STYLE
Do you serve LGBTQIA+ couples?
Yes! As a queer person myself, I go beyond simply photographing LGBTQ+ couples — I celebrate & affirm your love and help you find other vendors who do the same. I'm the director of Inclusive Kentucky Weddings and love working with other LGBTQIA+ folks. I do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, body size, national origin, or disability. I routinely research ways to be more inclusive and best serve all my couples, so rest assured I have your back. If you're a vendor wanting to learn how to be more inclusive I have a resource for that!
Do you photograph weddings at venues that are not LGBTQ+ friendly or venues that were plantations?
No. I do not accept weddings at plantations or venues that are not LGBTQ+ friendly.
What type of photography do you do for weddings?
I strive to enthusiastically & honestly photograph your love. My style is largely journalistic, with bits of fine art flair throughout. I’m very hands-off in my coverage of the day (and even a bit sneaky to get those candid shots!), but I still love getting photos of just the two of you together as well. So while I won't stop you and make you pose while you're cutting the cake or dancing, I would like some time alone with you both to create images of you as a couple without your friends or family around watching. I love breaking this up into three smaller 10-15 minute time slots when we can— during the first look, after the ceremony, and about 20 minutes before sunset. I always make sure to get shots of the details of the wedding: from your centerpieces to your shoes, so my images will capture all those little things you might have missed during the excitement of the day. My photos of the guests at the wedding are almost entirely journalistic. I don't stop people while eating for those “table shots”, instead I prefer to capture them laughing, dancing, drinking, and generally having a wonderful time.
Do you offer wedding videography?
Yes! My spouse Joyce offers videography exclusively to my couples! Her work balances the nostalgic feel of old home movies with more modern documentary influences. She focuses on real, honest moments and prioritizes capturing footage that will allow you to experience all the emotions of the day. We look for clips that make you feel something, which means we might choose a more emotive out-of-focus shot rather than a more technically perfect clip that doesn’t carry as much feeling. We believe that quality video doesn't have to come at the expense of you actually getting to enjoy your wedding day. Learn more here.
Can I give you a list of shots we want on the day?
Other than the family formals, no. I love to know what important relatives and friends will be present, and if any events or details are significant to you, but tons of requests for posed images and having a checklist for me to work from is counterproductive to the images you've seen here on my website. "Shot lists" provided by most wedding magazines are a great idea, but please know that I generally will capture those images without any prompting. I always ask for meaningful details & what groupings you'd like for family formals on my pre-wedding form— it gets sent out 4-6 weeks before the wedding.
TRAVEL AND COVERAGE
Do you work with a second shooter?
Not typically. I offer the option if you plan to have an exceptionally large wedding or a wedding that has different elements spread across town, but I’ve found it unnecessary for 95% of the weddings I’ve photographed. If you're unsure as to how the day can be documented by only one photographer please check out the weddings posted on my blog— I have an incredible knack for seeming to be in more than one place at once! The phrase "photography ninja" has been used to describe me on multiple occasions. Let me know if adding a second shooter is something you're interested in and we can review your timeline to figure out all of our options together. There have been a handful of weddings when I’ve been really glad my couple chose to add a second shooter on!
Do you travel for weddings or adventurous engagement sessions?
Yes! I would love to document your wedding or elopement anywhere within the United States!
How is travel billed?
Travel is billed very simply— if your wedding is within 3 hours of Louisville travel is billed at the current IRS standard mileage rate, as of 2024 it is 67 cents a mile. For travel further than that, I have a flat travel fee for the contiguous states of $1,600.
How long does it take to get our images?
Typically I'll share a few preview images within a week of the wedding date and then the digital files will be delivered within six to eight weeks. Rush delivery is also available as an add-on.
How many pictures will we get?
The number of photographs taken depends on many things including the number of guests, hours of coverage, and types of events. My average is around 50 - 80 images delivered for each hour. If you’d like to see a full album of images just let me know and you can get an idea of what I typically deliver.
What kind of images are given? Can we print them?
I provide the selected, edited high-resolution JPEG files for you to download. Images may be used for personal use only. The contract acts as a written release that will allow you to make unlimited personal prints and copies for your friends and family— you can order them through my online gallery or you can print them from your downloaded files— totally up to you! I do retain the copyright to the images and the right to use them for promotional purposes, competition, professional review, and so on.
Can we upload our photos to Facebook or Instagram once we get the files?
Yes! I love when you share your photos. As stated in the contract, you may use your images for personal use only. If you want to share them, please either link to my website or you can tag me in the photo or caption. You can find me on Instagram @sarahkatherinedavisphotography or on facebook.com/sarahkatherinedavisphotography — also, please don't add filters or drastically crop the images if you can avoid it!
Do we get all the raw, unedited files from the day?
No, these files are not available for viewing or for purchase. I promise you don't want all the photos of people blinking, walking in front of the lens, or those random awkward faces that sometimes sneak up. I share all the images with you that you'd want— and take a lot of care in selecting and editing those images for final delivery to you.
I see some people have more images than others. Why is that?
Please understand that the blog posts of different weddings all vary based on many things— length of the day, number of guests, how many events were covered in a day, full weekend coverage, etc. Every wedding is different, so each will result in a differing number of final images.
Your base wedding package covers up to 200 guests— do you take on larger weddings? If so what is the price?
I take on weddings with up to 300 guests. For weddings with 201-250 guests, $200 is added. For weddings with 251-300 guests, $400 is added. This extra fee applies to photography only— there is no additional charge for videography. Because the number of guests correlates with the number of images I deliver, this fee covers the increased editing time for those images.
Do you offer engagement sessions or family sessions?
Yes! Engagement sessions not only allow you to have images for your save the dates or for placing around the reception, but they also give us a chance to work together before the wedding. This can be really great if you are nervous about having your photo taken— an engagement session will boost your confidence so that you have one less thing to worry about on the wedding day.
These sessions are also a wonderful way to capture more of who you are on a daily basis— outside of all the wedding clothing, flowers, decor, etc. Engagement sessions, anniversary sessions, or sessions just because are so much fun! I could go on and on. Get in contact if you're interested and we can plan something specific to you— it could be in your home, somewhere adventurous, in a favorite coffee shop or bar, at a botanical garden, etc...the options are pretty much endless!
I also offer in-home family photography sessions, you can learn more here.
Do you offer day-after sessions?
YES! Day-after sessions are the perfect way to get more photos of you as a couple without having to devote tons of time to it on your wedding day! This gives us the option of going somewhere really amazing (*cough* Red River Gorge *cough*) to get some epic shots without having to worry as much about the wedding day timeline, getting clothing dirty, etc. Pricing for this varies depending on where exactly we'll be going— but I would LOVE to discuss how we can make this happen for you and brainstorm ideas that are in your budget!
What do you charge?
For a detailed breakdown of all my rates click here.
BUSINESS AND DETAILS
Do you have business insurance?
Yep!
My venue needs a certificate of insurance. Can you provide that?
Yes— let me know a couple of months before the wedding if you can since it takes a little bit for my insurance company to process and provide that document.
What kind of cameras do you have?
I use Nikon’s flagship Z9 & the Z8— and bring a Nikon 850 so I always have two cameras on me & a backup on location. I shoot with all prime lenses, favoring my 35mm, my 85mm, and my 50mm. I bring two Nikon Speedlight SB-800s, although I prefer to work with available light when possible. For video, we use the Sony Alpha a7S III.
How long have you been in business?
I founded my business in 2010— shooting nearly 300 weddings since then!
How do you back up your files?
All my cameras have dual memory card slots— allowing images to be simultaneously written to two cards. As soon as I’m back in the office I download the images to a local hard drive as well as my NAS set up with a RAID system (RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks— this setup uses multiple disks to back up files so that even if a drive fails data isn’t lost.) From there, images are backed up to a server on the cloud, and Time Machine creates hourly local backups on a separate drive. Once images are edited & delivered they are uploaded to an online gallery where you can continue to access them for two years.
Can you hold a date for me?
I'm sorry, but I can't hold the date or pencil you in. To be fair to everyone I can't reserve a date without a retainer and a signed contract. I accept bookings on a first-come/first-served basis.
What is your payment schedule like?
A retainer of 50% of your total balance is due to reserve your date. The remainder is due 30 days prior to your wedding.
I have to cancel my wedding. Can I have my retainer back?
Regretfully, no. The retainer fee and all monies paid are non-refundable. The retainer guarantees that I will hold the date exclusively for you and once you've signed the contract I do turn down all other commissions for that date.
If we run overtime, will you stay?
Of course! Additional hours will be billed at my current rate— I will stay only with your permission and approval that I continue coverage. I will bill you for those hours once I get back into the office.
Do you offer discounts during the off-season or for non-weekend events?
I don't offer discounts, but I do offer smaller elopement packages for non-Saturday weddings. If you have concerns about your budgetary needs, please let me know and let's see if we can figure something out!
Do we need to feed you at the reception?
Yes, it would be really wonderful if you did. Feeding me ensures that I stay pleasant, mobile and that I don’t faint from starvation or start taking out-of-focus images because I can’t see straight! I like to be fed when you are fed, not afterward, because no one wants photos of themselves while eating and that way when you're done, I will be done as well to continue your coverage. (Also sometimes sunset lines up with dinner and we can sneak away together for 5 minutes once you all finish eating to make some sunset magic together!) For buffets, I'll usually go in line right after the wedding party. For a served dinner it would be amazing if you could let the caterers know I should eat at the same time as the head table— otherwise, they often serve vendors after all your guests which means I’ll likely still be eating when you're done eating.
Can our guests take pictures with their cameras? Will that bother you?
Of course, they are welcome to take photos! I request they try not to jump in front of me while I’m shooting and that they not swarm the family photographs (I’d really prefer all eyes facing my camera in your images), but I don’t mind at all if they snap away from the background. I do not allow any family or friends to come along for the images of you two alone for privacy purposes and because other people can be seriously distracting! I welcome other cameras during dancing, cake cutting, and other events— but I do ask politely that people not push me out of the way and generally respect my presence. (I once got elbowed by a very aggressive grandmother so that she could get the shot she wanted— no lies!)