Below are answers to the questions many couples ask me. The list is a bit lengthy so you may wish to print it out.

Yes, I am a one-photographer studio and I am committed to running my business in a very personal way. Throughout every stage of our relationship; interviewing, booking, shooting and delivering your proofs you will speak with me personally. When you are ready to make albums and prints you will speak and meet with my wife Wendy who is a professional book designer. She brings a lot of patience and fresh ideas to the difficult and meticulous task of making the beautiful and highly customized albums we offer our clients.

My fee for 8 hours of photo coverage can range from $2800-$4200. There is a range because I adjust my fee to take into account the time of year, the day of the week, the size of the wedding, the number of locations and other related services and logistics.

This fee does not include albums, but you own your proofs (650-1200 depending) and your negatives or Cd's along with the right to reproduce from them without paying any additional royalties.

If you want a more accurate price quote don't be shy; call me or email me (info@jvock.com), or fill out my contact form. The more information you give me the more accurate my quote will be.

I think it is better for you to see your pictures first, and then pick the style and size of your album, instead of limiting yourself by trying to determine ahead of time the type and size of album you want.

I am committed to accommodating as many pictures as you want in an album that you find attractive and affordable. When we meet, I will show you different album samples and give you a price list so all your future costs and options will be clear.

Another advantage selecting albums later is that you pay for them later. I find that most clients are not ready to make their albums until six months to a year after their wedding date.

Not really. I think it gives you maximum flexibility to pay for my services "a la carte" but I am always happy to make custom packages which include albums for clients who know exactly what they want.

Instead of "packages" I offer discounts or a free parent album if you prepay a certain amount towards albums.

I feel that packages really create conflicts between the the photographer and the client. The photographer has an incentive to keep his cost down and has to worry that he won't be compensated for any extra demands the clients make on him. Or that he has to aggressively charge for any demands that are "outside the package". The client has an incentive to try to push for as much as they can get for a fixed price. An other problem with packages is that weddings these days differ so much in size and length and circumstances that its unrealistic to be able to offer everyone the same service for the same cost.

The "Package" is really the domain of the more business minded photo studio and the real idea behind them is to give the client what appears to be a good deal, often with time limitations for making the album (or you lose your money). The deal won't really satisfy the clients needs and the photographer/studio will have an opportunity to charge steep penalties later for breaking the package. There is also a good chance the client will not get around to choosing the photos for an album before the package expires and they lose their right to an album altogether.

I think my "a la carte" system is better value and fairer to everyone. It's more flexible and the client gets what they want, whenever they want it and can change their minds at any point without penalty.

The truth is that a photographer can charge anything they like and that the quality of their work is not necessarily linked to their cost. Photographers arrive at their prices in different ways for different reasons. And you will often feel like you are comparing apples to oranges when you are shopping around. The value of photography is very subjective but the operating costs of a photographer are very high and have to be covered by a small client base.

I set my prices based on how much demand there is for my services. If I charge too much I don't book enough work and if I charge too little I book too many and end up having to turn down clients who would have been willing to pay more. So the price I charge is based on a goal of working 40-50 weddings a year which I find is a healthy number and seems to be enough to keep me, my wife and a couple of assistants very busy all year round.

There is a certain type of "artist" photographer out there who charges a phenomenal fee yet is not really that busy or that popular. They somehow feel they should make a living by working only 10-25 weddings a year or they have other sources of income that allow them to work less. I don't think they offer very good value, even if they are talented.

On the whole I think you have to decide what you can afford and then I would say that a popular photographer in any price range is probably worth what he or she is charging.

In general, wedding photography is a peculiar business with many built in disadvantages that keep the costs high. There are no repeat customers, I can only do one job a day, I can't schedule clients when I want; I have to be available when they want. Murphy's law has it that certain days are much more popular than others so I can have ten couples who would hire me for one day (but I can only work for one) and no one to hire me on another. It takes a phenomenal amount of promotion and hustling to be able to book 50 weddings a year .

My style emphasizes candid/photojournalistic photography. My clients are people who don't like to pose and don't want to spend much time on their wedding day being directed by a photographer. They also want beautiful formal pictures, but they want them taken quickly and efficiently to capture the essential family and wedding party groupings.

In a typical album consisting of the photos my clients have chosen, formal pictures make up only 10-20% of the album. The rest of the album is a storytelling, chronological photo-essay documenting everything from the bride getting ready to an exhausted ring bearer asleep under a table at the end of the night. The pictures are candid -- people talking, laughing and dancing etc. A typical album includes about 80 pictures of varying sizes in a 16-20 page (2 sides per page) album.

My clients want to see great pictures of themselves but they also want a record of all the goings-on they missed on their wedding day -- the kids playing outside, the couple smooching in a corner, the uncles arguing. They want their guests and families to be very well represented in the photos.

My clients want their wedding photographs to be a true reflection of themselves, the uniqueness of their event, and the special individuals who took part in it. They want an unobtrusive photographer who blends in and feels at home with their guests.They want "artistic" images but not so "artistic" that they don't recognize themselves and their guests.

In my photography, I aspire to capture the essence of people and events to a degree that will make anyone who sees your album comment "When I look at these photos I feel as if I'm really there." and anyone who recognizes some one in a photo to say "that is so like him/her to be doing that!"

These days "Photojournalistic" "Artistic" "Creative" "Fine Art" "Unobtrusive" and "Candid" have become standard buzzwords among the pack of competing photojournalistic wedding photographers. So I want to stress to you how much effort and priority I place on including guests and family members and trying to understand and capture their relationship to you. It is easy for inexperienced photographers to get carried away creatively at the expense of including everyone who is important to you in nice flattering photos. I can tell you from my many years of doing this, that as much as couples obsess over the creative abilities of the photographer they hire they will end up dissatisfied if they have beautiful photos of the wrong people or too many photos of themselves and not enough of their guests. When I shoot a wedding I keep careful track of who and what I have been shooting to give you a well balanced choice of photos that are creative, storytelling and inclusive.

No, I would say there are four different styles of wedding photojournalists:

- Fine art or "Artistic". These photographers have a very strong personal aesthetic that they apply to their subjects. It can be very beautiful and be compositionally dramatic but it often says more about the photographer's style than the personality of the people in the photos. They usually favor wider angle lenses, tilted or crooked camera angles, background streaking and black uneven borders around the prints. They like to shoot in low light with grainier films.They show a lot of moody images where people are not recognizable and a lot of "detail" shots

- Newspaper/paparazzi style. These photographers are good at capturing candid moments but they don't feel they have an obligation (or they are not aware) to make the subject look good. Their pictures are often distorted because they use "in your face" wide angle lenses and their candid's seem to capture people at the wrong moment (sometimes embarrassing). Their lighting technique is often uncomplimentary.

- Naturalistic. This style is also very candid but the priority in on expression and action over intricate composition and stylistic effects. In these type of photos the subject and what they are doing is the main focus of the photo rather than the compositional and technical style of the photographer. The photos look natural, but sophisticated film,lighting and lens technique is used "behind the scenes" to create a natural and flattering look.

- "Photojournalistic style" or as I like to call it "Fauxtojournalism". This is the style of late, where photographers who were never real photojournalists, aren't so great at catching real moments, or are trying to satisfy specific requests, fake or stage photojournalistic moments. They also imitate photos that they've seen elsewhere. This can be done poorly or very well.

I consider myself mostly naturalistic. I still find the greatest and most rewarding challenge is to take flattering photos that capture people's personalities in action. Basically I want subjects that are caught looking good while they are busy doing something. I like to let my clients personalities and style influence how I shoot so that I shoot a little differently at each wedding and I hope you will notice this when you look at the range of weddings in "my recent weddings" section on this site.

I also draw on the fine art style, as well as fashion photography and a little formal portraiture but I like to use these photos as creative accents in my coverage rather than as the dominant feature. My hope is that when someone looks at my photos they get caught up in the subject and feel that they have somehow gotten to know the people through the picture. I use available light whenever possible but only if I think there is a nice quality to it.

I am not a purist that cannot compromise on my vision of things. I take into account your needs as you express them and as I imagine them. I will alter my style when necessary to get the best possible results for your wedding including "photojournalistic style"

Quite a bit because I've been doing it for so long. But aside from the experience that I bring to the job, the range of stylistic and creative options are also determined by the possibilities I see in you and your event as well as some definite limitations.

Some weddings are so alive, their schedule is so well planned out and the locations are so beautiful that there can be endless possibilities for great photos and even different styles of photos.

Other weddings might have limitations because of bad weather, rushed schedules, photographically challenging locations, mellow guests or a shy bride and groom. In these weddings there are still many good options but they are fewer and recognizing them and making the most of them is where skill, talent and experience really come in. It is my job to make sure that you get great photos and I really draw from experience to get the best possible results in the most challenging scenarios using what ever style works.

Other photographers are unobtrusive but rely on quick and harsh lighting, resulting in paparazzi-style photos with brightly lit foreground figures against dark backgrounds.

I'm different because my customized equipment is lightweight and comfortable allowing me to react quickly and energetically to events around me. My lighting technique is also customized for each reception hall. It allows me to roam freely, without depending on assistants, yet it produces photos with natural looking lighting that shows detail in the background and captures the atmosphere of the room.

It is my relaxed, in control and unthreatening manner that make me unobtrusive; people either ignore me or just feel so comfortable around me that they appear natural in my photos. The key to success in wedding photography is to understand that formulas don't work. Every couple is different, every reception hall looks different, every crowd has a different mood. Drawing on past experience and customizing my approach for each wedding both aesthetically and technically is what gives me my edge.

Both. I've been shooting weddings for years so my background is obviously in shooting film. I am now equally comfortable shooting film and/or digital. Most clients today prefer digital. There are some cost advantages to shooting digital and digital is better suited for computer, web and TV viewing, and for making some of the types of albums that are available.

However I still love shooting film and find that it looks as good as digital and I am still happy to shoot film if you are interested.

I like coffee-table book albums but I would like to stress that traditional albums are still a viable option and should also be considered. I still feel it is always best to see your photos first and then decide what kind of album to make.

The "traditional" albums with framed images have also evolved in recent years and can look as contemporary as coffee table book albums. So it is mostly a question of your tastes and the style of wedding you are having.

The only real advantage of coffee table book albums is that they are a more economical way of displaying a greater quantity of images and this comes in handy for those of you that would like a 100-140 images in an album rather than the typical 80-100.

In the early 90's the big change was photographers, like myself, offering photojournalism as an alternative to traditional wedding photography.

The biggest change now has been the sudden and huge increase in the number of talented (and sometimes pretentious and not so talented) photojournalistic photographers that have entered the wedding photography field. Also, the fine art photojournalists, lately, seem to be making a bigger impact convincing potential clients that "art" is what wedding photography is all about. (to me it's mostly about the people you love)

There has also been a sudden increase in the number of tasteful and interesting ways that photos can be displayed in a variety of album styles and brands. Unfortunately it is unrealistic for me to have samples of all of these so I can only show you the albums I most commonly make. You should know, however, that I am capable of making any of the albums you may have seen out there and every year my wife will make a couple of albums that we usually don't make, for client who specially request them.

I also feel, sadly, the honeymoon period of wedding photojournalism is over. I developed my "style" in the late 80's and early 90's at a time when people were fed up with formal photography and obnoxious wedding photographers and wanted to hire a non-wedding photojournalist who could take photos without getting in their way of having fun and enjoying their wedding day. There was very little expectation, and I was free to do my work anyway I liked.

The results produced by myself and others,at that time, under those circumstances, really wowed the couples and shortly thereafter the whole wedding industry. People had no idea that wedding photos could get so good and equal the work seen in magazines and art galleries.

Through the 90's the photojournalistic images and "moments" that started as a pleasant surprise to the couples became an expectation of the couples. Couples are now looking at all the great moments they have seen captured by a variety of photographers at many different weddings and are expecting to see all of them captured by one photographer at their wedding. This is not impossible but it is very difficult and and leads to a lot of staged photojournalism and imitative work. I often now have to do some of this myself. it is referred to as "photojournalistic style".

It is a shame that couples who say they want "spontaneous" photography actually want very specific shots and this is a true contradiction. They also want photojournalism but also a lot of posed photos too. So in the end today's clientele wants it all, but it has to look natural. And I'm happy to oblige.

You now have a lot of good photographers to choose from. Just four or five years ago if you went to see 8 photographers maybe only two of us would be real photojournalists and the rest were still traditional photographers. Now you are probably choosing between 6-10 photojournalists. How will you decide between us ?

I wish I knew how my clients make their decision to hire me or someone else. These days my clients seem increasingly based on a personal referral they received from my prior clients who are their friends or from friends of friends and also I get a lot of bookings from people who have read good things about me on the Knot or Wedding Channel message boards. However take anything you read on these boards with a grain of salt.

You have probably noticed that I don't advertise very much, although I am widely published in the editorial pages of wedding magazines. This is because I find advertising adds significantly the to the costs of my service and I want to offer my clients good value. Also I am really benefiting from having so many satisfied customers for so may years who seem to go out of their way to recommend me to others.

These days I don't get many phone calls and I don't have many interviews but one out of every two or three couples I meet will hire me.

In general, as you compare me to other photographers these are the things I would most like you to keep in mind:

- I have 17 years experience shooting all kinds of weddings in all kinds of locations and I feel I keep getting better all the time.

- The strength of the images in my portfolios are based on the flattering and candid way that I photograph all kinds of people not just the very rich and good-looking who have beautiful weddings in unusually exotic/expensive locations. Although I have no problems shooting those also.

- I don't rely on arty pictures of bouquets, cakes and the back of wedding dresses to distract my potential clients from the importance of showing a lot of exciting, recognizable-people-pictures which, in the end, are harder to take and more important to you.(I do of course take these arty type of images, I just don't think they are the most important ones)

- My wife and I are committed to helping our clients through the entire process that leads to a beautiful album. We are patient and well organized on the production end so that you won't feel abandoned or frustrated when you want to make a nice album.My wife is my toughest critic and always gives me honest feedback on how I am shooting.No matter how busy I get shooting, Wendy is always available to speak with my clients, answer their questions and pass on their concerns to me. I also hire my assistants during the week to look over my work, to help me put up web sites and just to keep everything rolling along so that I can stay focused on speaking and meeting with potential clients and preparing for my upcoming wedding shoots.

- I know that my prices are now too high for some couples but I feel that many of my competitors are charging 20%-100% more for work that is no better and sometimes not as good as mine. In fact, once in a while, I have potential clients who seem to find me a little "suspect" because I am not charging enough or trying to get a big enough deposit out of them. If you are one of those people who find me under priced I hope you won't hold it against me. It seems these days that one couple's bargain is another couple's extravagance. And I work for both these types of couples. So overall I feel I offer very good value for money, especially when you look at the quality and complexity of the albums I offer.

- I am also very up front about telling you what your total costs will add up. And I don't use the marketing tool of presenting you with an appealingly priced package which will later have a lot of hidden charges when you want to customize it.

- I am a calm person and couples often find that my easy going nature and quiet confidence helps them get through their wedding day and makes the photography part of it fun. I am generous with my time and can offer a lot of information that can be useful to you in planning your wedding. But although I am calm, I have no problems dealing with stressed out people, or doing what I have to do to get what I need to get. I think people sometimes mistake my quietness for a lack of energy or motivation. I assure you this is not the case; I'm just very good at slipping under people's radar screen and working very hard in a way that attracts little attention and is basically very independent.

- I have an international background and I feel equally at ease and seem to find something in common with people of all backgrounds, ethnicity and religions. I have photographed, Jewish, Irish, Italian, Slavic, Filipino,Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, European, Greek, Armenian, Nigerian, Quaker, Coptic Egyptian, Indian, Pakistani, Persian, African American, Haitian and Latin weddings. Who would have guessed New Jersey is such a cosmopolitan place!!!

These days the couples I interview with are very well informed and arrive armed with lists of appropriate questions and an eye that's alert to anything that might show technical or creative weakness on my part. However, I think the three things they often fail to consider are:

- They forget that looking at other people's (strangers) wedding photos is a very different experience from looking at photos of themselves and people they know and love. When they look at portfolios they are more concerned about artistry and can sometime confuse artistry with content: Instinctively, when they get their own pictures back, the focus becomes much more on how they look, who is included and how significant the people are to them. The truth is, it would be possible to shoot a wedding in a way that makes a great portfolio or magazine article, but still leaves the client dissatisfied and unhappy that the photographer missed some important people. Ideally you should get it all and often will. But when it comes to having a satisfied clientele I have learned that including the right people is as important as taking great photos and the efforts that go to that end are something you should be looking for in the photographer you hire.

- Be realistic. Once in a while I get a rather shy and serious bride looking at a photo of a lively and exuberant bride saying "that's what I want" or a couple who is having an indoor wedding in winter looking at a shot of a bridal party walking along a beach taken with a telephoto lens and saying "that's the look I want". Well it's not gonna happen. Each wedding's personality and location offer many possibilities but often some definite limitations. I will always try to show you some photos in my portfolios or on my web site that will give you a good idea of how I think your wedding will appear in photos.

- Take a moment to consider what you have to offer a photographer, after all, you are the main subject and there are things you can do (like being enthusiastic and excited and lively) that can help create better results. Of course part of my skill is to get the "best out of you", but your enthusiasm as well as your consideration of advise that I will share with you, can make a big difference. I've worked miracles in tough situations and can often get great results even with clients who don't want to give me any attention on their wedding day, but I'm still willing to take all the help I can get from enthusiastic couples. All your efforts now may be turning you into a professional wedding planner so don't forget to be a great participant too! I'm not photographing your wedding plans, I'm photographing you!

I graduated from NYU in 1984 with a degree in journalism and comparative literature. While traveling extensively around the world I turned to photography and soon afterwards started shooting professionally. My work has appeared in Life, Time, Newsweek, People, Sports Illustrated, Geo, Forbes, Parenting, Skiing, Long Island Monthly and many other publications. Since I began freelancing in 1986 I have always enjoyed photographing weddings, and as my wedding business has grown through word of mouth references , my style has evolved to combine photojournalism with elegant portraiture, color with black and white.

I grew up living in Paris, Tokyo and London and I speak fluent French. I have been married for 15 years and have two kids aged 13 (girl) and 8 (boy).