How do we book you for a shoot?
The first step is to ensure that I am available on your selected day. I am usually booked up 3 months in advance and sometimes popular dates are snatched up even sooner. I would require a 50% non refundable deposit to secure your date. The sooner you book the sooner I can secure your date. Unfortunatley due to demand I cannot tentatively book any date without a deposit although I will advise you if I receive a query for an interested date. Click here to make a booking now.
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FAQS
Here is a list of the most common questions I get asked, if there is anything else I have not covered please give me a call or send me an email and I will get back to you.
Where are you based and what do you charge for travelling?
I am based in Cape Town, South Africa, along the West Coast. I do not charge for travel in and around Cape Town and surrounds. I also do not charge for travel to the major cities of Gauteng and Durban unless during peak seasons and holidays. (Easter, Christmas etc.) When charging for travel a per Km rate and where appilcable car hire will be included in your quote. I will always try find the best deal available.
How long do you stay at my wedding?
In general I work on a 9 hours of photography window for a full day session, for a half day I work on 5 hours. For additional hours should you feel this might not suffice I charge R500 per additional hour (Per photographer present). Having shot numerous weddings in the past this timeframe should be more than sufficient to capture your special day.
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I want to get married away from home, How do you charge for weddings abroad?
I will assist you with finding the best possible rates for travel and accommodation. Most clients in the past get good deals by doing bulk bookings for family and friends so if you include me in the booking this works out better for the both of us. Alternatively, if you hook me up with travel and accommodation I will work out a heavily discounted deal for you, purely for the experience of getting to travel abroad and getting some unique pictures for my portfolio.
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I am Muslim, are you familiar with our customs and practices?
Yes, I have shot numerous Muslim weddings, I have no problem with the formalities or any specific requirements. Whatever your needs are to be captured, I will do so.
I also have no reservations shooting Jewish, Hindu, same sex marriages, or any other union. If it is a special day for you, I will be there!
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Do you provide us with Albums and Prints?
My packages exclude albums as I have a wide variety of albums to suit everyones needs. I use 2 suppliers for my albums. One is locally based, and the albums are of a very high quality and standard. For clients looking for something truly unique and superior, I provide Asuka Albums which is only available to professionals in the industry. Please contact me for detailed options and pricing.
I do not provide prints as the cost to have prints made and the volume of images given in digital format is far more than when we were shooting on film. I do however provide edited images both in colour and black and white on DVDs, in a customised box. Additional DVDs cost R100 per copy. The images are in full resolution and are not watermarked so you can take the images to any printer to have prints made.
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How do you design the albums?
You get to choose the images for your albums, Once you have sent the images back to me, I will do the design and layout for you. I will then send you "proofs" of the album, to ensure you are happy with the design, minor changes can be made easily. Once you approve the final proofs, I will submit the album for printing. Local albums can take a minimum of 3 weeks excluding shipping to you. International albums take slightly longer and the waiting time varies between a few weeks to just over a month.
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Will you pose us during our shoot and what should we organise?
Yes, I will pose you on the day, I always try to be original and creative for every shoot. If you have seen something you like or would like to incorporate in your shoot, such as poses or a prop of sorts, you are most welcome! I prefer shooting outdoors where nature lends a hand and the lighting is more natural. Early morning or late afternoon around 2 hours before sunset works extremely well. All that you need is to be relaxed and natural and I will do the rest.
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We want to book you ASAP what are your banking details?
First National Bank
FNB Business Cheque Account
Account Number: 62303518346
Branch Code: 250117 (Carlswald)
Please use your Name and Date of function on your proof of payment
Please mail proof of payment to justinl@opticimpressions.co.za
What Equipment do you use?
I shoot using Canon DSLRs. I have 3 high end camera bodies, and an arsenal of lenses and flashes to help me with any situation. In addition, I also have Elinchrom studio lighting and a mobile studio with various backdrops. In the lab I use an Apple Mac and a custom built Windows based PC for my editing requirements. I use Aperture, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for post processing, and a Wacom Intuos 4 tablet.