Before you shoot

And of course, before we shoot

We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions for your convenience. If you have other questions, feel free to email our studio at shutterepisodes@thezinfocorp.in.

Pricing


  • How much do you Charge?

    The pricing depends on the client's requirements. But our basic pricing starts from INR ₹36,000 / $545 / €455 Approx (Typically Traditional).
    Refer our pricing for the details.

  • Can I negotiate?

    The pricing depends on the client's requirements. But our basic pricing starts from INR ₹36,000 / USD $545 / €400 Approx (Typically Traditional). Refer our pricing for the details.



General Questions


  • Do you deliver every image you shoot?

    No, we do not. We eliminate duplicate images, test shots, missed focused shots, shots with bad expressions and other images that may dilute the overall product delivery. For example, because we shoot with low apertures, sometimes we take a few extra shots to make sure we have the perfect focus. We don’t expect you to have the expertise or the time to zoom into each image to select the one with the sharpest focus, so we spend hours doing that on our end. In another example, candid laughs and emotional tears are some of the best images from the day. Unfortunately, they can also yield some unflattering facial expressions. We might snap a few extras of any of these moments to make sure we have a great shot with the ideal expression for the moment. With our expertise of processing millions of images each year, we may eliminate ones that we feel are duplicates and only deliver the best one.

  • Does your studio provide videography services?

    Yes. To see examples of our videography services, click here for the details.

  • Have you shot at my venue before?

    We have shot at hundreds of venues, so there is a good chance that we have. However, if we have not, we will get to the venue early on the day of and be sure to perform a thorough walk-through to scout out the best photography locations. We also do extensive online research prior to your big day!

  • Do you do destination weddings? What additional fees are associated with destination weddings?

    While Shutter Episodes is based out of Chennai, INDIA, we serve clients all around the world. Our usual wedding photography packages does not include the cost of travel and accommodations, which shall be included.

  • Which photographer will be shooting my wedding?

    Typically, the photographer you meet with will be the photographer for your engagement session and wedding. You may request to meet with a specific photographer; otherwise, we’ll make the decision based on personality, availability, language abilities, and your referral.

  • Do you provide partial day coverage?

    We typically do not provide partial day coverage on weekends. On weekends, we only accept clients that require at least 8 hours of coverage.

  • Does your studio do headshots, individual portraits, family portraits, newborn shoots, commercial photography, or other types of photography?

    Yes, we have experience in many fields of photography. Feel free to contact our studio at thestudio@thezinfocorp.in.

  • Do you shoot Valaikaapu, Debutants, Engagements, or Corporate Events?

    Yes. These are all considered ‘event photography.’ We have chosen to focus and excel at wedding and event photography, and we would love to cover your celebration.

  • What if our ceremony is in a different language?

    Our photographers and cinematographers speak many different languages, including Telugu, Hindi, English and Malayalam. However, we have also covered many weddings in which we do not speak the primary language of the ceremony. We approach these weddings with research, understanding the traditions and culture of the wedding. We also have talk-through meetings with our couples before the wedding to ensure we are aware of the major moments. Lastly, we always ensure that we stay alert, leaning on the instincts that we have developed for capturing the emotion and the stories at any given moment.
    In our cinematography, if our editors do not understand the language spoken, we take a similar approach. First, we ensure that we have strong communication with you to understand the important moments from the day. We also find aspects in English to drive the story. This might be a heartfelt toast at the reception or personal messages that you give to each other, recorded during your wedding preparation.
    So while different languages can present challenges, in the end, artistry, creativity, and storytelling are all universal concepts that our team will portray in your photography and cinematography.



Style & Quality


  • What is your philosophy regarding photography?

    Please click here for details on our photography philosophy.

  • What is your photography style?

    The Shutter Episodes team is acclaimed for developing a unique style of wedding photography that is deeply rooted in wedding photojournalism while influenced by fine-art and fashion photography. We love using creative lighting, unique perspectives, angles, compositions and artistic post-production refining to bring out our clients personalities and beauty while telling their wedding story. We pride ourselves on not just being photographers, but rather artists creating unique and expressive imagery. To see examples of our quality and style, please visit our Episdoes.

  • Can I see a full event from start to finish?

    Of course you may! We pride ourselves on the consistency of our work. We understand all photographers post their best shots from each wedding on their websites so it’s hard to determine how well he or she will perform on the wedding day. That is why we encourage all of our potential clients to view full events from all photographers they meet with to see how well the photographer performs throughout the day.

  • My venue is very dark. How does your studio handle these situations and can I see samples?

    We have shot in the darkest of dark chapels and reception halls so no need to worry! If the situation allows, we will set up additional lighting to ensure we get focused pictures.

  • Is there a style or quality difference among the photographers?

    No. We take every measure to ensure consistent style and quality among our photographers. We have developed the unique style you see in our work over the years. Each shoot is reviewed to ensure our quality and style are consistent. All mistakes, no matter how minor, are scrutinized by the team. We trust that the quality and style of photography you receive will be consistent. However, we do tailor our shooting style and techniques to our client requests. For example, some clients may prefer a light and airy look while others may prefer dramatic lighting and shadows.



Post Production


  • Do you touch up all the images in our image download?

    Yes we do. Every image we deliver is post produced with our unique signature style of post-production. This involves color correction, exposure adjustment, selective black and white processing, clarity adjustments, tone-mapping, and other corrections. Many photographers will not post produce any images, or will only post produce “select” images from your wedding. This means that you may have pictures that are too dark, have strange skin tones or other common photography flaws.

  • What do you mean by “touching up” the photos?

    “Touching up” in our studio is the same as our signature (standard) post-production. See the question below for clarification.

  • What is the difference between advanced and custom; and why are there additional costs for a custom retouch?

    Advanced post-production includes touch-ups such as removal of blemishes, removal of bags under eyes, removal of fly-away hairs, etc. On the other hand, custom post production is anything that requires extensive, custom work in Photoshop such as removing entire objects from the scene, changing the size and shape of body parts or other objects in the scene, adding objects to a scene and other custom work. We charge hourly for the custom post-production as the time required ranges depending on the complexity of the project. Please contact our studio manager for a quote for custom post-production.

  • Do you shoot in JPEG, Small Raw, or Large Raw?

    We shoot most of our images in Small Raw with certain situations where we move to Large Raw.



Wedding Day Questions


  • How many hours do you suggest we set aside for wedding day photos?

    Take a look at our Wedding Photography Timeline to see a detailed breakdown of how much time would need to have set aside for your wedding photos.

  • I have downtime between events on my wedding day. Will I be charged for that downtime?

    For a variety of reasons, we have to charge for the time in between events. The fact is, we’re never truly resting during the day, whether we’re backing up images, setting up for the second venue, traveling to the second location, taking venue shots, or making up for lost photo time because of unforeseen wedding day delays. In many cases, we use that “downtime” to take you and your significant other out for a photo session or more family portraits.

  • What happens if we go over the contracted amount of time?

    We understand that not everything goes as planned during a wedding. We never pack up before the contracted time, and moreover, we’re not leaving on the dot when the contracted time is up. Instead, we will ask you at the end of your contracted time whether or not you would like to extend. If you would like us to stay, we will charge the rates specified in your contract rounded to the closest 30-minute increment.

  • Why do we need to charge for additional coverage?

    We’ve dedicated the entire day to your wedding, so we won’t be racing off to catch other plans that evening. However, we need to charge for additional coverage primarily because there are costs of having the team stay for additional hours. The shooters and lighting assistants all require additional compensation. Furthermore, the additional photos taken will need to be post-produced which adds to our overall costs.



Albums, Prints & Storybooks


  • How long does it take to get my prints?

    Product creation times vary, however, print orders will generally be completed within 6 weeks after the product order is submitted.
    Similar to the post-production process, if you require rush processing, a fee of ₹7,999 will be charged. Additional fees for rush shipping may also apply.

  • How long does it take to get my album?

    As with our other products, production times vary. However, you can typically expect to receive your album 6 weeks after placing the order. The process prior to placing the order varies in duration depending on how quickly you respond to the instructions for the album design as well as the number of changes you request after the initial designs. Some brides complete this within a month or two; others take over a year.

  • How many pages and images do we get in our wedding day album?

    Our classical album contain 40 sheets and 200-250 images. Our signature candid storybook contain 30 pages and 100 images. If you’d like to add more pages and images, each additional page can be added at additional cost and includes the design time/revisions.

  • Can I add more pages and images to my album?

    Each additional page can be added for additional cost and includes the design time/revisions.

  • Do you guys provide framing services as well?

    Yes, we do provide framing services. Our signature frame is White Matte Metal.



Image Download & Legal


  • What size can we print our photos up to with our full resolution image download?

    In most cases, you can print your photos up to 20×30 without any quality loss. If you’d like to print larger than 20×30, additional post-production will be required. For pricing on these services, please contact our studio manager by clicking here shutterepisodes@thezinfocorp.in.

  • What rights do I have to the digital prints?

    You have the right to reprint images whenever you want. However, you may not sell your images for profit or publish your images without the written consent of Shutter Episodes.

  • Do you provide the RAW files from my engagement session and/or wedding day?

    Each of our packages comes with a full resolution image download. However, we typically do not provide RAW (unprocessed) files from our shoots because we believe in delivering a finished product. In fact, we’re often shooting with the end (post-produced) product in mind. However, on occasion, we may provide RAW images along with our post-produced JPG’s for an additional fee and restrictions.

  • How many images do you deliver on the image download?

    For a 5-hour session we typically deliver 60-80 images per hour of coverage. Keep in mind these numbers may increase or decrease depending on the flow of the day and the number of events/activities needing to be captured.

  • Do you provide the digital negatives after the shoot?

    Yes we do. All of our packages come with Full Resolution image download.

  • What if I lose my images?

    There is a ₹3000 replacement charge for additional downloads after the event haas been archived. We strongly suggest you make at least one copy of the download when you receive it from us.



Equipment


  • What type of camera/equipment do you use?

    Click here to view our equipment at The Studio.



Business Insurance & Image Backup


  • Do you back up our images? How can we ensure that our images won’t be lost?

    We have never lost an image from a wedding due to the following backup workflow for each our events: During the event, we shoot on two cards at the same time. This instantly creates a backup of every image in the camera. Afterward, we separate the primary cards from the backup cards, should anything happen to one set. We then back up the images to a local server set up in a RAID 1 configuration, as well as copy them to an offsite hard drive. At any given point before delivery of the images, there are two copies of the files in separate locations.



Meeting Policy


  • We live out-of-town. Is it possible for our family/friends to meet with you instead?

    We’d love to meet your relatives, answer their questions and review our work with them. If possible, we’d like to at least webcam with you to get to know you better.

  • We’re very busy and won’t be able to meet. Are there any other options?

    We would love to meet with you prior to your engagement shoot or wedding; however, if you’re too busy or too far away, we can handle everything remotely. Just let us know what information you need and we will do our best to accommodate your request. For example, if you would like to see more of our work, we can gladly show you complete events online. If you would like to talk about packages and get a sense of the photographer’s personality, telephone calls, and webcam appointments can be arranged.

  • Do you travel to meet clients?

    Due to the limitations of our schedule, we currently do not travel to meet clients. If you would like to schedule a meeting, please contact our studio manager at +91 96771 67390 or email, shutterepisodes@thezinfocorp.in.

  • How do I set up an appointment to meet you in person and see some of your work?

    Contact our studio manager at 044 22682390 or email, shutterepisodes@thezinfocorp.in.



Payment & Tax


  • How do I reserve you for my date?

    All dates are reserved once we receive your signed contract and deposit.

  • What are your payment terms?

    For all the events, we collect, 30% of the package amount as an advance/deposit; 40% on the event closure; balance 30% on the delivery of the albums and videos. The payment shall be made through Cheque, Demand Draft, Bank Transfer, Online Payment and UPI.

  • What if we exceed our contracted time for our engagement shoot and/or wedding day coverage?

    Standard rates apply for overtime.

  • Is there an additional fee if we pay via credit card / online payment?

    Yes. The retail adjustment fee for all credit card transactions is 3% of the charged amount.

  • If we cancel the wedding, will we receive our retainer fee back?

    Unfortunately no. Retainer fees are used to reserve your date. Once we’ve reserved your date, we do not accept new clients for your date.

  • If we change our wedding to a different date, will we be able to use our retainer fee towards a future date?

    Generally no, but this is taken on a case by case basis. The reason for canceling and our availability is taken into account. Also, if rates change from your original date to your new date, the new rates will apply.

  • Are there travel fees associated with the wedding day shoot(s)?

    All travel expenses are based on the distance between your event location(s).