What is your philosophy of weddings?

Simply, our goal is to create the most stunning photographs of your wedding day that money can buy, while offering an exciting, stress free, wedding day experience with the best customer service available. We get to know our brides and grooms personally. It is important for us to not only know your names, but also the names of your family and wedding party. We work with you by offering free of charge wedding planning services that will help you save a fortune in mistakes most brides make. We must know you in order for you to feel comfortable on your wedding day. We start the process the day you walk in to chat with us. We specialize in EXCITEMENT! All of our work is hand printed, custom cropped, and fully retouched.

My nose is crooked and one of my eyes is bigger than the other and I hate my profile and am a little overweight. Can you make me look good?

The short answer is yes. How? Because we have studied what is called "body dynamics." It is an advanced teaching in photography school that many photographers have not even heard of. What it means is simply that whatever imperfections someone may have, there is a very specific way that those imperfections can be minimized. Sometimes they can be minimized to such a degree that they are not even noticed! However, if your photographer does not know these secrets, very often they will magnify your imperfections. We can correct for crooked noses, uneven eyes, a too heavy or too thin appearance, skin imperfections, poor posture, and many other conditions people have. Lets be honest, most of us would like to change a few things about how we look. It is our job as professional photographers to know how to make you look your best. Let us show you examples of how we use body dynamics to enhance your appearance. Your photographer must have these skills in order for you to look your best.

Do you travel out of town for weddings and/or destination weddings?

Certainly. We have traveled all over the country and well as out of the country photographing weddings for our brides.. Many couples are choosing destination weddings and we love accommodating our brides on that special day. We even can travel for your bridal or engagement session to the destination of your choice. Unique destinations can really tell a story that describes where you meet or how you fell in love so why not give us a call and begin preparing your dream day?

Where do you recommend photographing engagement or bridal sessions?

Many couples are choosing places that mean the most to them. We have photographed couples on college campuses where they met, the park where they hung out while dating, their house or various places around Tulsa such as Gilcrease Museum, Philbrook Museum of Art, or downtown Tulsa. There really is no limit!

Do you enjoy weddings?

I'm glad you asked! The little secret in the wedding photography business is that many photographers simply do not enjoy weddings! For them it is a necessary part of being a photographer but if they could afford to financially, they would not choose to photograph weddings. So this is an important question to ask a prospective photographer (or any other vendor) in person. We, however, not only enjoy what we do at weddings, we have a blast doing it! Many people have memories of the grumpy old photographer who barked orders to everyone while telling you to "SMILE!" What a drag! If you want to have the best, most exciting, most thrilling day of your life, then you simply must talk to Don or Jenifer. It is our number one goal for you to not only have outstanding photographs of your wedding day, but also for you to wish the day would never end!

How much experience do you have?

Another important question! We have personally photographed over 400 weddings in 15 years. We have a solid, stable business that will be here to serve your family for a lifetime should we have the privilege. We have actually gone to photography school to learn the craft of photography. We have studied with the best photographers in the world. Now we teach our particular style to other up and coming photographers all over the country. There is more to being a wedding photographer than taking fine photographs. The wedding photographer has the responsibility of helping you plan your wedding day in such a way that it will be as stress free as possible. Managing family dynamics is important. The day is full of excitement and the unknown. You need a calming influence that has the experience to handle almost any situation that might come up. How will your photographer calm a bride down if all the flowers are the wrong color, or if the cake falls onto the floor, or the bride gets into a fight with a groomsman, or the bride and mother in law are screaming at each other on the dance floor, or the unity candle catches a bridesmaids hair on fire, or the preacher does not show up, or the outdoor wedding is completely rained out? Believe it or not, we have had to handle all those situations and more. And we have the experience and know how to make the best of difficult situations in such a way that the bride and groom still had an amazing wedding day that they will remember fondly.

What are your wedding prices?

Our pricing reflects the quality of our work and the outstanding service we provide. Brides and grooms who choose Don C. Harris Photography simply want the best. Picky brides are our specialty! All of our wedding packages include ALL of your poses included candids. We feel it is important for you to have all of your pictures and we offer NO LIMIT on the number of images we take at your event. Our wedding packages are all customizable so you can mix and match different options and get exactly what you want. Our smallest Saturday package any time of year is $2750 for four hours of coverage and one of each pose in a leather album along with a second album of 20 8x10 images. We have many other options and can customize something special for you. We have smaller packages available for non-Saturday events as well as January, February, and March. Call us for details.

I saw a really awesome album somewhere else; can I get one of those?

Absolutely. We have access to a dozen different album companies and can easily order anything you like.

How far in advance do you book weddings?

We generally book prime time weddings up to a year or more in advance so call when you know your wedding date so we can begin planning your day.

What do you recommend wearing for an engagement session?

The goal of any fine portrait is to direct the viewer's attention to the face or faces in the portrait. Your clothing, accessories and hairstyle should facilitate this goal. For an outdoor session, we prefer an elegant casual or simple look. Jeans and khakis work really well, as do simple, un-patterned tops and dresses. Black or very dark clothing tends to make you appear slimmer while light and patterned clothing does not. Bright colors, such as red and orange, will completely overpower the face. Stripes, plaids and checkered patterns do not photograph well. For women, your makeup should be simple and natural. Lipsticks in medium shades work best.

Try to remember that these are your first photographs will be in your family for many years so a clean classic look will stand the test of time.

How do I view my session?

Once your portrait session is complete, you will schedule a time to view the session with family. We display your images in large format, which allows you to more easily choose the photographs of your choice. You may choose to purchase extra photographs or choose the number that comes with your desired wedding package. Your wedding day photographs are not selected this way. All of our packages include one of every single pose in a beautiful album which means you will never have to choose between your pictures. You get them all!

What Do We Wear For Family or Baby Portraits?

The goal of any fine portrait is to direct the viewer's attention to the face or faces in the portrait. Your clothing, accessories and hairstyle should facilitate this goal.

For an outdoor session, we prefer an elegant casual or simple look. Jeans and khakis work really well, as do simple, un-patterned tops and dresses. Black or very dark clothing tends to make you appear slimmer while light and patterned clothing does not. Bright colors, such as red and orange, will completely overpower the face. Stripes, plaids and checkered patterns do not photograph well. For women, your makeup should be simple and natural. Lipsticks in medium shades work best.

If the weather allows bare feet are in order for a casual family portrait. Try to remember that these are your first photographs will be in your family for many years so a clean classic look will stand the test of time.

For a studio session, we like to keep the babies as bare as possible. For newborns, please bring your favorite blanket and your child's favorite toy or item that can calm him/her if we need or it can become a prop in a photograph. We suggest that parents wear all black we plan for close ups and the newborns. We prefer a black short sleeved polo or t-shirt on the dads and a long sleeve shirt or ¾ black shirts for mom. This allows the parents to blend with the background and the newborn will be the focus of the portrait.

For toddlers and children with any background we like to stay with simple clothing. Either simple neutrals or darks will look great. No stripes, wording on shirts, or plaid does not photography well. As for mothers, natural nails work best for all portraits.

When is the best time for maternity session?

We believe that pregnancy is a beautiful part of life, so we prefer to photography during the 7th, 8th and 9th month. We want you to look very pregnant so don't worry about how big you belly is. The bigger the better J There are many options on the maternity sessions. Anything like "stretch marks" are completely retouched. Call us today and we can discuss the best option for you.

How does payment work?

Your creation fee is due at the time we book your portrait session to hold your time on the calendar. We accept cash, check, visa and MC. Payment for your order is due at the time of the viewing session. Please discuss payment options with us at the time of booking a portrait session. For weddings, there is a $500 reservation retainer that will hold the date for you. This amount is applied to the package cost.

Do you offer Gift Certificates?

Yes, we offer nice gift certificates. These make great gifts for Christmas, baby showers, or a way for family to contribute to the photography as a gift to the bride and groom. They can be purchased in any dollar amount.

What If I Need To Reschedule My Portrait Session?

We understand that situations arise, so if you need to reschedule your portrait session, please call us at least 24 hours in advance. Creation fees are good for up to year after your original scheduled appointment.