Photography and videography for all occassions

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you use only full frame cameras and what are they? Full frame cameras are professional cameras used in the advertising, fashion, and commercial photography. They have greatly bigger sensors than the regular cameras and are thus very expensive. Full frame cameras can run from $4,000 to $8,000 just for the camera body alone. Roland Video and Photo only uses full frame cameras in order to give you the best pictures that we can take for your special day. Full frame cameras that we use are Canon eos 5D, Canon eos 1ds Mark II, NIkon D700, Canon eos 1ds Mark III.

The venue of my wedding will be very dark because we are having a lighting company install special lighting. Would that ruin the photos? In situations like these, roland video and photo use slave flashes. Slave flashes are remote flashes that fire when the master flash monted on top of the camera fires. We can deploy 1 to 3 slave flashes depending on the venue. Factors that will affect the number of slave flashes to deploy are how dark is the dancing area---like almost no light at all, height of the ceilings, creative effects that we can to do.

If there is a single advice that you can give to bride and grooms looking for their wedding crew (vendors), what would it be? I think my best advice is to see the completed work of your candidates because a few nice pictures in the internet is not representative of the whole style of a vendor. This goes with the other wedding things like the cake. You'd like to taste a sample of the wedding cake instead of relying on a beautiful cake picture. Or for a DJ. You want to hear him emcee; or for a wedding venue, you want to visit the actual venue. You don't want to sign a wedding venue contract based on a picture and be surprised on wedding day that the dance floor can fit only 20 people. With regards to a photographer or videographer, you don't want to be surprized the your photographer has a little camera that he bought from Walgreens. Basically, you want somebody who is in the trade full time. You don't want to hire a person who is a carpenter during weekdays and a photographer during weekends for weddings. You also don't want to get a student who is offering her services for almost nothing so that she can make your wedding her guinea pig to practice on. You want somebody who is experienced and with the right equipments.

Are you photojournalistic photographers? We do both candid and formal shots during the wedding. Like in the bride's preparation, we do a lot of candid shots but also do posed shots like the bride with the wedding dress before it's worn, the bride putting make-up, the bride putting jewelries. We also do some formal shots like the bride with the bridesmaid at the place where the bride is preparing, the bride with her parents, the bride with the flower girls. It's a combination of both and we keep on taking pictures in every significant events.

Can you cover the preparation of the grrom during wedding day? If the groom is just 5 minutes away or it is logistically practical, we may be able to do it. But it's really a case to case basis. Sometimes, we ask the groom to start dressing up a little earlier or pretend to dress up so we can get some photos of him. Then we proceed to the bride as the concentration is to her.

What formal shots venues would you suggest? For formal shots during wedding day, places with bodies of water like a pond, lake, the sea is always good. Stairs, swings, pianos are fine. Unusual backdrops would also be good as we have to cover a wedding at the Mystic Acquarium in Connecticut where the backgrouind will be the whale. That's this coming October 10, 2010 so I don't have the picture yet.

Do you take pictures of the food? Generally yes as it is like a remembrance that may be important 30 years from now. We take a picture of the food, the row of trays of food with the burning flame underneath, the reception hall before the guests come in, people signing the guest book, details that are memorable like flowers, give aways, ice sculptures, etc.

How many high resolution pictures do we get? For the gold photo package, you get a minimum of 500 pictures. But we shoot more than this as it also depends on the wedding. But you will get a minimum of 500 shots.

How about copyrights? We give you a copyright release for your pictures. And you can reprint and distribute them to families and friends.

Is there a contract? Yes, there is a contract that we sign that will state all the things that we as vendors will do for you and will give you, including the 8 hours of coverage, the proof book that you will get, the copyright release, the 11x8 pictures that you will get.

How many formal poses do you do for the bride, groom, bridal party? The more the better. It depends on the time allotted for the real formals that is done during the cocktail hour or between the ceremony and the reception. The more time we have, the better as we can take more formal pictures.

Can the formals be done in different places during the wedding? Yes, we sometimes do some formal shots in front of the altar and then some at a park or beach. If the venue is in a country club, we can do some at the golf course or sometimes they have a gazebo. Sometimes, we do some outside and some inside as some venues have their own photo rooms. We also do this when it is starting to get dark.

Do you do table shots? Yes, we do. During the reception, the bride and groom go to each of the tables to greet the guests. This is a good oppurtuinity to take pictures too.

Do you do a big family shot? Yes, we do. It is usually done near the end of the wedding. It's like "eveybody join in" for the big family picture. We can show some samples of this in our studio.

Do you do blacks and whites? Your digital files will come in colored. With today's technology, you can easily convert these pictures ot black and white, sepia, half tones, infrared black and white,etc. There are so many choices. The important thing is that you get a lot of colored high resolution pictures because from here the possibilities are endless.

Do you have backup photographers and videographers. Yes. Aside from that, we also bring backup cameras as there are times that we don't even have time to change CF cards, batteries.

During wedding day, what do you cover? During wedding day, we usually start the coverage at the bride's preparation. That usually means taht we will be with you 2 hours before the ceremony starts. We will go to the hotel or house that you will prepare. Then we cover the ceremony, do a formal photo shoot and then cover the reception. With up to 8 hours of coverage, that should cover you up to your last dance in the evening.

Can we make suggestions for the poses that we want? Yes, we have our own poses but any suggestion from you is welcome. Actually, we encourage our clients to have a formal pose list like bride and groom with cousins, bride and groom with uncles. This is just to make sure that we don't miss anybody as it will be a hectic day.

We plan to have the formals at the Boston Garden near the Swan boats in Boston. Are there any requirements for this? For Boston Garden, we may need a permit in which we have to pay $50 to the city of Boston. Other than this, I haven't encountered any location where they need a permit.

How many minutes do you need for the formal photo shoot? At least 30 minutes or more so we can make more formal shots which are important. The candid shots are easier as we can do it anytime.

What about weddings on boats like the Spirit of Boston? We have covered two weddings at the Spirit of Boston. Very interesting as the backdrop is the skyline of Boston. The boat was parked when the wedding was held. I think it would have been better if the boat was sailing.The boat was really a boat. I mean it was fairly big but smaller than the love boat.

Do you charge sales tax? Yes and the government is very strict on this.

Do you charge travel fees? If the wedding is in Massachusetts, Rhode Island or New Hampshire, we do not charge travel fees.

Do you drink beer during the wedding? No, as it may affect our work. Sometimes, some guests or family members of the bride/grooom give us a bottle of beer as an appreciation of the work that we are doing. We accept it as a courtesy to the person giving but don't drink it.

Do you smoke? No because that is cancerous.What attire do you wear? If it is winter, I can wear a suit with a tie. If it is in the middle of summer, we wear collared shirt with a tie.

Do you have tatoos? No I don't.

How about metal piercing in your body like nose, etc? I don't have any body piercing and have no future plans to have one. We're more or less clean cuts.

Are you married? Yes. I've been married for 28 years.

For dinner during the wedding, what food do you prefer---steak or chicken? I prefer chicken.

Where are the vendors like the photographer,dj, emcee, video guy or band seated during dinner in the wedding? Usually the vendors eat in a separate room different from the guests and the bridal party. The food doesn't necessarily have to be the same as that of the guests.

Do you do glamour shots or poses like that in Sports Magazine? Yes we can do more daring wedding poses. But that is on the request of

the bride or groom. But that's no problem.

You say that you have to give us a minimum of 500 wedding photos, what if you shoot more than 500 photos? Do we have to pay extra? If we shoot more than 500 shots, we also give them to you as it is your wedding photos.

Can you bring a background with backgroiund stand? Sometimes. But this is an exception. We did this on a wedding that was held in a venue that is worn down and the bride requested it. I think the bride and the guest had a good time with it as it was like a mini studio.

Is photography and videography a full time business for you? Yes and this is the only thing that we do. That is the reason why you can come to our studio Mondays to Sundays and we are usually available to meet clients.

Do you sing? Yes and that's how I met my wife as we were members of a singing group.

What advice can you give brides and grooms about wedding photography? You're in good hands with roland video and photo services. But seriously, you'll be okay with us. Look at your vendor's work for consistency of shots, talk and interview them, see if you have a ood chemistry with your video or photo guy. Be happy, smile.

As to the engagement photo shoot, where do you do it? We do it parks around here in Weymouth, Hingham, Merrymount Park in Quincy, Wollaston Beach.

Can we do the engagement photo shoot in Roger Williams Park in Rhode Island? We can do that but we may have to charge you something for the effort of going to Rhode Island for the shoot. But if it will be done here in Weymouth, you don't have to pay anything extra.

How about the video shoot for the mini-interview for videography? It is done here in Weymouth too. If you get us for both video and photography, we can do the engagement photo shoot and the video mini interview at the same time.

What questions do you ask in the video mini interview? The questions usually asked are: " How did you meet?" , first impressions, nice things about him/her, stories while he was courting you, reactions of your parents, tell something about the preparation for this wedding, ow you found roland video and photo (LOL), etc.

Your coverage is up to 8 hours of coverage. How much do you charge for overtime? Usually, the up to 8 hours of coverage is more than sufficient to cover your wedding. However, there are times where the wedding reception goes beyond the 8 hours. We charge $125/hour for overtime. If we are there for 15 minutes more, that's no big deal. The overtime kicks in if we have to be in the reception till 2am or the next day.

Had you had any weddings that run more than 8 hours? Yes we did. Indian weddings last for 3 days as we cover the body tatooing of the bride for the first day, the Sangeet which is done in the second day, the Bharat and the actual ceremony and reception on the third day. Cambodian weddings takes 2 days. Cambodian wedding ceremony is for 1 day and the reception is done the following night.

Do you video tape special dance numbers? Yes we do as that is a significant event.

What venues can you recommend? Canoe River Club in Bridgewater at the south shore is good. It's family owned and had been there or a long time. They have a spacious ground with a gazebo for an outside wedding. The dance floor in the reception hall is big too. And they seem to be reasonable.

The Lynch Rose park in BEverly in the North Shore is good. The only thing is that you may have a chair company bring in chairs for the guests or you can just have the guests stand up as the wedding via a justice of the peace takes only 10 to 20 minutes.

Raffael's in Wrentham, Lake Luciano in Wrentham are fine. It really depends on your budget but if you are on a budget, VFW halls are fine but you may have to get a caterer. If you are looking for venues, email me and I'll try my best to recommend one that seems good.

One trend now is to get married in a park as we have done a quite number of weddings like these. Outside garden weddings are always good as there is ample sunlight. In the point of view of wedding photography and wedding videography, outside wedding is the best because of the lighting and more space for the photo and video guy to move around. Usually, there is an arch with flower in them. And there is always an open space at the back of the justice of the peace where we can put cameras and take pictures. And with that, we call always see your faces.

For Church weddings, there is a room behind the priest or behind the Tabernacle. But we have to be discreet on these as the priest are getting stricter on where the photographer/videographer can go especially that any walking around the Church can be a distraction. In the point of view of a photographer, this is where a 2.8 zoom lens comes in helpful. Sometimes, flash photography is not allowed. So as a photographer, we should be ready and equipped for no flash photography. In this case, we have to bring tripods and good indoor lens to have good pictures without flash. The lens' for this is expensive which distinguishes us from amateur photography.

Wireless Mics in Videography: Do you use wireless mics in wedding videography? Yes we use Azden wireless mics that we put to the groom. This is usually done in big Church weddings where there are echoes. We also put wireless mics in garden weddings so we can pick up what the groom is saying. There was an outside wedding where the mic system did not work. It was good that we have our own wireless transmitters and mics. The final video turned out good with good audible audio.

How about shotgun mics? We use rodeo shotgun mics. However, this picks up everything.For the vows, we would prefer the wireless mic. This is the best for the vows. Between the built in mic of our Sony DCR VX2100 cameras and the shotgun mic, we still prefer the built in mic of our Sony cameras. If the audio is a little weak, we can amplify it up to 2000x though our video editng software.

What editing softwares do you use for wedding videography? We use Sony Vegas, Ulead Media Studio and Avid as the primary editing softwares. This is augmented by plugins like Red Giant, Boris, etc.

When a prospective bride and groom see you for an appointment, what is one of the first things on your mind? When a prospective couple see us to cover their wedding, I try to visualize the poses and pictures that will be taken on their wedding. The factors that would play are their face type like is it square or high cheek bone; are they slim or a little heavy; do they smile or do we have to encourage them to smile; do they love to pose or are they shy of which we have to guide them; or do they have a broken tooth that we have to hide; or does she have a second chin that we have to hide; or how's the natural expression of her face---angelic face or needs to make it a little friendlier, etc. This are things that as photographers/videographers we have to think about even before we get hired.

Or if the bride is pregnant, we may take more upper body footages.

Do we have to wear make-up on an engagement photo shoot? Preferably yes. And if you have mascara and eye shadows with lip stick, that's even better. We will do some close up shots and the mascara really brings the eyes to life. This applies for the bride and not the groom.

I do not know how to pose and I am not a model, will you guide us in the formal photo shoot? Yes we will guide you in the formal photo shoot. Basically, just avoid a "photo ID" or the "military in attention pose" and things will come out good. In other words, always have one of your legs carrying more of your body weight if you are standing; primarily always tilt your body or face for the wedding shot; as to your hands, always have it hold something or touching something. For the hands, avoid having them dangling down. That is the reason why the models in magazines in CVS usually have their hands touching their waist.

The background is important also. You don't want to have to right pose and there is a trash can beside you or see an Exit sign with a fire extinguisher at the back. Plain simple backgrounds are good. That is the reason why a body of water for a formal photo shoot is always good as the bride/groom/bridal entourage become the focus of attention in the picture. You also don't want to see electric wires sticking out of the heads of the photo subjects.

Can I see actual completed works?

Yes, you can visit us here in our studio at 621 Commercial Street, Weymouth, Mass. We have many photo albums, pictures, and wedding videos that you can view.

If we hire you for both video and photo, how many people will be there? There will be a dedicated photographer and a dedicated viideographer to cover your wedding.

How much is the deposit to hold the date? The deposit is $250 for video and $250 for wedding photography.The balance is payable a week before the event.

Do you do engagement photo shoots? Yes we do and the Gold Photography package includes one. It is done on a separate day from wedding day with your fiance. The wedding videography also includes a mini interview which is also done in a day separate from wedding day.

How soon do I have to book? Preferably the sooner the better because we do quality work at reasonable prices. The effect of this is that we get more bookings.

Do you have a sample of the wedding photography contract? Here is a sample $1,000 Gold Package Wedding Photography Contract. (If you sign it and we sign it, then it becomes a valid contract)

Wedding Photography Contract

This Contract, entered on the day of , 2010 for the photography services of Roland Video and Photo(vendor) and , the client. The vendor and the client agree and contract as follows:

1.General description of work: Photography service for the client’s wedding

2. Date of Wedding:

3. Place of Wedding: Massachusetts

4. Events to be photographed: Engagement photo shoot, bride’s preparation, ceremony, photo shoot formals, reception

5. Total hours the photographer will be in the wedding: up 8 hours

6. What the client gets:
a DVD/s of at least 500 pictures of the event
300 4 x 6 proof prints on a proof album(randomly chosen)
Written permission to reprint and distribute the digital files of the event
2 8X10 PRINTS in a folder frame
300 files to be uploaded in a wedding site like seemyprints.com

7. Equipment of photographers: 12 .3 Megapixel SLR camera or equivalent with corresponding accessories plus a backup camera with similar capabilities.

8. Compensation of vendor: $1,000 ; Downpayment is $250; Balance is payable a week before wedding day; No travel fees; Sales taxes not included in $800 price. Massachusetss has 6.25% sales tax; rhode island has 5% sales tax; Connecticut-6%; New Hampshire—no sales tax.

9. Vendor’s liability is limited to vendor’s compensation

10. Delivery of the final products: within 3 week after the wedding

We have read, understand and agree with every provision of this contract and by my signature hereby certify that we accept to abide by them.

__Client Signature____________________________________ ______________________________________
Date ................................................. ......................................................For: Roland Video and Photo
Phone No.:______________________........................................................................621 Commercial Street
Email:___________________________........................................................Weymouth, Massachusetts 02189

Do you have a sample of the wedding videography contract? Here is a sample contract for the $900 Gold Dual Camera Wedding videography contract:
Two Camera Video Contract

This Contract, entered on the day of , 20010 is for the video services of Roland Video and Photo Services and , the client. The videographer and the client agree and contract as follows:

1.General description of work: Videotaping of the client’s wedding

2. Date of Wedding:

3. Place of Wedding: Massachusetts

4. Events to be videotaped:(for Gold package)
The bride’s preparation
Church/wedding venue, can include the pre-wedding activities at the church/bride’s preparation location
The wedding ceremony which includes the march to the altar, taking of the vows, candle lighting,
The reception which includes the cake cutting, introduction of entourage,father/mother’s dance, toast, garter, speech of the bestman/ maid of honor, panoramic view of the guests or any important activities.
Childhood photo montage; up to 20 pictures

5. Total hours the videographer will be in the wedding: up to 8 hours

6. Final edited version of the wedding: The final edited product will be 2 DVD disks totaling 1.5 to 2.0 hours of edited video. This would include the ceremony, the reception, and general dancing to complete a 1.5 to 2 hour video.
Music, titles, animations, effects will be added in the final product.
A custom made DVD case cover and custom-made dvd label.
Client gets 2 sets of the final product.

7. Equipment of videographer/s: 2 sony 3-chip cameras or equivalent with tripods; camera
mounted extra lights, wireless mic for the groom
8. Camera usage: dual camera coverage for the ceremony, dual camera coverage for important events in the reception, single camera coverage for general dancing

9. Compensation of vendor: $1,000 for GOLD package
$250 deposit ; the balance is payable 1 week before wedding day (Mass sales tax not included in price)
10. Vendor’s liability is limited up to vendor’s compensation.
11. The client will get the raw footages of the wedding.

We have read, understand and agree with every provision of this contract and by my signature hereby certify that we accept to abide by them.

______________________________________............................................................ ______________________________
Client Signature Date ......................................................................................................For: Roland Video and Photo Services
Phone:_________________________________..................................................................617-480-5010 cell; 781-340-0852
.Email Address ___________________________..................................................................621 Commercial Street, Weymouth, MA 02189

Aside from the Wedding photography and videography contract, we also need the wedding details form to tells us when and where to go during wedding day. Here is an example:

Wedding Details—for Photography
(Kindly mail to:Roland Video & Photo; 621 Commercial Street, Weymouth, MA 02189)

Name of Bride: ___________________________________

Date Of Wedding: __________________

Place of Bride’s wedding preparation: _________________________________ Time :_________

Name and Address of the venue of ceremony: __________________________
__________________________________________________
Time:____

Place where you want to do the formals:________________________
_______________________________________________________

Name and Address of the Reception:____________________________
___________________________________________________
Time of the Reception: _____________________________ Time:_______
Special Instructions: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Your cellphone # :_______________________-
Any Land line # that we can contact you on wedding day:___________________
EMAIL ADDRESS: ______________________________________
We need this info to serve you better. Thank you for your time.
Vivian Warrick
roland video and photo services
(781)340-0852; (617) 480-5010 cell www.rolandvideoandphoto.com
www.rolandvideoandphoto.com

We will also call you 3 days before the wedding just to get in touch.

Are there any additional forms for wedding videography? Yes. As the names of the bridal entourage will be included in the final DVD, here is a form that we may need. If possible, please print.

Kindly mail back to:

Roland Video and Photo Services
621 Commercial Street
Weymouth, MA 02189

Names and Acknowledgements to be included in the DVD

Name of Bride:___________________________________
Name of Groom: _________________________________
Name of Bride’s Parents: _________________________________
_________________________________
Name of Groom’s Parents: ________________________________
_________________________________

Flower Girl/s if any : _________________________________
__________________________________
Ring Bearer: __________________________________

Best Man: _________________________________
Maid of Honor : ________________________________

Bridesmaids: Groomsmen:
____________________________ ___________________________
____________________________ ___________________________
____________________________ ___________________________
____________________________ ___________________________

Grandparents:
___________________________ _____________________________
___________________________ _____________________________

Acknowledgements:

If you could reserve us a copy of the invitation, that would be included in the final DVD.__

I'm not a model. What photography posing guides can you give? I think you just be youself and relax. Your photographer will take many many shots that there will be so many to choose from. Bet here are some guides and notes for the posings:

1) Simple shots that never go wrong are bride and the groom walking; whole bridal entourage walking; the big hug; smiling

2) when the bride is seating, the legs should be at an angle; the hands of the bride should be on her lap to make her slimmer

3) the bride should generally look at the camera at an angle. That means she seldomly face the camera head on

4) Put your hand so that it covers your chin

5) Avoid hands that are dangling. that means that the bride or grooms hand must at least be touching something or holding something. Touching something can included holding a bouquet, touching a wall, or touching her hips

6) In group shots, the heads should not be all at the same height or like a parallel line. The heads should form like diagonal lines.

7) Avoid gaps in group pictures. That means the group should be tight together to show closeness.

8) In a group picture in a line formation, the guys at both ends of the shot should tilt towards the center.

9) In big group shots, remember that others can sit, stand, knell on the ground.

10) Take a lot of pictures showing the dress of the bride

11) Use the surroudings as props. Examples are the bed( bride's preparation), the chair, the wall, pepsi or dunkin donut cup, etc.

12) photographer brinds a reflector with stand, or fill lights, or ladder to get higher perspectives.

13) Always have one leg in front of the other or have the weight of the body more on one leg

14)put makeup especially mascara

15) The background is a 50% factor if we are going to have a good picture. Choose a good venue for the shoot.

16) have a variety of angles. That means shots from above, from behind, from below, low center shots, shots from the sides

17) Be aware of where the light is coming from. Generally, don't have a shot where the light is coming from behind the bride as we get backlighting.

During the reception, do you finish your plate? No. So I can take pictures light.

Can you give further discounts if we take both photography and videography? Our prices are very very competitive and have to maintain good quality work. Our prices are straightforward and does not have hidden charges. We can no longer give discounts. The time that we spend covering the wedding is just part of our work. For photography, we have to adjust the exposure of each of the pictures, upload them in the internet, have 300 files printed for the proof book. For videography, we have to edit the footages and present the wedding like a movie.