Photographer - Samantha Straub
- Business: Anorda Photography
- Location: Charlotte, North Carolina NC
- Experience: 12 Years
- Photography Types: Engagements, Family, Weddings
- Profile: Anorda Photography
- Website: anordaphotography.com
1. Introduction: What's your story?
Hi I'm Samantha Straub, co-owner and lead photographer at Anorda Photography. My love for photography started over 15 years ago when my brother gifted me his film camera. The love deepened in my high school darkroom and I photographed my first wedding the summer after I graduated (it was even my photography professor's son's wedding!). I continued my education in photography throughout college by attending Savannah College of Art and Design, where I graduated with my BFA in Photography in 2013. A few years after graduating, I finally pursued starting my own business with my husband Nick, and thus Anorda Photography was born.
2. How long have you been shooting weddings? How many weddings have you photographed?
I photographed my first wedding 12 years ago but we've been photographing weddings together for 4 years. In those 4 years, we've photographed over 65 weddings.
3. How would you describe your photography style?
We take a very candid approach with our work. We are right on the edge of being photojournalistic but when it comes to portrait time, we are there to help coach in order to relieve the "stress" and "awkwardness" some might feel being in front of the camera. We pride ourselves on being a fly on the wall for the super intimate moments but we also love to get in the middle of the dance floor to get those epic shots you might not remember tomorrow.
4. How well in advance should couples book their wedding photographer?
Most of our couples book us 9-12 months out but 2020 changed a lot of things and we've been seeing an influx of more last-minute bookings. If you're planning a wedding for spring or fall, we recommend booking as soon as possible because these months fill up first.
5. What are the different packages that you offer and which one is your most popular package?
What is great about our collections, is that they all include 2 photographers since we are a husband and wife team. We offer pre-made collections for convenience and added value but also offer custom collections in order to tailor it to each individual couple's needs. Our most popular collection is our "Hemlock" collection which includes an engagement session, 8 hours of wedding day coverage and a beautifully designed wedding album. We believe that your final product should be a tangible item so that your memories aren't just living on your screens so we've worked all of our pre-made collections to include some type of tangible product. For add-ons, we offer additional coverage, expedited editing, other sessions like bridals, boudoir or day-after sessions, and more.
6. Are you the wedding photographer who will be shooting on the wedding day? Who else is there in your team?
We're a husband and wife team so we are always working together. I, Sam, act as the lead photographer for the day but Nick is just as involved by capturing the moments that I might not even see. We work so well in tandem but when the time calls for it, we have no problem separating to get different activities the proper coverage. We both work with dual cameras throughout the day and have all of the back up gear you could imagine.
7. Do you charge a travel fee? For what distance? What does that cover?
As of right now, there are no additional fees for weddings within 3 hours of Charlotte, NC. This covers most of Western NC, the Triad area as well as most of South Carolina.
8. Are albums or prints included in your packages?
Our smallest collection includes a gorgeous wooden portfolio box with approx. 20 matted prints. The rest of our collections include custom-designed wedding albums.
9. How long after the wedding will the couple receive the images? How will they be delivered?
After the wedding day, we typically take about 6-8 weeks to hand edit the photos and we include basic retouching to remove temporary blemishes for the VIPs of the day. Final images are delivered via a private online gallery and we provide permanent digital backups through the online gallery because we think that you shouldn't have to stress about losing your wedding photos in the unfortunate circumstance that a hard drive crashes.
10. What is your cancellation and/or refund policy?
All of our contracts include a non-refundable 50% retainer to secure your date. In the event of cancellation, our contract protects both us and the client. If a date needs to be rescheduled, we just ask for ample notice so that we can secure the new date and work with you to create a new contract.
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