Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are you available to travel to shoot our wedding?

Absolutely! We're based in Southern California, but are available to shoot gorgeous weddings worldwide! We've lived and worked overseas including in Belgium, Great Britain, Hong Kong, China, India, France, Mexico, Thailand, Singapore, and have traveled all over the U.S.

2. What type of weddings do you shoot?

We've photographed many weddings over the past 10 years, from traditional to ethnic weddings. We've captured celebrations with 50 guests, intimate elopements, week long Indian weddings with thousands of guests, and everything in-between. We love capturing and highlighting a variety of lights, colors, details, and traditions for all our clients, whether it's a Jewish, Persian, Vietnamese or Indian wedding. We appreciate and value cultural differences and enjoy shooting them.

3. How much time do we need to allot for professional photography on our wedding date?

Lots. Be sure to account for travel, setup time, location and lighting. Involve us in your planning process to ensure you set your timeline accordingly. Here're our recommended timeframe for your wedding timeline.

Dress, rings, shoes, and other bridal accessories – 35 minutes
Getting ready – 45 minutes
Bride/Groom individual portrait – 25 minutes
First Look/Couple session – 60 minutes
Wedding Party photos – 45 minutes
Immediate Family photos – 30 to 45 minutes
Ceremony décor and venue – 30 minutes
Reception décor and venue – 30 minutes
Creative couple portrait (reception sneak out) – 15-25 minutes
Couple send off (grand exit) – 20 minutes

4. Do you work with a second shooter/ assistant?

Yes. Using a second shooter provides extra coverage and candid shots. The assistant helps to move the lights and carry reflectors to ensure we get the perfect shot every time. Having a second shooter and assistant free me from the logistics so I can focus on the shots.

5. How long does it take to receive the images?

About 4 to 6 weeks for weddings and within 2 weeks for engagements. We normally post sneak peeks of my favorite images within 10 days after the shoot. The turnaround time for our Italian albums is 4 weeks.

6. How many pictures do you take?

It's 1000+/- for full day wedding, 2,500+/- on South Asian Multiday wedding, and 100+ on engagements

7. May we have all the RAW files you took?

No. We take all images in RAW uncompressed format for optimal details from the camera, and because it gives us the most control in post production. RAW files are intended for professional use only. Selected images will go through an editing process that includes cropping, color correction, adjusting white balance, exposure, and highlights, and are then made available in universal JPG format to clients at our discretion. We will not give out unfinished and unedited RAW files to clients.

8. How big can we print with your high resolution files?

You can print life sized with the high resolution images we provide you!

9. What do the album designs look like?

Extremely impressive and jaw dropping gorgeous! All the albums are designed by Peter Nguyen and Lam Moi, and are then handmade in Italy. We use the crystal glance cover, leather spine and backcover, pearl paper, and metallic print. We’d love to meet with you and show you our album samples and options!

10. May we pick the photos for our album?

Yes. We'll create your wedding gallery and ask you to pick 100 to 120 of your favorite photos. We'll then design your album based on your favorite shots and send it to you to review once we're done with the initial design. You can send us a summary of the changes you'd like. We'll update your album and send you one final proof before we send it off for print. It usually takes 4 weeks for the album to be ready since it's made in Italy.

11. Are you licensed and insured?

Absolutely. We are fully licensed and insured. We have our business license and liability insurance with us at all times and will be happy to show them to you or send a copy to your wedding venue coordinator upon request.

12. Do you have a retainer fee. When will the balance be due?

Yes. The retainer and signed contract are required to book the date(s). The balance is due 30 days prior to wedding date.

13. Do we need to feed you and your crew at the reception?

Yes. That will keep us energized to shoot your wedding.

14. Our wedding is cancelled. Can we have our retainer back?

No. The retainer holds your wedding date exclusively for you. We turn away anyone else who may be interested in that date.

15. Do you have backup equipments and how do you backup your photos?

We own Nikon's top of the line professional camera bodies, lenses, and fashion lighting Broncolor Move pack and 88 Para for our editorial shoots. We always bring backup equipment. We also backup our clients' photos in 3 places, including in the camera, on an external drive, and on a cloud.

16. Can our family and friends take pictures with their cameras?

Let's be completely honest. Family and guests are welcomed to take pictures with their cameras from their seats. We just respectfully ask them to not get in the way of the hired photographers. Lots of pictures have been ruined because family and guests took it upon themselves to document the entire wedding on their iPhone, iPad, or nice camera.

Officiant Prep Talk from L.A. Color on Vimeo.

17. What's an 'Unplugged' Wedding?

It's when the guests are asked to turn off all their electronic devices (cameras, cellphones, iPads, etc.) throughout the course of the ceremony or sometimes throughout the entire day. It not only ensures your guests are truly present and attentive to the day, but it is also a great way to protect your photography investment. We usually send our couple a complementary 24"x36" Gallery wrap canvas when they decide to go 'unplugged'.

See this video if you need reasons to get 'unplugged' :) http://fstoppers.com/attending-a-wedding-soon-be-sure-to-watch-this-video

18. Why hire Peter Nguyen?

We capture great images and deliver impeccable products and services. We aim to be the best in what we do. We only book a limited number of events per year to ensure we can deliver images and videos with the highest standards possible. All work is done in house, and we never outsource to third parties to ensure optimum quality. We've shot hundreds of different types of weddings, and can shoot under variety of lighting conditions, including mid day beach weddings, dessert high-fashion shoots, to intimate candle lit ceremonies. We use state of the art technology and top of the line equipment. Our clients come from all walks of life, from designers and celebrities to physicians, investors, lawyers, engineers, photographers, and business owners. They all have great taste in imagery, know their styles, love fashion, art, foods, and travel.

19. Can you also provide videography services as well?

Yes. We can now offer total imaging experience for our clients with video services. We received many requests from our brides over the years but felt we needed to first focus on still images until we had them mastered. We also wanted to take the proper time to thoroughly immerse ourselves in the art of filming and train our staff shooters to master it as well. Check out the videos on our blog and stay tuned more exciting films from us soon.

20. How do we reserve our wedding date(s) with you?

A signed contract and retainer are needed to book your wedding date(s) with us. Send us a message from our contact form with your date(s) and the type of services you need, and we'll get back to you with a custom quote to proceed.