FAQ: What do You Need to Know Before Booking a Wedding Photoshoot

Dear brides, grooms, and wedding planners, please review the replies to the most frequently asked questions. We did our best to collect them all so that you could learn better how we work. All the answers are sincere since we are convinced that any collaboration should be based on faithful relationships. So, welcome one ARTURJAKUTSEVICH.COM, and let’s get acquainted with you.

All the information given below is based on our experience. So far, we’ve worked at more than 200 weddings and carried out about 500 photoshoots in 15 countries worldwide. Hence, it is valuable and enjoyable reading for you.

What is the average price for a wedding photography service?

How much does a wedding dress or a red car costs? Just think over this question. My fee depends on several things. That’s why I will give you the answer only after you’ll give me the following information:

  • The date and the place of the shooting (city, country);

  • Duration of the shooting;

  • Format of the shooting (wedding report, photo session, honeymoon shooting, engagement, love story);

  • Information about your event (number of guests, style, schedule, surprises);


As you can see, we do have things to discuss. To start with, please send me your request via the contact form. You will get a reply from my assistant and manager Vladimir or me. We are easy people and run our work transparently. Please mind that our communication is only possible via email so that we don’t lose any details.
Our price rage varies from 550 Euros to 8000 Euros. Why? Ask this question in Skype/Facetime/Whatsapp.

My minimal fee for photo shooting is 550 Euros. Such variants are possible only on some of the dates when booking not early than 3 weeks before the event. The usual price for the shootings (engagement, honeymoon, love story, anniversary, and so on):

  • Rome 600 - 2000 Euros;

  • Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna 1200 - 1600 Euros;

  • Prague 1000 - 1500 Euros;

  • Cannarian islands 1300 - 2000 Euros;

  • in all other locations according to your request;


Full-day wedding photo shooting prices:

  • Italy 1500 - 2500 Euros;

  • The Czech Republic 1500 - 2500 Euros;

  • Spain 1500 - 3000 Euros

  • France 1500 - 3000 Euros


All detailed calculations can be done only according to your request, that is high expected in our contact form. All the wishes and preferences, dates and locations should be sent to us.

Which month is the best for a destination wedding photo shooting?

Please feel comfortable navigating the pages and reports I share. We decided to split all the photo shootings according to the months they were carried out. Choose your month and get inspired with photos: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December.




For example, if you feel like going to Italy and having a photo shoot with an Italian photographer, you may come any month. If your destination is France or the Czech Republic, I suggest considering dates between April and October.

Why is it necessary to communicate with you before the photo shooting or wedding? Can’t you just give us the average price and availability for the needed date?

My dear friends. If we are meant to work in a team in order to create something special for your occasion, we need to know each other well. From my side, a lot of information is given and shared on the pages of this website. But the opposite side of the coin is that I don’t know anything about you. I consider any photo shooting to be a process based on mutual communication between the photographer and you. Moreover, any session: wedding, engagement, or honeymoon (any other) is a big responsibility. Therefore, I always communicate with my clients in advance.
And here we come to the question of personal comfort. You are sure to agree, that with an unknown person most of the people feel uncomfortable. But we need to see your feelings and emotions, because these are two basic columns on which wedding photography is based on. Just try to imagine that you will spend your big day or honeymoon trip (one day at least) with an unknown person. Will you feel comfortable?

My first free piece of advice for the brides – pay more significant attention to the issue of choosing a good wedding photographer rather than a unique wedding gown. The latter you may always change or give back to the shop. But you will never be able to recreate the atmosphere of your big day celebration, which your photographer is meant to reflect in photos. In my experience, I had several couples who went for a honeymoon trip with a strong desire to have a professional photo shooting in a specific area in a wedding suit and dress because they did even have a single photo from their marriage to hang on the wall. So, believe me or not, things happen.
Remember, that after the celebration there will be only your love, your rings and wedding photos, which will remind you and your kids of that day.

If you choose to stop on me, I’m really happy, and it will be my pleasure to start communication and planning. The first step is Skype/Facetime communication. After that, we will discuss all the details from eye to eye. I’m sure my fee will never be a problem for you since I’m a realist and don’t overestimate myself. Moreover, there are always ways out and variants.




It would help if you minded that I don’t measure my work in some hours—no prices on an hourly basis. My point of view towards the issue is that a professional photographer can’t work counting minutes. Therefore I consider myself to be a happy person since photography is my hobby and my labor of love. I take photos and make people I work with happy. Of course, after every project, I can calculate the time spent: time for advanced communication usually, meeting the day before shooting, proper selection of raw shoots, and of course, processing will take five or even ten times more time than the shooting itself. This is my work method, which helps make every event unique and special for every couple.




I fully understand my couples and lots of questions they ask. Therefore I thoroughly describe how the shootings are carried out. Feel free to read some articles about Prague, Rome, Amsterdam, Vienna, Paris, and other destinations I have already been as a wedding photographer. The more I shoot, the more I post. As you can see, there is no classic portfolio on this website, which I consider to be fair towards you since you can see not one or two of the best photos from the shooting but have a complete vision of possible results.
To sum up. There is no chance to book Artur Jakutsevich as a wedding photographer for certain event and date without communication. Get ready to spend long-lasting 20-30 minutes in Skype/Facetime.

When will the photos be ready?


Keep in mind that besides shooting, photos should be processed. And it is time-consuming. That’s why, if a photographer promises you to give the photos rapidly, he must:

  • have few orders and a lot of free time;

  • process one or few photos;

  • pays not enough attention to processing;


In any other case, it takes from 2 to 8 months to process the material professionally. There we should mention one more peculiarity. The wedding season starts in April and ends in October. That why the photographer easily copes with processing at the beginning of the year, but he hardly has a possibility to do it in summer or autumn. Moreover, real professionals shoot all year round: weddings, engagements, honeymoons, family photo sessions, and so on. Personally, I have a lot of destination shooting.
But event though you are sure to receive processed photos within 1-4 months maximum.

What camera do you use as a professional wedding photographer?

I’m sure that is the person, not a camera, who takes the picture

I work with 2 professional Nikon cameras: Nikon D700 and Nikon D600. I should say that I have found D700 the best camera within the last 10 years. And I would buy the third one, but unfortunately, it is taken out of production and replaced by a more mega-pixel one and not so heavy D600. For my shootings, I use the camera on my iPhone.

How many processed photos will we get?

At first, we should clarify the meaning of the processing process. Photographers and clients have different understanding of it. Some people consider it to be magic, with the help of which the photographer replaces the background with a fantastic Elf Tower view. So let’s make it clear.




Processing for me is the color correction of all the pictures I select from a shooting. All the RAW files are processed in this way. The quality of photos which you will receive will be comparable to the photos in my blog.

Number of photos


There is no matter whether a photographer gives you 10 or 900 photos, if you don’t like any of them. I always give back only good ones.

That’s why the amount may vary:

  • after a 4-hour honeymoon or engagement shooting, there will be about 100-150 processed photos;

  • after a full wedding day (12-14 hours) — from 400 to 1000 processed photos;


The final number can differ from the numbers stated above depending on how diverse the event will be.

In what format will we get our wedding photos?

You will get processed JPEG files in their best and maximum quality with the size of about 4000 pixels on the bigger side.

In what countries/cities do you provide wedding photography services?

As you have already noticed, I do love to travel. As mentioned above, I had shootings in 15 countries.
In all European cities my fees are almost equal. You should not bother with my trip planning or hotel booking for me. I will do it by my self.

Moreover, I have wide touristic experience, which I enjoy with friends and couples. Therefore, if you have questions about your beloved destination, ask them, and I will give you information.

Where do you live?

I live in Rome, Italy. But within a year, I traveled and visited at least 30 countries.

When should we book the photo shoot date and send the payment?

It depends on a specific date. Some of them are booked a year before, and others may be free 2-3 weeks before the event. For example, I usually have some 10-20 bookings for the following year in October. If you plan a 7-12-day honeymoon trip, I recommend you book the date no later than 3-4 months before it. But if you are planning a wedding, you should do it as soon as possible, usually 6-12 months before the event.
To book the date you should make 50% prepayment. The rest of the sum is handled to me not later than 24 hours before the event

Do you meet with your clients before the shooting?

Every client is my friend. And I do treat them like my friends. We always meet 1-3 days before the event to get to know each other better. Before the meeting, we usually have 2-3 discussions via Skype. Shooting is a kind of cooperation, and it will be great if you and I understand what to expect and feel comfortable.

I would like to surprise my beloved one, organize my destination wedding, etc. Can you help me?

Yes, sure. I have contacts with different professionals in various countries: Spain, Italy, France, Czech Republic. Moreover, I know the industry from the inside. That's why I can recommend reliable organizers and specialists. Here is a free idea for future grooms. Have a look at how to surprise your beloved lady and have a stunning engagement.

Do you make wedding videos?

I only take photos and can sincerely recommend my colleagues, who create beautiful wedding videos and work worldwide.

Can we have a discount on a wedding photography service?

As mentioned above, every client is my friend. With all my friends, I'm heartfelt. It means that I have equal prices for everyone with no difference in what county you come from and what your background is. There is no difference between the summer or winter term—therefore no option to have discounts. If I give it, it means I cheat. And I'm not a cheater. I'm a professional photographer who respects my clients and myself.

Why is a professional wedding photography service so expensive?

As mentioned above, I pay equal attention to every couple I work with. As a result, every couple I worked with was satisfied with the method. And no money can satisfy me as a photographer more than reviews from my clients.




But for the money, you will need to do 7 important steps:

  1. 20-60 minutes in Skype/Facetime/Whatsapp to discuss the price, date, duration, locations, and other details;

  2. 10-30 minutes inSkype/Facetime/Whatsapp to discuss your individual plan of the shooting;

  3. 1-5 minutes to make a prepayment and to book the date;

  4. 20-30 minutes inSkype/Facetime/Whatsapp to discuss the final plan 2-4 weeks before the date;

  5. 30-60 minutes for a personal meeting with me 1-2 days before the event;

  6. Some time of expectations;

  7. For the rest of your life, enjoy the pictures;


Don't get upset if I didn't manage to convince you that communication is an essential part of successful shooting or my way of cooperation seems complicated to you. Nowadays, you may find a person with a digital camera with easy and fast photography almost in any city. I believe in you!
If you are ok to work together in order to create something really special and to get photos that will be a part of you family story, I will be pleased to provide you with necessary time and attention.

Who is Vladimir?

Vladimir Novikov is my official representative, a colleague photographer we have been working together for many years. I trust him as a professional wedding, engagement, and honeymoon photographer. We run our wedding studio together, travel, and complete international project worldwide. He is based in Prague, though he works in Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Rome, Venice, Budapest, and other amazing destinations. The examples of his photo shootings you can find in this website. Also, have a look at his Instagram.

 

In the vast correspondence we receive every week. There are lots of emails from wedding planners and vendors. We do appreciate your trust and interest, dear colleagues. Working with you in new locations and creating new unique projects will be enjoyable. Would you be so kind as to continue reading and learn our answers to the most popular questions asked?

FAQ for wedding agencies and professionals

We are a wedding agency and would like to cooperate, is it possible?

We are open to cooperating with professional and reliable partners from any country or region. So far, we have worked with wedding agencies and coordinators from the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Germany, and Spain. To get additional information about us and to get acquainted, you should contact Vladimir (I wrote about him above) via an elementary contact form below.

I am a wedding professional, how to cooperate with you?

We always recommend our client's real professionals, the ones we would order ourselves. So, if you are confident enough and improve your style and work all the time, if you are positive and active, let's be colleagues and work together. The first step you need to make, as you can guess, is to fill out the form.

Sincerely your,

Artur Jakutsevich and Vladimir Novikov