Meeting with potential photographers

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Meeting with potential photographers

posted 2 years ago in Photography

Member

2 posts

Wannabee

mystic2010 7/24/2010

I'm meeting with photographers for the first time this weekend and am wondering if anyone has suggestions of questions I should be sure to ask. Also, what is a reasonable price range? I know it varies a lot, but just wondering what others have found. Thanks!

2 years ago

Member

301 posts

Helper bee

wonderlanded 2 October 2010 London

Hi there, and welcome!

I asked the same question a little while back, and got some great feedback from people here. The questions people suggested are great, and really helped us to make our decision about photographers. Here's the link to the thread: http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/what-to-ask-prospective-photographers.

I'm in the UK, so I'm not really sure about what reasonable costs might be -- it will depend on what you want and how long you want them for! We're having ours for 9 hours, not cheap but it will be worth it.

2 years ago

Member

695 posts

Busy bee

catlady June 26, 2010 Toronto

Reading through these boards, some of the questions you should probably ask include:

copyright issues surrounding the proofs; how much for a DVD of all the pics
how long will it take to have the final product
rules about cancellations; fees, etc.
meals: some are very specific about wanting to be fed during reception or not

That's all I can think about right now...

2 years ago

Member

2 posts

Wannabee

mystic2010 7/24/2010

Thanks! The link to that thread is really helpful...

2 years ago

Member

4,199 posts

Honey bee

KLP2010 October 30, 2010

Things you may not think about:

How is their personality? Will you be OK sharing intimate moments of your big day and another 5-8+ hours with them in a close personal range?
Do they carry backups of all their equipment?
Are they insured?
Do they have any backup plans or plans in case of an emergency / act of God.
Do they fit the style you're looking for? Lot's of posed? Photojournalistic?
Can they properly expose and light the image? Is it sharp and in focus? Are colors they color they should be? What do the reception images look like? Can you tell if the bride had spent money on lighting? Can you still feel the reception?
Most importantly: Do they make your heart sing. Just like your ring and your groom, you need to be thrilled with your photographer. This is the ONE thing that will last. That $35-100+ a plate? Crumbs. Your Dress? Stuck in a box in the back of the closet. The bar? Your friends may not remember :-) Warning, cheesiness approaching...... The look and tears in your grandparents or parents face... priceless.

My Photographer is well over the standard 10% of my budget, but as a photographer I see the importance in having the most amazing images possible. Every detail I select will be forever remembered... and well. Also, the photographer I am hiring, can make anything look good. I could use a penny as the centerpiece and I'm confident he would be able to make it look like the next trend. THAT's what I strive for and any photog should be able to do. Regardless of if your big budget or not, a good photog can make daisies look like exotic flowers... Chicken Nuggets look like Filet Mignon... you get the drift :-)

2 years ago

Member

50 posts

Worker bee

wmlawgirl 4/10/10 Chicago

I agree that you need to find a photographer that you 'click' with. This is someone who you are going to spend the WHOLE DAY with - so they have to be someone who you get along with.

Also, ask about copyright and use of the images afterward. We were able to negotiate with our photog so that we bought copyrights to all of the digital images, which means that I can have them printed wherever I want (think shutterfly or snapfish) and post them online without concern.

Your photog will likely have a style or focus. Ours talked a lot about how they like to capture the details of the wedding. In her words - you put so much time into planning all of these specific little details (programs, centerpieces, guestbook) they should all be caputred for posterity. This fulfilled exactly my expectations and I love the idea that all the little things I have spent hours pondering over will be in the pictures.

(We haven't been through the wedding bit with our photog yet but just got e-pics back and i LOVE them.)

2 years ago