My nephew is getting married in Washington DC and I put together a list of questions for him to ask a wedding photographer. I think this could be of value to anyone planning a wedding, especially coming from the perspective of a wedding vendor who has seen hundreds of weddings. I’ve added a few answers where I think I can give some insight. The rest are self explanatory.
Do you bring back up equipment?
Will you personally be the photographer shooting our wedding, and will you have a second shooter or an assistant? I don’t think you need a second photographer unless you have more than 100 guests. Having an assistant is important to help with lighting, organizing, getting gear from the car, etc.
What’s your comfort level using off camera flash? A photographer that says they are a natural light photographer is likely someone who doesn’t know how to use flash well. Indoors a flash is necessary to clean up the mixed light and light you properly. Outdoors it’s needed to fill in shadows.
Do you have liability insurance? It’s a must for any real wedding photographer.
Do you photograph in RAW or jpeg? Should be RAW only.
Do you edit the images or does someone else? I feel it is important that I choose the images as I was there telling the story. Consider this, since 1981 not a single film has won Best Picture without being first nominated for Film Editing.Some photographers let an editing company choose the final images. I think outsourcing adjusting of the color and exposure of the images to a professional service that knows your style is great. For me, Vital Edit does a fantastic job while staying true to my style.
Are the images retouched? Is it done by ai or by hand? Some ai models can look like plastic if applied too heavily.
What if you get sick? Having a network of other professional photographers to call is necessary.
Can we give you a list of photos/people we want photographed? Our experience is that too many formals will interrupt the flow of your day and tries the patience of the guests and the wedding party. Try to keep the list short, about 6-8 groups. Thirty minutes is ideal. More than hour and you start to lose people.
How long after the wedding will we get the photos? Should be in the two to six week range.
Do we get a license to use the photos for personal use? You need this.
What would you like to eat for lunch or dinner? Offer photographers the same meal as the guests and let both them and the wedding coordinator or venue know they may eat when they need to. Photographers should eat early so they are ready to capture the toasts, first dance, and cake cutting. Photographers need a real meal during an eight-plus-hour day. Plus, that break time gives all the vendors the chance to get comfortable with each other and on the same page for the rest of the night.
How many weddings have you shot, and can we see a few full wedding galleries?
Do you design and make wedding albums?
Consider having your photographer create the album for you. Talk with friends who have been married for a few years and planned to make their own album; many will say their images are still sitting on a thumb drive in a drawer. If you want a finished album, have your photographer make it now while it is still top of mind. Here are a few other things to keep in mind:
- Creating prints and designing and assembling an album take more time and effort than you may expect.
- Your photographs will look better printed, cropped, color corrected and retouched by a professional photographer working with a professional lab.
- Good albums are available to the public, but professional photography studios offer exceptional, contemporary, artistic, archival wedding books.
- Professional design and layout can be the difference between displaying photographs and telling a story.
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or you think I’ve missed something.
