FAQ’s

Q. How many years have you been operating?

It will 8 years this September! Woohoo! I think we’ll celebrate with cake.

Q. Where are you based?

We’re based in Sydney, New South Wales, although we travel anywhere for weddings.

Q. How would you describe your style?

Definitely stylised, candid, fresh and just a reflection of your personalities. We really look to capture a vibrant clean style of imagery so your memories are timeless.

Q. Do you shoot on film or digital?

We shoot entirely digital using professional Canon digital SLR’s cameras baby! We have all that fancy schmancy gear and a selection of professional lenses to ensure that sharp vibrant quality of images.

Q. How many photographers / videographers do we get on the day?

We have packages to cater for all configurations! Either 1 photographer, 1 videographer. Just 2 photographers and no video. Or can have a team of 4 creatives in total on your wedding day for both photo and video. We can suggest which options will suit you depending on your guest list.

Q. How much time do we need for photographs on our wedding day?

As much as possible! No but seriously, we don’t have any limit on how many shots you get from the day so it’s in your best interest to give us  as much time as you can manage.
Travel time also needs to be taken into consideration between locations. After the ceremony, we’d highly recommend 2 hours for bridal party photos, especially if you have a large bridal party. We can’t forget family formal photo time as well. If we have enough time to fit in 2 or more different locations you will not only have great fun on the day, but you’ll get a diverse range of images you’ll love looking back on!

Q. Do I get Digital Negatives from the day?

Absolutely! Ela Studios offers coverage only packages which all include high-resolution digital negatives polished & photoshopped from the day. You can also purchase an album after the wedding to showcase your images in a beautifully hand crafted flush mount album. So as for your high-resolution digital negatives questions! Yes! You can print away at your own flexibility and take advantage of our resized Web Resolution copies for easy upload to the internet, emailing and yes I’ll say it… Facebook.

Q. How long will you stay at the wedding for?

We love extensive coverage for your wedding so 10 -12 hours is great for capturing all your memories from start to finish. That way we can leave after the reception formalities and capture your guests partying afterwards as well. We usually go over your final timeline to ensure we don’t miss anything!

Q. From a 10 hour day roughly how many photos will I get?

We always recommend 60 photos minimum you’ll get per hour of shooting. Eg) a 10 hour day will typically yield 600 photos but will vary with each wedding. Quality is better than quantity at the end of the day.. Unless of course it’s your guests drunk dancing on the dancefloor at reception in which case we shoot the shit out of that!

Q. Are the images photoshopped?

Airbrush is a girl’s best friend! So to answer your question yes! After your images are culled & the best of the best are selected they go into production into photoshop. We use in house custom photoshop actions to create a warm vintage feel we love & that clean crisp look that reflects our style.

Q. Are some of my photos in Black & White?

Yes! The odd Black & White photo we love that really gives a pop to your overall collection of images! Although we try to preserve this effect for only a selection of favourites & we do include colour copies as well.

Q. How long will it take for my photos to be ready?

Your final wedding proofs will be available via an online login 4 weeks after the wedding. This is the part you get to look at all your images and relive your wedding day.

It then takes 2 weeks for your album layout proofs to be designed once you’ve chosen your favourites!
Upon approval of your layouts your USB’s will then arrive in the mail within 1 week along with parent USB copies.

Then the final waiting game is the album which is a whopping 6-8 weeks. So if all goes smoothly and you choose your images for your album quickly you could be holding your album 3 months after your wedding! No more waiting 6-12 months to get your hands on your album.

Q. Is there a chance you could lose my wedding photos / video footage?

Oh that’s a really good question! Probably your biggest fear would be getting a call from your photography company saying “Sorry we’ve lost half your wedding photos” or “Your files went corrupt!” Ah!! That’s enough to cause a heart attack! We use a 3 point back up system so your images are safe from start to finish. These include a NEXT2DI Device, secondary hard drive backup off site and finally uploading your final images online.

Q. What if it rains on our wedding day?

Luckily we have a range of wet weather back up locations for the odd rainy day. It’s the only thing we can’t control so with our location hunts we have a few locations we can use around the area to still ensure beautiful photos.

Q. What happens when you are sick?

In the 8 years we’ve been operating not a single wedding has been missed! We have a team of 4 photographers and 6 videographers as well so even if we’re fully triple booked on a particular date we have a great network of shooters we can turn to in Wollongong and Sydney so your wedding is in safe hands.

Q. How far in advance do we need to book wedding photography + video?

As soon as possible! Just like your venue and church, wedding photography, video and your celebrant are the main things you need to book a year or two in advance. The rest like the florist, stylist and dresses can be done later down the track.

Q. What kind of deposit do you require?

As much as we’d love to book in a date for you, due to a high volume of inquiries we receive, you’re not actually booked in unless you’ve secured your date with a non refundable deposit and written confirmation of your nominated wedding date. Please contact us for further booking information.

Q. Then when is the remaining balance of my wedding photo + video package due?

The final balance on your package is due 2 weeks before the big day. We find after leaving your deposit it’s usually smooth sailing until 1 month before the wedding. Instalments can be arrange as well if that’s easier for you.

Q. Do we have to decide on a package when we book? Or can we decide later?

You’re more than welcome to secure your place with us with a deposit and 1 month before the wedding you can look at your options again and make a decision. We’ve also had couples book a coverage only option then decided after seeing their final wedding images they’d love an album put together.

Q. Do we need to come and see you to book in?

We’ve booked in clients Australia-wide & internationally, so securing your booking online has been the only option at times. We can get together for a coffee first if you prefer though.

Q. Are you insured?

Yep! $10 million public liability baby! It’s super important to ensure your Photography + Video company has insurance as some reception venues do not allow companies to shoot there without a copy of your policy.

Q. Anything else I need to know?

That’s pretty much it for the nitty gritty details! If you have any other questions at all get in touch with us and we’d love to help and chat about what we can do for you!