Wedding Photography FAQs

If you have any questions that aren't addressed here, please contact us!

Our Photography

Who are you and what is your style?

Karen Ziemkowski is an artistic photographer who is best known for being fashion-inspired as well as photojournalistic. She works with brides and grooms who put photography and artistry at the forefront of their wedding priority list for importance and budget.

Her candid shots tell the complete story of your wedding day, and her fashion-inspired photos allow her the ultimate creativity to make beautiful portraits of the bride and groom. The mix of these styles offer a variety of images that will always make you remember the connection that the two of you share together.

Who will be my second photographer?

Karen's equally talented husband, Adrian, photographs just about every wedding with her. However, in the event that he is unavailable, Karen has a hand-selected team of highly qualified and trusted photographers whom she works with on a regular basis.

Can we give you a list of all the pictures we want you to take? How many family formals will there be?

Seeing as we tend towards photojournalistic and documentary style photography, we do not work from a set list of shots since we love to photograph the day as the events unfold. Not to mention, every location is unique, as is every bride and groom, and our goal is to capture the special connection between the two of YOU!

As far as formals go, we prefer to take more relaxed portraits of your immediate family and bridal party. Time is usually very limited for formal photos as well as the creative bride and groom portraits that we are best known for, so we recommend that any other "formal" shots be taken during the reception to leave time for the most important photos of all - special, intimate portraits of the bride and groom on their wedding day.

What's this "Trash the Dress" thing?

Trash the Dress portrait sessions take place after the wedding, when the stress is over and you have no more need to worry about keeping your dress pristine. We will never put you in a situation that will seriously harm your dress - the idea is more about getting truly artistic photographs of you in a dress that you have no reason to wear ever again. And the term "trash the dress" is kind of a misnomer - you won't be doing anything that a trip to the dry-cleaners shouldn't be able to fix!

What's important about an engagement session?

We like to think of an engagement session as kind of a warm-up for your wedding day. You'll have your first opportunity to work with us while shooting your engagement photos. We'll have a lot of fun and get to know each other better, and you'll be more comfortable with our style and with being photographed.

Service Questions

We like what we've seen and read so far on your website. What's the next step?

The next step is arranging a consultation at our residential gallery in Ft. Lauderdale. You'll be able to meet us and see our prints and albums in person. We also want to learn about you so that we can get to know you better - the more comfortable you are with us on your wedding day, the better your pictures will be!

If you live outside of the South Florida area, we usually recommend a phone consultation, and would be happy to email a copy of our contract and pricing information.

How can we retain you for our wedding date?

A signed contract and $1,500 retainer is required to reserve your wedding date.

Will my family and friends be able to see my pictures after the wedding?

Yes! All of our packages and coverage options include an online gallery and shopping cart where your family and friends will be able to view all of the images from your wedding day as well as purchase images of their choice online.

Will I get the negatives?

Yes, the high resolution digital negatives are available for purchase on DVD and are included in our pre-designed Wedding Collections.

What equipment do you use? Do you have spares?

We use professional Canon equipment and have spares for all critical equipment we'll use on your wedding day, including our cameras, lenses, flashes, batteries, memory cards, and even our clothing!

How soon will we see our photographs?

Since every wedding includes 75 hours of specialized artistic post-processing, it typically takes 8-12 weeks before your images are ready.

What is your procedure for summer weddings in hot & humid South Florida?

South Florida is a fantastic, scenic place to have your wedding, especially if you love the beach and are coming from a colder climate! However, we take VERY limited weddings during the months of July and August, and we do not photograph outdoor receptions during June or September. Heatstroke can be extremely dangerous, so regardless of whether you choose to retain us for your wedding in the end, you may want to consider an indoor wedding during the hot summer months. If your wedding will be indoors during the summer, go ahead and give us a call!

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes! We're not "weekend warriors"; we're professional wedding photographers. As such, we're fully licensed and insured and we collect and pay taxes on all transactions.

We are insured through USAA. If your wedding venue requires that they be added to the policy as an "additional insured", we'd be happy to do so at no extra charge.

As a member of the Professional Photographers of America organization, we're also covered by the PPA Indemnity Trust.

What areas do you cover?

We cover all of the United States.

We're local to South Florida and cover Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties without any additional costs.

Outside of the tri-county area, we only require that our travel and hotel costs be paid with the retainer so we can book our flight and hotel room when you book your wedding with us.

What happens if you get sick?

Luckily this hasn't been an issue, but it can never be ruled out as we are, in fact, human.

If unable to photograph, an associate member of our team will be there to capture your special day. We work with quite a few hand-picked and talented photographers whom we trust implicitly, so you can be sure that no matter what, a great photographer will be there to capture the magic of your special day.

Again, we've been lucky enough to avoid anything like this thus far!