» Basic:
Question - "Does your 100% guarantee apply to all your photography or just the bands?"
Answer: The guarantee applies to all of my photography.  If you don't like it - you don't have to pay for it. However, please don't ask me to give you the images after you've said that you don't like it.  That's already been tried once - they wanted their wedding shot for free!

Question - "Do you take credit cards?"
Answer: Yes. However, there's currently a 3% charge for the services offered by PayPal.

Question - "Why are my pictures being processed by Shutterfly?", "Who is Shutterfly?"
Answer: Shutterfly is my outsourced professional imaging company - they print my customers digital pictures. By working with Shutterfly I am able to minimize my costs and pass the savings on to you. Also, it's very time consuming to print, package and ship the numerous number of images purchased from this site and weddings, etc. By using Shutterfly I can spend my time and resources doing what I do best - shoot the images!

Question - "Why did you disable the "right click"/"image toolbar" functions on your site? I can still copy your images if I want to!"
Answer: Hopefully the answer is obvious to you. I have found instances where individuals, whether harmlessly or maliciously, have copied images of my site and used them in advertising and in other media ends.  I also fully realize that a technically able individual probably has the knowledge to get images off my site even though the right click function is disabled.  My goal is simply to tell them that I would prefer that they not do it and warn them of my legal copyright.  For more information about the legality of my photography, it's use and this site, please read to my "Privacy Policy" and know that I have already defended the misuse/theft of my images in court on two occasions within the last five years. Violators beware!

Question - "Why do you use Nikon cameras/equipment and not Canon, Pentax, Hasselblad, Kodak or others?"
Answer: The short answer to that question is very simple - I was taught using Nikons. Over the last 20 years I have owned Nikon FM's, FM2's, FE's, F3HP's, F4s's, F5's, D1X's, and now the unbelievable D3 - a 12.1 megapixel powerhouse digital camera body that can even transmit images wirelessly!  It's the brand new Nikon camera body often referred to as "The Low Light King of The Mountain". Furthermore, I use Nikons because of their unmatched quality and reliability. I've accidentally dropped my cameras (F3HP, F4s, F5), kicked them (F3HP, F4s, F5), dropped them out of moving vehicles (F3HP), dropped them in shallow creeks (FM2, F3HP), totaled a car with my cameras inside (F3HP), frozen my cameras (F5, D1X) and a small child has even repeatedly beaten my camera on a wooden table (F5).  And as if all that wasn't enough, 70% of the worlds Pulitzer Prize winning photographic images have been taken with Nikon cameras.

Question - What's In Your Camera Bag?
Probably the most popular question that I've ever been asked!  This list represents most of my regularly used equipment. However, it's NOT what I carry with me every day.  Each shoot requires a custom tailoring of equipment from my equipment list.  Here's a brief look:

Camera Bodies:
Nikon D3 DSLR (3)
Nikon D2x DSLR (2)
Nikon F5 SLR (2)

Lenses:
Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye
Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S
Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S
Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro
Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR
Nikkor 300 f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S VR
Nikkor 200 f/2.0 ED-IF AF-S VR

Nikon Flash:
SB-800 (2)

Question - "Who is that woman that you're with and what is she doing?"
Answer: That's Karen, my wife and support person. Mainly, she acts as my "gaffer" or "key grip" - she helps me make quick lens changes, organizes photography equipment and dumps my used flash cards (gets images off the digital flash cards and onto a computer so that I can reuse the cards).  She's also learning more about the photography business so that someday, she can photograph weddings, bands, stock and others along with me.

Question - "Should I judge a wedding/band/event photographer by what his/her website looks like?"
Answer: In some cases, yes.  Every photographer should care enough about their photography to show the best possible, professionally designed and constructed website. A professional photographer probably would not show you smeared, blurry images (unless that's what you're looking for).  They also wouldn't show you a poorly designed, outdated brochure. Why then would they have a website that's not user friendly and not professionally designed and constructed? It is certainly something to consider. Also, don't be fooled by over-the-top flash intros or distracting flash animation. Look at the base images.

Question - "I heard that you're going to soon become a full time photojournalist. Is that true?"
Answer: Yes. My inner passion for photojournalism has over taken my regular business drive. I've shot images for newspapers in the south and midwest as a freelance photographer and I've received several awards and compliments on my photojournalism. I really need to explore that world. If you'd like to see some of my work, go to www.TheVisualTruth.com, which is currently being rebuilt.

I'll probably continue to shoot pics of weddings and bands because I always say, "Any day with a camera in hand is a good day!".

Question - "I've seen sports pictures in the "Your Pictures" section - what was the deal?"
Answer: In most cases, photographers have a very hard time making a living shooting just one thing. Many photographers shoot a wide variety of things so that they can keep a constant flow of income sustained. I've shot sports in the Pro Lacrosse League, USA Pro Soccer League, NCAA and Southeastern Conference (SEC) and I've had the opportunity to do it again. I also photographed the November, 2008 Barrack Obama Rally in Grant Park in downtown Chicago as a credentialed photojournalist.

» Weddings:
Question - "You also shoot stock, bands and other things, why would I hire someone that's not only a wedding photographer?"
Answer: Good question!  First of all, it's very hard these days to make it as a freelance photographer without shooting many types of images.  Since the dawn of the digital age there are very many people out there who have purchased digital cameras and fallen in love with the ease of using digital. That love becomes a desire to post images that others can see and then a desire to start being a professional photographer begins.  In short, the digital world has forced me to broaden my client base and strengthen my business model to include "stock, bands and other things". Also, a wedding photographer needs to know about studio lighting, difficult shots, bad lighting, and an amazing amount of creativity.  Shooting bands, stock and other photography better prepares me to shoot your wedding in a more dynamic, memorable way! 

Question - "What should I look for in a wedding photographer?"
Answer: When you decide to get married, you'll begin the process of finding a wedding photographer. Here's some things to look for -
* Find a photographer that shoots wedding images that you like. I recommend that you don't use a photographer that over-manipulates his/her images. Look for simple artistic images that speak to your heart and tell a story about the wedding. Highly manipulated images make me wonder what they're hiding in the first place.
* Find a photographer that shoots more than just weddings. For more information, see the FAQ above - "You also shoot stock...".
* Make sure that the photography is within your budget and that all your desired issues are in the deal that you've made.
* Hire someone that you actually like talking to. Someone that you think you might have as a friend.  When you need pictures taken all you will be  doing is asking a new "friend" to do something and it will be much easier.
* Hire someone that's close to your age. I know that it sounds crazy, but you're going to spend a lot of time with him/her and you'll want to feel comfortable around them.

Question - "You shot several hundred images during my wedding and there are only XXX+ left - where did the rest go?"
Answer: There are several reasons for this to occur. In most cases, it falls into one or more of these categories:
* Most commonly, the pictures removed due to being one (or several) of many duplicates for the same basic image. You will see that I take anywhere from 3 to 7 images of the same group(s) of people. This is done to help avoid closed eyes (mostly), rabbit ears, strange looks, goofing off and to ensure that as many people are looking at the camera and smiling as possible. That increases the number of group shots, roughly, by half the number of people in the picture(s).
* Although it's unlikely, there are also mis-fires of the flash and/or camera that produce significantly over or under-exposed images. In some cases, the exposure is correct, but its too slow for the environment and the images get blurred from the slow shutter speed. This holds true for other mis-fires in equipment that occasionally come up.
* Also, to create the intentionally blurred look that you'll see when you see dancing images (for instance)  I must set the camera and then try to get the action perfect so that it's perfectly exposed and positioned. In the instance where you'll be dancing, I may take many, many images just to get a few that are seen blurred, but are still crisp and artistic.

Question - "Why do you charge $500.00 for a CD-ROM/DVD of all the digital images?"
Answer: It's simple. $500.00 is roughly the most that I've made from reprint sales from one wedding. If I give you a CD-ROM/DVD you have the ability to print the images yourself and then I will likelynot get any print sales.

Question - "We're going to have a winter wedding, can we get a discount since it's not in the busy season?"
Answer: Unfortunately, no. Shooting a wedding is a tremendous amount of work that requires very expensive equipment and years of training to be good. It's the same amount of work regardless of when it's held.

Here are some links to more wedding information - Wedding Photography Information and Pricing.

» Bands:
Question - "What's the deal with the "free" shoot that's advertised in the Illinois Entertainer and other papers?"
Answer: My photography has always come with a 100% guarantee - if you don't like it, you don't have to buy it. The "free" shoot advertised means just exactly that - I'll come out to your venue (anywhere in the five county Chicago area) and shoot your live show. You owe me nothing for showing up and shooting it. Then, if you like the pictures, we can work out a deal to buy them. If you don't - you owe me nothing. Even if you like them and don't want to buy them - that's OK - maybe some other day we can work out a deal. You have NOTHING to lose by having me out to shoot the show. If you doubt my ability to STUN you with my photography - try me - the guarantee stands!  Or, you can contact one of the many bands, record companies or entertainment papers and ask them how satisfied they are. Or, just go to the portfolio page and click on the the testimonials.

Question - "We're really broke right now and can't pay you - we'll give you photo credit on our new album if you shoot us for free!"
Answer: I've heard that from many band that calls. I realize that you and your band are very talented. However, considering the fact that you guys probably wouldn't play a gig for free, or give away 25 of your recently released CD's, I can't shoot you for free either.  Remember, I take credit cars through PayPal, I can help.

Question - "DUDE - you shoot weddings!  Why in the hell would we hire someone that's shoots weddings?"
Answer: Good question!  First of all, it's very hard these days to make it as a freelance photographer without shooting many types of images.  Since the dawn of the digital age there are very many people out there who have purchased digital cameras and fallen in love with the ease of using digital. That love becomes a desire to post images that other can see and then a desire to start being a professional photographer.  In short, the digital world has forced me to broaden my client base and strengthen my business model to include "stock, bands and other things". Also, a band photographer needs to know studio lighting, difficult shots, bad lighting, and an amazing amount of creativity.  Shooting weddings better prepares me to shoot your band in a more dynamic, memorable way.  Same as above!

Question - "You don't use flash when you shoot bands in bars and concert halls - how do you do that?"
Answer: I simply don't like to shoot bands with a strobe. It can seriously distract the performers and even temporarily blind them.  I like to have a little blur in the image that conveys a feeling of motion and movement.  Also, if there are other shooters in the crowd, using a flash will frequently over-expose their images. This has actually happened to me over the last few months.  There's another shooter that I regularly run across that constantly uses a flash. I've already lost over 100+ frames due to her using flash when it's not necessary.

Here are some links to more band information - Band Photography Information and Pricing.