Q & A

Tony began his photography journey in 2005 and photographed his first wedding in 2008. Maria also discovered photography in 2005 and photographed her first wedding alongside Tony after they married in 2012.

Since then, we have photographed hundreds of weddings, couples, families, and individuals while developing the cinematic and emotionally honest style behind Black Rider Studios.

We specialize in photography and do not offer full videography services, but we do work with talented videographers and can recommend professionals who align with our storytelling style. Let us know what you're looking for, and we’ll help create the perfect visual experience for your day!

We’re based in Carlsbad, California, in North County San Diego. We serve San Diego County and Southern California while traveling worldwide for weddings.

Yes. We travel worldwide for weddings and throughout Southern California for weddings and portrait sessions.

We also occasionally open a limited number of portrait sessions beyond Southern California when our travels bring us to another area. Visit our Travel Portrait Sessions page to see upcoming destinations.

Our wedding photography collections begin at $3,800. The Outlaw includes six hours of wedding coverage, while Fleetwood and Midnight Gold provide complete all-day storytelling.

Portrait sessions begin at $600 in San Diego County, with pricing based on the county where the session takes place.

Boudoir, Old Hollywood portraiture, counterculture sessions, event coverage, and other specialized experiences have separate pricing.

Explore our wedding collections and portrait experiences for complete details.

Availability varies by season. We intentionally accept up to three weddings and five portrait sessions per month so every client receives our full attention, creativity, and care.

Popular dates may book early, so we recommend reaching out as soon as you have a date in mind.

Check our availability.

The final number depends on the collection or session:

Outlaw Wedding Collection: 250+ edited photographs

Fleetwood Wedding Collection: 450+ edited photographs

Midnight Gold Wedding Collection: 500+ edited photographs

Portrait Sessions: 25+ edited fine-art portraits

Every gallery is delivered through a private online gallery with printing rights.

The Outlaw includes six hours of wedding-day coverage with one photographer.

Fleetwood includes all-day wedding coverage with two photographers.

Midnight Gold includes all-day wedding coverage with two photographers, an engagement session, film photography, and heirloom products.

Additional wedding coverage may be added for $450 per hour.

Our standard turnaround time for delivering your fully edited wedding gallery is 3 weeks after your wedding day.

For portrait sessions, your images will be ready within 3 weeks as well.

Every photo is professionally edited to ensure the highest quality, and once completed, your images will be delivered in a private, shareable online gallery with full printing rights. If you need your photos sooner, let us know—we may be able to accommodate a rush delivery!

No, we do not provide unedited (RAW) photos. Editing is a key part of our creative process, ensuring every image reflects our signature style and the highest quality.

We carefully select and professionally edit each photo to enhance lighting, color, and overall aesthetics while maintaining a natural and timeless look. Your final gallery will be a complete and polished collection that tells the full story of your day.

For most sessions, we select the location based on lighting, scenery, accessibility, season, and the atmosphere we want to create.

You are welcome to tell us about a location that is personally meaningful to you. We will consider whether it fits the session and our photographic approach before confirming it.

Our goal is to choose a setting that supports both your story and the Black Rider Studios style.

Absolutely! You don’t need to worry about posing—we’ll guide you every step of the way to make sure you look and feel natural in front of the camera.

Our approach is all about creating movement and genuine moments rather than stiff, awkward poses. We’ll give you simple directions, prompts, and actions to help you interact naturally, whether it’s a walk, a laugh, or a quiet, intimate moment.

By the time we’re done, you won’t even feel like you were "posing" at all—you’ll just have authentic, effortless, and cinematic images that truly reflect your connection.

We keep payments simple and flexible:

✅ Weddings – A 50% retainer is required to secure your date. The remaining 50% is due the Sunday before your wedding.

✅ Portrait & Smaller Sessions – A 100% deposit is required at the time of booking.

✅ Afterpay – Available for any session under $4,000, subject to qualification. This allows you to split your payment into manageable monthly installments.

We accept credit cards, debit cards, and online payments for your convenience. Once you’re ready to book, we’ll send over a contract and payment details to make everything official.

Choose clothing that fits the environment, allows you to move comfortably, and supports the mood we are creating.

Avoid distracting logos and outfits that conflict with the location—for example, heels and a restrictive outfit may not work for a wilderness session.

Before your session, we provide a detailed preparation guide with clothing recommendations, grooming suggestions, and information about what to expect.

We understand that unexpected circumstances can arise. Here’s our policy on postponements and cancellations:

✅ Postponements – If you need to reschedule your session or wedding, let us know as soon as possible. We’ll work with you to find a new date, subject to availability. Your payment will be applied to the rescheduled date.

❌ Cancellations – Once a payment is made, it is non-refundable. However, for weddings, if the cancellation is made within the month of the scheduled shoot, any remaining unpaid balance will be canceled.

⚠ Acts of God – If an Act of God (such as a natural disaster or government restrictions) prevents your wedding from proceeding indefinitely, a refund will be issued.

If you have any concerns, reach out to us, and we’ll do our best to assist you.

While we take every measure to ensure we are there for your big day, in the highly unlikely event that we are unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances, here’s what happens:

✅ Backup Plan – We have a network of trusted photographers we can reach out to in case of an emergency, ensuring your wedding is still beautifully documented.

✅ Full Refund – If we are unable to attend and no backup photographer is available, you will receive a full refund of all payments made.

Our commitment is to always deliver, and we take every precaution to ensure we are there. If you have any concerns, we’re happy to discuss how we prepare for every wedding to avoid any issues.

We do not offer general discounts because our pricing reflects the time, experience, planning, editing, and care that go into every wedding and portrait session.

However, returning Black Rider Studios clients receive 15% off future portrait sessions as our way of thanking them for trusting us again.

We also offer payment options when available. Reach out to us, and we’ll help you choose the photography experience that best fits your needs and budget.