F A Q s

What is your photography style?

I would say that my style is as close to documentary photography or photojournalism as can be. Which just means, I try to capture your day as it unfolds naturally without staging moments and or posing people to frame a photograph. I focus a lot on candids and emphasizing on moments and emotions of the day.

I photograph you and your guests- family and friends and what you’ve told me to be the important details of your day (via our emails, chats and an online questionnaire a I send a month or so before your wedding day). While I do try to remain as unobtrusive as possible -so most of the time - you don’t even realize I’m there taking photos, BUT when you or anyone in your immediate group do need me - I’m ready to help! - and usually can anticipate when I need to switch gears and yet still manage to capture your day through it all! Yup, seriously - just ask my past couples!

My goal at the end of the day is - I want you to be able to relax and actually enjoy your day.-without worry. From your images, I want you to remember how you felt more than just how the day may have looked. Whatever style that is - that is what I aim to do. 

I am able to do this because of my varied background in art, fashion design, and especially my life experiences. Which definitely adds to my aesthetic when I document your day. Please have a look at my portfolio to get a better sense of my style & work. If you haven't yet - reach out and I'll be more than happy to send you some full client galleries.

How much do you charge and what’s included?
Most couples spend between $5500 and $7700 customizing their package to include essentials and lots of other fun things, and depending on your day and investment capabilities, I’m more than happy to customize something that suits your day best. Collections always includes consultations, many emails or phone calls, any guidance or support you may need, including timeline consultation and site visits and or obtaining permits for your location, if necessary— plus of course, your high resolution digital images available to you in an online viewing gallery with personal print release and reproduction/sharing rights. You can also add-on film photography, Super8 film shorts, rehearsal coverage and more! Contracts, invoices and your images are all delivered online.

Are you eloping, or having a San Francisco City Hall weekday wedding or having a micro-wedding or destination wedding? Awesome, I have custom package for those as well, and they start at $1000 for San Francisco City Hall weddings and $2500 for weekday intimate weddings & elopements.

Do you have any vendor recommendations for us?
Yes, I do! After our consultation and I have a better understanding of your needs, I’ll send over the referrals and recommendations of whatever you need. These are awesome people that I've had the pleasure to work with time and time again. Please reach out as my list continues to grow and because of the past couple of years, my favorite vendors may have pivoted to a different passion and career (and sadly for me - some have).

Do you charge for travel?
If your wedding is within the SF Bay area and at most, a 1.5 hour drive one way - travel is already included and there is no additional fee. Beyond that, there may be a travel fee - or not - contact me to find out if there will be. I will always be transparent in my pricing and you will never get any surprise charges from me! Travel fees to your destination wedding is always billed at cost and I always try to minimize any additional fees that are necessary.

I LOVE to travel, so if you have a destination wedding, let’s chat! Drop me a line and let me know where you're getting married! I definitely travel all over the world and have experience with destination weddings (logistics, traveling with camera gear, speaking another language (Spanish + Tagalog)) I already have a couple booked for 2025!

Who will be photographing my wedding?
Me- Cherlyn! I do not outsource my photography or editing! I am comfortable photographing weddings with a guest count of 175 or less by myself and I have plenty of full galleries to share with you showcasing my ability to be everywhere and blend seamlessly into your events. However, if you have a larger guest count, have several more beautiful details, or are getting ready in different locations far apart that I can’t get to by myself, then I highly suggest we add an additional photographer to help me with your day. Just let me know as I have a short list of trusted established photographers I work with in my community.

Do you offer wedding albums?
YES! I offer a few different types of albums. From press books to signature heirloom albums. I also offer fine art prints and canvases. My epic collection offers a full day of coverage, a couple of albums AND a super fun photo booth for your reception. So if you really want to go big -that's the collection for you. Contact me to find out more. 

When can we expect our photos?
I usually send some sneak peeks of about 5-10 images within 48 hours.If you’ve mentioned you wanted something for your thank you cards - then you’ll receive those in your sneak peeks as well.

Your full gallery will be completed within 6-8 weeks, or 10 weeks if during peak season (June - October), you’ll receive a shareable link to your online gallery. You'll get a personal download code to be able to download the full resolution files to print wherever and whenever you like. Guests are also able to download web ready and social media sized images from your day - unless you'd like me to protect that from happening or we've agreed to an NDA or confidentiality agreement (which I offer at no extra charge)

Do you do any traditional posed shots like family or formal portraits during our wedding day? What about a shot list?

Despite being a candid and photojournalistic photographer, I do understand the importance of the more formal and camera aware portraits. So yes, I for sure take them and make time for them, because they’re important too. I do also ask my couples for an additional 15-20 mins {30 mins would be ideal} of time around the golden magic hour {about 20-30 mins before the sun sets} to create those more composed couple’s portraits which are yes, less candid and somewhat posed {just some gentle guiding - like - look at each other! How do you two feel today?! YOU’RE MARRIED! Let’s walk this way.. hold each other...etc as you can see, very very difficult directions}. 

As for shot lists - If you give me a short must have shot list of what is important to have of your day, I will do my best to capture those but know that I will already have a mental shot list of the more general wedding must haves - unless you’ve let me know what is and what isn’t that important (i.e - I’d love a photo of my dress, but don’t really care about our shoes, etc). Generally, I don't ask for a shot list because I already know to photograph the key moments and details of the day - so chances are, whatever you would put on your shot list, it's probably something I would already capture (like the dress-if it’s important to you, you getting ready, your veil if you have one, you and your parent, your MOH, your best friends hanging out with you, the reception area, the ceremony area, etc etc- don’t worry!! I’ve got this!). BUT - what I DO request and what is extremely important, is a list of family members and family groupings for your formal portraits and any important heirlooms or key details you’d like captured (i.e., I’d like photos of the tablescape as my best friend designed some of the centerpieces or my parents will be giving me gifts to add to my bouquet!)

How many photos do you take? Do you shoot film?

I don't limit the amount of images I take on your wedding day. I take enough to tell your whole story and then deliver a carefully curated & edited gallery of anywhere from 450 to 800 images for a full day's coverage (sometimes more if there are cute animals, kids and or some really fun guests). The amount in your gallery also depends on cooperative elements such as weather, vendors and how much time you spend with me for the portraits portions. On average, you can expect to receive at least 75-100 edited images per hour of booked coverage.

And yes! I shoot on both digital and film these days. You can see more of that here. I have also started to offer Super8 shorts in 2024 - happy to send you full gallery that includes this.

Do we get to keep the digital files? What about the prints? What about the RAW files? What about copyrights, do I own the photos?

YES! You will receive all the edited high resolution jpeg files that you see in your gallery, including a print & reproduction release, so you can print to your heart's content for your own personal use. If you’ve added on film as part of your package, you will receive both the scans and prints taken on your wedding day!

As for RAW files- No, I do not deliver any raw, unedited, non-jpeg files for you to keep and play with. What will you want with with those raw files? Let me know if you are curious and I'm happy to discuss this further with you. RAW files can be purchased for an additional fee, but if you are hoping to edit them - a copyright license would need to be sold as well.

If you would like the copyright or commercial use license - please contact me, as giving up my copyright will incur additional fees for the release - which gives up my right to use, keep, edit or display any of your images, should you chose to purchase the rights. I do understand my clients rights to privacy and respect any privacy or confidentiality requests without any additional fees. Just let me know what you are comfortable with.

What about if we cancel? Are there any refunds?

There are no refunds on the non-refundable retainer fee. The retainer fee is non-refundable, even if the date is changed or the wedding is cancelled for most reasons (but heck, we have all been through so much in this world and if you just let me know and communicate your needs - we can always work part of the payment issues out!). With that said, the non-refundable retainer is your reservation and guarantees your date on my calendar. Once you've signed the contract and pay the retainer fee, I turn down ALL wedding or event commissions for that date and thus any other source of income.

Are you licensed & insured? Do you have backup equipment?

Yes, I’m licensed and insured! I can provide your venue with a certificate of insurance listing them as an additional insured and or a certificate holder - So just let me know, if you need this! I am also a state registered limited liability company.

Yes, I have backup equipment and other necessary items that is required to document your day even if I have one camera not work - we have to have our backups and always be prepared! I am also a member of the PPA - Professional Photographers of America, American Society of Media Photographers and also Sony Imaging Pro, among a few other professional photography associations.

How do we book you?

Saweet! *Happy dance* Just contact me, and whenever you're ready, let's set up a time to meet up or chat/text/email and discuss your wedding day needs. Since I only take on a very limited number of wedding commissions throughout the year, in order to reserve your wedding date on my calendar, a non-refundable retainer & signed contract (which is all done online) is required. The non-refundable retainer fee is 25% of your total coverage fees and is due when all parties have signed the agreement - an invoice will be emailed for you to be able to securely pay online. The remaining balance is due at least 2 weeks before your wedding date. Interest free payment plans as well as gift registry setup are also available. 

If you have any questions not covered here, please message me! I am here to help in anyway during your wedding planning process. Even if I am not your selected photographer for your day, I do want you to find the right photographer for you - so let me know if I can help!