How long have you been a photographer?
A 1985 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology's professional photography program, I have
been a full time photographer ever since. Since 1988 I have been shooting advertising, marketing
and editorial projects for my own studio / business and for 8 years as a Kodak staff photographer. In
addition to shooting weddings, I continue to shoot advertising and commercial photo projects. For
more info please see my bio and visit my advertising photography web site www.alanfarkas.com
Do you use an assistant?
On nearly all shoots I use a photo assistant to help during the days events. At times the assistant
will also be shooting under my direction.
Digital vs. film
A relevant question considering recent technology advances. I personally love both film & digital.
However for most wedding applications, digital capture is the superior choice. I use state of the art
professional 35mm digital cameras with high mega pixel sensors. Then files can be enlarged to
beautiful poster size prints. While I was a photographer at Kodak it was proven over and over that
35mm digital surpassed the quality of even medium format film. The ability to make exact multiple
copies of the digital files/ disks ensure your wedding pictures are safe.
What if your camera breaks?
I carry back-up equipment for all photos systems, including cameras, lenses and lighting equipment.
Are you insured?
Yes. I carry a full business & liability policy. Many couples don't think of this but should they hire a
"weekend warrior" photographer who shoots weddings as a side "gig", they just may be starting
their life together with a lawsuit. Should the uninsured photographer injure a guest or damage
property, the employer, or wedding couple in this case, could be the ones held liable.
Can you shoot black & white?
One of the great attributes of digital capture is the ability to be convert digital files to beautiful black
& white prints as well as sepia tone. As part of every package I will convert a number of the files to
either B&W or sepia where artistically appropriate. see image toning samples.
Can I print my own pictures?
You can print your own images if you purchase a hi-res disk option available on the packages page.
How long will my photos last?
This is a bit of trick question. Many photographers and processing labs will tell you that your printed
photos will last forever, it's what you want to hear, right? 1st off, you can relax, with proper care
they will last your life time and probably your grand kids life time. But the way you view and store
your photos makes a big difference. The best thing you can do is to keep them in a cool dry dark
place such as a photo album. UV light kills everything! Heat and moisture = mold & mildew that can
grow on the organic emulsion of photo paper. Keep framed prints in UV filtering glass and away
from bright windows.
Disks - I use high quality disk media for all DVD/ CD's I deliver to you. I never use stickers or ink-jet
printing on the disk fronts. It's a bit boring but also the best way to preserve your photos &
memories. The potential for damaging the disk is not worth the small aesthetic gain. I also suggest
making backup copies of disks I supply to you and possibly even backing up to a removable /
portable hard-rive and storing it off site.