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How large is Deremer Studios? While sometimes our
site can have a big-company feel, Deremer Studios is actually a small family
business made up of just three photographers; Andres, Bryn and Nate. Because we are small, we offer our clients
the utmost of personal service and attention.
However, Deremer Studios isn’t your one man show either. By having three photographers, sometimes
not all booked every weekend, we have built-in redundancy should an emergency
arise. How long has Deremer Studios been around? Deremer Studios
started in earnest as a fine art studio in the spring of 2003. In early 2004, we expanded into custom
photography, including wedding, corporate, portrait and architectural
services. Since that time, we have
done over 175 shoots, including over 125 weddings. Is Deremer Studios an on-the-side business? No, for the past
three years, we have been run full-time. Deremer Studios began as a side
business in 2003, but quickly gained momentum and a client base, enabling
Bryn to begin full-time operations in early 2005. As the workload increased, Nate also took
on full-time operations of the company.
What’s this all mean? We have the flexibility to serve you on your schedule,
not to mention the ability to answer your calls and e-mails in a timely
manner. What areas do you serve and are there travel fees? While we are
located in Jacksonville, FL, we serve all of Florida and Georgia. We’ve actually shot weddings from Atlanta
to Pensacola, to even Key West. There are no travel
fees for locations within 45 minutes of our office. However, we do charge travel fees, ranging
from $50 to $600, for locations further away.
For instance, travel to Gainesville is $100, to Orlando is $250, and
to Atlanta is $400. Our elite packages
come with 2 hours of travel included, so the area from Savannah to Daytona is
included in your price. Travel for
locations beyond that is subject to our travel fees, less $150. Do you allow other people to take pictures? We are happy to
have other people take pictures at your wedding. In fact, we’re even happy to take a photo
for your guests with their camera, time allowing. At the same time, we recognize that you
have hired our services to chronicle your day, so we do ask that your guests
avoid blocking our shots and refrain from directing photos until we have
completed the posed shots. Do you take pictures in the dressing room? Yes, we will take
dressing room pictures. However, for
the sake of the ladies and the photographers, Andres and Nate, the male
photographers, will come into the dressing room only after everyone is
dressed. At that point, we can do all
the prep pictures and simulate things like buttoning the dress. If you would like the photographer in the
dressing room while you are getting dressed, request Bryn. She’s willing to be in the room as you are
dressing to take pictures of things such as your hair being done. However, regardless of the photographer, we
refrain from taking any pictures where nudity, partial nudity, or partially dressed
people are shown. What kind of personality / mentality do you have at
weddings? We know there is a
delicate balance between bossing people around and not being assertive
enough. On one hand, your day could be
ruined by a bossy photographer that is only concerned about getting ‘the
shot’, or on the other hand, you could be frustrated by a photographer that
takes two hours to do your posed pictures because they aren’t able to get
everyone organized. At Deremer Studios,
we do our best to stay right in the middle.
We’ll never raise our voice or push you to do things that you don’t
want to do. At the same time, we will
be assertive enough to get everyone organized and efficiently get through the
posed pictures so you can get on with the festivities. We’ll always throw in a suggestion here or
there for a good picture, but it’s your special day, and you’re the boss. |
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Where can I find a listing of all your prices? Almost all our
wedding photography pricing is listed on our website. If you don’t see what
you’re looking for, feel free to send us an e-mail and we’ll be happy to find
out and let you know. Below are links
to the three major components of our pricing. Standard photography:
http://www.deremerstudios.com/pricesheet.pdf Elite photography: http://www.deremerstudios.com/pricesheet_elite.pdf Album Pricing: http://www.deremerstudios.com/album.html Your prices are really reasonable, what’s the catch? In a word,
none. Our entire philosophy is based around
our customers. From our prices, to the
free photo CD that comes with every-single piece of photography we shoot,
we’re all about serving you. Prices
aren’t an exception to this rule. From
our basic to premium packages, we guarantee you won’t get better service,
photography or packages for the price, or for that matter, double the
price. We also believe in up-front
pricing, so you will never be surprised by hidden fees or post-wedding
charges. Do I really have to spend $5,000 to get great photography? Magazines and
photographers will often try to strong-arm brides and force them into
spending more than they really need to.
They’ll tell brides, if you want to get good photography, you’ll just
need to spend the extra money. There is a core of
truth to this claim. When it comes to
photography, every bride’s first priority is insuring their getting a great
photographer. You want to know that
you’re in good hands, that you can depend on your photographer to capture the
joys of your wedding day. Whether you have a
$500 or $5,000 photography budget, you want to know you’re getting the best
for your money. At Deremer Studios,
this means great service, exceptional photography, and some of the most perks
for the buck. We’ve been doing
photography for over 5 years, and have shot over 125 weddings since 2004,
meaning you can have double piece of mind; knowing that you’ve booked a
top-quality photographer, and knowing you’ve gotten the best deal around. Why are other photographers so expensive? While we can’t
speak for all the photographers in Jacksonville, there are some factors that
can be generalized. The first major
expense for the average photographer is overhead, including extra personnel
and storefronts. However, at Deremer
Studios, we believe in keeping things lean and streamlined, meaning no
storefront and no unneeded staff. Another major
contributor is the transition from film to digital. Back in the days of film, it was expensive
and time-consuming to run a photography business. Even if you developed the prints yourself,
there was a variety of major expenses that were a necessary part of the
business. And so for a photographer to
make money, he had to charge more. But
times are changing. With the advent of digital photography, many of the most
expensive components of photography have been eliminated, meaning costs can
come down. Of course, it’s never easy
to drop your prices, but over time I think that’s what will need to happen
high-end photographers want to stay in the business. Your album prices are much less expensive, is there a
difference in quality? No. In fact, many times the albums that are
offered with our packages are better than those offered by other
photographers. Because photographers
and high-end album producers have exclusive relationships (meaning the
average consumer can’t buy an album directly from someone like ArtLeather or
GraphiStudio), photographers will often bump up those prices
considerably. Of course, a lot goes
into preparing an album and different photographers make their profit in
different ways, so a really expensive album might be within reason if the
photographer has a low front-end cost.
However, we do
things a little different. We
calculate the total cost of the album, prints, and creative time, and then
only mark it up by 20% to 30% to make our profit. Often, this means our album, all things the
same, would be as little as half the price of our competition. Here are links to
the two vendors we use. Feel free to
browse their sites and see all the great things they have to offer. www.graphistudio.com www.artleather.com Can I buy an album from you and put it together myself? Sure thing. If you wanted to create a traditional or
even a storybook album yourself to save some money, we’re happy to order you
the album at our cost. And what “our
cost” means at Deremer Studios is cost of the album shipping, and handling. That’s it.
What is the difference between Deremer Studios and
Deremer Studios Elite? Really, the only
difference between standard and elite photography is what is in each of the
packages. We realize that just as
people with lower budgets deserve great photography, people with higher
budgets still deserve to get the most for their money. So, regardless of your package, you’re
always sure to get great service, award-winning photography, and some of the
best wedding albums in the industry. All of our standard
photography packages come with at least 4 hours of onsite photography, your choice of prints or album, and a full
resolution, full rights CD, complete with all the photos we shoot. All of our Elite
packages come with unlimited wedding-day coverage, a second professional
photographer, GraphiStudio ultra-premium storybook album suite, 3 hour
engagement session with guestbook, and
a full resolution, full rights DVD, complete with all the photos we
shoot. What areas do you serve and are there travel fees? While we are
located in Jacksonville, FL, we serve all of Florida and Georgia. We’ve actually shot weddings from Atlanta
to Pensacola, to even Key West. There are no travel
fees for locations within 45 minutes of our office. However, we do charge travel fees, ranging
from $50 to $600, for locations further away.
For instance, travel to Gainesville is $100, to Orlando is $250, and
to Atlanta is $400. Our elite packages
come with 2 hours of travel included, so from Savannah to Daytona is included
in the price. Travel for locations
beyond that is subject to our travel fees, less $150. Are there any fees that don’t appear on your
pricesheet? We believe in truly
upfront pricing, so everything that you will be charged is clearly noted on
our pricesheet. The only
non-quantified items are tax and travel, where applicable. As noted at the bottom of the pricesheet,
we charge 7% sales tax and depending on your distance from Jacksonville, a
reasonable travel fee. We always like to
make sure you really know what you are getting. We’re happy to send you a formal quote,
should you be interested in booking Deremer Studios. And after the wedding, there are no
surprise fees or late penalties that will catch you off-guard. Can I substitute different items in my packages? We are more than
happy to mix and match items for your package. Whether you would like a different type of
album or to add some additional time, we are happy to work up a custom quote
catered exactly to your needs. |
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What is the difference between Deremer Studios and
Deremer Studios Elite? Really, the only
difference between standard and elite photography is what is in each of the
packages. We realize that just as
people with lower budgets deserve great photography, people with higher
budgets still deserve to get the most for their money. So, regardless of your package, you’re
always sure to get great service, awesome award-winning photography, and some
of the best wedding albums in the industry. All of our standard
photography packages come with at least 4 hours of onsite photography, your choice of prints or album, and a full
resolution, full rights CD, complete with all the photos we shoot. All of our Elite
packages come with unlimited wedding-day coverage, a second professional
photographer, GraphiStudio ultra-premium storybook album suite, 3 hour
engagement session with guestbook, and
a full resolution, full rights DVD, complete with all the photos we
shoot. These packages are much more expensive, are they really
worth it? If you have the budget,
the extra expense really is worth it.
While the Elite packages certainly aren’t for the low-budget wedding,
they offer surprising value for your investment. Take for example
the elite silver package. If you were
to add up the ‘ala cart’ price of this package it would be as follows: Unlimited wedding
day coverage, $1,000 - second photographer (3 hours), $450 – three hour
engagement session, $500 – 20 Page GraphiStudio 9.5 x 13 basic storybook
album, $1,700 – Two GraphiStudio basic storybook parents’ albums, $600 –
print package, $250. All totaled, that’s
$4,500, but with the elite silver package, you get everything above for
$3,900. So, while the investment is certainly higher than our standard
packages, the rewards are well worth it. What makes Deremer Studios different than other
high-end photographers? There are a few
things that set us apart from our high-end competition. The first is bang for
the buck. Generally, our packages are
less expensive than comparable premium photographers. For example our least expensive elite
package, elite silver, is $3,900.
While you can usually tell a high end photographer by the lack of
upfront pricing (usually you have to meet with them and see all their work
before they will let you peak at their prices), you can expect to pay more
than $5,000, and that’s just for photography.
No albums, no prints, no anything.
But if price was
our only differentiator, we’d recommend going somewhere else. Great prices are nothing without great work
and a great wedding-day experience.
That’s why we go to great lengths to ensure your photography is
creative, unique and memorable, and work hard to make your wedding day the
best that it can be. One big
differentiator is the diverse talents of our team. For example, on top of being a professional
photographer, Nate is an award-winning graphic designer with over 10 years of
experience. Not only does this help in
bringing an artistic composition to your photos, but it’s a big asset when working
with Nate to design your storybook album.
Lastly, we believe
that your photos are truly your photos.
That’s why you get a complete set of all the photos we take on DVD at
full resolution and with full rights.
No extra cost, no waiting period, just a DVD full of your photos
delivered to you just a few weeks after your wedding. Some of the other
high end studios in town may be able to boast about one or two of these
attributes, but when you combine all four differentiators, I think you’ll
find an offering unparalleled in the photography industry. What’s so big about GraphiStudio albums? When it comes to
albums, GraphiStudio produces some of the best in the world. Just like Lamborghini and Chanel,
GraphiStudio albums are built by hand to the highest of quality standards. Originally from Italy, GraphiStudio has
recently expanded into the North American market and selected a handful of
area photographers to offer their products. But aside from
quality and attention to detail, GraphiStudio also offers cutting-edge design
and materials, making your album truly stand out among the rest. From full cover art, to a variety of unique
paper and bindery options, GraphiStudio is more than a step above the rest. Who designs your storybook albums? Our storybook albums are
designed by two parties; you and us.
We truly want to make your storybook not just representative of the
day, but of you as a couple. So,
instead of just asking you a question or two, creating your album, and then
calling it quits, instead we take the time to talk with you, capture your
vision, and then use our creativity to turn it into something beautiful. As the book begins to take form, we
frequently bounce looks and ideas off of you to make sure we’re staying true
to your vision. Once the design is
complete, we send the finished design off to our vendor, who hand-crafts your
album to the highest of standards, creating a book that not only you, but
your children and grandchildren will enjoy for generations to come. Do you shoot anything different if we’re getting a
storybook album? Yes. Whenever a
couple intends to get a storybook album, we keep our eyes open for pictures
that might make for good backgrounds and highlight images for your
album. As we don’t use stock photos in
our albums, it’s imperative that we capture some great photos that will help
your album pop, while not taking away from the main content. Do you come to the rehearsal? Generally,
attending the rehearsal is more for the peace of mind of the bride and groom,
than for the needs of the photographer, however we
are happy to attend your rehearsal free of charge upon request. If we have not shot a wedding in your
church, we will more than likely be at the rehearsal regardless of your
request. |
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Do you shoot with film or digital cameras? At Deremer Studios,
we are an all-digital studio. With
today's professional digital cameras you can achieve exceptional photography
comparable to medium-format film cameras.
And not only do professional
digital cameras bring a higher quality
to our clients, but the cost savings represented by digital photography help
us to offer truly exceptional photography at an affordable price. Isn’t low light a problem with digital cameras? Professional
digital cameras can actually shoot clearer pictures in lower light than their
film-using cousins. However, this is
generally not true for consumer-grade cameras. What makes a professional camera perform
well and a consumer-grade camera perform poorly is one in the same, namely
sensor size. Consumer cameras typically
have a photo senor no larger than the tip of an eraser whereas the sensor on
our cameras is over 10 times that size.
When dealing with low light situations, the larger sensor has a much
higher sensitivity, allowing it to function well in places a consumer-grade
camera would fail. Another weapon in
the low light fight is interchangeable lenses. There are a wide range of lenses designed
for a variety of applications, including low light shooting. At Deremer Studios, we bring a variety of
lenses to a shoot, including ones specifically designed for low light
scenarios. To learn more about
how sensor size affects photo quality, check out this article on
dpreview.com: http://www.dpreview.com/articles/compactcamerahighiso/
With digital cameras, isn’t there a long delay? The delay you are
referring to is a common problem with consumer-grade digital cameras. Once you press the shutter button, the
camera does a series of calculation before it actually captures the picture.
With professional digital SLR cameras, the only truly different component
from a film SLR is the sensor. Just like any other
SLR, a digital camera captures all the information in real-time, meaning when
you push the shutter button, the shutter opens virtually instantaneously
(within one 10,000th of a second).
In fact, the cameras we shoot can capture between three to five full
resolution frames per second in short bursts.
I just bought a 10 Megapixel camera, can I have an
artsy friend just use that? While a high
megapixel consumer-grade camera can be great for a variety of shots,
especially in high light areas, it has several shortcomings that make it less
than ideal for wedding photography. As
stated above, there are two main weaknesses, difficulty in low-light
situations, and shutter delay. However, if it’s have your friend take the photos, or no one, it’s a
no-brainer. The results won’t be
professional, but here are some tips to get it as close as possible: 1) Make
sure he’s close to the action where his flash will still be effective. 2) Take as many pictures outdoors and
during the day as possible. 3) Play
around with the camera before the wedding to get a feel for its strengths and
weaknesses. How many photos do you take? One of the great
benefits of digital photography is the sheer volume of photography you can
take. No longer do you have to worry
if you got the shot because you can take several shots of each little detail
without worrying if you are going to run out of film. As we are all digital,
we shoot between 75 and 100 photos per hour.
So, for a basic four hour wedding, you’re looking at between 300 to
400 photos. What styles of photography do you shoot? Each of our
photographers is experience in shooting traditional, photojournalistic and
experimental photography, and will provide whatever combination of the styles
you desire. Generally, we shoot a well
mixed combination, ensuring that there are photos for everyone’s tastes. We
bring a collection of equipment that makes capturing each of these styles
work amazingly well. Do you have a list of common photos that you take? We sure do. Follow this link to download a list of all
the common photos we take: www.deremerstudios.com/photolist.pdf
As with any good
photographer, we have a set of photos that we customarily take and we make
sure we cover all the bases. From
posed photos, to shots during the ceremony, to all the fun images captured at
the reception, we will fit in as many of the photos as we can within the
time-constraints of your wedding. We
also welcome any requests you may have, and we’re even happy to emulate any
photos you may have seen in magazines or on websites. Who all comes to my wedding? Generally speaking,
only one photographer will come to your wedding, However, all Elite packages
come with a second photographer, at least for the ceremony. Each of us brings multiple cameras, lenses,
batteries, memory cards and the like to ensure redundancy and to have a well
rounded choice of equipment to choose from.
As conditions allow, we will often shoot two cameras simultaneously
during various parts of the day to get optimum one or two-person coverage. If the package your
interested in doesn’t come with a second photographer, you can book an
additional photographer for $150 an hour, with a two hour minimum. The second photographer can give an
entirely separate angle, streamline the posed photography process, and
capture an additional 75 to 100 photos per hour. How much time should I allot for posed pictures? Generally, it takes
between 60 minutes and 90 minutes to complete all the posed pictures (groom
& groomsmen, bride & bridesmaids, bridal party, family and couple). If you have a small family and smaller
bridal party, 60 minutes should be fine.
If you have a large family and/or large bridal party, you should
probably plan for 90 minutes. While this does
include all our common photos, including photos of the bride and groom, if
you would like some extended photos of you two only, you may want to plan an
additional 20 to 30 minutes to get some additional photos around the ceremony
or reception site. When do you recommend we take posed photos? We’re happy to take
posed photos whenever you would like.
However, in most instances, we have found it better to get as much out
of the way before the ceremony.
Usually, this means taking pictures about a
hour before the ceremony of the bride and her bridesmaids first, and the groom
and his groomsmen. If you are so
inclined, we’re happy to take photos the entire wedding party before the
wedding as well. Do you have a standard process for taking posed photos? We sure do. Having a process is more convenient for you
and your guests and considerably shortens the time required to finish posed
pictures. Generally, we start
all the post-wedding posed pictures with the biggest possible group – usually
the combined shot of both the families.
From there we work our way through all the family, and allow them to
head over to the reception. From there
we do all the remaining bridal party shots, and lastly finish up with the
couple. Do you take pictures in the dressing room? Yes, we will take
dressing room pictures. However, for
the sake of the ladies and the photographers, Andres and Nate, the male
photographers, will come into the dressing room only after everyone is
dressed. At that point, we can do all
the prep pictures and simulate things like buttoning the dress. If you would like the photographer in the
dressing room while you are getting dressed, request Bryn. She’s willing to be in the room as you are
dressing to take pictures of things such as your hair being done. However, regardless of the photographer, we
refrain from taking any pictures where nudity, partial nudity, or partially dressed
people are shown. Is there anything you won’t take pictures of? Yes. We will not take pictures of nudity,
partial nudity, or partially dressed people.
Also, while we are happy to take pictures of people being goofy and
odd, we refrain from taking any pictures that may be deemed as compromising
or in poor taste. For instance, things like mooning or
flipping off the camera will not be photographed. We take these steps
to protect both our photographers, as well as you
and your guests. What tips can you give me to get the best photography
at our wedding? We could write a
whole book about things to do and things to avoid for some great photos, but
here are some of the main suggestions.
During the processional and recessional, try to walk slowly. This gives your guests time to see you as
you pass and gives your photographer time to snap a few shots. General suggestions Make sure to set
aside enough time for photography.
Build in a little buffer time, as most weddings start late. It’s better to have a little buffer and
have some extra time to get pictures of you as a couple than not have enough
time and miss out on some great shots.
Take your time on
your first kiss. Not only is it your
very first kiss as husband and wife, but this gives us the opportunity to get
a wider variety of shots. Outdoor wedding
suggestions When you have an
outdoor wedding the position of the sun is critical to great photos. If possible, plan your ceremony an hour or
two before sunset, this will give great natural lighting. Make sure to have
the guests facing away from the sun. That way, when you face each other your
faces will be nicely lit for the pictures. Indoor wedding
suggestions Light is a
photographer’s friend. While we can
work with a variety of light settings, generally speaking the higher the
light, the more possibilities for photography. Try to avoid dimly lit weddings. If your wedding is too dimly lit, our
possibilities are limited and we may need to stage pictures after the
ceremony. When possible, plan
ceremony elements like the unity candle so that the photographer has a good
angle and so that your guests can see everything too. |
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What kind of quality standards do you have? We recognize that
affordable photography is nothing without exceptional service and great
photography. That’s why we use only
Canon and Nikon professional products.
From camera bodies to lenses, we shoot with some of the best equipment
out there. On top of equipment, we are
committed to providing you with great photography and work hard to ensure our
work helps to rekindle fond memories for decades to come. |