Photojournalism is about truth. Our work is about authenticity. You don’t want to look back at your wedding photos and see a person you pretended to be on your wedding day. You want to look back and see yourself! The authentic you.
There’s an easy way to help us show that: do something. Plan to have fun. Schedule some memories. Make things happen! Take the wedding party on a roller coaster ride or pile into a swing together. Play a round of croquet or pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Jump on the bed, or heck, just go for a walk on the beach. Ask your friends for ideas—we guarantee you’ll get some good ones.
The same goes for your family. We keep group portraits simple so they won’t slow the momentum of the wedding day. That means that there will be extended family members who aren’t included in the posed pictures, but don’t worry about it! There’s an easy solution: make memories happen! Would you prefer a picture of you and your great-aunt formally posed and stiff, or a picture of the two of you laughing together, genuinely happy? If you choose the latter, then go give her a hug. Don’t leave important people out. Make them a part of your memories. If you are happy, then act happy, and be happy! Smile. It’s just that simple.
What should I expect on my wedding day?
You can have a fun day without a lot of pressure from us. On your wedding day, expect us to show up early, to work around you discreetly throughout the day, to rarely give you direction except during limited formal portraiture. We’ll be prepared for anything, and we’ll be open to all your ideas. In other words, we will be there to document, not to participate. So relax and enjoy!
Why do you suggest we see each other before the ceremony?
Simply this: it will reduce your stress, give you a chance to spend a quiet, meaningful moment together, and give you more time to party and relax after the wedding.
Take a moment to imagine your wedding day. Once you’re pronounced husband and wife, you’ll be both relieved and elated. It’s an emotional process. At that point, you’ll be more than ready to relax, but if you haven’t seen each other before the ceremony, you’ll spend your first hour as a married couple posing for portraits, while friends and family who want to celebrate with you wait patiently for your arrival. More than likely, you won’t have spent a single private moment with your new husband or wife until you arrive at your honeymoon suite. Now imagine how special it would be to surprise your groom and spend a few minutes together in the church or some other quiet place before the ceremony. It would be exciting and calming all at once, and it has the potential to make your wedding day even more meaningful.
In addition, it gives you time to get your formal portraits done in advance, when you are still looking rested and refreshed.
How many pictures will you shoot?
Depending on your coverage choice, we shoot somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 images during the day. This might sound like a lot, but we never know what will happen next, so we continuously document moments big and small. However, you’ll find that many of the pictures are repetitive. We shoot a lot so that in the course of one scene, there will be a picture in which everyone’s eyes are open and both the bride and groom look their best.
When will I get to see my photos?
We’ll always have the photos edited, toned and posted to a private, online proofing gallery in time for the couple’s three-week anniversary. The gallery will stay active for three months after it’s launched, and the photos in it are available for purchase. If your coverage comes with a USB drive of the high-resolution images, expect to receive it within two weeks of the gallery launch.
How does the editing process work?
Because we’ve worked on deadline for daily newspapers for years, we’re skilled editors. The photos in your gallery represent both the most emotional, artistic, and technically strong of all the images we took on your wedding day. These images receive meticulous attention in the toning and color-correcting process.
How big is your coverage area?
Our local coverage area is a 100-mile radius from our home in Mobile, Ala. For events outside this area, we charge a modest travel fee determined on a case-by-case basis.
If I purchase high-resolution images, what can I do with them?
If you purchase them, we'll send your images on a custom USB drive. We grant you a personal reprint license, which means you can make prints and enlargements, create an album or a book, and use the photographs on your Facebook page or personal website (though we always appreciate a credit to Keyhole Photo when photographs are used on the Web). Keyhole Photo retains the copyright to the images, however, and your license does not extend to commercial uses. If you’d like to use the images commercially for any reason, a new license must be negotiated with us. We are more than happy to discuss the options.