Tips on Selecting a Wedding Photographer:
# 1 Reason: In this Internet age, it is very easy to “borrow” a photo or series of photos from another website. Most photographers can get at least one great photo on the wedding day. You are looking for a series of excellent photos from the entire wedding day.
Tip # 2: Ask if the featured photos on their website are actual brides (not models and not from photo-shoots after the wedding) and where those photos taken on the wedding day?
# 2 Reason: Many beginning photographers will find models that dress up as brides for a photo-shoot. Tell-tale signs it’s a model, not a bride, no engagement ring, not bridal hair style, no head piece of veil, no wedding day flowers, a location you would NEVER be at on your wedding day (standing in a river, in an old factory, a cemetery) and, no groom in the photos. It’s easy to create awesome photos when you have a beautiful model, at a beautiful location and a perfect day, try getting that same photo when there is a tight schedule between the church and reception location, the weather sucks and you need to find a bathroom!
Tip # 3: Ask how many actual weddings have you photographed where you were the hired professional photographer?
# 3 Reason: A really good photographer can book 40 weddings a year, so the answer of “hundreds” would mean being in business for 5 years. I’m seeing DJ’s offer wedding photography services, people that buy a camera, shoot a few weddings at no charge so they have a portfolio and call themselves a wedding photographer. I’ve had a few people stand over my shoulder taking photos, then put those photos on Facebook implying they were the hired wedding photographer.
Tip # 4: Are you insured?
# 4 Reason: There is indemnification insurance, where if there is a severe failure in the photography coverage the insurance company makes a settlement with you. Some reception locations require a certificate of insurance should the photographer cause a guest to trip and fall as a result of the photography equipment being a hazard.
Tip # 5: Will the wedding photos be posted to a website that collects my name and e-mail address to see the photos?
# 5 Reason: Some photographers use a printing service to host the photos from your wedding. These services send emails reminding you to order photos from your wedding, Order Soon!, Order Before the Discount Disappears!!!. Ask to see the reprints, many of these hosting services reduce the resolution of the file size, the prints look like they came from a home color printer and the photographer will tell you the issue is with the printing company, not them.
Tip # 6: What’s your name? Who will be my photographer?
# 6 Reason: As you look at many photographer websites, you don’t see the name of the photographer. You can’t Google that name to see if there are any complaints or recommendations. In the contract, does the photographer’s name appear? XYZ Photo Services is easy to hide and far easier to take your money and run!
Questions
to ask a Wedding Photographer:
�
What is your philosophy about your approach to photographing weddings?
�
Do you have any goals set as you approach each wedding?
�
How long do you expect to be with us on the day of the wedding? Beginning at
what time? Until?
� How can we best
help you to perform your duties while photographing our wedding?
�
Considering our facial features, physical attributes in general, what angles of
our faces would assume to be better than others?
� Have you noticed
any expressions or mannerisms of ours that you might want to try to capture or
avoid?
� What kind of
educational background and/or experience have you had in developing your
photographic technique? When was it last updated?
�
How will you present the preview pictures for our final album selection?
� What kind of time
frame are you looking at for preparing the preview pictures for selection? Are
you providing us with prints or CD-ROM disks? May we keep them? For how long? Are
they for sale?
� Will you be helping
us in the selection of the final images for our album?
� How
can people who live out of town be accommodated with ordering, paying, and
delivering?
� Are there different
degrees of coverage that you provide for a wedding? What is included in each?
The costs?
�
What is the cost of each extra print? Our
Reprint fees.
� How long have you
been in business? How long do you plan on staying in business? What is the
composition of your staff.
� How much money
would you expect us to spend before you think we would be completely happy with
our wedding coverage?
� How much money
would you want us to spend in order for us to make it worthwhile for you to
cover our wedding completely?
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