What are your qualifications as a professional photographer?
Peter is an international award-winning photographer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of Oklahoma. This shows a deliberate decision to educate himself and make the personal investment of time and money to his craft as a photographer. This lets his clients know they are getting a professional who is committed to giving them the best technical ability and masterfully created products. Peter is also a Certified Professional Photographer from the Professional Photographers of America and the Photographic Certification Commission.
"Eyes for Him"
As the leading certification agency and association for imaging professionals, PPA’s Certification program
is recognized throughout the industry as a sign of excellence. When you see a photographer displaying the Certified
Professional Photographer seal, you can be assured that he or she is among the less than 3% of all imaging
professionals who have successfully completed and maintained PPA’s stringent requirements. Those who have earned
the Certified Professional Photographer designation have passed a comprehensive written examination measuring
their technical expertise, and have successfully submitted their work to a panel of judges for review and approval.
In April 2006 Peter was honored with an Accolade of Excellence from the Wedding and Portrait Photographers
International for his image “Eyes for Him”.
What is your experience with professional photography and wedding photography more specifically?
In addition to his decade spent exploring and photographing wilderness areas capturing beautiful landscapes, Peter has been photographing weddings for over six years, and in that time has developed a distinctive style. When photographing the preparation, wedding and reception, Peter utilizes an unobtrusive documentary style capturing those beautiful moments of emotion that occur spontaneously throughout the wedding day.
Peter’s specialty, in addition to his documentary approach, is his time spent alone with the bride and groom both at the engagement session and on the wedding day. This free flowing and energetic time is spent immersed in rich photographic environments with bride and groom capturing the love and energy of the couple as they begin their life journey together. Many times Peter begins this time with numerous ideas for images and through an open creative process, bride, groom and photographer develop a synergy of ideas that create unique and personal works of art.
What is your Philosophy on wedding photography?
First and foremost I want to tell the story of your wedding day. This is paramount for creating your wedding storybook rather than a traditional album of posed pictures. I want to capture all the parts of your day from the wedding dress being carried into the bride’s chambers and the magical first kiss, to your best friends dancing wildly at the reception. I work in a documentary style for most of the day capturing the hug of old friends reunited, or a tear on the mother’s cheek as her husband walks her daughter down the isle. I am always looking for interactions of people and anything that will depict the wedding story. Many times subjects are completely unaware that they are being photographed. Working with long lenses your story can be told in an unobtrusive way. In the end, my images are filled with genuine smiles, real excitement, and tears of joy. This outpouring of emotion is what makes the day and images special. Capturing this emotion in an artful fashion is what sets our images apart. As we like to say it is “the art of capturing emotion”
In addition, I like to have 30-90 minutes with just the bride and groom to create really intimate portraits of them alone. Frequently this is the first chance they have to be alone together all day. I might offer suggestions on where to sit or stand but I really like to let you snuggle and enjoy each other’s company while I capture the essence of your love for one another.
Do you work with an assistant or second photographer?
Yes, my wife Kathy and I work as a team. We both have different photographic styles, and with two photographers we are able to capture moments from different angles and with different perspectives.
Do you use film or digital cameras?
We switched from film to digital equipment over four years ago when we found that we could produce equal or superior photographs with current digital technology. As a result of that transition we have found that we have opened a creative door that allows us the freedom to create images we only dreamed of years ago. Now our motto is if you can imagine it, we can create it. We wouldn’t even consider going back to film!
Will you photograph our wedding if it is out of Denver or Colorado?
Absolutely! Peter and Kathy have photographed weddings all over the United States and are planning several international weddings next year. If you love our work, don’t let distances keep us apart. Call for a quote for travel costs to your wedding location.
Do you sell the original digital files on a disc?
Many photographers sell original files as a way of minimize their responsibility to the client as a misleading perk. One recent survey concluded that after three years, a huge majority of those files sold to couples were still in the original packaging and the couple had no finished portraits or album from their wedding. We consider this a huge disservice to our clients and therefore recommend that you allow us to properly archive your images and to produce finished products for you to enjoy for generations.
How many weddings do you photograph each year?
We will never do more than two weddings in one week. My style of wedding photography is very physically and mentally taxing. I want to give you my best, so I only photograph twenty-five weddings a year. I made a decision when I started this business to focus on quality not quantity. This will never allow us to be the least expensive, but it will allow us to provide the best wedding photography available.
How long do you photograph at a typical wedding?
I want to tell your wedding day story from beginning to end. Because each wedding is different, we do not have a recommended time for wedding photography coverage. We typically begin photography coverage when the bride is getting ready: makeup, hair, and dressing, and conclude near the end of the reception. We can help in the planning of your day to make sure you have exactly the amount of photography coverage that you need.
How do we retain you for our date?
We will retain your wedding date exclusively once we have received your retainer payment of 50% of your total contracted amount and your signed contract.
What is an engagement session? Where will this take place?
An engagement session is a portrait session where we create beautiful images of the two of you in love prior to your wedding. This can be in any location where you enjoy spending time together and that is meaningful to you. We have traveled from the mountains of Colorado to the craggy beaches of California for engagement sessions, and are always looking for great new locations. We have many suggestions to help you find the perfect spot for this fun session.
In addition to capturing amazing images it is also a great time to allow Peter to get to know you better. It lets him see how you react to being in front of the camera and allows you to learn how he works and interacts with you. We really see more natural and relaxed images out of the first few hours of the wedding with couples that take advantage of our engagement session.
Can family or guests take pictures at the wedding?
Sure, as long as they don’t compromise my ability to create beautiful images that you are relying on me to capture.
What can we do to make sure we get the best possible images?
First, be yourself! You will find it is much easier to relax in front of the camera if you take advantage of the included engagement session. Second, know that this is YOUR day and enjoy it. Laugh, kiss, dance and cry. Since I work in a documentary fashion I just need you to have the time of your life doing what ever it is that you do. I will take care of the rest.
How much time should I expect for the posed family portraits at our wedding?
I see the formal posed images as a fiction chapter in your wedding storybook. Meaning, the wedding day halts and a portrait session takes place. Peter wants to keep you in reality as much as possible. Formal posed family images are a necessity for most couples but we want to get through this quickly and get you back to what is really exciting; celebrating with your friends and family. Typically Peter will only need 20-30 minutes to capture his classic six formal group poses.
How does the whole process work from the wedding day to receiving our custom wedding book?
We will have a rough draft of your wedding storybook design within a week of your wedding. It will be posted on Holcombephotography.com for you to review. Many couples will first view their storybook on their honeymoon. We have received excited letters of thanks from as far as Africa when a bride sees her storybook for the first time. You will then let me know what changes you want to make, if any. If you approve the design of your album within two weeks of it being released on our website, we will extend a 15% discount to your order.
Your album will take 8-12 weeks to hand build. About two weeks from your wedding date, your images will be on your personal web gallery for all of your friends or family to view and order prints from our website.
How long will you keep our images on file for reorders?
We guarantee that we will archive your images for one year. That being said, I have yet to ever discard images from a wedding that I have photographed. It is in my best interest to archive and maintain your images for future reorders.
Do you have a contingency plan for malfunctioning equipment?
We have backups for all critical equipment. Our equipment is on a service schedule with Canon to insure its physical health.
What type of cameras and equipment do you use?
We use Canon Professional digital Cameras and lenses.
(2) Canon 1dm2 cameras
(1) Canon 20d camera
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM
(2) Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Canon EF 15mm f/2.8
Canon EF 1.4x II Extender
Lexar Pro 80x C.F. cards
Gitzo G-1349 Carbon Fiber Tripod
Kirk BH-1 ballhead and plates
Quantum Q-flash Turbo battery
White lightning A/C monolights
Quantum Freewire slaves
Chimera light banks
Apple G4 and G5 towers and laptops
Lacie hard drives
Pelican cases and Lowe pro bags
Mitsubishi projector
Wacom Tablets
Monaco Optix Colorimeter
Hensel Porty Strobe
