I’ve compiled this list of frequently asked questions that you too may want answered before hiring Nicole Geri as your photographer.

General Questions

We feel awkward in front of the camera, do you tell us what to do?
Even as a photographer myself, I can feel awkward in front of the camera too. The thing is, I promise you’ll never look as awkward as you feel. I will direct you to act and play in a way that feels natural. I’ll even show you photos from my camera and often, seeing those photographs is enough to reassure you, you look great.

Where do you call home? Do you travel?
I was born and raised in Northern Michigan but I frequently travel. Usually every winter I leave Michigan seeking warmer climates. I reserve May-October in Michigan, then November-April you can probably find me in the desert. I often take micro-adventures from Northern Michigan, and sometimes get to go international too.

What is your travel fee?
I charge a $500 travel fee for any travel outside of Michigan but within the U.S. As a budget traveler myself I feel confident I can keep my costs below this price but I won’t charge more if I go over $500 with domestic travel. For international we’d have to chat to work out a price together. However, If I’m already traveling through your city, travel fees are waived! Check my Travel Schedule frequently to see if I’ll be in your area.

Style and Philosophy Questions

How would you describe your style?
I’m a calm, resourceful, and patient photographer that loves to capture timeless images of once in a lifetime occasions: Weddings, elopements, engagements, proposals, and portraits. I pride myself on being an adventurous photographer who creates a safe space for my couples to feel comfortable and confident to be themselves. You won’t find me dominating a shoot’s style, I mesh with who I am photographing. This is how I capture authentic moments and true personalities. My posing consists of guidance that creates playful photos, usually full of laughter. I especially love immersing my subjects in trees, flowers, bushes, water, etc. Don’t worry, I’ll still get those smile at the camera shots too.
With my editing, I am true-to-life yet vibrant. I prefer to preserve the warm tones from the sun, without losing vibrant blue skies, the greens from nature, and showcasing the natural colors we experienced during our shoot. My goal is to deliver timeless images, just as you remember your day.

How long have you been doing photography?
I’ve been into photography my whole life, at first playing with a disposable film camera when I was little but that love grew with time and better equipment. I have been photographing weddings for almost 10 years after shooting my first wedding in 2012. Read my about me if you want to know more about where I started.

What will you wear to our shoot?
For your wedding, I’ll probably show up in one of my black rompers with pockets. Pockets are essential for a wedding. For a standard session (unless otherwise directed) I will most likely be wearing jeans and a comfortable top. My priority is to be fashionable and tasteful, while still being comfortable and able to move freely. I can get into some wild poses trying to get “the shot,” you know? Either way, I’ll also have my backpack with camera gear I’ll likely switch through, but this also means I can hold any of your extra things too.

Post Production Questions

Do you edit all the photos you deliver?
Of course! I spend time editing every single photo in your gallery. I crop, adjust lighting, enhance colors, and do any blemish control that is needed. I often go as far as photoshopping out trash, water-bottles, or signs from the background. Sometimes I create more artistic edits. With large groupings, I may need to photoshop multiple photos together to get everyone looking. That usually about as far as I go.

What if I want more editing done to the photos?
If you see a blemish I missed, or want something simple in the background removed, I’m happy to do quick edits if they are requested within 30 days after I deliver your gallery. If you are looking for a more extensive edit like slimming, removing or adding a person to a photo, combining multiple pictures, etc I can still accept these editing requests. These types of photoshop jobs take time so I charge an additional fee, usually about $11-$25 per photo depending on the edit.
More info on my photo retouching services.

Do you shoot in JPEG, Small Raw, or Large Raw?
RAW always.

How long does it take to receive my photos?
In my contract it says 45 days for weddings; realistically, usually about 1 month. For standard 1-2 hour shoots I pride myself on a speedy editing time, delivering edited session galleries within 2 weeks.

What precautions do you take to make sure that nothing happens to our photos?
My biggest fear is losing a client’s photos and technology does fail. Don’t worry, I take extra care to make sure I don’t lose your photos WHEN technology fails. My camera has dual slots and shoots simultaneously to two SD cards. This way, even if one card fails before I get the photos onto my drive I still have a backup; I did once have a card corrupt half way through a wedding and thankfully the second card still had everything. It was that exact moment that I prepared for, and why you hired a professional photographer. As soon as I get home, I upload those photos to a hard drive as backup, and then an ssd to work on them. Hard drives are more likely to fail than an SSD which is why I have both. I don’t even remove the RAW photos from either of the memory cards until the shoot is edited and delivered online.

How do I receive my photos?
All sessions will be delivered through Zenfolio, an online gallery. You may view, download, print, and share these photos to your hearts desire. I also encourage you to share your link with friends or family so they can share in the joy you experienced the day of our shoot. These online galleries are guaranteed for only one year. However, I’d like leave the galleries up indefinitely. I currently have unlimited storage through this website, so unless something changes I’d like to keep them online as yet, another backup and for the convenience of being able to access them at any point from any phone or computer.

How many images do you typically deliver from a session?
You can expect around 50 edited photos per hour spent shooting.

Do you watermark your photos?
Nope! To be honest, I don’t really like how watermarks look. I think it takes away from the emotion I hope you feel from viewing your images. It is my goal to make sure you love your photos so much that you tag me on social media, and recommend me to your friends/family when they are looking for a photographer so that I don’t have to add those tacky watermarks to my photos.

Wedding Questions

How much does a wedding cost for you to photograph?
My weddings start at $2500 with most couples spending $3500-$4500 for coverage. Elopement coverage starts at $1500.  Contact me for more rates and all the info.

Can I see a full wedding gallery from beginning to end?
Absolutely! I’d love to share a full gallery. Keep in mind, every situation is unique with lighting, locations, time of year, how things play out, etc. Feel free to reach out to request some of my past wedding galleries.

There’s downtime between the ceremony and reception, do I have to pay you for that?
Once I arrive to capture your day, I’m there for you 100%. Even if there is “downtime” I’m still usually working. I may be scouting locations, driving to another location, preparing my gear for what is to come next, guiding the bridal party of where they go next, grabbing family or friends for photos, capturing candid moments, taking venue shots, maybe scarfing down a snack before returning to capture your day. For these reasons my time is consecutive.

Do you take LGBTQ weddings?
Absolutely! And I’ve worked with LGBTQ weddings in the past. Love is love!

What if my venue is dark?
I understand that lighting can not always be ideal. I bought my cameras and lenses specifically for their lowlight capabilities, I also have some lights I can use to help aid me. I understand in some situations, a venue may not allow flash photography. I push my camera’s limits, shoot with RAW, and edit to bring details back out later. You won’t find me stressed about lighting that is beyond my control. I work with any situation I find myself in.

What if we need you longer than the originally contracted amount of time?
I’m not running for the door as soon as my time is up. I’ll communicate with you when my time is nearly over so we can coordinate any last shots you may want. I have a grace period of about 15 minutes I can offer to wrap up. However, if you need to extend my coverage I’m happy to as long as I have no later commitments.

How far in advance should we book you for our wedding?
Typically my clients book me as far as a year or two in advance. However, I’ve also had clients book me only weeks before their celebration. Elopements especially tend to be booked with not much time to spare. I recommend reaching out as soon as you set your date to check my availability.

Photo Session Questions

Do you help chose a location?
I’m happy to if you need some help finding the perfect place for your session. I have a list of locations and am often scouting for new places too. For just a few of my favorite locations, check out my article about planning a photoshoot in Northern Michigan.

Can I bring my dogs?
Please bring the dogs! Please, let me know in advance so I can choose a dog friendly location.

Do you have tips for what to wear to our session?
Wear what you are comfortable and confident in. I promise to make the shoot fun for you, you’ll forget about how awkward you thought you were going to be in photos.

Do you offer mini sessions?
Not often, I feel like the magic truly begins to happen just as time would be up for a mini. As you get comfortable with me and the camera I feel that you sense your relaxed selves in the images too. As lighting changes, I like having more time to work with the always changing sun. Often my best images are towards the end of an hour or 90 minute session. However, I’d post about mini-sessions on Facebook and Instagram so feel free to follow me for any announcements.

What is an adventure session?
Let’s get out into nature! Take a hike, and explore somewhere beautiful. You’ll hardly think about the camera as you have fun.

What happens if we get rained out?
I keep a number of backup dates open each month in case of bad weather, and there’s no fee to reschedule to a new date if it’s raining. Michigan weather is notoriously unpredictable and changes very quickly, so I typically wait as long as I can to call off a session. Moody weather is actually really fun to play with and I enjoy the unique and vibrant sunsets that come from what someone else might think is a not-so-ideal-day. We may even get a rainbow. I’m ok with getting a little wet as long as you are.

Image and GIF Downloading Questions

Do we get the high resolution photos?
You get the highest resolution photos. The photos will be about 4000 x 6000 pixels. However, as I crop or straighten horizon lines, this will slightly reduce the file size but not enough for you to notice a difference.

Are GIFS included with all sessions?
GIF’s take additional planning and editing so they are not always included in our sessions. If you’re thinking you’d like me to incorporate GIF’s into your package, let me know.

How do I download and share my GIFS?
This helpful article with walk you through how to download and share your GIF photo animations.

Printing Photos Questions

Do we get printed photos with our package?
My highest tiered weddings will receive a print credit, although most packages do not. You may print directly through the gallery I deliver your high resolution photos through. I approve all print orders that are placed through my Zenfolio site. This gives me a chance to do any additional editing the photo may need for the best printing experience. They are then sent into a professional lab to be printed then delivered to your doorstep.

Do we get a print release?
While you are welcome to print through the website I deliver your gallery through, you are not restricted to only printing there. Sent along with a gallery of digital files, my clients always receive a release to take the photos anywhere to be printed.

What is the largest size we can print our photos?
40X60 is the maximum printed size of a 4000 x 6000 image size in many cases. I’d be happy to work with you to make sure your enlarged photos will print in the best of quality. Reach out if you would like to make any large prints or canvas.

Do you offer wedding albums?
Reach out about wedding albums!

Equipment Questions

What gear do you use?
A couple years ago I switched from a Canon set up to a Sony mirrorless set up. I wrote this article about the switch from Canon to Sony, which also includes my current camera and lenses.