Q: Why did you get rid of the name “Michael Alan Photography?”
A: Great question. Long story. See below.
Q: Why did you get rid of the name “Paramour Photography?”
A: Great question. I started off with the business my business being named “Michael Alan Photography” because it was easier to say than my last name and flowed quite nicely. I ran with that for the first four years of business. However, I quickly had a couple hangups with the name; People kept misspelling it or assumed that my name was Michael Alan. Additionally, my wife Rebecca played a real big part in my business as well and handled all the secretarial duties and was my associate shooter through it all. I felt bad that the business name was just myself so last year, we decided to change the business name to “Paramour Photography.” Par Amour translates to “With love” so we found it very suiting since everything we do in both life and business is done with love.
So you think we would keep the name Paramour Photography then right? Wrong. So, funny story… We found out soon after the name change that Rebecca was pregnant again! Awesome news but it meant that she would not be able to shoot for the rest of the year. Shooting weddings really can take take a lot out of a person. So after thinking long and hard about things we both decided that it would be best for me to continue on doing photography as a solo operation while Rebecca focuses on raising our family and continuing to be the best mother in the whole wide world. It was then that we also decided to do one final re-branding and go with using just my name, Michael Alan Bielat. Try saying that one three times fast 
(yes I just used an emoticon right there). Rest assured, we are still providing the utmost best service and quality that you have all known and loved.
Q: Is it true that your wedding photography package comes with an Apple iPad?
A: You heard correctly.
Q: Do you shoot film or digital?
A: I am a 100% digital shooter and use all the best cameras, lenses and flashes that Nikon offers.
Q: Do we receive a disk of images?
A: Totally. This goes for both weddings and portrait commissions. With that being said, I do offer some amazingly unique products such as fine art canvas gallery wraps and coffee table books which you can purchase separately if you wish. The images are all given to you in the highest resolution possible and you also receive a copy release form which allows you to take the disk of images to any photo lab
Q: Do you retouch all of the images?
A: Absolutely. You’re paying over $6k for my wedding photography services so you better believe that I deliver!
Q: Is your style “photo-journalistic”?
A: I really don’t like to pigeon hole my style into one set genre. It seems in this day and age that photo-journalism is all the rage but many people don’t really understand exactly how it plays into a wedding day while “posing” seems to be getting a bad rap. I don’t think that posing is bad, I just think that there are bad poses! So to answer this question, I really photograph in a hybrid style. We want to make your photos the best that they can possibly be so I will do whatever it takes.
For weddings, the “Getting Ready,” “Ceremony” and “Reception” are primarily non-invasive and this helps to tell the story of your wedding day. However, the “Family Formals” and portrait session of the bride and groom are done a little differently. The Family formals are all posed but I don’t spend more that 20 minutes on them. Where I really shine is during the bride and groom’s “Portrait Session.” Here, I provide a little guidance and coach for the best images possible. I still let you be yourselves but we may just recommend little tweaks here or there to make the images perfect. I also love to create images that are timeless and awe-inspiring so I may be using off camera flash and whatnot to really make the images sing.
Q: About how many images should we expect to receive?
A: I like to give a low-ball number of 400 images for weddings and around 30-40 for portrait sessions. I really feel that these numbers can document the story of your wedding or portrait session perfectly while not being too overwhelming for you. I have the whole “quality over quantity” mentality. For portrait sessions, I found that it really eases you in your image selection process when ordering images and products from me. A viewing session is when you come to our home studio and view the images from your portrait session. You then select what images you would like prints or products made of and you also receive your disk of images at that time. Simple as that.
Q: When should we expect our album and products from our wedding photography package?
A: I really like to keep your wedding experience alive even after your big day. With that being said, I keep the ball rolling and keep your wedding memories fresh. I am spoiled with iTunes and eBooks. If I want a new song or best-seller then I can download it and have it available to me within minutes. My Same Day Slideshow has some images(from your wedding that same day!) showcased during your reception. I pull all nighters to ensure that you have your finished proofs online for you to view by the time you get back from your honeymoon. From there, the rest is in your hands. Our online proofing site allows you to choose your favorite images for your album and stuff of that nature. Once you make your selections, I go ahead and design your album which will contain your favorite images. Don’t worry, I give you some guidelines as to how many images to select given the amount of pages in your album to help ease your decision.
Q: What type of albums do you offer?
A: I offer a couture wedding album that is truly unique and is unlike anything you have ever seen before. I like to say that I offer the “Royls Royce” of wedding albums. My couture album is 11×13″ in size and can hold up to 120 images. It definitely has a “wow” factor associated with it. This is due impart to it having a unique fold out page design that is something you just have to see to believe. Let me assure you that it isn’t anything like your parents wedding album!
Q: How long does it take to receive our album?
A:It takes roughly 1-2 months for my albums to be designed and made. This is due to them being entirely hand made. This is where the Apple iPad comes in handy since we get that to you as soon as humanly possible. With the Apple iPad you can essentially take a virtual album with you since it’s lightweight and comes pre-loaded with all the images from both your wedding and engagement session. Pretty cool huh?
Q: Should we have one or two photographers at our wedding?
A: This is truly personal preference. I can say that I have shot numerous weddings solo and don’t think that they required a second shooter. I can have one of my associate shooter friends tag along for an additional fee of $500 per day if you would like. I don’t mind because I can chat with them about photography all day
Q: We are getting married in a very dark church and/or reception venue. Will that be a problem for you when taking pictures?
A: Absolutely not. I always stay up to date with our camera equipment and have cameras that are ideal for low-light photography. Another factor in this equation are the lenses that I use. My lenses are also optimized for low-light photography. Having this kind of equipment is great for when churches have special requests asking that no flash photography be used during the service. Lastly, I have portable studio strobes and flashes to create light when needed.
Q: Do you shoot Nikon or Canon?
A: I am a Nikon user tried and true. I did use Canon in the past and really had nothing but issues. Nikon is at the top of their game and their equipment is rugged and of the highest quality possible. It really does reflect that in the images to give you the best image quality.
Q: Do you shoot in RAW or JPEG?
A: I shoot in RAW. Since a RAW file is basically a “digital version of a negative”, it allows me to have a lot of flexibility when it comes time to edit your images. This just guarantees that the images of yours will be of the highest caliber. I do go ahead and convert the RAW images over to a JPEG when it comes to your disk of images since JPEG’s are so widely used and accepted by computer programs and whatnot.
Thanks for reading! Please contact me directly if you have any other questions that have not been answered above.
