Wedding Photography Tips

Photography

Question to ask

1. What is your photographic style?

   This can be one or more of the following: traditional, photojournalistic, posed, candid, artistic, documentary.

   My answer…

   I am an artistic photojournalist prefering candid over posed photography.

2. Are you the actual day-of photographer?

   If not, can we meet with the actual photographer? Should/Can you meet the assistants also? Some wedding photographers will sell you on them and send someone else to cover your wedding.

3. Do you shoot in black and white?

   If film, do they shoot in black and white? If digital, do they keep the orignals in color and do black and white in post-production? See this article on black and white digital photography.

4. What is your experience with wedding photography?

   How many weddings? How many years? Have you shot at our location? If so, what are the special photographic conditions of our location? Have you done a wedding similar to our size?

5. Will you have other weddings that weekend?

   How will that affect our wedding? If you at the tail end of a weekend (Sunday after Saturday and Friday weddings), can your photographer handle that? Some photographers do not have the physical or emotional endurance.

6. Can we get negatives or digital negatives?

   How long after the wedding date (get this one in print)? Are they full resolution files?

7. What kind of equipment do you use?

   Are there tripods? Wires? Can people trip? Is it obtrusive? Ask about the quality of the cameras, lenses, and lighting. This is to just roughly gauge their understanding of equipment. I can deconstruct most of my own photographs, telling you the light settings and lens I used.

8. Are you insured?

   This is just a measure of their professionalism as a business.

9. What do you do in case of emergencies?

   What if the photographer is ill or cannot make it? Do you have backup equipment? Do you backup photos (for digital photographers)?

10. Can I see an entire wedding?

    This allows you to see the consistancy in one day (as opposed to only having a few “keepers” from each wedding).

11. How much is overtime?

    Can they work overtime if asked to?

12. How are you dressed?

    Are they presentable. I’ve seen photographers show up in gray t-shirts and black lace tank-tops (not guys).

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