On this page you will hopefully find most of the answers to your questions or any general information you are looking for.
Most of these answers do - unless otherwise stated - apply equally to all packages and photo sessions.
FAQs & general information
Most people I work with have more or less the same questions. And since I want you to feel really comfortable and safe working with me, I try to answer the most common general questions - especially about business-facts - in this section; you might even find answers to questions you might not even have thought of.
However, feel free to contact me about anything I might not have covered or you might want to know in detail. I will be happy to answer your specific or personalized questions.
Can I purchase a gift voucher with you?
You want to give away a gift voucher for a Foto-shooting?
Of course you can buy gift vouchers with me. Simply drop me a line via e-mail (info -at- anjakirschner-photography.com) or the contact page, we'll make all the arrangements and you will get your voucher neatly wrapped and ready to give away to make someone happy.
Everything concerning the actual photo shoot session
How much time do I have to set aside for a photo-shooting-session?
Apart from celebration and wedding documentaries (for which we agree on a specific time frame I will be covering for you), the actual time frame of a photo shoot varies and depends on what we are planning to do. In my proposals I usually give an approximate time frame. The shooting time given in these is, however, just a rough guideline. In order to get the best results for you, I reserve the right to shorten or lengthen this time depending on the situation and my experience.
Especially with families, having fun and building a good relationship is very important to me and crucial for success. It goes without saying that this may take longer or shorter with every family.
For celebration and wedding documentaries booked in an hourly package I will of course keep to the full number of hours agreed upon.
What should I wear?
The biggest question of all ... WHAT ARE WE | AM I GOING TO WEAR?
Surprise!: That's an easy one:
You wear whatever you like, whatever you feel comfortable in and whatever fits to the result you want to get - to take a job application picture with a wreath of flowers in your hair might be a bit inappropriate, the other way around of course just the same.
But most importantly: Do not reinvent yourself and your style for a photo shoot! You are who YOU are and what you wear belongs to you and should not imitate someone else; and the pictures we are after are YOUR pictures - not the pictures that should impress someone else!
"DRESS FOR YOURSELF - NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE!"
Regarding GROUP & FAMILY pictures and their outfits, every photographer has their own philosophy. As far as I'm concerned, I find the results in families | groups much more pleasing if there is a certain consistency and uniformity in the choice of wardrobe - especially concerning colors and general direction style. After all, for all your individuality, you are a unit in the end and want to display that.
As far as colors are concerned, try to find similar colors, e.g. blue and green tones or white and rosé and vary as simply as possible. No, boys do not have to wear rosé and you should not all look the same! Absolutely not! But what we are NOT aiming at is a bunch of crazy colored mannequins in a puppet show.
"Colorful" can also be a style of its own, but it brings a lot of restlessness and unnecessary distraction to a picture. I therefore do not necessarily recommend it.
And also: lay low as far as crazy colorful prints go. Remember: You do want pictures of YOU - not of the design of your T-shirt!
The bottom line: Simple unity is key (... and wild colorful prints are simply a no go!)
Where do we take the pictures?
We go wherever you feel comfortable, the light is best, and where YOU will be the center of attention - it is not about the landscape or the castle in the background! It is all about YOU in your pictures - not about anything else. So just tell me what you have in mind, what kind of pictures you are looking for and we'll find something together - whether in your home, on the meadow next door, in the middle of the city or around your grandfather's barn.
If you would like to sport a public place like a museum, a library, your favorite coffee shop or something similar as a backdrop, you are liable to get a written permission for a photo shooting from the respective location.
And: NO, I DO NOT HAVE A STUDIO. We work with where you live and feel comfortable in - whether it's in your home, a public place you love or in the great outdoors.
What about "bad" weather?
You want to know what's going to happen when the weather is not quite playing along?
No problem! First of all, in most cases there are alternatives regarding the location. And secondly, we can always - except of course for parties, weddings, etc. - postpone our session spontaneously. The equivalent conditions can be found under the section of rescheduling.
I will usually contact you a few days before the photo shoot if the weather is expected to be "bad" and we will think about what to do together.
In any case: do not panic! We are not intimidated by the weather.
General information
Will you consult me regarding specific topics and additional questions?
Since you and our relationship is my highes priority and crucial to the results of your photos, I always like to take the time in advance to consult you and listen to what you want. ... and above all I am here for you in these "Help! What should I wear?, aaahhh ... my hair doesn't do what I want it to" moments; I will try to take your fear of possible weather disaster pictures (as far as I'm concerned we can postpone almost every appointment) and I will make sure to tell you over and over again how beautiful you are!
No question is too much and every question is valid! This will build relationship and trust, and will result in even more beautiful pictures.
For wedding photography, we always meet in advance to get to know each other and really talk through ALL your wishes and ideas, contract content and details. I like to take my time with you because it is important to me that in the end you get what YOU want and wish for. And if the chemistry between us is just not right, there is still the freedom to find another wonderful photographer who can realize for you, what is best for you.
This consultation is of course free of charge for you.
Where are you based at, and are you willing to travel for my photoshoot?
I live and work in colorful Colorado - in the scenic town of Woodland Park, situated at the foot of America's Mountain, Pikes Peak; but no matter where in the world you want me to take your photos, I will try to make almost everything possible for you and get there.
Travel expenses depend on the distance to travel and the means of transportation. No worries: I always try to find the cheapest way to come to you.
What about travel-expenses?
I will, of course, be happy to travel for you - no matter if just a few miles around my home town or as far as Timbuktu. The distances stated as free of charge in my proposals relate to my home town; after that I charge $ 0,75 per mile or the corresponding costs for other means of transportation. For longer distances please ask for details. And don't worry: I will always try to find good deals for you.
If the distance to my home town is more than 50 miles, I might have to charge additional expenses for food and overnight stays.
Contract & contract contents / GTCs
Will I get a contract?
Yes, of course, you will officially receive a contract that we both sign digitally prior to your photo shoot. In this contract we will clarify a few basic things and determine what exactly you will get. That way everybody knows where they stand and what they get.
For weddings this contract is a bit more extensive, which is why we always meet long before your big day to talk it through. Usually, you only sign after that.
What does "prices with and without publication rights" mean?
It's a well known fact that every photographer primarily lives from the fact that their pictures are being seen ... and that not only in your living room or in the unique slide show at Aunt Hildi's 65th birthday.
That's why all prices come with the option to choose between two price categories:
* Price WITH publication right
and
* Price WITHOUT publication right.
This means that all prices are designed in such a way that I have two options on what to do with your pictures after delivery:
· With option number one ("without publication right") I can only either leave your pictures on my hard drive or delete them after delivery but I cannot show or use them anywhere else.
· With option number two - the cheaper option ("with publication rights") - you give me the chance and the right to use all pictures taken of you or anyone else in the picture for my public relations work - i.e. to put them online or to publish them in print. You will not be mentioned by name - unless explicitly discussed otherwise - and if there is one or the other picture that you explicitly don't want anyone else to see, that's absolutely okay and I will of course respect that; I will in any case choose the published pictures with due diligence.
This is a great chance for the smart spenders among us who don't mind being seen in public.
But I understand and respect it in any case if you don't want that and pay the full upcharged price.
Choosing to withhold the publication rights automatically implies a surcharge of 15% to the prices offered.
What about confirmation of session, postponement or cancellation?
SESSION BOOKING & CONFIRMATION
Of course we will always try to find a suitable date for everyone that's supposed to be in the photo shoot. We take into consideration that every model should have enough time , be relaxed and at the same time the weather and the time of day will suit the most beautiful light.
In most cases, you can simply choose a proposed date from my calendar tool.
In some cases, we will arrange find a date either by phone or email and you will receive my written confirmation of the appointment by email or via an online tool.
POSTPONEMENT OF BOOKED SESSION
The way life goes there's always the possibility of something unforeseen coming up and challenging that date we settled on: the summer flu hasn't followed the schedule or the "welcome-to-the-world-pimples" just has hit hard ... or it's simply pouring cats and dogs ...
Of course we will postpone the whole thing then! No question at all.
If you need to postpone your set appointment, please let me know asap via phone or e-mail.
You will then automatically be charged a postponement fee of 10% of your total value agreed upon. This fee ensures that you continue to adhere to our contract. It will also partially (50%) cover any losses I may have incurred as a result of this postponement.
At the same time, you will be prompted to choose another date asap.
The moment we find another date, 50% of the above mentioned postponement-fee amount will be credited to your account and be refunded with your final invoice.
FULL CANCELLATION OF BOOKED SESSION
In case of a full cancellation after an already confirmed date, a cancellation fee of 15% of the total value is due.
WEDDING & BUSINESS PHOTOGRAPHY
Wedding and business photo shootings are excluded from the above mentioned regulations. For these, separate conditions apply, which will be shown separately in the corresponding offer and contract.
How and when do I pay you?
You do not have to bring cash to the photo shoot. Excluding wedding and business contracts, the payment modalities are the same way as with any other craftsman: You hire me the moment we both (digitally) sign the contract and pay upon (partial) delivery:
We have fun taking your pictures, I edit them and then send you the worked on pictures in your personalized gallery. At this moment, you are only able to look at, but not download these pictures.
It is only after you have made your final choice, that you will receive an invoice.
Payments can be made via card, Venmo, check or cash.
As soon as I receive your payment, I will activate your download and send you the corresponding download information for your final choice of pictures.
For weddings there are slightly different regulations which you will find in your specific proposal.
Can I reject payment because I don't like the pictures?
Since photography and image editing always is a work of art, you practically take a leap of faith by signing a contract with me for a photo shoot session. A claim in the sense of "I do not like my pictures". is thereby excluded.
For this reason I do thank you in advance for your great trust in me and the appreciation you show for my artistic work.
GTC
Anything not mentioned specifically in this FAQ section or on your individual quote/contract, will be governed by state law of the state of Colorado, USA
Who is allowed do what with my pictures?
Image rights
Who do your pictures belong to?
In the first place, your pictures belong to you, of course.
But the copyrights are with me. This also means that the pictures may not be altered by you and I may publish them depending on the chosen price model (see section above: "Prices with and without publishing rights").
Of course, you are allowed to modify the pictures for your individual purpose, e.g. by cutting them to size or framing them. However, you are not allowed to make changes such as the use of color filters or any retouching that distort the original message of the picture in such a way that I, as a photographer, may suffer personal disadvantages such as reputational damage; changes that are restricted or prohibited by further rights (trademark law, personal rights, etc.) are not allowed either.
Publication rights and requirements
· MAY I - AS THE PHOTOGRAPHER - PUBLISH YOUR PICTURES?
As stated under the section "Prices with and without publishing rights", having my pictures seen is a vital fact to my line of work. So should you choose the lower price option and thereby giving me the right to publish your pictures, I may use all the pictures taken of you during the photo shoot for my public relations work; i.e. I may put them online or publish them in print. Unless explicitly agreed otherwise, you will not be mentioned by name and I will always make sure to choose your pictures with due diligence.
I will not sell your pictures.
· UNDER WHICH CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU - AS THE CLIENT - ALLOWED TO PUBLISH YOUR PICTURES?
Please note that as soon as you publish pictures taken by me, i.e. put them online (socialMedia, etc.) or use them in print media, the generally applicable law for photographers applies, which requires that the photographer is mentioned by name and linked to my website.
data backup & limited galery storage-time
Even though I usually fall a little bit in love with your pictures and I always connect a piece of my heart with every photo shoot, I still have to part with the majority of the pictures I take in the interest of maintaining order and keeping the data volume down.
That's why I keep your pictures for a maximum of three months after the photo shoot. After that I delete the files that are irrelevant to me.
Please also note that the online gallery provided for download is NOT a permanent storage place for your pictures, but only a temporary medium for data exchange. The galleries published there will be deleted after a certain amount of time - of course only after a successful download on your part.
How, when and how many pictures do I get?
How many pictures will I get and can I purchase additional ones?
How many pictures you will get in the end depends on the package you have chosen. After our photo shoot I will edit a selection of your best-ofs and present them to you in digital form for selection. Of these you will then choose your favorites. You choose at least as many as your package contains; in addition to that number, you are, of course, welcome to buy more single pictures or "upgrade" to the next package or full gallery. Please do not hesitate to ask for bulk prices or individual offers.
If you wish to only purchase a few single additional image files, you can always do that directly from your gallery using the shopping tool.
How long will it take you to work on my pictures and what will you do or not do to them in the process?
The more pictures I take of you during a photo shoot, the bigger the choices for really great pictures. I will be touching each of your pictures, evaluating and then editing my selection with a lot of dedication to detail and artistic expression. My goal is to find your style and work them in such a way that I think your pictures will be a true reflection of your glorious Beauty.
I enjoy this work process just as much as the photo shoot with you, but it is at least as time and work consuming. It is a process with a lot of passion, which usually requires a few hours more working time than the photo shoot itself. I therefore appreciate your tolerance for the processing time stated in the respective package and ask you not to hold me to it, especially during the peak season. I will always keep you updated should I foresee any delays.
RETOUCHES
Since it is my mission to show you how beautiful you are - with or without makeup - I might do some minor beauty retouching on irrelevant details like a pimple that was only there during the photo shoot, but I will make NO alterations whatsoever to your beautiful double chin or your cute little muffin tops. I will not do major retouches. You are beautiful!
How will I get my photos?
After editing, I will provide you with a selection of your pictures in an elegant password protected online gallery. In the gallery you can either choose your favorites intuitively or take up to two weeks to decide which ones you love the most. You select the number of pictures corresponding to the package you chose (If you want more pictures, please see "Can I buy additional images?"). According to your choice I will then issue your invoice; upon receipt of your payment, I will unlock your selection for download in JPEG format of various resolutions - with or without watermark, depending on the resolution.
With the online gallery link you will not only be able to download all the photos from the gallery but also share them, choose your favorites, and order high quality prints of all sizes and material!
This online gallery provided for download is NOT a permanent storage place for your pictures, but only a temporary medium for data exchange. Your gallery will be deleted in a timely manner - of course only after a successful download on your part.
Since it is up to personal preference, which of your pictures you want to put on display in what way and size, I do not offer prints with your photoshoot.
With your gallery, however, comes a great photo print shop where you can easily have any of your photos printed in high quality.
Also, additional digital image files can be purchased via this gallery shop and downloaded immediately after payment.
What about prints, photo-books and other foto-products?
· PHOTO PRINTS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN PACKAGES
Since it is up to personal preference, which of your pictures you want to put on display in what way and size, I do not offer prints with your photoshoot.
With your gallery, however, comes a great photo print shop where you can easily have any of your photos printed in high quality.
· PRINTS AND OTHER PHOTO PRODUCTS
To make sure you don't have to learn the software of a photo print service provider or spend valuable time at the photo counter of a drugstore only to get minor quality prints of your pictures, you can easily order your pictures in any size and various product types directly from your gallery. You will be getting products of the highest quality (from classic prints to framed prints or high-resolution fine art photo canvases, greeting cards, invites and the like) shipped directly to your home - straight out of your gallery. It's easy and without any fuss. All from one source. It can't get any more convenient.
· PHOTO BOOKS
If you wish for me to design and order your photo book for you, I will be happy to do that for you with a lot of love and great diligence. Please contact me for detailed offers.
Can I buy additional (digital) images?
If you want more image files than included in your package, you are welcome to purchase them for an additional charge. Individual digital images can be purchased via your online store. For bigger amounts (10 pictures and up) or the full gallery access, please contact me for bundle offers.
What type of file format will my digital images come in?
When downloading your pictures, you will be given various options regarding the size of your JPEGs (according to the respective resolution).
ORIGINAL QUALITY
I highly recommend you to download all pictures in their original quality (highest resolution and thus a large amount of data) to your computer AND to save them on an extra harddrive or cloud space.
To ensure the best quality of your prints you would want to be printing anywhere else but your gallery, please do ONLY use the original size files.
SMALL RESOLUTION FILES
In addition to the original quality download you can still download single pictures in smaller resolutions for web and social media purposes, etc. without overloading your smaller devices with huge amounts of data (e.g. your phone).
The smaller resolutions automatically carry a discreet watermark, which automatically covers the obligatory mention of my name as the author.
JPG or RAW FILES
Please note that I only provide you with already edited JPEG files, but no unedited pictures or RAW files. I will neither show or sell any RAW picture files to you.
ONLINE GALLERY IS NOT A PERMANENT STORAGE OF YOUR PHOTOS
Since your photo-gallery is not a permanent storage place and I do not keep your pictures forever, you are responsible for downloading the originals of your pictures and archiving them accordingly.
(No worries: before I delete a gallery, I usually make sure that you have downloaded your photos at least once in their original size)
Can I have or see ALL the pictures taken during our session?
I know, sometimes it might sound interesting to see all the pictures taken during a photo shoot session to not miss THE photo. But trust me: it's not. My mission is to show you how beautiful you really are and not to show you fractions of seconds in which your upper lip almost kissed your nose while your left eye itched so badly you just had to frown like an old wrinkly crumpy bear. ... nor will you be interested in every little moment of your Great Grand Aunt Muriel's virtual piano recital during your wedding ceremony as I was trying to portrait her in action.
So, to cut a long story short: no, you will not be given the opportunity nor the right to request seeing all the pictures taken. I will always choose with your best interest in mind and I will choose the best and more significant photos to tell your story and display your beauty.
You are also not eligible to request to get access to RAW files.