Sunday, August 9, 2009

25 Great Questions To Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before Booking

25 Great Questions To Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before Booking
We are about 8 months away from our wedding date, and full throttle into our wedding planning. We're marking things off our to-do lists at a good rate and starting to get more detailed about the smaller aspects of the wedding. About a week ago, we introduced all of our blog readers to our wedding photographer and wanted to share a list of questions we gathered and asked that really helped us in choosing the right person for the job. If you or anyone you know is getting married, this list of Questions To Ask Your Wedding Photographer will surely be a handy resource to bookmark.

25 Great Questions To Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before Booking

Have you ever shot a wedding at our venue location before? How did it work out?
What’s your primary style? Posed & formal, relaxed, photojournalistic, candid, traditional?
Do you shoot in color or black and white?
Do you use an assistant? Is there an extra charge for this?
Will you have backup equipment available? And what happens if you get ill?
Can other people take photos while you are taking photos?
What types of photos will be taken (B/W, Color, Antiques, etc..)?
How many photos come in each package? What is the breakdown per photo?
Will you accept a list of specific photos to be taken?
What attire will you and/or assistants wear?
What time will you arrive and how long will you stay?
Should the event last longer than scheduled, will you stay? Extra charge?
How long after the event will the proofs be ready?
Do you have liability insurance?
What type and how much assistance will your provide in planning an album?
Do we get the negatives or what is the charge?
Is this your recent work that I'm seeing on your website?
Do you provide a written contract and guarantee?
What are your policies regarding proofs?
Is a deposit required? If so, how much?
When is the remaining balance after deposit due?
What percentage are the taxes?
Is gratuity included in the price?
Are there any additional charges not mentioned? (i.e. travel)
What are the refunds/cancellation terms?

And if you're in the Austin area, make sure to check out our list of Austin wedding photographers.

rachel wedding
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10 comments:

  1. Overall, a pretty solid list of questions. I do take issue with the importance some people seem to place upon whether a photographer has shot in their venue before (number on eon this list). Any experienced photographer will plan to arrive early, plus be skilled at scouting out a location upon first visit to take fresh, interesting, and technically sound photos.
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  2. Great questions. It's also really important to meet with a photographer and get to know their personality. Ask non photography related questions. Depending on your own style maybe you want someone very formal, or someone very relaxed. Besides great photos, make sure your photographer is someone you feel comfortable being around for 8 hours on your wedding day.
    I also agree with Rachel. Already shooting at a specific event center shouldn't be a big priority. A great photographer has a great eye and can find beauty in anything.
    xoxo
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  3. My fiance and I plan on setting up some photographer meeting in 2 or 3 months so this will be nice to have. The whole thing is sort of overwhelming, but exciting!
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  4. Great list.

    I wouldn't place too much importance on number 1 though. Familiarity with a venue is nice, but if a photographer is worth anything, they can make beautiful images anywhere.

    The most important thing is getting to know potential photographers. We are the one vendor who you will spend the most time with. Beyond photos and prices, our personalities need to click.
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  5. Great comments! Love having professionals add their sound advice and opinions! We found that asking question 1 to our possible photographers helped us in a few ways:

    - it confirmed the photographer already had the necessary insurance to shoot at the venue

    - it allowed us to see a wedding portfolio and pics of another couple shot at our venue

    - it confirmed there were no lighting issues or restrictions on using flashes

    - it confirmed a few possible locations at the venue that bridal shots could be taken beforehand

    I agree that it's probably not a major determing factor if a photographer has or has not shot at a specific venue, but asking it might shed some light on some other things. As Heather said above, I do agree that asking some non-photography related questions are just as important. Thanks again everyone for dropping by!
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  6. great questions to ask... personality is key too. You can hire what you think is the best, not click with them and not get the images you imagined! Your photographer should be going over these things as you are discussing your day with them anyway.

    I hope when you mean a shot list you mean family portraits... a good photographer is there because they know all the little details to cover. I travel to neighbor islands to do destination weddings and have been told more than once "thank you for taking images of the property for us we didn't get a chance to".
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  7. Super helpful! Thanks from San Marcos!
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  8. I agree that No. 1 is not necessary. My photog pals and I always talk about how shooting at the same venue over and over is not inspiring. Everyone has to shoot everyone for a first time at some point....and in big cities, with hundreds of venues, it's hard to find someone who has shot at the venue before AND fits all the other requirements that bride/groom may have. If you really think it should be on the list, perhaps move it to the bottom. Also one thing to think about...most of the coverage does not take place at the reception venue (unless ceremony is happening there as well). For 8-10 hours of coverage, maybe 3 or 4 of that is at the reception.
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  9. I think question one is very important. I'm not going to hire a photographer who has never shot at my venue before, not unless I get a discount anyway. Why should I pay for his schooling?
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  10. Its more important to me the he or she is artistic. Anyone can take a high res picture from a nice cam. But to take a good picture you need the eye for it.
    ReplyDelete

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