FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
At this point in time, we are all very familiar with the Covid-19 virus and well aware of the risks involved with planning an event. If you are forced to cancel your event because it is unlawful to hold gatherings (as is the case in level 5 lockdown), you will receive a full refund with no penalties or a date change will be accommodated.
If you choose to postpone your event because you no longer wish to go ahead on the date reserved for you, a postponement fee or R5000 will apply.
If you choose to outright cancel, with no postponement date planned, a cancellation fee will apply. This amount will be 25% of your service fee.
If something dreadful happens before the date of the wedding, I will hire a photographer to cover for me whose work is of the same standard as mine. (It’s never happened, and something would have to go terribly wrong for me to send a replacement photographer!)
Since Covid-19 came on the scene, I have always had a photographer on standby in case I am forced to isolate.
In the event that another photographer covers for me, I will handle all the selections and editing.
I’m based in Ballito, on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Yes, I do. I love travelling and enjoy new experiences. I have photographed across South Africa and often travel throughout KZN.
Internationally, I have travelled to Australia, Canada and Ireland. I’d love to shoot a wedding in Greece, Mexico or Morocco. If that’s you, let’s chat!
Yes. Each and every photo that you will receive has gone through an editing process and has been converted to a high resolution JPEG which you will receive, free of watermarks and ready to download and print.
No. Every photo that you will receive will be in a finished state. The photos get imported into Lightroom where they are adjusted (exposure, contrast, cropping, tonal changes etc.) and then saved as a JPEG. I do not deliver unedited RAW files as these do not reflect my style and finished work.
A second photographer is not included in my packages. I may bring along an assistant, or I may choose to work alone. You do have the option of booking a second photographer when you choose your package. I work with a number of different photographers depending on where the wedding is taking place. All the people I work with are skilled and talented in their own right and have a similar style and approach to me. These photographers all come with their own set of gear, and will stay for the same hours that I do.
My cameras have dual memory card slots so your photos are being backed up onto a second memory card. As soon as I get home from a wedding, the photos are downloaded onto two separate hard drives. Once edited, the photos are stored online as well. Should all your photos be lost (due to theft, fire or some other act out of my control), you will be refunded in full and I will offer you a free portrait session at the place of your wedding.
Your memories are priceless to me, and I do everything I possibly can to protect them.
I aim to have your wedding photos edited and uploaded to your private gallery within 8-12 weeks of your wedding. After that, you will have the opportunity to view your photos and make your album selection before the designing process begins. Album design takes about a week. Once you have proofed your album, you will have to sit tight for 2 weeks while it gets printed. All in all, you are looking at roughly 12-16 weeks.
The most beautiful and flattering light falls just before sunset. If you can time your portrait session to end when Google says the sun will set, and schedule the shoot to begin 1-1.5 hours before that time, we are bound to get some dreamy light.
Each and every wedding is unique and I try to capture the essence of the couple and draw inspiration from the location of their wedding. This means that my approach to editing may be slightly different from shoot to shoot. If you browse my wedding collections, you will get an overall idea of my style. As far as shot lists go – I encourage couples to set aside time in the day for formal family portraits and I work off a list for this part of the day to ensure that it goes smoothly. Apart from this, I’d prefer not to work off a shot list, but rather capture the moments and day as it unfolds realistically and naturally.
Photography is highly personal to me and I put all of my heart and my energy into a wedding day. Because I handle each and every aspect of your booking myself (from relationship building, to shooting, to editing, to album design) and I need to make sure that I am giving 100% at each wedding, I do not book every enquiry that I get or work every weekend.
I believe that photographs are influenced by the relationship between the photographer and the couple. Great photos are a result of a great relationship. If you connect to my philosophy and believe that I’m the right person to tell your story, I would love to find out more about you.
It’s not 100% necessary for us to meet in person, but it is nice to connect before the wedding. I am very comfortable to do this over Zoom or Skype.
I’d be really sad to see you go, but I understand that life happens. So yes, you will receive a full refund if the cancellation is done within 7 days of your purchase. Thereafter a cancellation fee will apply as per the Consumer Protection Act.
You can contact me via the contact page on my website, or send an email to hello@derrynschmidt.com.
Simply let me know which package you are interested in and I will send you an invoice and contract. Once I have proof of payment and your signed contract, I am all yours.
No problem. Feel free to pop me an email and we can address all of your questions. hello@derrynschmidt.com
