your photos taken together can be awkward at first, and I don't want that first feeling of awkwardness to happen on your wedding day! It's weird having a camera pointed at you! I try to make them as relaxed and fun as possible and my goal is to make your fiance at the end say "that was a lot of fun!" It's a great way to spend time together and take a break from the wedding planning, and for us to hang out and get to know each other better! It makes the wedding day that much more relaxed. We've already worked together and it feels more like we are friends just celebrating your wedding day!
How much time should we allow for photos on the wedding day?
- Family portraits usually take 20-30 minutes for 30ish combinations if a list provided beforehand, wedding party portraits are around 30 minutes as well for 3-4 group poses and individual photos of each of you with each of your wedding party members and then I usually take 45-60 minutes for the two of you. I usually take this long to give you guys a chance to breath. Until you're in your hotel room, it's the only time you'll get just to be you two and to be focused on each other. Having that hour let's you relax and enjoy being husband and wife! Be sure to factor in driving time to and from your locations, and add on some cushion time if you guys will be enjoying drinks or food on the way! It usually adds on extra minutes here and there!
What if it rains?
- For engagement photos, I leave it entirely up to you guys! If you are up for some light rain, so am I! If it's DOWNPOURING, my camera can't handle quite that much water, so we would need to reschedule. Rainy day/dark grey days usually create more of a moody dark, high contrast feel so if that's not a look you're wanting, I usually recommend rescheduling if dates are available for nicer weather! If you have your heart set on a sunset, let's wait for a sunset!
- For wedding days, I wrote an entire blog post on the topic of rain! You can read it HERE.
What do we need to do to book?
- To secure your date, I require a deposit, 35% of whichever package you decide on, and a signed contract. I accept payments via email money transfer or credit card. If credit card is your preferred method, I use a secure online processing program. Let me know ahead of time and I will email you the invoice. All of my contracts are through an online contract system.
When is the final payment due?
- The final payment is due 4 weeks before and can be paid all at once or in instalments leading up to the 4 week before deadline.
How would you describe your style?
- I describe my photography style as adventurous and sentimental. I am constantly looking for emotion and moments. I am sentimental so I want to capture it all. I want to capture those moments that you'll show your grandkids one day and it'll take you right back to all the emotions and memories of that day. I love epic landscapes, and forests and mountains that take your breath away. I hate everything super posed and stiff. I love everything that shows off who you are as a couple. I want you to look at the photos and see yourselves as you are, not some posed, "perfect", stiff version of yourself.
Being sentimental and using a wide range of lenses, I try to capture both the wide angle version of photos so you can see it all, the surroundings, the reactions of people watching and the decor and atmosphere of the moment. But I also want to capture the close up intimate moment at the same time, with all the outside surrounding distractions removed, so there's nothing drawing your attention away from that moment.
How many weddings have you shot and how many weddings do you photograph a year?
- I finished 2017 photographing my 95th wedding! Because I have two kids and a husband who is also self employed (financial advisor!) I only take on 13-15 weddings a year so I can give each couple the attention they deserve and still focus on my family!
What if you've never shot at my venue before?
- I LOVE shooting at new venues! I love photographing weddings at my favourite venues, but exploring new venues and discovering new favourites is so much fun! I always try to get their early the day of so I can scope out the grounds/surrounding area before!
Who is your second shooter?
- My primary second shooter is Jessica! This is her second year second shooting with me and she's amazing! I have a small list of backups as well for the ones Jessica isn't able to make. The reason why I work with one primary, and only a few backups is I hire my second shooters on personality first. I want them to get along with my couples and be a good fit! I want to trust them completely and know that they will capture the photos similiar to how I would.
That's why my second shooter list is compiled mostly of friends and my husband. Jessica (you can get to know her better HERE) and my husband Marco, I taught everything I know and am so proud of the photos they take! And the other 2 on my list change every year depending on availability. You will know well in advance who the second shooter for your day is!
Anything I missed? Let me know! You can email me at justine@justine-russo.com or call/text me at 604-854-0080!
