Why Choose a Professional Wedding Photographer?
As professionals, we possess the knowledge, skill, and confidence to produce beautiful results every time. So often, an inexperienced, well-intentioned friend or family member is unable to handle the stress and pressure of being the primary wedding photographer. Your photography becomes our responsibility, leaving you to enjoy the day's events with no worries. We know what's important to you on your wedding day ~ having fun!

How long have you been in the photography business?
Jim and Carolyn Batten established Batten Photography in 1976. It is now in it's second generation of family ownership. We've been in our same location on South Broadway since 1988. Bryan and Francie Batten Hodges have been professional photographers since 1991 and have photographed hundreds of weddings.

Do you sell wedding negatives?
No. We do however, maintain your negatives and digital media on file indefinitely. Reorders will always be available through our studio. Digital images are available either as a DVD slide show or a low-resolution CD; however, we retain all rights to the images assuring the finest prints possible.

Can we schedule a consultation with you to view your work and discuss our specific wedding needs?
Definitely! We offer a free, no-obligation personal consultation with prospective couples and/or parents that are searching for a wedding photographer. The purpose of this meeting is to spend time discussing your specific wedding plans, photography preferences, and budget. We will show you a sampling of our albums and portraits and go over our pricing and policies. It also is a great opportunity to get to know us. It is important that you like not only our work, but our personality and style as well.

We never put any pressure on you to book with us, rather we encourage you to talk things over between yourselves and other family members and to explore more than one photographer before making a final decision. We are confident that if you are pleased with our work, our prices, and our personalities, you will give us strong consideration when making your final decision.

We ask that you make an appointment for a bridal consultation so that we can set aside ample time to meet with you uninterrupted. Appointments are available during regular business hours, as well as late appointments, if needed. The session usually takes approximately 30 minutes to an hour.

How do we book Batten Photography for our wedding?
A $250, non-refundable deposit is required to secure our services. The deposit will be applied to your wedding package and may be made by check, cash, or credit card.

Do your wedding packages include engagement and bridal portraits?
Batten Photography offers a wide range of wedding packages, some of which include a bridal and/or engagement session. We will customize any package to meet your specific needs.

Do your wedding packages include parent's albums?
Several of our packages do include 20 - 4x5 photos in an album for parents. Additional albums may be added to any package.

Can I book Batten Photography only for my bridal portrait?
Yes. We are available to photograph any bride before her wedding, regardless of whether we shoot the event or not.

How far in advance should I book my wedding photographer?
We schedule many weddings over a year in advance. As soon as your wedding date is confirmed, it is a good idea to arrange for your photographer, as many dates will fill up. Bridal portraits usually are scheduled 6-8 weeks in advance of the wedding and engagement portraits are normally taken soon after a couple becomes engaged.

How many photographers will be scheduled for my wedding?
Bryan and Francie Batten Hodges work together as a team when shooting wedding photos. Bryan is the primary "formal" photographer, shooting medium format film. Francie acts as the director/assistant and takes charge of poses, details, and keeping on schedule. In addition, Francie uses her professional digital camera to capture candid shots before and during the ceremony and at the reception. Occasionally, a third photographer will accompany the Hodges for larger events.

Do you shoot film or digital media?
Both! For most assignments, we prefer to photograph with our professional Canon® Digital equipment, but some assignments are better suited for traditional medium format film. Any of our shots may be digitally enhanced and may be printed in color and/or black and white. By using Photoshop™ tools and manipulations, our in-house computer experts are able to enhance any photo and make minor or even major changes to your liking.

Do you have back-up equipment?
Yes. We take extreme care with our equipment and keep it in top working order. In the event that something should go wrong, however, we always have spare batteries, flash units, film, and even cameras. We even have back-ups for our back-up equipment!

Do you send your negatives to an outside photo lab for processing and printing?
No ~ never! Because we own a full service photo lab (see Batten's PhotoGem Labs website), we always process and print our own images. This ensures the highest quality while eliminating potential loss or damage of your wedding photos. This also allows us faster turn-around while keeping our costs as low as possible. We print only on Kodak paper and use Kodak chemicals, which are guaranteed to last a lifetime. The only exception to our in-house lab prints is on larger, canvas portraits that are printed by an outside lab. We use electronic methods to transmit the image to the printer, so your negatives always remain with us.

How much time should we allow before the wedding for photography?
Our basic start time for wedding day coverage is at least one hour prior to the service. This allows us time for equipment set-up, preparation for shooting, and time to take a few shots of the bride and groom and wedding party prior to the ceremony. In many cases, an earlier start time is required, depending on the size of the wedding party, number of family members, and package chosen.

It is becoming increasingly popular for the bride and groom to have all of the formal poses shot prior to the ceremony. In what we call "Private Time" (see Private Time document), the bride and groom see each other for a few private moments alone before we begin posing them for wonderful, romantic shots. Then, we gradually add family and the wedding party so that all pictures are complete before the guests arrive. Immediately after the ceremony, the bride and groom are the first ones to arrive at their reception.

If "Private Time" isn't for you, we will take as many poses as possible prior to the ceremony without the bride and groom seeing each other. Following the recessional, we will return for the final combined shots before heading to the reception. This normally takes no more than 30 minutes, but it is important to stress that all the key players must not scatter and disappear!

What shooting style do you use for weddings?
We combine our wedding photography to include both traditional and photojournalistic candid styles. During our wedding consultation, we will discuss what type of poses the couple prefers and shoot accordingly.

How many shots will you take at my wedding?
We don't have a set number of shots we take. We come equipped with ample film and digital media to capture hundreds ~ even thousands ~ of pictures! We guarantee we will make every effort possible to take each of the poses the couple requests, as well as providing a huge selection of shots that will surprise you. The problem will not be a lack of good poses to choose from ~ it will be narrowing down your choices to fit in your package!

Do you allow other people to take photographs while you are shooting?
For the most part, there is no problem with friends and relatives taking photos while we are doing our work. All that we ask is that the other photographers respect the fact that we have been hired to do a job as quickly and efficiently as possible, and that it is especially important that we have minimal interference during the posed formal session.

Can friends and family request special shots as part of our wedding day coverage?
Of course! We are always happy to accommodate special requests, as long as it doesn't interfere with the bride and groom's schedule. Chances are, your guests will be asked to pose for some informal candid shots at the reception.

How can we view our proofs?
Within a week of your wedding, we will have all of your proofs ready for viewing. Every shot we take will be posted on our website to that you may share the images with friends and relatives. You will be given a secure password that will enable only those you permit access to view your site. Additionally, a spiral-bound image catalog is available to help with your selections.

What type of payment schedule do you have?
A $250 non-refundable deposit must be made at the time your wedding is booked. This will reserve your wedding date on our calendar, and it is applied to your wedding album. One-half of the wedding package must be paid prior to the ceremony and the remainder is due when your previews are delivered. Additional orders from friends or family must be paid when the completed orders are picked up.

Once we place our order, how long will it be before our finished album is ready to be picked up?
Normally, we require 4-6 weeks to prepare your album for delivery. If you are trying to meet a certain schedule, please let us know when you place your order and we will make every effort to accommodate your request. During peak lab times, the delivery schedule may vary but we will give you an estimate when you place your orders.

What forms of payment do you accept?
You may pay for your photography packages by cash, check, or credit card. For your convenience, we accept Discover, American Express, Visa, MasterCard and debit cards.