We know you're super excited to see your images!  We have 100 steps on our Workflow Checklist that we have to get through first. 

Excited to see photosChild excited about having her picture taken, standing in water on Key West beach

We want to make sure you are thrilled with your photos when you receive them, which means we take the time to sort through them, narrow down sets of multiple images to just the "best of the best", and optimize them for the best exposure, crop, straightening, contrast, and color possible. 

Your images are downloaded and backup at the studio, then they go to our editor. 

Depending on the size of the shoot, they may come back to the photographer one to three times throughout the process. 

Upon final approval, they are finally exported from our editing software (we use Lightroom) and are ready for viewing.  

**** NOTE  **** ALL CONTRACTS STATE THAT WE HAVE UP TO 8 WEEKS TO DELIVER ANY SESSION. 

WHILE WE DO OUR BEST TO GET SMALLER JOBS OUT FASTER, IN BUSY TIMES, WE WILL REVERT TO THIS MAX TURNAROUND IF NEEDED. 

With that said, under normal circumstances, to give you an idea of what this timeline looks like, check out the following timeline:

This is meant to be just a guideline.  If your studio session, family portrait or engagement falls on or around a major holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Easter), expect an extra week turnaround.
Couple having funCouple having fun on Casa Marina beach during Key West family photo shoot

Unforeseen issues such as hurricanes, photographer or editor illness (yes we are a small business run by real human people), computer equipment or software issues (in 17 years this has only caused delays twice, but it's possible), will invoke our Force Majure clause in our contract, which you signed when you booked. This basically means we agree to communicate and work together on reasonable alternate arrangements to deal with unexpected issues such as these.  

Want to learn more about the specific steps as images make their way from Camera to Client?

Check out our Wedding Workflow Behind the Scenes Steps

TURNAROUND FAQ

1) Can I pay extra to receive my images faster?

No.  We more-or-less have a handle on workflow because we know how many jobs we have to shoot in a given period of time.  Bumping someone higher - for whatever reason - just screws up the entire system.  Plus, who wants to be the jerk that tells their bride and groom "Sorry your images are late, this other customer paid more so we moved them up the list".  Not fair to them, feels icky to us.  Sorry, we won't do it.  

Mary and Keith letting the world go by as they kiss on the Westin dock boardwalk 2) Can I get a discount if I tell you I'm not in a hurry and give you more time? 

No, due to the reasoning above.  It's already complicated enough when we are managing tens-of-thousands of images per year, multiple orders, albums, and other production related requests.  Making per-job adjustments just adds more for us to concentrate on...concentration that could be spent getting the editing done.  

3) Can I pay my final balance once the images are ready?

The agreement you sign when you book outlines your payment schedule.  Your final payment is due in accordance with your agreed payment schedule.  For most weddings, that is 30 days before the event.  For most family sessions and engagements, that is the week of the shoot.  This schedule has nothing to do with image turnaround.

4) I forgot to pay my final balance.  When will I receive my photos?

As outlined in the contract, images are not released on accounts that have a balance.  If you still owe a portion of your wedding or session, your images will not be posted.  We will send invoice reminders; You are welcome to make payments on your balance, and when the total is paid, the gallery will be released. 

Bride swinging at the parkBride laughs while swinging at the park at Higgs Beach in Key West 5) Can you send me a weekly update of my job status?

You're welcome to email us at any time to check in, but we don't currently have a system in place that will automatically update you on where we are in the overall process, and honestly with a small staff, the hours it would take to manually compose all those emails on a weekly basis would be hours that could have been spent...you know where we're going with this.  :) 

6) I have a party/reception/event/special request when I get back home...Can I get a few images sooner in time for that?

Maybe.  It all depends on if we're able to deliver a Sneak Peek, and where that falls in relation to your event.  Since it takes nearly as many steps to get you 5 images as it does 500, the fact that you need "only a few" doesn't really save us any steps on our end.  We will do our absolute best, but for the reasons mentioned in all the FAQ above, we cannot guarantee delivery for a specific date that falls before the contracted turnaround time.  For best results and less stress on both ends, if having your photos are super important to the success of the event you're planning back home, we recommend you schedule it around when you know for sure you'll have images in hand.  

7) I want to send Thank You Cards as soon as possible after my wedding...Can I get a few images sooner so I can use them for this purpose?

Maybe.  See the answer to #6 above.

Jar and flower photo at wedding in Key Westwedding details at Pier House

8) I'm a photo hobbyist/I have Photoshop Elements/I love editing photos on my phone...Can I get my images faster if I do my own editing?

We are a full service studio, and will complete the process start to finish as part of your package.  We do not offer raw unedited files.  Unless you're a professional working photographer with specific software, your computer most likely will not even be able to read the camera raw files anyway, so it's a moot point.

But technicalities aside, let's pretend you're a chef, or maybe you sell insurance, or maybe you're a teacher at a private school.  This request would be like a patron, customer, or parent coming to you and saying "I cook at home all the time, can I get my order out faster if I help you flip the meat?" or "I've bought car insurance online before, can we speed this process along if I come to your office and enter the data into your computer for you?", or "I read children's books to my kids all the time, can I get reduced tuition if I come in to the classroom and teach my kids their letters for you?". 

See how that would be kind of hard to do?  :)

9) When will the retouching be completed?

When we say "editing", we mean overall edits to an entire set of images to tell a story and showcase the very best of the event with a style and look that is consistent with our portfolio of work.  

"Retouching" is what happens after you place your order or choose your favorites, and are done image-per-image, and done to fit YOUR specifications.  Obvious things like flyaway hairs and facial blemishes are automatically taken care of, but cosmetic requests (slimming, etc) are only done upon request, so all of that happens AFTER you have seen and chosen your images.