For most couples, their wedding day is one of the most memorable days in their lives. Capturing their special day through photography is of high priority to most couples and arranging for wedding photographers is one of the most important decisions that needs to be made. Your wedding photographer will be responsible for supplying the treasured photos that will be reviewed by the you, your family and friends. Your wedding photographer will be responsible for recording some of the small but important details of the your wedding which are often overlooked. In order to help you select a photographer that will capture those special moments and your style, I have listed important questions to ask your photographer.
1. What’s your primary style? Posed and formal, relaxed, photojournalistic, creative, artistic, candid, traditional?
2. Do you shoot in color or black and white? Or both? Do you shoot in a digital format that can create both color and black and white versions of the same picture?
3. What kind of input can we have on the direction of the shots? Can we give you a shot list to work from?
4. Are you the wedding photographer who will actually take our pictures? If not, can we meet the person who will be?
5. Can we meet any assistants who will also be our taking pictures?
6. How many times have you worked specifically as a wedding photographer? How many were similar to the size and formality of our wedding?
7. How many other events will you photograph that weekend?
8. What type of cameras do you use? Will you have a backup in case something breaks or doesn’t work? How intrusive will lighting, tripods, other equipment or assistants be?
9. Do you develop your own film?
10. Can we buy the negatives from you?
11. Do you have photos of an entire wedding that I can see?
12. Do you have references I can call?
13. Do you post the proofs online or will I receive negatives?
14. When will my proofs, prints & wedding albums be available?
15. How many pictures will you take?
16. Are you apart of any professional associations?
17. How many years have you been photographing weddings?
18. How much do you charge for overtime?
After you have met with your potential photographer, ask yourself Do I like this person?, Do I get a good feeling from him/her, Do I like his/her style? Do I like their work? Does he/she capture the details? Is their work in focus and well framed?
Be sure to call their references before making a final decision. You may feel awkward to call a stranger but remember that you are spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on your photographer and you want to make a well informed decision. Your photographs will be one of the lasting aspects of your wedding day and you want to make sure that you pick the best photographer for you.
Spencer Necklace 