F.A.Q. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

This is not just a frequently asked question about wedding photography but probably the most asked one. A good wedding photographer not only takes photos but also makes 100% sure that those photos will be taken and will be safely delivered to you. That means backup equipment in case anything breaks on the wedding day and backing up the images immediately so none can get lost or damaged. A good wedding photographer will take time to postprocess and optimize the images he took to get you the best result possible. So he does not only charge for his time on the wedding day but has to consider for many hours that go into preparing your wedding, making sure you are on the same page and in postprocessing your images. He will also use only the best and most expensive equipment and has to cover those costs as well as pay taxes, insurances etc. All of this is important for high quality, worry-free wedding photography. So if you find an offer to good to be true, that is most likely because the photographer saves time or money on one or several of those points. That may not necessary (though probably) lower the quality of the images but definitely increases the risk to run into problems along the way or even end up without wedding photos.

So if you want to hire a professional that will not let you down you should expect rates starting at least around USD 2000 for a full day coverage without a book.

Basic packages all include engagement photos, the wedding photography itself, a DVD with all images as processed high resolution jpegs and a password protected online gallery. You can always ad a second photographer, video, a photobooth, a high quality book of your wedding, fine art prints, additional shootings (see next questions) and more.

If you have both, a religious and a civil ceremony, you are probably only going to celebrate the day of the religious wedding really big. That is the day you are going to hire me for. But I also offer a shorter coverage of the civil ceremony in a reduced package and at a much reduced rate. This offer is only available on week-days though.

The same applies if you plan an engagement party or any other event before the wedding.

Off course I do! You can book only the couple/engagement shooting or book it together with your wedding package to get a better price. You should plan about 1-2 hours for the session. You can choose the location or we can choose one together.
On every wedding there are guests that tell me how awful their wedding photos are, that they don’t have a single nice portrait that they could put in a frame or that the photographer was a pain in the… I am always very sorry to hear those stories as nothing can replace those images now. But if you want to have at least a nice little photo series of you two in your wedding dress and suit I am happy to do that for you. The shooting works similar as the engagement shooting. If your wedding is at night but you like soft natural light portraits an After Wedding Shooting is a good idea, as well. And if you already booked me for your wedding you get a special rate for an additional shooting.
That depends on how long I stay at your wedding, on the number of guests, on the location and decoration but also on your needs. If your package includes a second photographer there are more images, off course. You can expect anything from 400 to 1300 images on your DVD.

The copyright always stays with me but you will obviously have the right to use your photos privately in any way you like. You can make as many prints as you wish and as big as you wish, send them to friends, hang them on your wall and so on.

I usually stay 10 – 12 hours at your wedding but you can book me from anywhere between 6 – 18 hours. If you book me for let’s say 8 hours I will let you know before I leave and you can then book me for additional hours if you think you will need me and my camera around.
That depends on how important those photos are for you and how much time you can find in your schedule for the day. I usually recommend 1-2 hours but it can be done faster. It is also possible to schedule an after wedding photo session if time is too short on you wedding day. In Spring and Summer or any other sunny day for that matter I strongly recommend to schedule the portraits or at least some of them for the time shortly before sunset.
If you plan to get married on a saturday or friday like most people do, you should contact me as soon as you know the exact date. There are only 52 weekends a year and many couples are looking for a photographer 9-15 months in advance.
After your wedding I will need about 4 weeks to finish your photos and to get them to you. If it is possible I will always try to be faster than that and usually I am. For a book I need additional time for the layout, proofing and printing process.
Usually I am either in Lima, Peru or in Bonn, Germany. For short distances I don’t charge anything and sometimes even longer travels can be organized for free. If there are any costs involved I will let you know before. There are no hidden or additional costs after your wedding, unless you want to book additional sessions or books.
I document real moments. That is what I need for my style of photography. I only need you to forget about the camera and to be in the moment, to enjoy, have fun, lough, get excited or emotional, drop a tear, make a joke do something crazy, surprise the others. The less you do for the camera the better the photos.
Those photos are teamwork! I can propose, pose, guide but I need you to cooperate. That usually includes a little bit of walking, maybe climbing, jumping etc to put you into good light, a good spot and get some action. 
Actually most of the time the wedding dress gets a little bit dirty. But I doubt that anyone will notice. At the end of your wedding the dress will never be used again while the photos will be all that is left. Wold you rather have breathtaking photos or a perfecty white dress without saints that nobody would see anyway?
Casual yet elegant clothing is probably best. Try to avoid strong colors or big prints. Go for plain pastel colored clothing instead. Check this board on pinterest for a rough idea

On your wedding day I will not reject a wish of the bride or the groom. But I generally prefer the bride and groom having fun instead. And even though they are the easiest photos of the day they somehow drain my mental batteries most.
See also my Discounts

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  • We saw you running, laying on the floor, jumping and living through every moment with us so that you wouldn't miss a thing. It's hard to describe in word what you feel that day but it is even harder to capture it in a photo. And that is what you did perfectly

    Majo & Ernesto

  • Incredible Photos Maik! We just saw our wedding slideshow and it was as if we were back at our wedding getting married again, having our first dance again and being with all our friends and family. Thanks so much!

    Lucia & Raul

  • Maik is the best, he naturally captures the most beautiful and magical moments. You don't have to pose or make funny faces, you just have to enjoy yourself and he takes care of the rest.

    Emilia & Diego

  • Wow, what an experience watching your photos! So many situations that we were not even aware of but which you captured for us. We laughed and we cried and all the emotions from our wedding day was back again

    Inga & Michael

  • We didn't expect anything else than good pictures but what you created is incredible! We had tears in our eyes watching the photos.

    Uschi & Stephan