Photographs may be the best thing to look back on once the wedding is over. It’s important to get exactly what you want! Ask these questions to photographers as you interview them. We give you some idea of what to look for in their answers.
Do you specialize in color or in black and white?
You want a vendor who can do both, but someone who specializes in what you want the most of. Say you have your heart set on black and white photography? Pick someone who specializes in that!
Do you use digital technology?
Digital cameras allow the photographer to do a lot of special effects and some other unique things. Using digital is also another way to stay green. Less chemicals are needed to develop your photographs!
What is your style?
Whether it be traditional or photojournalistic that you prefer, make sure you see examples of both. You may love the story-telling style of photojournalism, but traditional formal pictures are also a great thing to look back on.
May we see your portfolio?
When you ask this, make sure you see an entire wedding, not just the best shots from a number of different weddings. You want to see his work from start to finish, not just “The Best Ofâ€.
How do you charge? Do you have package prices or charge by the hour and for prints?
This will depend on the photographer. Make sure what they offer fits your budget!
How many hours are included?
Keep in mind when scheduling that often photographers start shooting 90 minutes prior to the start of the event. You want them to capture all the important moments, like the ceremony, the first dance, and cake cutting. As the party winds down, they probably won’t be needed.
How many pictures will be taken?
Again, this depends on the photographer. Some take unlimited pictures in a given time, other shoot simply a number of pictures, no matter how long it takes. With a photojournalistic style, go for time, not number of pictures. You don’t want to miss a great photo op. just because you passed your 300 picture limit!
Who keeps/owns the negatives?
Photographers make their money off of selling you prints. If they give you the negatives, you’ll be able to make prints yourself. While this might seem like a good deal, it might mean the photographer is somewhat inexperienced or is charging you too much in other places. Look at all the aspects of the photographer before making your final decision.
What types of cameras will be used?
This will vary from photographer to photographer. Using the most up-to-date equipment is important, unless you are specifically going for a vintage of film-only feel.
How long after the wedding will we get to see pictures?
Make sure you have a length of time written in the contract. Without it, you may never see you wedding photographs again!
Will the pictures be available online?
This is a great way to share your photographs with your family and friends. This may also allow the photographer to sell more pictures to those wanting to purchase some.
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One of the most important questions to ask is whether or not your
photographer carrys backup cameras AND lighting equipment. It
doesn’t take much for one of these to fail at the worst possible
moment. A skilled veteran photographer will always plan for the
worst case scenario.
Craig
http://www.lusterstudios.com
Do you have a professional backup camera? Ramsey Still Imaging uses 5 commercial grade cameras.
What kind of special equipment will you use for any indoor semi-formal posed pictures? Ramsey Still Imaging comes with professional studio and lighting equipment with backup lights etc.
Is there a photographer available to cover our wedding day if you get sick? Ramsey Still Imaging has a professional backup photographer. Our company has always been a dual team – Art & Arthur Ramsey – and we have never missed a wedding day. If one of us were to get sick, the other can do the work of the primary photographer with a replacement secondary photographer.
What type of images will you shoot on the day of our wedding? During the capture phase of any shoot it is imperative that cameras are set to record the highest image quality providing the most data possible for post-processing. JPEGS are fine for the final images, but should never be used for capture. Ramsey Still Imaging comes prepared with 64 gigabytes of memory to record the data loaded and memory intensive images. We use only the highest quality memory cards and avarage 45-50 gigabytes per wedding.
What type of computer software do you utilize for post-processing? Ramsey Still Imaging utilizes Adobe CS4 professional industry standard software. Software MATTERS!
Do you have professional wedding photography experience? All too often we hear the horror stories of people who utilized inexperienced photographers to cover their wedding day. Experience is NECESSARY to cover a wedding day! Ramsey Still Imaging is a well oiled machine due to our enormous amount of experience.
Does your company backup my wedding pictures after the wedding? Ramsey Still Imaging does a backup of all your wedding images the same day or next morning, at the latest.
How many eyes will be involved in photo editing? How many times have you proofed a document alone and were sure of no errors only to have another set of eyes find problems? Ramsey Still Imaging believes that photo editing is no different. A second set of eyes also enables both photographers to fully express their creativity in the final images.
How long will I have to wait to see my wedding photos? The reason why this is an important question is because the photos are best edited soon after the wedding day while the final images are still fresh in the photographers’ minds. This is the process the late-and-great photographer Ansel Adams called “visualization” in his writings. Ramsey Still Imaging will have your images ready for viewing within two weeks of your wedding day. This means we start editing within a couple days of your wedding day.
Will you arrive on time? Yes, we give ourselves cushion for any unforeseen event. The link above is a wedding we covered in Duluth, MN and one of the images is the bride arriving at the hair salon. One time we had a flat tire, and still beat the bride to the hair salon!
Ramsey Still Imaging used to provide video coverage, and at one wedding we covered video only (two videographers) and another company covered the photography. The photographer (anonymous,) with years of experience, came late with one camera, one tripod, and one flash. We could hardly believe our eyes and realized firsthand that many “professionals” are not professional at all, at least by our standards.
Stay far away from Craiglist and Wedj