Frequently asked questions:
Below is a list of some questions you may have. If there is anything else you would like to ask, please reach out to me by phone, text, e-mail, or using the Contact Us section of this website. If you think your question would be helpful to share with others, please let us know!
How long have you been filming weddings?
What kind of equipment do you use?
How much does it cost for a wedding film?
How much does it cost for wedding photos?
Do you do both photography and wedding films?
Do you travel to film weddings?
Is the photographer/filmmaker licensed and insured?
Is my photographer/filmmaker willing to prove their license and insurance status?
Is the photographer/filmmaker actually going to be there or are they sending an “associate”?
Do you do all of your own editing or do you outsource it?
Where are you located and are there any travel fuel or travel time fees?
Does my filmmaker have an FAA Commercial Drone Pilot license and is the drone properly registered?
My very first wedding was in 2007 when a friend asked me to film her wedding because she knew how much I loved playing with my camcorder (this was before my first iPhone). I was always making fun videos with friends. It wasn't until a few years later that I started professionally filming weddings. Through my career, I was blessed with an opportunity to work at a professional TV studio that broadcast training films to over 65k employees. In 2015, I filmed my first professional wedding. I love what I do and I take a lot of pride in my work. I am committed to do the best I can for you because I know how important your wedding is (and I want you to refer all of your friends to me!). Nobody is born knowing how to compose a photo or operate advanced features of today’s complicated cameras, it is a learned skill. We all had to start somewhere, and I wouldn't want to discourage a new filmmaker who hasn’t refined the craft yet, but your wedding is not the place for someone who is still learning to experiment with their techniques and gear. Always make sure you see a potential filmmaker and photographer's work and ask if what you are seeing is their work or “examples” from others that they are showing of what they can do.
I have a couple Panasonic Lumix S5IIXs, a Lumix S5, a couple Lumix GH5s, a Lumix G9, a Lumix G85 with lots and lots of precious lenses for all the right angles! I also have a DJI Phantom 4 Pro, capable of filming in 4k at 60 frames per second. Each photographer/videographer works with one to two cameras with different focal lengths to capture different looking shots and we use one to two cameras on a tripod that gets moved around infrequently. The cameras are all capable of beautiful color profiles and high color bit rates as well as more frames per second for buttery smooth slow motion, and up to a 4k picture size.
For audio, I have use two Zoom H1s (one for inside the groom's jacket with a lapel mic) and one to capture background noise, audience clapping and laughing, etc. I also use a Tascam DR-10L (white) and a thigh strap to hold it in place (I give verbal instructions and let you and your bridesmaids figure this one out on your own, but am just a room away if you have questions). The white mic cord is then routed up the inside of your dress and taped facing you. Finally, I use a Zoom H6 to plug into the main soundboard or DJ booth to record the different channels of audio for music, the speeches and toasts, your vows, the officiant, etc. The bride and groom hidden on body mics record this too but redundancy is the name of the game on a day that is so important and only happens once.
The Lumix cameras have excellent in body stabilization, but I also have a gimbal that may be used depending on the venue size and pre-film planning.
I also have a couple adjustable temperature LED light panels for low light conditions, speeches, and the dance floor and several flood lights that light up the faces on the dance floor just enough to capture the fun without ruining the fun vibe. Plus, it looks so beautiful shining through the background of the shots.
Sure! As a veteran owned and operated business, I am always willing to help another veteran, first responder, medical industry professionals, or teachers. I also sometimes am able to offer discounts at random or through partnership referrals. Just ask!
I have found that weddings require a lot of focus and planning ahead of time to have the best possible outcome. Because of this, I personally prefer to either do photographs or wedding films, but not both, by myself, at the same time. Managing both at the same time may degrade the overall quality of shots for one or the other. I have excellent relationships with other filmmakers and photographers nearby and am happy to work with any that you choose. Please contact me as soon as possible to inquire about my availability once you know your wedding date and location.
Yes. There is no added transportation or fuel costs for most weddings in Northern California. Weddings farther away that require flights and hotels will have an added cost for fuel, airfare, rental car or rideshare trips, and a hotel or airbnb (which will be calculated in your total price).
You are paying good money and you want to hire a professional. Why do you care if they are licensed? A business that is doing everything above board has an interest in upholding their reputation. They want to make sure you are happy with their service and leaving a positive review. These licensed business owners depend on future customers. An unlicensed business means it may be very easy for that “company” or person to disappear if something goes wrong or the final product doesn’t meet your expectations.
Golden Hour Captures is registered with the state of California as a Limited Liability Company. Part of the cost of hiring us includes insurance coverage for the wedding/event.
To make sure that someone is licensed and insured and not just telling you they are, make arrangements to verify this before your wedding. It may be as simple as looking up their business in an online database and looking over their insurance contract .pdf from an e-mail. I am happy to help you verify this if you ask. You can search for businesses registered with the State of California here: California Secretary of State Business Search Website and you can download our certificate here: Golden Hour Captures LLC Registration. I was previously operating as a sole proprietor using my full name and filing my self employed earnings on my taxes, but decided in 2022 to file for an LLC.
I have noticed a trend recently that couples book and pay for the photographer they want (often times one of the most popular ones in the area) only to have someone else show up to take photos and videos. Some of the most popular photographers on social media are the busiest and some are double booking themselves knowing they can only be at any one wedding at a time. They send an “associate” or trainee out to cover the wedding for them. There is nothing wrong with this if you, as the customer, know about it and authorize it ahead of time, but you need to know to ask. You don’t want to pay for a specific photographer's style and experience only for them to send a trainee out to cover it because they double booked. This presents obvious concerns once your gallery or film doesn’t seem to match the examples you found on the photographer's website.
Questions to ask:
“Are you actually going to be the one who shows up to my wedding to take the photos and videos?”;
“Are you bringing an associate or second shooter as well?”;
“Will you be there the whole time or do you turn it over to them and leave?”;
“If you are not there, who is going to be there and where can I see their work? Do they have an online gallery or social media? Will it cost less since you are not going to be there?”
We have a policy to never double book and I am always there leading all of my weddings (directing, setting up gear, and personally operating multiple camera systems). If you select a second photographer/videographer, I direct and manage them throughout the day and often provide stylistic training in advance if they are not someone I have worked with before.
There are generally two options: in-house editing, and outsourced editing. Out-sourced editing means that your files will be made accessible to someone else (and once that happens, it can not be undone), and has a much faster turn around time for the final delivered products, but there is an added cost to this depending on how fast the final products are delivered. I generally don't recommend this, as the cost tends to outweigh the benefits. You can save some money by waiting longer for in-house editing that is included. You have the rest of your lives to watch the wedding films, but we do make expedited requests available, passing on our exact costs.
It is important to ask this because although it may be in the contract, it may be easy to overlook. If you hire local, you may save yourself some money by not paying someone's travel fees. You don't want to find out the morning of your wedding that your photographer was expecting more money to show up and is now nowhere to be found. If you ask your photographer to travel an hour and a half each way, this may add cost for the time they are driving as well as the fuel, make sure to ask the total travel fees including the time they will spend traveling.
I am based out of Turlock, California and generally do not charge any travel fees for venues within 90 miles or so (unless there are additional fees like hotel parking, admission tickets, etc). Beyond 90 miles, I charge the actual reasonable amount that it will cost me to drive there (up to about 150 miles from Turlock) or drive to the airport, fly there, stay in a hotel for two nights, rent a car or take a taxi to and from the destination airport, and fly/drive back home.
I’ve recently learned of a few filmmakers in the area that are selling wedding films including drone shots, but they are operating without the proper FAA drone pilot license. Don’t let them tell you that they don’t need a license for any reason like that their drone is too small to be required for FAA registration. This is true that the FAA does not require registration of drones under a certain size and weight for recreational flying, but all commercial use requires a drone pilot license (regardless of size). Another common tactic is for the filmmaker to allege that the drone services are included for free and therefore the pilot license requirement does not apply to them. The FAA has been clear that any use of drone footage (even if the drone part of the video was free) published in a commercial project or posted online to an audience that may see your services is considered commercial use of a drone and requires a license. If someone reports the violation to the FAA, your filmmaker may be required to take down the video, and that can be difficult once it has already been published on multiple platforms and shared with customers to download. It can be anything from a warning to a monetary penalty and messy legal trouble when the filmmaker is not able to take back all of the copies of your film that they have distributed.
I do have an FAA issued remote drone pilot license, but there are also other important factors that come into play like the weather, proximity to airports (and buildings with heli-pads) the wind, the cloud layer, and proximity to military flight routes and temporary airspace restrictions. There are many rules that must be followed to operate legally and some of those include the class of airspace, the height you can fly at
If you have any questions for me or suggestions to add to this list, you can reach me by voice/text at (209) 818-9599, by e-mail at: ron@goldenhourcaptures.com or by DM on Instagram: @goldenhourcapturesllc or on my contact page here.