How many years have you been shooting weddings? The first wedding I photographed was in 1975.
What’s your educational background? I attended college in Muncie, Indiana. I was a photojournalism major with a minor in philosophy (parents wanted me to have a “back-up” in case the photography thing didn’t work out. Luckily it did :o)
Do you work alone or with an assistant? Depends on the size of the wedding. I photograph many (most) alone, but also use an assistant at times. For one extremely large wedding I assembled a team of three photographers, including myself, to thoroughly document the day.
Do you shoot film or digital? I’ve been 100% digital for ten years. I began with Photoshop 2.0.
Do you use any special equipment? I carry six professional grade digital cameras (Canon) and 20 lenses. My arsenal includes everything from fisheye to 300mm f/2.8 telephoto including a set of extreme high speed lenses (24, 50, 85 and 135), macro lenses and tilt-shift lenses for dramatic focus effects.
What shot of yours seems to be your favorite for most of your weddings? No one particular shot, more of a style of shooting. I capture the true emotions of the day in a candid, documentary manner.
How many weddings do you usually shoot per year? I limit my commissions to 18 per year. I’ve found, for me, that’s the magic number I can accept and keep my excitement level at its peak from the first to the last wedding of the year.
How many shots do you usually take at a wedding? Depends on the wedding. Usually it falls somewhere between 1,800 and 3,200 images. Afterward I will edit the raw number of images down to somewhere between 600 and 1,000 selects.
What is the price range of your wedding packages? Coverage begins at $3,500.
Do you offer Engagement pictures? Yes.
How far are you willing to travel for a wedding? Have passport do travel. I’m especially looking for out of country weddings. I would love to photograph in Italy again. In the states I’ve photographed couples from New York City to Hollywood, California.
Do you give away or retain the rights to reproduce your pictures? Every package includes a DVD of high-resolution images with copyright release.
How long do you archive the negatives or files from a wedding? Well, I still have the negatives from the wedding I did in 1975…
Do you see any new trends in wedding photography? The trend I see is that everyone today is calling himself or herself a “wedding photojournalist,” even if they pose most of the shots. This is unfortunate. My background is in newspaper and magazine photojournalism and there IS a difference.
What makes you better than your competitors? Again, I call myself a wedding photojournalist because I AM a photojournalist. My work has been published worldwide.
Tell us about the best wedding you ever shot? Ask me after my next wedding! Every single wedding could fall into this category. Each is unique and every couple very special. I’ve done back yard weddings that brought me to tears because of the emotions of the couple and multi-million dollar weddings that were extravagant beyond imagination.
Do you have a facebook or twitter page? Yes, http://www.facebook.com/terryclarkphotography
http://twitter.com/TerryClarkPhoto
What is your most effective form of marketing? Besides this website it has to be word of mouth. Couples are so excited about their pictures they can’t help but show them to their friends, especially those getting married soon.
How do brides find you most often? People find me through their friends or by a Google search.
Do you carry any backup equipment? Yes, with six camera bodies and 20 lenses I have plenty of gear in case something happens.
Can my friends and family to order reprints directly from you? Yes, they can order directly from me or through the couple’s password protected website I use for previewing and photo ordering.
Do you post your proofs on the internet? Yes, each couple has a password protected website where friends and family may view and order pictures.
What size files does your digital equipment produce? Varies depending on the body used, primarily it is 21 megapixels, or sixty megabyte files.
How many hours will you be with me? Starting and ending when? All day. I start when the bride goes to the salon and end when they turn out the lights at the reception hall. It’s a very long day, but I can’t figure out how to capture every moment of the day without being there every moment on the day.
Do you offer printed or computer proofs? A hardbound proof book is provided with our packages.
May the bride requests specific shots? Absolutely! I’m always open to requests. It’s your day, you can have whatever you wish.
How long after the wedding does it take to get proofs? Usually a week to two weeks after the wedding the edited and color corrected images will be posted to your password protected website. Typically a day or two after the wedding I’ll have a sneak peek of a few favorites on my blog and Facebook page.
