25 Important Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer
Congratulations! You're engaged! By now you are on living it up on cloud nine as you enter a new and exciting chapter in your life; and now the fun begins. You need to book a venue, a florist, a wedding planner, find a dress (or dresses), a cake, etc. There is no shortage of things to do or sign – with that much time, effort and money poured into so many things; everything needs to be to perfect right? or at least real close to it! We've all heard the saying "something will always go wrong on your wedding day". Weather that is true or not, one thing is certain; asking your wedding photographer these 25 questions can help take a load off your stressful and busy mind and in the driver's seat of an important part of your wedding planning process.
Wedding photography is IMPORTANT! often times you never truly know how important until your anniversary approaches and you're regretting the experience, the service and even worse – your wedding photos. The last thing anyone would want is to look back onto one of the happiest moments in one's' life and not feel the same emotion when you revisit wedding photos, all because you might have forgotten to ask the right questions. Now here at Oak and Lace we would love to capture your wedding! All while providing you with the an EXCEPTIONAL experience by maintaining a connection as well as delivering STUNNING images. However, we believe that you deserve the best for your situation and if we are not the right fit for you – we understand. Here are 25 questions to ask your wedding photographer.
Availability
1) Is my wedding available?
2) Who will be covering my wedding? +
+Tip: If you are working with a professional who has associate photographers, try booking a meeting with the associate photographer to build a relationship as well as to make sure whoever is shooting your wedding is up to date with all the important details of the day!
The Details
3) How many other events will you photograph that weekend? +
4) How much of a deposit do you require and when is it due?
5) Do you accept payments in installations?
6) Do you carry backup equipment? ++
7) What happens if the photographer is ill?
8) Will we have the rights to the images?
9) Do you have insurance?
10) Should my event last longer than scheduled, will you stay? Is there an additional charge?
+Tip: Many larger studios will book multiple events in one day of that weekend, it is important to know that the logistics of the over booking is manageable so your not stuck getting the shorter end of the stick in quality and experience.
++Tip: We cannot stress this enough! A true professional is one who will have have backup equipment on hand! Technology fail all the time, your day should not be ruined because of that! Carrying 2-3 camera bodies (with dual card slots), lenses, etc is a MUST!
Style
11) How would you describe your working style? Are you unobtrusive to capture truly candid moments? or do you take charge of the situation?
12) What attire will the photographer/assistants wear? +
13) Can I see the full album from a wedding?
14) What is your retouching and color correction process like? ++
15) Do you shoot both in color and black and white?
16) Do you bring you use natural or flash? +++
+Tip: We believe true professionals dress the part! He/she doesn't have to wear a tuxedo or a gown; however, depending on the type of wedding (destination, elopement, etc) he/she should represent their company and the couple who hired them well.
++Tip: It is very important to ask about color correction, wedding venue or church lighting tends to look unflattering in the final image if left uncorrected. In order to deliver a professional quality product the professional should be at the very least color correcting every image to produce consistent and professional looking results. Retouching is another topic for discussion, some clients may have troubled skin, or what they may see as imperfections. Although we are all uniquely created beautiful, some may feel self conscious. If you are a person conscious about how you look, you may want to have an honest conversation about wanting certain things edited in post (i.e sweaty forehead, an overnight zit, etc).
+++Tip: This is highly based on preference, and should be treated as such. In all aspects except the reception, either natural or flash lighting are all stylistic and acceptable choices! However, A reception should ALWAYS be well lit. Natural light is hard to come by (especially during the evening hours) having a flash on camera, or off camera is something a true pro would already have in his/her kit.
Pre-wedding
17) When will we receive the contract?
18) What is your refund or cancellation policy?
19) Do you have liability insurance? Does it cover your assistants?
20) How much of a deposit do you require? When is it due?
21) What is Your experience as a wedding Photographer?
22) Have you ever been in our venue? +
23) Are There Any Wedding Details You Would Like to Discuss? ++
24) Do any packages include engagement photography?
25) Do you require contact lists of important "day of" people?
+Tip: There are a lot of venues out there, if your photographer has not been to your venue a good follow up question would be "do you plan on making a trip to see the venue before hand?" often times a pro would visit the venue days, weeks, months before your wedding day or show up early to the venue the day of your wedding to get a layout of everything.
++Tip: This is a great opportunity for your wedding photographer to discuss what he/she may need in order to have a successful day, it is always in the best interest for both parties when expectations are properly managed and preparation is at the forefront.