Frequently Asked Questions
Who will actually be taking our pictures on the day of the wedding? Liana and an associate photographer (that she’d trust to photograph her own wedding!) will be photographing your wedding unless you choose an associate collection instead. If you choose an associate collection then two associate photographers will be photographing your wedding.
Do you shoot film, digital, or both?? We’ve been photographing weddings and events using all digital equipment since 2002. Liana and her team of photographers and designers are well-versed in both mediums but have decided to extend a huge cost-savings to her clients by shooting all digital. Plus, it sure is great to see your images sooner, right!?
Do you shoot in color, black and white, or both? Both! Generally, we photograph most images in color because color images can very easily be changed to black and white and/or sepia (brown-toned). You can even see how an image looks in a different variation right on Pictage and order it how you like it best! There are times, however, when we see that an image will look 10x better in black and white and will go ahead and capture the image in black and white right in the camera. This means that you cannot turn that image back into color. Oh, and please do not ask us to color in just the flowers... we left that style back in the 80s and 90s ;)
Will the prints and albums we order be archival quality? Yes, all prints ordered through the studio and via Pictage are printed on Kodak Professional Archival Photographic Papers. Coffee Table Albums are press printed and also of archival quality... just like the coffee table books you get in a book store! Our Premier Leather Albums are printed on the same Kodak Archival papers and then mounted, sealed, and sewn into the custom leather album by hand.
May I view a complete wedding you photographed and/or complete wedding album? Of course!! Go to www.liana.tv/complete/ to access links to actual online image galleries on Pictage and slideshows of complete album designs. We also have videos of what our finished Albums and Coffee Table Books look like so if you don’t have time to come in and view these in-person you can still get a great idea of the quality and difference. If you’d like to set up a time to look at some samples in person just give us a call and we will set something up.
How many images will we get? It depends on the size and length of your wedding; but for most weddings, you will end up with a gallery of 500-800 images: a LOT! We actually take more than that and will spend time during the weeks following your wedding hand-picking the “keepers.” The keepers are the most flattering images of the bunch that tell the story of your day, and capture the important details and portraits. Don’t worry - we do not leave out anything you’d miss! What we do take out are blinks, test shots, identical duplicates, and all those non-flattering pics that we’d rather not see of ourselves :)
How long does it take to see our images after the wedding? We will let you in on a little secret: sometimes we’ll show you a sneak-peak DURING the wedding!! If time and conditions allow, we will download a few of our favorites while we are eating (and when none of your guests enjoy having us take pics of them eating!! LOL) and set up a slideshow on a laptop for you and guests to view when you’re taking a breather from all that dancing! Then, while you are off on your honeymoon, we are busy behind the scenes archiving, hand-picking, processing, and putting together your online gallery and album draft. Usually by the time you get back from your honeymoon you’ll be able to preview your album draft, a slideshow of our favorites from your big day, and even some on our news blog. The online gallery of all 600-800 usually takes a few days longer since there are so many that need to be processed and uploaded. Everything is guaranteed to be available no latter than 4 weeks after your wedding -- but often you will see it all sooner :)
Are you licensed and insured? Yes, Liana Photography is a Corporation fully licensed and insured, and we are also a member of Professional Photographers of America (PPA). In fact, Liana is one of the few Professional Photographers approved through PPA to teach business classes to other photographers.
How long have you been in business and where are you located? We opened for business in the spring of 1999 and were based out of Tallahassee, FL before moving our headquarters to Atlanta, GA in 2004.
Do you bring back-up equipment? What equipment do you use? Yes, of course. We use only the best professional Canon and Macintosh cameras, lenses, and computers. Both photographers carry two or three cameras and multiple lenses in different focal lengths. We’ve actually had cameras go down in the middle of a wedding before and were able to continue shooting seamlessly thanks to having identical back up equipment sets.
Do you bring in lighting equipment? Our equipment allows us to use as much natural light as possible and cater to the requirements of the church and/or other locations for your wedding and reception. If your church only allows us to stand on the side or in the back, and not use flash, we can still get great-lit photographs! For receptions in dark-lit locations and/or at night we bring in off-camera lighting equipment that runs off batteries so no need to worry about where we plug in. Often these set-ups are placed amongst the band or DJs set-up so it blends in well.
Do you come to the rehearsal or go to our locations ahead of time to check them out? Liana and her team are expert at using what’s available to them at the time and working in many different locations. In fact, it’s rare for us to shoot in the same location more than once since we shoot so many destination weddings! Because our background is in photojournalism and weddings, we do not find it necessary to make a special trip to a location ahead of time. We do however check out images and videos online and come a few minutes early to scout the area for the best locations. We also ask that you and/or your wedding planner forward us a timeline and run-down of the wedding-day itinerary. This helps us know who is going to be where and when things take place so we’re sure to give you as complete coverage as possible. If you would like us to photograph your rehearsal and rehearsal dinner we offer those services for $800 for up to 3 hours coverage.
How soon will my album be ready after I submit my order? It depends on which album you order. Leather Albums take a little bit longer because they are hand-made. After you submit your order we do final retouching and airbrushing which usually takes up to two weeks. Then it’s off to print, bind, and assembly. This part of the process generally takes 6-8 weeks. Coffee Table books take 4-6 weeks usually after our two-week final retouching process. This means 8-10 weeks for Leather Albums and 6-8 weeks for Coffee Table Albums. If you need albums sooner, let us know, and we can get a quote for you on rushing the order. It can be quite pricy to rush, so the best bet is to get your changes and order in to us ASAP and it will be here before you know it!
How long will you keep the digital negatives/files? How can we be assured they are properly archived? We retain digital negatives for two years from your wedding date. After that, we may or may not retain ALL of the files. We generally will retain favorites as long as possible but cannot guarantee what we keep after two years. In order to assure that your images are kept safe, five identical copies are stored of all of your images that go into your online gallery (600-800 images on average). One set is stored on servers that protect and archive your images off-site (via a 3rd party service), another set is kept in a safety-deposit box, and other sets are stored on external hard drives and archival DVDs. Hard drives are like tires... they wear out over time and go bad. So do CDs. So whether you are storing your images or we are, it’s important to keep multiple copies in multiple locations on a number of different types of media (ie: a set on your computer, multiple DVDs, external hard-drive, online, and 3rd party servers.) Best yet, make sure you have an amazing, archival album to show and make copies of both the DVDs and albums for your families to keep in their own homes!
May we purchase the digital negatives? Yes, of course! We want you to first and foremost to have a beautiful album to tell the story of your day, but we also understand your need to have a copy of the negatives for archival purposes. We sell high resolution digital negatives of your wedding for $1600 OR you get them complimentary with the purchase of any main wedding album. Digital Negatives for Engagement and/or Portrait sessions are available for $600 OR you get them complimentary with the purchase of a Signature Guestbook or Framed/Canvas portrait in medium size or larger. The digital negatives are JPEG images that are burned onto a DVD or multiple DVDs and are fully editable. We give you instructions on how to store and archive the files and also permission to reproduce for personal use.
Why should we feed the photographer, the baker, and the candle-stick maker? Okay, just kidding about those last two... but in all seriousness it IS important to feed the vendors that are putting in long hours at your wedding and reception. No matter what great shape we are in, photographing a wedding is a bit like running a marathon... non-stop, all-day. No one likes pictures of themselves shoveling in the salad and picking through their pasta after all... so it’s a GREAT time to give your photographers, DJ or band members, and wedding coordinators a quick re-fueling. It’s super nice to eat the same dinner or lunch you all are having and not have to go off-site for food.... plus, it’s important we don’t miss anything when non-eating activities start up again. We also use this time to download some images for a sneak-peak slideshow for you to see if time and conditions allow. Oh, and if you give us cake, we’ll eat it too!! :)
Is it possible to take the engagement and/or portrait session out of our package and pay less? Unfortunately, no, since you’re getting this session complimentary in the first place. If you don’t want to do the session as an engagement session, you have up to a month after your 1-year anniversary to take advantage of our offer. Perhaps you’d like to do an anniversary portrait session instead!? Or a day-after shoot if it’s a destination wedding! Just let us know in plenty of time so we can coordinate schedules and locations.
What is included in the complimentary engagement and/or portrait session? These sessions last 30 minutes to an hour and can be at your location of choice in the greater Atlanta area. If you are located outside of this area or are having a destination wedding, talk to us in advance about our travel schedule and we’ll see if we can work something out in your location. If you’d like to fly us to where you’d like to be photographed... that’s always an option too :) Let us know ahead of time how you envision your session and what you see as the final results. Are you looking for an image for the save-the-date cards, a Signature Guestbook album that guests can sign at your reception, a snazzy portrait-album of the two of you on your one-year anniversary, or a series of artistic portraits to grace your walls on beautiful canvas wraps or museum-matted framed prints? We’ll process your images and showcase them in an online gallery just like we do your wedding images and create a complimentary draft of choice (i.e. Album draft, Gallery draft). Prints, albums, or negatives are not included in the complimentary session -- they are to be purchased separately after you’ve seen your photographs.
Is it possible to add in additional album/print credit to our package? Yes, and if you do so at the time of booking, we will extend at 10% discount on all services and products added into your package. This means if you want to add in another $1000 of album credit, you only pay $900 more because you’re getting 10% off! The same goes for booking Rehearsal Dinner Coverage and/or a High Fashion Bridal Session in advance.
I’m on a tight budget but REALLY want to book you as our photographers. What can we do? There are lots of things we offer to make it easy for us to work within your budget. First of all, check out our payment plans that make paying for your photography painless. Second, consider whether or not your REALLY need us there for ALL of the reception. At most receptions, the formalities (first dance, cake-cutting, garter/bouquet toss, toasts, etc) happen in the beginning portion of your celebration. Whether you have 80 guests or as many as 250 guests, we usually have captured everyone having a blast in the first few hours. Oftentimes we end up having waaaaay too many pictures of Uncle Bob doing the chicken dance than you’d ever be able to print or fit in your album :) Consider doing your formal exit after your ceremony instead of at the end of the night and this could peel a few hours off the time you’d need us to be there. Last, check out our new gift registry! Our packages include a smaller portion of album/print credit so you can add in what you want or register for the rest. Friends and family can contribute towards the gift of a GORGEOUS wedding album or custom framed gallery prints versus buying that pre-made frame at Macy’s and the 2nd set of China you really didn’t want anyways. Another tip we’ve learned is to evaluate your budget to where you can save in other areas and put some extra towards your photography budget. Most things you spend on for your big day only last THAT day... the photography and videography are really the only things you can enjoy for years to come. Last, but certainly not least, consider getting married in down-season or on a weekday, Friday, or Sunday instead. Most vendors, ourselves included, offer discounts for weddings booked on days other than Saturdays.
Do you do other types of photography besides weddings? Yes, though weddings are our specialty. Recently, Liana joined forces with an associate of hers to bring portrait clients the same great imagery that captures the emotion and tells the story. Thanks to popular demand, Liana also has a gallery of art and travel photography available for your home or office and as verse cards and bookmarks. Last but not least, Liana is VERY active in the photography industry and is often asked to speak at conventions and teaches other photographers in small group environments. To find out more about these things, visit lianalehman.com for all of the links.
