Frequently asked Questions concerning Wedding Photography.

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What do you mean when you say you are NZIPP Qualified?

NZIPP stands for New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography. Qualification status is achieved by way of examination.

Do you keep the Negatives or Digital files or do we get them?

The full high-resolution digital files will be made available to you on CD ROM and DVD ROM.

I see you do Queensberry Wedding Albums. I have heard many photographers dictate the design and style. Do you?

No! absolutely not, we believe in customer satisfaction. After all it is your wedding album. You should have the final say on covers, colours and page layouts. We have a proven design system that ensures the process runs smooth and you are totally satisfied.

How many photos do we get?

To aid in the selection process for your album and online gallery, we do a photographers pick folder on the disk. The remainder of the files, numbering in the hundreds, are presented in another folder on the disk. We do this because it is your wedding and your eyes and we don't want to miss anything you may love to keep. Some of the other photos may be simple reportage snap shots but are obviously still valuable to you and giving them to you does not cost us anymore. We reserve the right to delete any photos which of very poor standard, test shots and the like. We present about 200 images in total, remember it is quality not quantity. For the techies among you all files are highest quality JPEGS at about 3-5MB. Everything we shoot is altered to the correct white balance and exposure values.

How do you prefer payment?

We do require payment on or before the wedding day. We prefer if you pay it before to keep the un-glossy business out of the big day. If you do pay on the day then a discrete cheque in an envelope at the beginning of the shoot will suffice. We like to avoid people running around looking for cheque books on the day, as it is not in the spirit of the occasion. Payment can be via DD or cheque. We can also send you an invoice for balance amount before your wedding.

Can you photograph both the brides house and the boys getting ready?

Our packages include photos at the brides house one hour before the ceremony. We go to one pre-ceremony venue and catch up with the boys at the ceremony prior to the wedding.

We want to share our photos with family and friends overseas, can you put them on your website?

You will have your own gallery on this website. You can choose the photos that go online or we can upload our photographers pick folder. We will notify you of the URL as soon as they are ready. The album can be open to any site visitor to view or we can make it semi-private, open to registered users of the website only. You will need to share your user name and password with your friends, so they can see the photos. The gallery has neat features such a slide show. Your album will be kept online for at least a year.
See our client galleries.

What are your hours of coverage and how much time do you spend on each wedding?

We usually photograph the bride-getting ready about one hour before the proposed wedding time. We then follow the ceremony; shoot the family and group shots at the wedding venue and then lead the bridal party for the formal photos at a pre-arranged venue. Our day package ends at a mock cutting of the cake when we get back to the reception venue. Time elapsed is typically 4-6 hours excluding travel time. We do offer a reception evening package on top to the day coverage ending mid evening. Most of the input you do NOT see, as we would spend 40 hours plus in preparation and post production for each wedding.

Do you have any advice for the family and group photo shoot? I hear they can be messy!

I do suggest you name the groups for the family photos in detail and have your toast master announce them on the day as he or she follows your list. This is the most common area that breaks down on the day, as family head for watering holes, especially when things are left up in the air. As a bridal couple or even parents you don't want to be the ones rounding up the lost groups, so list, delegate and announce. We know from experience the difference can be half an hour of precious wedding day time. Well organised family and group photos can be done with in less then half an hour and can be a pleasure. Each group photo take about 3 minutes so 10-12 groups maximum is suggested for a half hour group photo shoot. Our getting organised document, we will send to you a month before your wedding, will prompt you to be on to it. Heres a typical list...

Full wedding photo always done first, before some disappear
Bride and Groom with both sets of parents (2 photos)
Bride and Groom with brides whole family
Bride and Groom with grooms whole family
Bride and Groom with friends
Bride with siblings
Groom with siblings
Special photos with grandparents etc. (2 photos)
Friend shots from both sides seperatly, or together to save time
All boys and All girls is also a great and fun combination.

Can you recommend some location venues and some other services?

See our links page.

What about time lines? How much time do we need to allocate for photos and what is the usual procedure?

From the time of the ceremony, which is usually 10 minutes late, to the time the bridal party is expected back at reception allow three and a half hours.
Some ceremonies can be a lot longer then expected and at least half an hour should be budgeted. Huggies with family and friends make wonderful photos and this can take 10 -15 minutes. This is followed by the family group photos at the ceremony venue which will take 30 minutes for 10-12 group photos. It is important we are organised for this and our photo planner document will assist. Without good prior thought they can become frustrating for all, so nominate two helpers from both sides of the families to round up people. Make sure you tell them they are nominated before the big day. Clear announcement from a toastmaster can also be great as we follow the list.

Family photos can take half to a whole hour, depending on how organised they are. By the end of the family group photos 1 to 1.5 hours will have elapsed since the ceremony. Formal bridal party photos involve just the bridal party and it is best to choose somewhere special away from your guests. Why? Because guests have cameras and will be distracting. We supply high resolution files and a website, so they are not going to miss out.

Travel takes time and must be budgeted, so one close formal photo venue separate from the ceremony and the reception venue is ideal. One and a half hours is perfect for the bridal party formals and means you will be a lot more relaxed, One hour not including travel time. Back at the reception you will be wanting the traditional cutting of the cake photo. This is a mock cutting, as the cake will be prepared later for eating by the kitchen staff. We take this photo as soon as we get back to the reception venue and unless we are contracted to continue till mid evening and the first dance we will take our leave at this stage.

As you can now see two hours, from the ceremony to the reception is impossible especially if travel is involved.

Here is a comfortable and realistic typical time line for a 2pm Wedding.

1pm... Photos at brides house
2pm... Ceremony
2.30pm... Ceremony ends (longer if it is religious, we have seen them take 1 hour, be prepared)
2.30 - 2.45pm... Congratulations with family photos (huggies) and getting ready for group photos all takes time
2.45 - 3.15pm... Group photos at the ceremony venue. (3 minutes per group or 10 -12 groups max in half an hour, longer if guests are drinking)
3.15 - 3.30pm... Travel to bridal party formals (often more time required)
3.30 - 5.00pm... Bridal party formal photos (time based on a larger bridal party, which takes longer, or a more relaxed smaller bridal party shoot)
5.00 - 5.30pm... Travel back to reception and quick mock cutting of the cake photos before being seated for the reception formalities and dinner.

In your opinion what time is best for photos in New Zealand.

A 3pm wedding with a reception starting at 6.30pm is perfect for a New Zealand summer wedding. Bring it forward two hours and more, for early spring and as we move into fall and out of daylight savings. Winter weddings should start no later then 1pm, as it gets dark at 5pm. Good light is the key and mid to late afternoon photos are best.

About the Bridal Party Formal Photos. What is the best scenario you recommend?

You are paying a lot of money for these precious photos so I am pleased you asked.
The timelines for these photos are always tight as you don't want to be away from your guests for too long and you need to be back on time. Travel to multiple venues takes time, consider the time it takes for the party to even get in and out of vehicles and prepare for the shoot. One venue separate from the ceremony venue is ideal for a stress free time and gives us the best opportunity to do our job properly. Two close venues at the most. When the ceremony, bridal party and reception venues are combined we sometimes let go of the attendants after we have finnished photographs with them. We take away just the bride and groom to a predetermined scenic location for some extra special photos for 15 minutes or so. Ideas being lake front at sunset, the beach or a paddock with long grass and summer flowers. Sweeping vista views across country side are fantastic. The best shots we have ever done involve this scenario.

What about food during the bridal party shoot?

Drink is fine and we bring nice wine flutes, water and refreshments. The flutes look good in the photos as does a toast involving the bridal party, which we often do. We can break for a quick food snack if time permits and a platter is available. It can cause stress on very tight timelines.

I often hear photographers promoting a pure photojournalistic approach with minimum disruption to your day.

Often we are doing just that but not during the family photos and the bridal party formal photos. The truth is, you need direction from someone who knows what to do.

Do you personally shoot the wedding or do you employ an associate to do it for you?

Andrew is the chief photographer assisted by Cathy. If Cathy cannot be in attendance then an assistant may be employed to aid in the shoot.

How do you help organise our photo shoot?

About 4 weeks out from your wedding we will touch base again and we will send you our 'getting organised' form to be returned to us before the big day. It covers most things we all need to know as well as back up plans.

We have little children in our bridal party. Is there any thing we need to consider?

Children can get tired and grumpy with the whole photo thing very quickly so we recommend we get photos of them with the bride and groom as soon as possible. During the bridal party formals it is best if the kids are taken away to the reception immediately after their photos have been taken. This depends on how they are holding up. You will need to designate a person to care for the kids on the day, as they will need watchful eyes and attention on locations. We can not offer childcare and neither can members of a bridal party.

We want to have a bottle of bubbly during our shoot to celebrate and refresh us, is this OK?

Sure! We carry liquid refreshments in a nice picnic basket. We offer them only if they are needed at our compliments. We also have very nice flutes for bridal party toasts. We don't bring food but you are welcome to bring some along to the bridal party formals if time permits but people eating food does not make for nice photos. So we will break for that.

What else do you have?

Flannels, towels, insect repellent, sunscreen, blister plasters, waterproof ground cover and a white blanket.

What if it rains, do you have umbrellas?

The main thing is not to stress about the rain. We make the best of what nature throws at us in any situation. Cloudy and wet days make for wonderful photos as the light is usually perfect.
We also carry four beautiful large white umbrellas and we prefer if you use ours because they are always checked for faults and marks before each wedding.

What type of photography do you specialise in?

All sorts and that's the way we like it. We will shoot a mix of reportage, formal, artistic, romantic and fun photos. Tell us what type of images you prefer?

What camera equipment do you have and how secure is it?

We have two modern Nikon SLR digital cameras and use both for security and convenience. One has a wide angle to normal focal length 17-55 f2.8 and the other has a 70-200 f2.8 vibration reduction telephoto lens. Both these lenses are high grade producing wonderful professional images. Flash units and reflectors are standard for professional photography. We have spare batteries and ample memory cards for the high-resolution RAW files. All our images are graded and altered in Photoshop to bring out the best in them; they are then converted to high quality JPEG files. Graphic manipulations and distraction removal is done at this stage. We have all the skills required in professional photography today. After the shoot the precious files and gear is locked away, chained into our vehicle and backed up as soon as we can.

What if you get sick?

We are members of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) and together with the fellowship this gives us in our industry, we can assist in arranging a fellow professional to step in.

Do you travel?

We are local to Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty but we will go anywhere. Ask us for a quote.

Uncle Bob has a nice camera. We might rope him in as a favour. What do you think?

Go ahead! BUT consider that wedding photography is a profession and requires reliable equipment and a high level of preparedness. Once the big day is over you will have each other and the photos. How precious are those memories to you?

Uncle Bob will be stressed by the level of responsibility and if something goes wrong with his camera, like a flat battery or memory failure, then I dear say uncle Bob will feel very bad. There are a lot of wedding photography disaster stories out there and for many it is only after the wedding that the level of importance becomes apparent. Let uncle Bob relax and enjoy your wedding and hire a professional team like Whyte Weddings Photography.

The little digital cameras have created a huge popularity in photography and many people have them. The truth is the little lens cameras will get good snaps in good light. They wont hold their own in demanding light situations. You need a professional team with professional equipment, big lenses and flash heads.

Please contact us.