From the Hip Photo: 10 Questions with Nina and Danny de Zayas

Photographer - Nina and Danny de Zayas

Business: From the Hip Photo
Location: Denver, Colorado CO
Experience: 12+ Years
Photography Types: Maternity, Newborn, Commercial, Products, Events, and more!, Engagements, Family, Weddings
Profile: From the Hip Photo
Website: fromthehipphoto.com

1. Introduction: What's your story?

Hey there! We're From the Hip Photo and we can't wait to get to know you better!

From the Hip Photo was launched by Nina de Zayas and her husband Danny in 2009. The pair met while earning their art degrees in New York City and pursued their dream of building a creative partnership after relocating to Denver. From the Hip Photo's name is a nod to the style of their images: fresh, authentic, spontaneous, candid, playful, and vibrant!

Since then, our team has grown into the most respected, sought-after crew in Colorado. Julia and Danielle are our dynamic duo of gifted Lead Photographers, bringing energy and artistry to every session we photograph. Lauren, who rose through our internship program to become our Studio Manager, brings a creative mind to our daily operations to keep things running smoothly for everyone.

Search through our online reviews or ask any wedding professional in the area and you'll soon realize what makes From the Hip stand apart: a wholehearted devotion to providing a gushworthy, fun experience for all of our couples and a passion for artistically documenting the genuine love our couples share.

We're proud to have been one of the area's early industry advocates for marriage equality. We're an immigrant and woman-owned business with a long history of giving back to our community and supporting arts, education, and entrepreneurship here in Colorado.

Our website is designed to be clear and transparent, including our pricing and process, and we'd love to talk with you to see how we can help make your day even more exceptional!

2. How long have you been shooting weddings? How many weddings have you photographed?

The dedicated, full-time team at From the Hip has 40+ years of experience photographing weddings. We have teamed up with hundreds of couples over the past dozen years on everything from two-person elopements to multi-day destination weddings. There isn't another set of photographers around who can match our expertise or our passion for what we get to do each and every day!

3. How would you describe your photography style?

Our couples describe our work as honest, vibrant, authentic, timeless, joyful, genuine, fun, and creative.

The five of us are formally trained photographers who bring a photojournalistic approach to everything we do. We want our couples to be present and enjoy their wedding day, so we work hard to unobtrusively capture sincere interactions and the emotion of real moments. We are also professionals at posing formal family photos and large groups; we'll plan together to make sure that portion of your day flows seamlessly!

All of our engagement, elopement, and wedding options include our award-winning retouching on your entire gallery of images. Every single photo you receive from us arrives fully edited, at high-resolution, with printing and sharing rights. Everything you need is always included!

We'd love for you to view some examples from our expansive portfolio on our site at https://fromthehipphoto.com

4. How well in advance should couples book their wedding photographer?

Anytime is the right time to book your wedding photographer! We are a full-time team of five, which allows us to have much more flexibility than other photographers may be able to offer. Some couples reach out to us two years ahead of their wedding date, others say hello a month out. Most of our weddings are booked about nine months in advance.

Our busiest time of the year is late August through early October. A lot of people might think that it would be mid-summer, but Colorado's autumn season is spectacular and we see the most weddings in that time frame. Although Saturdays tend to be our most in-demand day, we have photographed weddings every day of the week and every month of the year.

5. What are the different packages that you offer and which one is your most popular package?

We are happy to tailor a custom package just for you, but our most popular packages range from $3,100-$4,500 depending on the number of hours desired and whether you'd like one or two photographers.

Every single package we offer includes:

- Unlimited pre-wedding communication & coordination
- Photography by our exclusive, full-time, experienced professionals
- Portfolio-quality retouching on your entire set of photos
- Super fast turnaround within four weeks
- Travel time to/from all locations within a one-hour radius of our Denver studio
- Sharing & print rights for all of your photos

We also offer intimate wedding and elopement options (typically at $1200 for two hours of coverage) which also include everything listed above.

A la carte options for engagement sessions, boudoir photo shoots, custom wedding album design and printing, and other services are also available.

For a full breakdown of pricing and options, please visit https://fromthehipphoto.com/weddings

6. Are you the wedding photographer who will be shooting on the wedding day? Who else is there in your team?

You'll team up with one of our full-time, exclusive From the Hip Lead Photographers. Their whole world revolves around getting to know you, working hard to capture glorious photos on your wedding day, and then making those images shine even more during the editing process. The rest of our crew is always in your corner to make sure you're getting quick replies to questions, honest recommendations, and any guidance that will help you along the way!

Because we're a dedicated team, you have a built-in safety net against illness or other circumstances; even though we've never had to resort to a last-minute swap, it's good peace of mind to know you're covered in any unforeseen event.

If you opt for a two-photographer package, you'll have twice as many butt-kicking photographers there to cover all those memorable moments! As an additional safeguard, all of our photographers are equipped with a full suite of backup gear, including full-frame camera bodies, an array of high-caliber lenses, and assorted lighting gear to produce the most outstanding images possible on your behalf.

7. Do you charge a travel fee? For what distance? What does that cover?

Our wedding packages include travel to any wedding venue within one hour of travel time from our Denver studio. We routinely photograph at locations beyond this range and have modest fees based on the exact location to cover the additional time and expense involved. We always furnish any costs at the beginning of our conversation; feel free to ask if there are any travel costs for your particular venue.

8. Are albums or prints included in your packages?

Every one of our photography packages includes:

- Award-winning retouching on your full gallery of images (i.e. no need to select favorites or purchase individual images
- Digital delivery of your high-resolution files via our easy to use online gallery platform
- Full printing rights (i.e. the ability to have photos printed at any lab or online service)
- Full sharing rights to send images to friends and family

We also offer prints through our high-quality partner lab, as well as bespoke wedding album design and printing. You are never under any obligation to order prints through us, but we do make it easy to do so if you or your family would like to.

Additionally, our Cherry on Top wedding photography package includes a credit to use for individual prints and the design and printing of a luxury wedding album.

9. How long after the wedding will the couple receive the images? How will they be delivered?

All of our packages include a super-fast turnaround of your fully retouched photos within four weeks. We guarantee our turnaround times as well as all of your deliverables in your contract.

10. What is your cancellation and/or refund policy?

A 50% retainer is required to officially reserve your photography date. This allows us to "close" the calendar for you and reserve your photographers.

In the event of cancellation, that 50% is non-refundable; any payment beyond that amount is returned.

If your wedding date changes, we will re-accommodate your package to the new date at no additional charge to the best of our ability. Because we are a team, we have always been able to accommodate our couples' date changes without any issues or fees.