Answers to Families' Frequently Asked Questions,
and some Advice

At Arlington Media, we strive to deliver the final product within 3 weeks of the service date or receipt of payment. However, please note that additional requests such as photo books or photos of a headstone may require an additional 45-100 days due to production and scheduling constraints at Arlington National Cemetery.

A $200 deposit is due at booking and is applied to your total. You may also pay in full at booking. The deposit is fully refundable up until six weeks before your service start time. If you cancel after that point but before 4:00 p.m. on the last business day before the service, the deposit is not refunded and no further amount is owed. If a service is cancelled at or after 4:00 p.m. on the last business day before the service, a late cancellation fee applies — $545 for photography or videography, $1,045 for both — and any deposit paid is applied toward it. Add-ons that were not delivered, such as live streaming or a USB, are not charged. If you postpone with the intent to reschedule, the deposit moves to the new date, subject to availability. If Arlington National Cemetery or the funeral home changes your service date, that is treated as a postponement and no late cancellation fee applies. We invoice the balance three business days after the service. Payment is due within thirty days. We accept checks, all major credit cards, and electronic bank transfer. We do not accept cash or cryptocurrency.

Yes, we can take group photos upon request, in coordination with your Arlington National Cemetery representative. Group photos are typically taken at the end of the service. Please note that due to the workload of the cemetery staff, group photos are not allowed to be taken before the service in the Administration Building. This is to avoid any interference with their other duties such as document review and meetings with clergy. Group photos are provided as a courtesy at no additional charge. Because they depend on the cemetery's schedule, your Arlington National Cemetery representative, the public affairs office, or other cemetery or Army personnel may decline the request at the end of a service, most often for timing reasons.

We recommend booking as soon as you feel comfortable doing so. At Arlington Media, we typically cover 3 to 4 services per day at Arlington National Cemetery. While we will make every effort to accommodate last-minute bookings, we operate on a first-come, first-serve basis.

No, we can only cover services upon request of families, and with the permission of the Primary Next of Kin (PNOK), or Person Authorized to Direct Disposition (PADD).  It is essential to make arrangements for media coverage before the service date.

Yes. Our close proximity to the cemetery and our use of 4-wheel drive vehicles afford us access in any weather conditions, be it snow, sleet or rain. We can operate in any conditions the military can. If the cemetery is open, we’ll be there. In the last year, we covered services with a low temperature of 16 F on January 31, and a high of 101 F on September 9th.

No, Arlington National Cemetery does not have an official photographer or videographer to cover services for families. However, Arlington has a staff photographer and videographer who takes pictures of visiting dignitaries, cemetery activities, and high-profile services for archival reasons. The sole purpose of Arlington Media is to cover services for families. Any company claiming to be the official videographer or photographer should be treated with skepticism.

Why We Don’t Bring Flowers to an Arlington Service We believe your loved one deserves the best in every aspect. Rather than including flowers in our packages—or trying to pick them up ourselves—we refer families to trusted local florists who specialize in memorial arrangements. By doing so, you get the highest level of expertise from both your florist and our photography/video team. Our focus must remain solely on capturing each moment of your loved one’s ceremony with utmost care. Because we often cover multiple services in a single day, stopping to purchase or transport flowers adds an unnecessary layer of complexity and can distract from our core mission: providing the best possible coverage at Arlington National Cemetery. There are many experienced florists in the area; one we frequently see is: Arlington Cemetery Florist(703) 527-7110 | arlingtoncemeteryflorist.com Conveniently located next to the cemetery, they can have roses, wreaths, or sprays ready and waiting for you at the gravesite. By entrusting floral arrangements to dedicated professionals, you ensure a seamless, dignified tribute to your loved one—while we focus on preserving those memories for generations to come.

Certainly, we would just ask that you, your friends and family, would be mindful of where we are positioned, as we are not able to move around as quickly, (especially with a video camera and tripod) during military honors or the presentation of the flag.

Yes. This is one of the primary deliverables included on every service. This is an excellent option for sharing with family and friends near and far.

Yes. We are able to live stream services. Using multiple transmission paths across AT&T and Verizon’s data networks, we are able to deliver high quality HD video in real time to anyplace in the world. Shortly after booking, you will receive an unlisted link to share. Only those you share the link with will be able to view the service. There will be a continuing countdown as the service date gets closer.  On the day of the service, you will start to see color bars about 30 minutes before the service start time. About 5 minutes before the service you will start to see live video from the cemetery. As we are feeding video from only one camera, the final version we produce and deliver later will have additional angles and better audio. We charge an additional $145.00 for this service. Live streaming is an add-on to video coverage. The cemetery has no fixed network infrastructure, and the cemetery or the military public affairs office may restrict or stop a transmission at any time, so we cannot guarantee an uninterrupted feed. If the feed fails we refund the streaming fee, and your photography and video coverage is recorded separately and is not affected.  Learn More

That depends, each service is unique. On average they break down to:Dependent Service1: 5 – 15 minutesStandard Honors2: 15 – 25 minutesFull Honors3: 20 – 45 minutesChapel Service: 30 – 75 minutesPlus our added content: 9 minutes.

We are required to collect a Virginia state sales tax. (6% as of 2023.) Add-ons such as photo books, additional USBs, and live streaming are charged only if you order them. A late cancellation fee applies to services cancelled at or after 4:00 p.m. on the last business day before the service — see the deposit and payment question above.

Arlington Cemetery is under the flight path for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. One of the busiest military helipads at the Pentagon is adjacent to the cemetery as well. Our use of sophisticated broadcast quality wireless microphones and digital recorders provide the best audio possible but can not eliminate the sound problem entirely

We accept checks, all major credit cards (including American Express), and electronic bank transfer. We do not accept cash or cryptocurrency, and we do not do any transactions on the day of the service. We invoice the balance three business days after the service and payment is due within thirty days.

Each member of our professional team has over thirty years experience ranging from international TV news coverage to large corporate and government productions. Also, each member has over a decade of direct Arlington National Cemetery experience.

Yes. We provide you with a private online link that has been professionally produced, has a short musical opening, and a video of the Changing Of The Guard at The Tombs Of The Unknown. USB’s are available for an additional $60.00 each.

No. Our basic photo service provides you with a non-copy-protected USB thumb-drive and an online link with ALL the full resolution photos included that you can use to make prints or photos books yourself. We also have packages that include different book options.

Yes. You can reserve either photography or video of a service or both.

No. Shipping to the first address is free. Additional addresses are billed at face value.

Yes, thousands of times. Arlington Media’s sole purpose is to cover services at Arlington for families. It’s in our core DNA. We don’t do weddings, corporate work, or anything else on the side. Our amazing creative professionals use state-of-the-art, purpose-built gear allowing them to give extraordinary attention to details and incredible precision on every service, every time. Each piece of camera equipment, the computers and software we use, the way our production pipeline is designed, is all geared towards covering your service with the greatest level of care and respect.

Yes. You can reserve either video or photography of a service or both.

Yes. We use multiple ultra high definition 4K broadcast quality long-range Sony cameras (not GoPros). Our acquisition and editing practices meet or exceed the production requirements of broadcast companies like National Geographic, BBC HD and Discovery HD. We don’t use consumer or prosumer cameras because they do not meet these broadcast standards.

Yes. We can provide you an image the same day via email.

In addition to your service, USBs and the online link comes with a video of the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. We provide you with a non-copy-protected USB thumb drive and a private online link that is professionally produced.

Yes. The photographs and video are Arlington Media's copyrighted work. We include a copyright release for personal use, so you can print, copy, and share your photographs and video with family and friends. We ask only that Arlington Media be credited when you post them publicly. The files remain Arlington Media’s copyrighted work and may not be sold or used commercially.

Yes, but it’s not recommended.

While we do have various sharing protocols, by default we only share the media links with the party that purchased the service. With permission, we are happy to share the links directly with additional family members.