Questions + Answers

Who is Austin & Dara Photography?

We are a Santa Barbara based studio that started out with just Austin & Dara shooting together as husband and wife, and has now expanded to include the amazing Nick & Cindy as well.  We really believe in the husband/wife photography team solution because of the rad dynamic that it offers.

How much does it cost?

We have a range of packages and options to fit most budgets.  You can get a better idea of what we have available here.

How did you start shooting weddings together?

While we (Austin & Dara) were first dating, friends of ours asked if we could shoot their wedding. At some point within that 8 hours, we fell in love… both with what we were doing and with each other.  It’s been our favorite type of date night ever since!

When we met Nick & Cindy and saw the work that they were doing, we knew that we had to join forces!

How long have you been doing this?

We began shooting weddings in 2005, but thought of it more as a side job until 2007 when we really started investing into it as a business. In October of 2009, we were finally able to stop all other forms of work to focus solely on wedding photography.

How many weddings do you shoot a year?

About 35 a year altogether.

Do you always work as husband and wife teams?

Pretty much.  It depends on who you book and what time of year it is.  Nick and Cindy love shooting together, just as Dara and I love shooting together.  However, both of our families are still growing and therefore each wedding is decided upon individually.  As one of our couples, you will always be in the know about who is shooting your wedding.

What is your shooting style?

The way in which we shoot is a key part of what we offer. If you like our photos, you will like the way that we get those photos even better. We are super relational during portraits, and ninja-esque during candids. We are everywhere and shooting constantly – looking for all those moments and details that we know you’ll love!

Do you travel?

We shoot weddings throughout California, and maybe two or three out of state/country per year, but the majority of our weddings are here in Santa Barbara.  If you’re interested, our travel fee formula is pretty simple… (hotel + airfare) x 2.

Do you do photograph families?

We do family portraits occasionally for our past clients or gift certificate holders only. Contact us for pricing.

Do you photograph non-wedding couples?

Yes, we love to. They are called Beloved sessions inspired by our friend Jesh de Rox. The focus is on the beauty and uniqueness of you and your relationship.

Do you shoot smaller weddings, elopements, and vow renewals?

Yes, yes, and yes! Nick and Cindy handle these for the most part. Hour minimums may apply for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Contact us for details.

Do you shoot film or digital? Color, Black & White, Sepia?

We started out in the darkroom, but digital has allowed us to try more things, take more pictures, and get them done faster than ever before. We shoot everything in color, and give you the option of printing in color or B&W.  Sepia is not our thing, sorry.

How many photos do you take?

At a full day wedding, between 3 cameras, we take an average of 3000 photos. You end up with about 600 after we’ve weeded out duplicates and repetitive shots and put them in an order that tells the story of your wedding.

What are Digital Negatives?

Digital Negatives are basically a fancy way of saying “digital copies of your photos in .Jpg format.” They are now included with all photographic coverage. You’ll have access to them through your Online Gallery.

Video tutorial on how to download your Digital Negatives.

What is a Online Gallery? / How do I view and order photos?

A Online Gallery is a website where you can view, share, order prints, or download your Digital Negatives. Photos in your Online Gallery are organized in different folders such as “Getting Ready”, “Ceremony”, and “Family”. You can download them one at a time in .jpg format, or one folder at a time in .zip format. Zip files are compressed folders full of Digital Negatives.

Tutorials and everything you need to know about your Online Gallery.

How much are your prints? / Do you have print packages?

We do not offer any print packages, but we do offer Print credit which can be paid for in advance at %25 off. For example, you could get $100 worth of print credit for $75 if paid in advance.  All prints are printed through a professional printing service of our choosing, and will be the best archival quality on the market.

We have a print price sheet available by request, but you can get a general idea of the prices below.

Prices for prints start at:

4″x6″ – $7
5″x7″ – $9
8″x10″ – $13
Jpg files a la carte – $8 each

How do you protect my photos?

At your wedding, we back up each memory card as it comes out of our cameras onto a portable hard drive in our camera bag. That night, we offload all of the photos on to 2 separate hard drives. At this point, the photos are in 4 separate places. Once the photos are double checked to have transferred perfectly, they are cleared off the memory cards. We immediately cull the images (sort through all the blinks and duplicates), and put those remaining RAW files to a second portable hard drive. The first portable hard drive is safe to be cleared at this point and we get to work editing the culled images. Once those are finished, we export them to Jpgs and upload them to a server which has its own back ups. In conclusion, we always have at least 2 copies of all the RAW files, 3 copies of the culled RAW files, and once online – 4 total copies of the best images in a full resolution (printable) format.

What type of camera do you use?

Canon 5D Mk II
Canon 1D Mk II N
Canon 5D

What lenses do you use?

15mm 2.8 FE
24mm 1.4 L
24-70mm 2.8 L
35mm 1.4 L
45mm 2.8 TSE
50mm 1.2 L
70-200mm 2.8 L
85mm 1.8
100mm 2.8 Macro
135mm 2.0 L

Yeaaahhh.. pretty much all of them. Austin is addicted to Lenses.

I want to be a photographer, where should I start?

Let your crappy camera pay it’s dues before you go out and buy a new one! Start a blog and start posting photos immediately and consistently (unlike us); get a Twitter account and talk to photographers you like; go to WPPI in vegas the next time it’s going on; study up on local SEO; bring your camera everywhere; take billions of photos; learn from the mistakes of others (read books); do not read Fast Track Photographer (no offense Dane – you’re cool); get a WordPress site or something easy; spend all your money on lenses; go to a few workshops; listen to music while you work; don’t quit your day job until you have to; get better at loving people and yourself; never shoot for free; gradually start charging more; never reduce your price except for close friends; experiment until you find your style; collect art that moves you and look at it often; journal about your discoveries and excitement; find local photographers; make friends.  Lastly, network, network, network!

What kind of camera should I get?

Start with what you got, and move up to a full framed censor when you can.

Could I come shoot with you sometime?

We love any excuse to be creative and hang out with other photographers! If you’d like to be a third shooter with us sometime, go ahead and send us an email and we’ll put you on ‘the list’ that we reach out to when we need someone.

Do you do workshops or mentoring?

We are available for 1-on-1 sessions, but we’re not doing any workshops at this time. There’s enough out there I think .

Who do you use for ________ ?

We use Tave.com for bookings and billing, Immersus for web design and development, WordPress with Thesis for our blog/website, SlideshowPro for our website’s portfolios and slideshows, Zenfolio for online galleries, Mpix Pro & Pro DPI for printing, Canon for awesomeness, Sandisk for CF cards, Nexto for CF onsite backup, Shootsacs, Krumpler bags, ThinkTank bags, and Pelican cases, Apple computers, OWC for storage (bye bye Drobo), Photoshop and Lightroom for editing, Lightroom and iPhoto for slideshows at weddings, Zenfolio for online slideshows, Moo.com for business cards, Kiss and Renaissance for wedding books, Seventh Generation for diapers, and Hands for high-fives.

Any other advice to other photographers?

Your clients are your best friends.  Whatever you’re thinking when you take a photo will end up in the photo.  An ounce of forethought is worth a pound of Photoshop. Learning the hard way costs a lot more: go to workshops and read entrepreneurial books.  Join a local community of creatives.  Hire pros to do your branding, site, and video – pay full price or work it out on trade.  Lowering your price is a disservice to past clients.  Stay inspired, and inspire others.