99 Square Productions

Getting married? Do you know what to ask your photographer?

Last summer a few of my friends got married.  Unfortunately, I was not available to photograph their wedding, and it seemed like I was answering emails with their questions every other day.  So I wrote up a few things that I thought were pretty important.  Now with wedding season coming up again, I figured I’d publish this list for everyone to see.

Take a look, if you have any questions, hey, let me know.

Now that you have selected the date for your wedding it is time to begin looking at your options for capturing your special day in pictures and video.

There are several important points to consider when deciding on a photographer for your wedding.

The following list is in no particular order, as I’m sure what is a top priority to one person, may not be a top priority for another, so look at the list and decide what’s more important to you, then prioritize and select a photographer based on you what’s important to you.

1.    Experience:
How long has the main photographer for your wedding been photographing weddings?
How long your photographer has been performing wedding photography is important and so is the number of weddings they have photographed, but more importantly is their ability to capture the perfect images, the ones you want.

2.    What about the support crew:
Sometimes the second photographer (you may or may not have one for your wedding) takes some of the most important photos, such as those of the guests, the landscape of the ceremony and reception site, your drive off and arrival.  It is important to know who your second photographer will be.  Though this information may not always be available as it is common for the second photographer to be in training.  If this is the case, how much instructions will the main photographer provide the second photographer?

3.    What Style of photography are they comfortable and experienced in shooting?
You will need to decide in advance what type of photos you want, do you want traditional pictures, photojournalism style, artistic, etc…  This is important to know because you don’t want to waste what little time you have right now speaking with the wrong photographer.
If you want traditional pictures, what’s the sense of speaking with a photographer who only shoots photojournalist style?  Decide on this now before you begin your search, that way you can narrow your search down to the most relevant photographers.

4.    Do they offer post-production-editing (touch up) services?
You may not think about it but the majority of wedding photos in portfolios and website have had some level of editing performed on them.  The photographer wants to make sure his best work is on display.  You should expect to have the same for your wedding.  You should discuss with your photographer about how many images they are willing to touch up for you, and any additional charges (if any) that you may incur.

5.    Can you provide the photographer with a list of photos you want taken?
There may be certain photos that you envision and consider an absolute must for your wedding album, your photographer should be willing to take the pictures you want; after all, you are employing them and it is only fair that you get exactly what you want.  A professional photographer should be able to achieve about 75% of the photos you want taken.

6.    Do they have a portfolio for you to view?
A photographer’s portfolio is a resume; they select their best to put on display for potential employers.  Review the portfolio; think about the photographs in the portfolio, do you like the quality of the images?  How about the composition of the picture (the angle, lighting, clarity)?  Is the photographer’s work consistent with what you are looking for?

7.    What type of equipment do they use?
It may seem like a stupid question, but this is important.  Do they have professional equipment?  Digital cameras or film cameras?  Yes some photographers still prefer using film cameras.  Film photography offers higher quality prints (if you are concerned with large enlargements) but offers fewer photos in comparison to digital photography.

8.    Do they have backup equipment?
Professional photo equipment doesn’t fail often, but if they do, do you want that failure at your wedding?  A professional photographer will have at least one full set of back up equipment.

9.    Are they local to your area?  If not, are they willing to travel?
This is pretty simple to go through, if a photographer is local to your area, chances are that they may be familiar with your wedding venue, they will also be familiar with the layout of the land.  This is important because you really don’t want your photographer to get lost on the way to the ceremony or get stuck in traffic because they don’t know the busy roads and times for your area.
If you have your heart set on a photographer outside your area, ask them if they are willing to come to your area a day in advance and do a site inspection of your venue and get to know the area.  Be forewarned as this may cost you extra, most photographers will charge you for travel, including Gas, tolls or airline tickets, Hotel stays, and maybe even food.

10.    How much do they charge?
This is directly tied in with your budget.  Don’t shop for your wedding photography based on price.  It is important to find a photographer within your price range, but picking the lowest bidder is not the best policy for photography.   If the photographer is out of your price range, decide if their work is worth the difference you will be paying.

11.    Do they offer packages?  Can you mix and match services?
Almost all wedding photographers provide packages, many offer an a la cart option.  Review your options carefully, take time to think about what you really need and want.  Once you find what you like then ask about prices and discounts with your photographer.   This is the time to ask about any additional fees that they charge.  One such fee would be if you ask the photographer to arrive before or stay beyond the contracted time.  Most photographers charge an additional PER HOUR rate for this.  Make sure you know how much this is and know what you are getting in your package.

12.    Contracts, deposits and payments:
Once you are satisfied with everything else ask about deposits and payment.  Know clearly how much you have to pay as a deposit when you sign the contract and when you are expected to pay the remaining balance.
Read the contract carefully, everything you discussed should be in the contract, double check the cancellation policy as stated in the contract.  Once you are satisfied with the terms of the contact, sign it and make sure you get a copy of the contract

That’s all for now, I’ll add more to this as it comes to me.

Tags: candid, contract, packages, photojournalistic, photos, questions, styles, wedding contract, wedding photography