Currently, we are one to three weeks behind.
Please contact us immediately if your contact information has changed.
Send an email with the subject, “Contact info changed”
(Updated: June 13, 2018)
The Process After Your Session:
- The first thing we do after your session is take care of your final payment and then back up your whole session in three places. Within this step, we also have to synchronize all of the images by card and time shot. Then we renumber everything using a third party program. This keeps everything in order and organized for you. Just these simple steps take a very long time and we usually need to do this two times every night in the summer.
- The next thing we do is start editing our oldest family portrait, wedding photos, videos or aerial image until about 2:00 a.m. each night. There is two of us doing this work.
- The next morning we continue to edit, book more sessions, field phone call questions, take the kids to school, dinner, babysitters and more portrait sessions. Many days we may prepare to shoot a wedding photography or videography session and sometimes aerial sessions. Oh, I forgot to mention our photo booth too! We want you to know that we never take off during the season except for the 4th of July and sometimes we still work that day. We then get three days off for Christmas and a little time off in the cold winter. We are basically working 15 + hours each day and that is 7 days a week for most of the Summer and Fall.
- Once a session is fully color corrected and cropped, we upload the images to our proofing site. This can take a while so we often will do this and work on our next project. Once the images are uploaded, we need to name the gallery and send the customer the link by email. We often customize the email so this can take a little time. Once this happens, we often receive many calls and emails for print orders that must be placed. Often this process can take several emails and or phone calls to make sure the colors, sizes, and cropping are right. Sometimes we can spend a few hours or a couple days just getting the needed information to place one order. This whole process can take a very long time.
- The next process is to select the images for the disk and add the letter of permission. We then burn the disks, package them, weigh them and make a shipping label. Unfortunately, we do not get USPS service at our home so each package must be driven to the Post Office. Sometimes we can tie it in with other jobs or errands. Typically, the disks will ship within two days of receiving your proofing link.
- Each day, week and month, this process continues and as you can tell we can get pretty backed up. Being so popular doesn’t help with our speed either but we have been around for 11 seasons so we know we are doing something right! Because time is so valuable, this is why we ask you to view this page to check on your image progress and not call until 12 weeks have passed. Hopefully, your images will be finished sooner but as you can see, there is a never-ending workload each season and it gets very heavy starting in late June, all the way until the end of November. Remember, the fall season workload increases because of holiday orders too.
- We hope this explains why it may take so long to get your images. This is a typical situation for any photographer here on the Outer Banks and is not specific to us.
- If you do not see your event, it is likely we have not started your project yet because there is someone in front of you. To be fair to all our customers, we process each project in the order we shoot them. We promise to contact you the moment your project is finished and shipped.
- Photos can take up to 12 weeks so please do not call before then, as this will slow down the whole process for everyone. Looking at this page is the best resource for tracking your images.
- Please email us with any questions at [email protected] and remember that every client receives 10% off for life!
FAQ’S
Q: Once the images are edited can we get a digital download link instead of the disk?
A: Yes! We are currently trading the disk for a digital download. This process requires you to have high-speed internet and may not be best for some people. This offer is subject to change at any time.
Q: What if I want to purchase prints but I am not the paying client?
A: Just contact us and we will send you a link to the proofing & ordering page once the images are ready.
Q: Why can’t I see my images now? Is there something wrong with them?
A: As top photography professionals, we shoot each image in the RAW format (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_image_format) Each image is captured with low sharpness and contrast settings. This allows us to edit or process the images with our style of editing. We adjust cropping, color saturation, exposure, sharpness and white balance. Honestly, the images straight out of the camera are flat and we choose to process the image in Adobe Lightroom for better results than setting the camera to perform these functions. Some photographers choose to do this in the camera to reduce editing time. We have done both and there is no doubt, that doing this step in Adobe Lightroom compared to the camera produces a superior image!
Q: If it’s been longer than 12 weeks, can we call?
A: Yes! Generally, we will call you if it will be longer than 12 weeks, but if you have not heard from us, please excuse us and give us a ring. Remember, we want everyone to get their images as soon as possible and if you are worried, feel free to give us a ring after the 12-week mark.
Q: My package came with prints and they are not so good or damaged. What should I do?
A: All of our prints are guaranteed to look just like we edit them. If for any reason you are not satisfied, please contact us immediately and we will have a new order re-shipped at our cost. Over 11 seasons this has not happened many times. Mostly with our older lab. Sometimes an order will be damaged in shipping and in either case, we will get you a new order immediately! Just contact us and let us know as soon as possible.
Q: If we return in the future and want to use Outer Banks Productions again, is there a discount?
A: Yes, we offer 10 % off for life and for any referrals. Our return customers make up a large portion of our business and since prices need to be raised at times, we offer this discount to our loyal customers.
Q: In some of the photos, we all have hair sticking up because of the wind. Is there anything you can do?
A: Yes. We try very hard to shoot our sessions during any wind lulls but the Outer Banks is a windy location. Since we do not own Adobe PhotoShop anymore, we send out these images to get fixed. The rates change all the time and depend on the number of images in need of correction. We charge a very small processing fee to cover our costs and time. Please contact us for each situation and we can get you a quote usually within 48 hours or so.
Q: I had some solo shots taken and wish to look younger. Can you help?
A: Yes. Since we do not own Adobe PhotoShop anymore, we send out these images to get fixed. The rates change all the time and depend on the number of images in need of correction. We charge a very small processing fee to cover our costs and time. Please contact us for each situation and we can get you a quote usually within 48 hours or so.
Q: Can you switch ahead or eliminate someone from one photo to another?
A: Sometimes. Since we do not own Adobe PhotoShop anymore, we send out these images to get fixed. The rates change all the time and depend on the number of images in need of correction. We charge a very small processing fee to cover our costs and time. Please contact us for each situation and we can get you a quote usually within 48 hours or so.
Q: We really love the images and have decided to upgrade to a print package and extra disks. What do we need to do?
A: Just contact us and we can easily upgrade your package. The rates may change at any time but currently, for a print package and 2 extra disks, it’s around $170.00 extra.
Q: I heard all of the disks and image will be shipped to the paying client. Can I pay you to ship everything to each family instead?
A: Yes, but we need to know before we place your order and there are additional fees. Once you receive the link to your online proofing, Just contact us and let us know all of the additional addresses and what images you need for each address. Remember, we receive substantial discounts for shipping to one address. If we need to ship to multiple addresses, we need to pay several occurrences of shipping, drop ship fees from our lab and usually a higher price for our images at our cost. Please contact us for a quote on your situation. This usually takes 48 hours. In all cases, it will be cheaper for us to have everything shipped to you and have you ship them to your family but if you are looking for convenience, and money is not an issue, we are glad to help!
Q: I have an emergency and need the images for a special event. Can you help?
A: We leave a few slots open for rush events and can usually meet just about any deadline. There is a fee for this service and if you contact us, we can first see if it’s physically possible and then offer you our rate.
Q: How long do you keep the images?
A: Officially we only promise to keep your images for approximately 6 months after your session. We still have every image we have ever shot. So if you need an image and it’s been longer than 6 months, let us know, we will see if we can find them. There may be an additional fee as searching through hard drives can be time-consuming. Just let us know and we can get you an answer usually within 48 hours. After 6 months there is no guarantee but we will do our best.
Q: I received the disk, the images are great but my lab won’t make prints without a letter of permission. What should I do?
A: Every disk should have a .pdf file that is the letter of permission. If you have not received this, let us know and we will send you or your lab one no problem!
We greatly appreciate your business and patients,
Douglas & Michelle Haber
Outer Banks Productions