Editorial & fine art photography

Welcome.

We are completely honored to be capturing your wedding day. One of the most treasured parts of our role as a photographer is that we are able to guide my couples while recognizing their unique preferences and getting to know them personally. Hopefully, this guide will serve as a starting point for you - to begin to think on the details of the wedding that that will all come together to shape the experience you've been waiting for.

Keeping in contact.

Email is the easiest and most reliable way to contact me and get a response. Current office hours are Monday-Thursday from 9am-5pm. Weekends are reserved for traveling to and from weddings - should you have an urgent matter while I am away for the weekend you can email my office assistant

Myckenzie

Myckenzierussellphoto@gmail.com

Office assistant

Janemyckenzierussellphoto@gmail.com

Many of our couples book their wedding day at least 12 months in advance, leaving us with larger gaps of time where we are not in contact. Please know that we are always available via email or phone call to chat about photo details or discuss questions you may have. Typically, we will reach out about two months before your wedding day to start the process of finalizing a photography timeline.

What to expect.

01.

Schedule an initial call

If we haven't already spoken on the phone, this is the perfect time to schedule a call. I am available for any questions about your timeline, preferred vendors, contract, and lighting.

02.

get assigned your associate photographer

If you booked a collection with one of our associates you will receive an email with the information 3-4 months prior to your wedding.

03.

4-6 WEEKS BEFORE WEDDING

You will receive a client questionnaire via email to fill out. I ask you to include as much information as possible that way I can begin working on a photography timeline. This will also be tied into your planners master timeline.

04.

Post wedding

My favorite part of the entire process. You can expect your full gallery back in 10-12 weeks. You will be able to download your images in high resolution and print right away.

Additional services:

Engagements

Planning your engagement session is the perfect opportunity for us to meet in person, spend time together, and capture photos for you to use throughout your engagement. If your venue allows you time for a session, this is a fun way to walk the property and really immerse yourself in the surroundings + its a great date night!

Travel engagements investment:

$500 session fee, hotel/lodging for 2 nights, flight and/or driving mileage

Starting from

$500

Boudoir

Boudoir session are a way to express yourself in your bridal era, and get beautiful images. Some choose to use their boudoir photos to design an heirloom book as a gift, and others just to acknowledge this time as a bride.

Boudoir session are done in my Jacksonville based studio upon appointment only

Includes:

private studio space, 1 hour session, outfit changes, digital gallery of 80-120 images

investment

$700

info on boudoir sessions

Photography timeline

Every wedding day is different depending on the wants and needs of my couple. This is an example of a common timeline that can be customized to fit your day. As a rule of thumb - you can expect coverage to begin 3.5-4 hours before your ceremony depending on how structured you would like your portraits to be.

1:00 pm Photographer arrives to venue

1:15 pm Detail photos & flat lay

2:00 pm Brides hair & makeup finished

2:30 pm Bride gets into dress

3:00 pm First look & initial photos

3:30 pm Bridal party portraits

4:00 pm Family portraits

4:30 pm Rest & be present before ceremony

5:00 pm Ceremony

5:30 pm Ceremony ends

5:30 pm Brief "golden hour" photos with bride & groom

6:00 pm Reception

9:00 pm Coverage ends - photographer departs

Important elements to consider when building your timeline

First look

Whether or not you choose to do a first look will affect your overall timeline. If you decide to do a first look we will likely be able to accomplish all formal photos (bridal party, bride & groom, family) before the ceremony begins. Without a first look, we will schedule these photos after the ceremony which mean you will likely not attend cocktail hour.

Sunset time

Light is the single most important element to the photographs I take on a wedding day. Your photos will be a direct result of where the sun is during portraits. Ideally, the most beautiful light comes into play about an hour before the sunset. It's during this time that I always try to sneak in some "golden hour" photos with my bride and groom for 10-15 minutes.

Buffer time

Buffer time is key because it is where all of the candid, unplanned, and documentary moments will happen. If your timeline is jam packed, your gallery will reflect that. Having plenty of time in between your formalities is the best way to ensure you're able to be present and in the moment the day of.

Family portraits.

I will ask for a family portraits list when your questionnaire is sent out about 6 weeks from your wedding. As a rule of thumb, you can estimate that it will take about 10 minutes to gather all family members up after the ceremony, and about 2 minutes per photo combination. I recommend 10-12 family photo combinations in order to stay within the 30 minute mark

Choosing to take your immediate family photos (parents, siblings) before the ceremony can help the day flow smoother. additional extended family (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins) can be finished up post ceremony if they are unable to come earlier in the day.

Example family list

This is a total of 9 combinations for a total of 25-30 minutes of photos

Bride + parents
Bride + groom + brides parents
Bride + groom + brides parents + brides siblings
Bride + groom + extended family (large group photo)

Groom + parents
Groom + bride + grooms parents
Groom + bride + grooms parents + grooms siblings
Groom + bride + extended family (large group photo)

Bride + groom + all extended family (large group photo)

Photography "shot lists"

Shot lists within the wedding community may have initially been given as a useful source of information. However, we have found that with the current landscape of luxury weddings; shot lists tend to stunt the creativity of the vendors and disrupt the natural flow of the wedding day. Because we are documentary photographers, we prioritize capturing the moments of the day and allowing our couples to be themselves and be present.

Rather than having our couples provide us with a photographer shot list; we encourage our couples to focus on curating a day and timeline that will allow for natural moments to happen - and we will in return capture. Some things that you can do to ensure this happens easily

Communicate with us on your wants and needs. Would you like to have a laid back wedding morning with your friends? Are you wanting a family focused day? Do you want to spend more time on bridal party photos than expected? Will your grandparents be attending and you really want to make sure you get portraits with them? Include this information in your questionnaire so that we go into the wedding day prepared.
Create a slow and easy going day of timeline. The more time in between obligations you have on your timeline, the more time you have to make candid moments happen.
Limit the amount of people getting ready around you - the less people the less chaos (I mean this lovingly of course)
Ensure that friends and family are on time

Cocktail hour.

Cocktail hour can be a part of the day where your guests are immersed in the day, and present with each other.

Things to consider

Provide a dress code (preferred color palette, fabrics, ect.) for your guests. As a whole, the cohesiveness of your guests visually will provide an overall elevated aesthetic.

Consider if you would like to attend cocktail hour as a couple - if this is a priority of yours we will need to incorporate a first look into the timeline so that portraits can be done prior to the ceremony.

Details & Flat-lays

Detail photos are typically the first photos of the wedding day, using up the first 25-30 minutes of coverage. If detail photos are something that you really want to prioritize here are some of the elements that can be added to create a full flat-lay

Invitation suite
Stamps
Rings and ring boxes in wedding colors
Florals
Your dress (steamed)
Jewelry that you may be wearing on the wedding day, or additional heirloom jewelry that you might just want honored in some photos