Hello and congratulations on your engagement! Thank you so much for taking the time to enquire about my wedding photography! It's an honour to be considered to capture your wedding day.
I hope you find this information helpful, but feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about anything at all! For me, weddings are about more than one ‘big’ day… It’s more than the font you’ve carefully selected to use on each of your guest’s place-cards, it’s more than the colour of your bridesmaids dresses and it’s more than the flowers you’ve chosen for the bouquets... Although, all of those things require careful planning and consideration! A wedding is all about celebrating your love, the love of your family & friends and the choice you have made to be together for the rest of your lives… not to mention the damn good celebration that follows! "Love is not about finding the right person, but creating the right relationship. It's not about how much love you have in the beginning, but how much love you build till the end." author: unknown
My style philosophy is pretty simple. I like to take photographs that I think will stand the test of time. Beautiful photography for any era. Much like the iconic images of old Hollywood from decades past, a natural and relaxed photograph of a bride and groom on their wedding day can be a beautiful photograph in any decade. When you look back at your photographs in 10, 20 or 50 years time, I want those moments to still bring you smiles and tears, as you relive it all like it was yesterday. I take an unobtrusive, photo-journalistic approach to much of the day, capturing the real, unconstructed moments and emotions as they unfold. I’m not a photographer who will be ‘in your face’. I keep bridal portraits simple, relaxed, and we’ll use the natural surroundings as your backdrop. While some parts of the day might require some guidance (like ensuring you’re standing in the right light or guiding your family through the group photos), the rest of the time I prefer to blend in with your guests and capture the genuine celebration going on. I’m a fully accredited member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography and I’m based in the north-west Hills District in Sydney. I capture a lot of local weddings, but I love destination weddings too… so it doesn’t matter how near, far, imitate or grand your plans might be - I’d be honoured to be there to capture all the love and personality that’s gone into it!
Photographing a wedding day is not only an honour and privilege, it’s a very personal experience. This may seem an obvious piece of advice, but in the rush and stress of planning it can be overlooked. You should choose a wedding photographer who's pictures you really LOVE and one that you’re excited about booking. Our styles are all different and unique (like fingerprints) and there are many amazing photographers out there — so choose one you are comfortable with and who’s images will represent your personalities and style. The day is going to go by in a flash (trust me, I’ve been in your shoes too), but long after the dancefloor has cleared and the last piece of cake has been eaten - your photographs will be what remains. As I only accept a small number of bookings each year, it’s important to me to build great relationships with my clients. Not only will this ensure that we have a great connection, but it will help you be more relaxed and comfortable with my camera around all day! If you’re relaxed, comfortable and having fun, your images will reflect that. A meeting with me will give you the opportunity to see a selection of sample albums and will give us the opportunity to chat more about your plans for the big day! I normally meet at my home studio in the Hills District (Sydney), but if you’re not able to meet me in person, that’s ok… We can meet over Skype too! Sit back, relax and have a look around - I look forward to meeting you… and in the meantime, don’t forget to follow the Facebook or Instagram pages, so you can stay in the loop!
With the rise of digital photography, more and more people have great camera gear and there many more enthusiast photographers are out there. But how do you know who are skilled, trustworthy and who provides the best possible service to you? How do you tell the professionals from those who are aren't?
The AIPP is a merit based professional membership body (the only one in Australia) who provides professional accreditation for the imaging industry. By choosing a photographer who is accredited with this logo, it means that: You are working with a professional whose status has been formally validated and recognised. You are working with a professional who is a member of the only recognised professional membership body in Australia. You are working with a professional who adheres to a strict level of service and quality, regardless of the standards of those professional have already set for themselves. Your are working with a professional who has been through a strict accreditation process. Your are working with a professional who is bound by a Code of Professional Practice. You are working with a professional whose skills, education and professionalism are always being developed.
photography coverage up to 6 hrs 1 photographer set of selected 6 x 4 prints set of 50 custom-designed thank you cards unlimited, professionally edited & colour corrected images USB of all images in high & low resolution custom made presentation and storage box exclusive online, password-protected gallery online highlights slideshow
$3,000
photography coverage up to 10hrs 2 photographers set of selected 6 x 4 prints set of 50 custom-designed thank you cards 8x12 layflat album with 25 spreads (50pgs) unlimited, professionally edited & colour corrected images USB of all images in high & low resolution custom made presentation and storage box exclusive online, password-protected gallery online highlights slideshow
$5,000
photography coverage up to 12hrs 2 photographers set of selected 6 x 4 prints set of 50 custom-designed thank you cards 10x10 premium flushmount album with 25 spreads (50pgs) unlimited, professionally edited & colour corrected images USB of all images in high & low resolution custom made presentation boxes for album, prints & USB exclusive online password-protected gallery online highlights slideshow
$6,000
all day photography coverage* 2 photographers set of selected 6 x 4 prints set of 80 custom-designed thank you cards couples 1 hr mini photography session in the hills 12x12 premium flushmount album with 25 spreads (50pgs) additional set of 2 x 8x8 duplicate parent albums unlimited, professionally edited & colour corrected images USB of all images in high & low resolution custom made presentation boxes for album, prints & USB exclusive online password-protected gallery online highlights slideshow
$9,000
*all day coverage is up to 16 hours
extended photography coverage | $200 p/hr additional photographer half day | $500 full day | $700
thank you card & envelope sets | $5ea custom made guest signing book | $500 using images form a couples session
prints and enlargements 8 x 10 | $110 14 x 11 | $150 20 x 16 | $270 [other sizes also available]
fine art frames 8 x 10 | $195 10 x 10 | $215 14 x 11 | $310 14 x 14 | $315 20 x 10 | $320 20 x 16 | $400 [matted prints included - other sizes also available]
If you have a significant amount of time and money in creating an amazing wedding day, and equally in ensuring that day is professionally captured, why wouldn’t you want to see those priceless memories preserved in the most long-lasting way? Nowadays we seem to take digital technology for granted, assuming it will always be there and will always work. Fact is, every time you upgrade your software or computer, you risk losing those precious files. Even if those digitals files are stored perfectly well (on cloud storage or hardware) and do not fail, who’s to say that in generations to come, you will still be able to read , let alone access those images with advanced technology? Did you know… A 2013 study by Backblaze (an online storage company) found:
22% of hard drives fail after 4 years 1-10 years is the average span of a flash drive 100’s of years is how long professional archival paper will last.
“If there are photos you really care about, print them out!” Vint Cerf
Flush Mount Albums are newly offered and premium album choice! The pages are printed as panoramic double page spreads that fold, to allow them to lie perfectly flat. As the pages turn the inner edges flawlessly rotate and adjust, creating a beautifully symmetrical spine. Each album is produced with an exquisite 10-colour inkjet printing process, that ensures intense colour and vivid detail. Each page is checked by hand and finished in a fine coat of premium archival finishing spray, to ensure its ultimate lifespan.
12 x 12 flushmount | $2,500 custom, australian hand-made, fine art album includes 35 spreads [70 pages] designed to be mounted flush across the pages printed on premium archival matt paper and mounted to thick board pages your choice of linen, deluxe or photo wrap cover finishes Includes matching custom, hand-made presentation box extra spreads [double page spread] | $30
10 x 10 flushmount | $2,000 custom, australian hand-made, fine art album includes 35 spreads [70 pages] designed to be mounted flush across the pages printed on premium archival matt paper and mounted to thick board pages your choice of linen, deluxe or photo wrap cover finishes Includes matching custom, hand-made presentation box extra spreads [double page spread] | $30
8 x 8 parent copy | $1,000 custom, australian hand-made, fine art album carbon copy of the couples original album design printed on premium archival matt paper and mounted to thick board pages your choice of linen, deluxe or photo wrap cover finishes
Lay-flat books feature rigid, silky page stocks with an innovative flexible black hinge. Each page is invisibly stitched along the spine to lie beautifully flat, similar to traditional wedding albums.
12 x 12 lay flat | $1,800 custom, australian hand-made, fine art album includes 35 spreads [70 pages] designed to lay flat printed on premium 300gsm archival matt laminate paper your choice of linen, deluxe or photo wrap cover finishes Includes matching custom, hand-made presentation box extra spreads [double page spread] | $30
8 x 8 lay flat | $1,000 custom, australian hand-made, fine art album includes 35 spreads [70 pages] designed to lay flat printed on premium 300gsm archival matt laminate paper your choice of linen, deluxe or photo wrap cover finishes Includes matching custom, hand-made presentation box extra spreads [double page spread] | $20
Side Sewn albums feature pages that are invisibly stitched along the spine to create a curved gutter. This style of album is often referred to as a coffee table book or magazine style and is a wonderfully affordable alternative to more traditional or premium album styles.
6 x 6 parent copy | $300 custom, australian hand-made, fine art album carbon copy of the couples original album design printed on premium 170gsm archival silk paper choice of linen, deluxe or photo wrap cover finishes
couples mini session | $450 1 hour of photography at 1 location in Hills District in Sydney USB of all edited images in high and low resolution
couples session* | $700 2 hours of photography coverage up to 2 locations of your choice [within 1hr of Hills District] USB of all edited images in high and low resolution
*for wedding clients who add an engagement session to any package booked
Morning Preparation Ideally I like to have at least 30-60 mins with the Groom and Groomsmen as well as 90-120mins with the Bride and bridesmaids to capture some fo the hair and makeup preparation as well as the bride getting dressed. Bridal Portraits You should be planning for anywhere from 60-90 minutes for the location portraits. This will however depend on how big or small your bridal party is and how many locations you would like to visit (as well as how far away they are from the reception venue). When Things Don’t Go To Plan It’s pretty common for little things to go a bit pear shaped on your big day. They keep is to take a deep breath and not panic - there is always a solution! I like to let my couples know it’s a really good idea to build in a bit of buffer time into your schedule, so that way, if things do take longer than expected or go wrong (like the celebrant running late or some of your guests are stuck in traffic before the ceremony), that you’ve got a bit of room to move without throwing out the rest of the days’ order. That way, if you're lucky enough for everything to be perfectly on track, then you have even more time for celebrating with loved ones, or a longer portrait session if beautiful light! When It Rains Firstly, don’t panic! We can still get some wonderful photographs of your day! In fact, some of the best portraits are taken in overcast or gloomy conditions. If it is raining on the day, I recommend that you arrange to bring along some umbrellas for you and the bridal party (if you have one) - preferably clear, plain white or silver.
Online Inspiration & Blogs Style Me Pretty | www.stylemepretty.com/australia-weddings Polka Dot Bride | www.polkadotbride.com Hello May | www.hellomay.com.au White | www.whitemag.com Venues Aqua Dining | www.aquadining.com.au Q Station | www.qstation.com.au/weddings Sergeants Mess | www.sergeantsmess.com.au Botanic Gardens | www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au Botanic Gardens Restaurant | www.botanicrestaurant.com.au Vaucluse House Tearooms | www.vauclusehousetearooms.com.au Manly Golf Club | www.manlygolf.com.au Echoes | www.echoeshotel.com.au Bells at Killcare | www.bellsatkillcare.com.au Montrose Berry Farm | www.montroseberryfarm.com.au Deux Belettes | www.deuxbelettes.com Celebrants Charyl Walsh | www.charylwalsh.id.au Jessie Cacchillo | www.jessiecacchillo.com Maria Nati | www.marianati.com.au Josh Withers | www.marriedbyjosh.com Bridal Gowns & Bridesmaid Dresses Karen Willis Holmes | www.karenwillisholmes.com Savvy Brides | www.savvybrides.com.au Love Marie Bridal Boutique | www.lovemarie.com.au Helen Rodrigues | www.helenrodrigues.com.au White Runway | www.whiterunway.com.au Brides of Beecroft | www.bridesofbeecroft.com.au Bariano | www.bariano.com.au Cooper St | www.cooperst.com.au
Make Up & Hair Amelia Axton Hair & Makeup | www.ameliaaxton.com Ann Hassarati Make Up| www.annhassarati.com.au Lizzie Liros Hair | www.lizzieliros.com The Bridal Hair Co | www.thebridalhairco.com Styling & Decorations She Designs Events | www.shedesigns.com.au Angelic Events | www. angelicevents.com.au Butterfly Events | www.butterflyevents.com.au Florists Aleksandra | www.aleksandra.com.au Art of the Flower | www.artoftheflower.com.au Cakes Sweet Art | www.sweetart.com.au Sugar Princess | www.sugarprincess.com.au The Cake King | www.thecakeking.com.au Kashaya & Co | www.kashaya.com.au Cars Kombi Celebrations | www.kombicelebrations.com.au HF Wedding & Hire Cars | www.hfweddingcars.com.au Wedding Cars of Distinction | www.weddingcarsofdistinction.com.au Videographers Light Noise Films | www.lightnoisefilms.com.au Paper Cranes | www.papercranes.com.au Life In Motion (Langdon Rodda) | www.lifeinmotion.net.au Music XYDJ | www.xydj.com.au Impression DJ’s | www.impressiondjs.com.au Gift Registry Wedding List Co | www.weddinglistco.com.au Uncommon Goods | www.uncommongoods.com From The Owl | www.fromtheowl.com
HOW DO WE BOOK YOU? I do encourage couples to meet with me to ensure we have a good connection. It also gives me the chance to show you my albums, chat about your needs and hear about your plans for the big day! After meeting with me, I will temporarily hold your date for 7 days to give you time to make your decision and ask any additional questions etc... As I limit the number of weddings I commit to each year (to ensure my creativity and service is at its best for my clients), I am unable to hold dates any longer than this. To go ahead with a booking, I require a $500 non-refundable retainer and a signed contract that will secure your date exclusively. If you know which package you would like to book, then simply note that on the booking form. If you don’t know immediately, there is absolutely no pressure - you can choose this a little closer to the day.
WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED? I am based in the Hills District of Sydney, Australia.
DO YOU TRAVEL? Yes, for sure! Sydney is great and I love local weddings, but I love to travel, both nationally and internationally too! Travel within 1hr of Sydney is included, but for further afield locations or destination weddings I would require overnight accommodation, and if overseas - airfare and a rental car. I would be happy to chat more about your destination weddings – just drop me a line!
ARE YOU INSURED?
Yes - I have both 10m public liability insurance and all my equipment is also insured.
DO YOU WORK WITH A SECOND PHOTOGRAPHER? Yes, I sure do. I have packages that have both one or two photographers. Regardless of this, we both will work in an unobtrusive way, ensuring you are more relaxed and less aware of the cameras. We want you to feel like we are just hanging out and having fun!
WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS AND YOU CAN’T BE AT OUR WEDDING FOR SOME REASON? In the event of an absolute emergency that prevents me from being there, I will arrange for another professional photographer of the highest qualifications to attend on my behalf. I will still edit your images and design your album (and be your point of contact throughout) until image and album delivery.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECEIVE OUR PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE DAY? The turnaround time is approximately 4-6 weeks, but depends on the time of year. It may take closer to 6 weeks during busy times and closer to 4 weeks during quieter periods.
DO WE GET EVERY SINGLE PHOTO YOU TAKE ON THE DAY? Pretty much. I do delete some photos… but only blurred, test shots, people blinking… basically the ones you wouldn’t want anyway!
DO YOU OFFER VIDEOGRAPHY? No - while I use the same cameras that the top videographers use, I specialise in photography only. I can recommend some great people though?
HOW MANY PHOTOS WILL I GET AND WHAT’S INCLUDED? The images I provide are not limited to fit within a predetermined number, as I want you to see the story of your wedding day the way I did. As a rough guide, you can expect to receive between 600-800 images for a full day wedding (depending on the time spent with you). Each full day package will include a set of selected 6x4" print proofs, an online highlights slideshow for sharing and a USB of edited images in both high and low resolution. The images you receive will not be watermarked and each of the images you receive will be edited (most often colour corrected, cropped or with minor retouching).
WHO GETS THE COPYRIGHT TO THE PHOTOGRAPHS?
Kristy Toepfer Photography will retain all copyright to the images and the digital negatives (the RAW unprocessed image files). You will be able to print the images for personal use but won’t be able to sell, edit, or use the photographs to advertise (however, you or your other wedding suppliers may purchase the copyrights to the images for commercial or other purposes, at an additional cost). If any of your wedding suppliers request images, I would prefer it if you could refer them on to me directly.
CAN WE GIVE YOU A LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS WE WANT? I normally request a brief outline and timetable of the wedding about a week beforehand, so that I know what is happening and when, but I don’t normally work off a shot list throughout the day.
Because I work quite candidly, working form a list means that I would most probably miss important moments, as I would be looking at the list instead of what is happening around me. But if there is any particular person/place/thing that you really want photographed, definitely let me know beforehand.
CAN YOU RECOMMEND LOCATIONS FOR BRIDAL PARTY PHOTOGRAPHS? I can recommend a location near your ceremony/reception venue if I am familiar with the area. All choices by the client prevail. Some venues like the Sydney Botanic Gardens charge a wedding photography fee though, so I ask that you liaise with them directly to make arrangements for your day.
DO YOU DO OTHER TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHY? Yes, I do! I also specialise in fine art portraiture of babies and families. You can check out more of this work at www.sunlightphotography.com.au. I am very passionate about continually developing my style and skill and am proud to be an active member of the professional photography community.
HOW DOES THE ALBUM DESIGN WORK? I will predesign the album for you once all the photographs have been finished and uploaded to your member gallery online. Once you have received the email with the proof copy, we sit back down and go through any edits and changes you would like to the images and size. You will also then pick the cover material etc‌ and then your album/s will be sent to print.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECEIVE OUR ALBUM? Once the album has been designed and you have given me the final approval in writing to go to print, the album will take approximately 2-4 weeks to be made and delivered to your door!
“We really cannot thank you enough for the invaluable role you played in capturing our wedding. It has been an absolute pleasure working with you from the start—all the way back to your engagement shoot! Thank you so much for your help and support in the lead up to our big day. We appreciate your willingness to travel up to the Hunter Valley for the big day—it was so much fun to have you there and you made the photos so easy! We could not be more thrilled with all the photos and we have lost count of how many people have commented on how amazing they are! You really enhanced our day, not just with your beautiful photos, but also with your warm and calming presence. THANK YOU!”
Nathan & Sarah
“Thank you so much for everything you contributed to making our wedding day such a happy and memorable occasion! I don’t think I realised how important our decision about a photographer would be—you were so perfect! From offering a ‘spare’ bow tie, to driving my sister to the reception venue, you really went above and beyond our expectations. We LOVE our photos as a fabulous memento of the start of our marriage adventure! Thank you for being so friendly, prompt in your replies and a calming influence when we had some hiccups in the planning! We are so grateful for everything you did and will recommend you to everyone!” Luke & Katie
“We have just finished looking through all the photos and we honestly couldn’t be happier with them. You captured every moment so perfectly and naturally, we felt like we were re-living all of the wedding all over again! You are truly so talented and I am so, so happy we chose you as our photographer! You brought me to tears!” Clint & Amelia
“You are amazing! These pictures are absolutely breathtaking!” Justin & Steph
“We just wanted to say thank you so very much for Sunday—you were absolutely wonderful and so many people commented on what a fantastic job you did! You were just perfect and exactly what we wanted—laid back, not in our faces! We even forgot you were there sometime, you were just wonderful! We will certainly be recommending you to anyone we knw getting married in Sydney! You are so friendly and fit in perfectly with is and were so funny and laid back!” George & Shannon
“Charlie and I sat down and went through the photos and they brought a tear to our eyes. Quite a few actually. The slideshow was just stunning—you really captured the feeling of the day. Brought back all our wonderful memories and now have proof of them. Thank you so much! It was such a delight to have you as part of the day—you were just wonderful!” Charlie & Rebecca
“Oh wow! Kristy, you are absolutely amazing. We watched the slideshow in my phone on the train to work… and were crying. The images are incredible, I honestly can’t thank you enough!” Ben & jade