amie morgan wedding photography of carmel ca | professional two-person photojournalist team specializing in destination weddings in the beautiful central california coast | serving monterey, carmel, pebble beach, pacific grove, santa cruz, and big sur | monterey wedding photographers shooting and capturing all your priceless memories
Carmel wedding photographer, Carmel wedding photography, Monterey wedding photographer, Monterey wedding photographers, Pebble Beach wedding photographer, Monterey wedding photography, Pebble Beach wedding photography
Processing time during the post-production phase - estimated wait time
From your wedding in Carmel Valley until you get the proofs...how long to expect
Return to the F.A.Q. INDEX
Q: From the date of my event, how long will it take to receive my proof prints and digital images?
A: We begin processing your images almost instantly after your event concludes. Nevertheless, given the vast amount of time required in this post-production workflow, you should expect to receive your proof prints and digital images within no more than 40-business days (typically though, you should receive them in around 30-business days). However, on rare occasion (typically during the busy summer months and/or when there are complex color correction issues that require multiple orders of proof prints to guarantee properly calibrated images), it may take as long as 90-business days to process (this is an extreme case but it is always a possibility). We'll of course email you the tracking number of the package as soon as it ships.
Keep in mind that this post-processing phase is exceptionally labor intensive and time consuming on our end and we would hope that you try to be as patient as possible during this period. Just so you understand, the average post-processing time of our competing Monterey Bay Area photographers runs around 90-120 days during peak season and between 60-90 off-peak. When you compare this to our processing time of only 30-45 days or so, I hope you would at least feel somewhat relieved that we are working our very hardest to ensure your images are processed and shipped out to you promptly.
If you have any special deadlines that are in play (e.g., a bridal shower, engagement party, second reception at some distant location, etc.) please let us know of such. If you give us sufficient advance notice, we'll try our very best to rush process your images (or at least a portion of the images just so you have some "teasers" to show your friends/family). It should go without saying that unless you make clear of this request well beforehand (i.e., please provide at least 15-business days notice), then we'll almost never meet the deadline for your event if it falls short of our typical processing timeframe outlined above.
Q: How about the enlargements that come with the package I ordered; when will those arrive?
A: In addition to the proofs (in the form of either 4" x 6" prints or a bound proof book), all of our packages contain a varying number of 8" x 12" enlargements. In the vast majority of cases, we ship these enlargements along with the proofs and digital content. However, given that printing enlargements is much more time consuming and requires specialty equipment not utilized with proof prints, we occasionally ship the enlargements individually because the enlargement printing process may take upwards of an additional 10-business days for processing.
Because we know our clients want to get their hands on something as soon as possible, we've found that shipping the proof prints and digital content first and then the enlargements second is a good compromise. Like we said before though, many times our lab is able to expedite the process and ship both the proofs as well as the enlargements simultaneously; accordingly, we're then able to get the finished product out to you rapidly.
Q: OK, I received the proofs and ordered some additional enlargements, what is the typical turn around time?
A: Along the lines of the previous question, enlargements are more time-intensive to process so there is always a delay involved. Typically, about 10-days elapses from the time you place your enlargement order until the package ships. Obviously, you'll need to add anywhere from 3-5 additional business days for shipping.
Q: Instead of paper enlargements, I ordered some of your custom canvas prints. What's the processing time look like with these types of products?
A: Any of our "custom" products, which includes our canvas line as well as any of our albums, takes considerably longer to process and the above estimates which were provided for paper prints & enlargements simply do not apply.
For canvas prints, although the exact processing and shipping time varies greatly based upon the time of year (e.g., December/January as well as summer months are "peak" seasons whereby our labs are abnormally busy), we generally estimate that 15-business days is needed from the time you place your order until your framed canvas print ships out to you. Again, this is just a best guess and we'll e-mail you the tracking number once it ships out.
Albums on the other hand are the most labor intensive, both in terms of the time & labor necessary from my end as your photographer as well as at the lab and binding facility, and consequently require the most processing time. Providing a reasonable estimate for processing is further impacted by the exact type of album ordered as well as the number of pages/images incorporated in the product. Nevertheless, for an "average" album of 15-pages or so, you should probably anticipate 60-days or longer from the time your order is placed before it ships. Of course, more intricate albums may require upwards of 90-business days for processing. Please contact us for more details based upon your specific needs.