- How far in advance should we book a wedding photographer in New Orleans?
- For spring and autumn Saturdays — the two seasons the city is genuinely pleasant — most couples inquire nine to eighteen months out. Shorter timelines are workable when the date is open; the constraint is availability, desire to shoot your wedding.
- Do you shoot with a second photographer?
- It depends on the day's schedule. Things that might trigger a second wedding photographer are two parties getting ready in different places, a large wedding guest count, a wedding second line and/or a wedding ceremony with restricted photographer positions. A small ceremony and a single-venue reception often do not need two wedding photographers. It is usually decided per wedding rather than automatically included.
- What happens if it rains?
- New Orleans rain is usually short, violent and then gone. Every session gets a rain plan built in advance: an interior portrait location or a covered location option. Umbrellas photograph well, and a courtyard after a storm is actually prettier than a courtyard before one.
- How long until we see the photographs?
- A short wedding photography preview set goes out within a few days of the wedding so there is something to share while it is still recent, followed by the full edited wedding photography gallery. Full wedding gallery usually arrives to you 3-4 weeks after the wedding date.
- Do you travel for weddings?
- Yes. Destination weddings and elopements outside Louisiana are regular work, quoted with travel and lodging itemised so there are no surprises on the invoice.
- Do you work from a shot list?
- For family formals, always — names and groupings, written down. For everything else, no. A shot list applied to a whole wedding day guarantees you get the frames someone thought of in advance and miss the ones nobody could have.
- Do venues need proof of insurance?
- Most New Orleans venues require a certificate of liability insurance from every vendor. That paperwork is handled directly with the venue's events coordinator ahead of the date.
- Do we receive full printing rights and high-resolution digital files?
- Yes. Every wedding collection includes full-resolution, individually edited digital files delivered through a private online gallery with full personal printing rights and zero watermarks. You can download your files directly, order museum-grade archival prints through our professional lab, or print wherever you choose.
- What is documentary wedding photography, and will we still get posed family portraits?
- Documentary wedding photography prioritizes capturing real, unscripted moments as they happen without staging, re-taking, or interrupting the flow of your day. However, we always reserve a dedicated, highly organized 20–25 minute window for formal family and wedding party portraits. Using a pre-planned shot list, we ensure family heirlooms are captured cleanly and efficiently so you can quickly return to celebrating.
- How do you handle dark, candlelit venues or historic French Quarter courtyards at night?
- Historic New Orleans venues like Latrobe's, the Pharmacy Museum, and gas-lit courtyard spaces are notoriously dim and atmospheric. We use professional low-light prime lenses and discreet bounce or off-camera lighting that preserves the natural ambiance and warmth of the room without blinding your guests or flattening the shadows.
- Do we need a photography permit for wedding portraits in New Orleans?
- It depends on the location. Walking portrait sessions on public French Quarter streets or along the Mississippi Riverfront generally do not require permits. However, enclosed municipal locations such as City Park (including the Peristyle and Botanical Garden), Audubon Park, and private historic courtyards require location permits or commercial site fees. We advise on permit requirements during timeline planning so there are no surprises.
- What happens if the photographer has an emergency or falls ill on our wedding day?
- With over 30 years of working in New Orleans and national photography circles, we maintain a trusted network of seasoned professional wedding photographers with matching documentary standards who can step in on short notice if a true medical emergency ever occurred. Your contract and coverage details remain fully protected.
