Every question, answered.

Four collections, all photography only. The Editorial Wedding at $2,300 (six hours, solo coverage). The Full Day at $3,400 (nine hours, two photographers, engagement session). The Editorial Experience at $4,800 (nine hours plus the Day After Editorial Session). The Heirloom at $6,200 (twelve hours, two photographers, Day After, printed album).

Every collection includes a full edited gallery, online album, and print release. No surprise fees. See the full breakdown on the Investment page.

Yes. A 25% retainer locks your date. Non-refundable, applied to your package total. Balance due seven days before the wedding.

Payment by check, bank transfer, or card. Card adds 3% to cover processing.

No surprise fees. Sales tax, edit time, gallery hosting, and print release are all included. Travel within 100 miles of Cleveland is included. Beyond 100 miles, travel is billed at cost (gas, and lodging if needed). I'll quote it before contract signing.

Yes. The Day After Editorial Session can be added to The Editorial Wedding or The Full Day for $900. On The Editorial Experience and The Heirloom it is included.

Every keeper from your wedding day. Typically eighty to one hundred twenty edited images per hour of coverage. A six-hour wedding lands around 500-700 frames. A nine-hour wedding lands around 800-1,000.

I don't hold back the gallery to upsell extras. The number depends on the day, the light, and the moments. The selection is mine; the delivery is the full keeper set.

Sneak peeks within seven days. Full edited gallery in six weeks. Priority editing on The Full Day, The Editorial Experience, and The Heirloom shrinks that to five weeks.

Included on The Full Day, The Editorial Experience, and The Heirloom. The Editorial Wedding is solo coverage. If you want a second photographer on the entry tier, it can be added for $500.

We shoot anyway. Some of the strongest editorial frames in the portfolio came from rainy days. Wedding-day weather doesn't reschedule the wedding; it doesn't reschedule the photography either.

I bring umbrellas, lens covers, and a backup body. The Day After Session can also be moved to a clear morning if your wedding-day weather is brutal.

Maybe yes, maybe no. It doesn't matter. I know how to use my camera in any lighting and any situation. A new venue gets walked through the day-of timeline; a familiar venue gets a refreshed shot list. Either way, the work looks the same.

If you want to. Most couples do a thirty-minute phone or video consultation before booking. After booking, a second consultation in the month before the wedding goes over the day-of timeline.

In-person meetings are welcome over coffee in Cleveland. Most couples find phone or video easier with travel and planning schedules.

Me directly. Bride or groom acts as primary contact on the contract; the other becomes the emergency contact. The primary contact's approval is the studio's approval for any decision (timeline change, add-on, gallery release). Family members, planners, and vendors can talk to me but can't make changes to your booking.

This single-point-of-contact policy keeps the day calm and your wedding decisions in your hands.

Every inquiry gets a reply within five business hours. Active client emails get a reply within four hours during normal hours, same-day always.

We move the date if I am available. The retainer transfers to the new date one time. If I'm not available on the new date, the retainer is forfeited per contract; we will make every effort to refer you to an editorial photographer of similar caliber.

I carry a network of Cleveland editorial photographers as second-shooter partners. In the event I am physically unable to shoot, one of them shoots in my place, on my equipment, with my shot list and direction. The gallery is then edited by me in my voice. This contingency hasn't been triggered to date.

Editorial. Composed frames. Real shadows, true black, and the kind of light a magazine photographer waits for. I don't shoot all light, all airy, all the time. I shoot the wedding the way the day actually looks, elevated.

The closest comparisons in the wedding industry are documentary-meets-fashion. The closest comparisons outside the wedding industry are magazine features and editorial campaigns. That's the room my work lives in.

Yes. Every collection includes a print release for personal use, including social media, online albums, and prints up to 16x20. Photo credit (@ralphwestphotography on Instagram) is appreciated when sharing on social, never required.

Yes. Cleveland-based, available worldwide. Travel beyond 100 miles of Cleveland is billed at cost (gas, lodging if needed). Quoted before the contract.

Yes, with a date policy. Elopements and micro weddings (under 30 guests) are booked Sunday through Thursday at custom pricing. Friday and Saturday dates are reserved for full weddings. Inquire with your date and I'll quote.

Yes. Included on The Full Day, The Editorial Experience, and The Heirloom. The Editorial Wedding can add an engagement session for $500. The session is 90 minutes, one Cleveland-area location, full edited gallery delivered within four weeks.