Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Your Photographer Guide

I hope you have noticed the most recent addition to The Golden Isles Bride, a Photographer Page! As I come across more photographers I will of course update the page so check back periodically. I also wanted to post a list of questions to help guide you through your interview process with your potential wedding photographer. With that being said this in no way means you have to take this list with you, but as someone *me* who "clams up" in interviews and also gets nervous making a big decision about spending thousands of dollars it helped walk me through the process. I also think trust is earned, not given and more than likely this is the first time you are meeting this person. So asking more questions helped me build trust; so if your photographer feels interrogated, well maybe they are because it is an interview. But as long as you're nice, patient, and smile, (it always helps :)) you should be able to ask the questions you want without offending. So here we go...
  1. What's your primary style? Or what style do you feel is your best work? Posed and formal, relaxed, photo-journalistic, creative, artistic, candid, traditional?
    1. While you can ask show me your portfolio so I can understand your style? I quite honestly wont know what I'm looking at so being more specific helped me. 
  2. Do you shoot in color or black & white? or both? Do you shoot in digital format that can create both color and black & white versions of the same picture?
  3. What input do you need from me to best photograph my wedding? (PLEASE GOD GIVE THEM A LIST OF YOUR MUST HAVE SHOTS! I've been to a few weddings and the photographer didn't have a list and everyone was just standing around and aimlessly wandering. Efficiency people! We've all been there where we are standing around forever waiting on the couple and family to finish their pictures. Having a list will speed this process up greatly and I'm sure will ease the stress the day of for everyone.)
  4. These are my ideas for portraits (Hence the list.) About how long would you need for them?
  5. Who will be the primary photographer for my wedding? If it's not you could I see their portfolio and meet them?
  6. Tell me about your background in photography. (There are photographers who have shot hundreds of weddings and haven't improved over time. Then there are photographers who have only photographed a handful of weddings, but are fantastic because they get it.)
  7. How many other events will you also photograph that weekend? (Some may think this is an unnecessary question if you trust them, but I felt better after asking. Go with your gut instinct.)
  8. If my wedding doesn't stay on schedule, will you charge extra for going over? 
  9. What kind of equipment will you bring with you? (i.e. tripods, lighting, or other devices) (I wanted a "photo booth" and wanted to know how it would be set up. So you can be more specific, but you get the general idea.)
  10. Do you develop your own film or send it out? 
  11. What are you arrangements if you are unable to make it because of an emergency? Or what if I have an emergency and have to cancel last minute? 
  12. What about retouching? Can you tell me about that process?
  13. Can we purchase a disc/DVD of the images? 
  14. What timeline from booking to wedding day to final delivery of images look like?
  15. Can we have an engagement session so we can get to know each other better?
  16. Tell me about your prints and albums?
  17. What does the contract and payment process look like?
  18. How will we first view our images and select prints?
  19. How will my family and friends view the photos and order prints?
If you have other really good questions please let me know. Thanks!
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2 comments:

  1. Chris Moncus PhotographyJuly 11, 2012 at 1:04 AM

    Hey Kimberly,

    I wanted to share my point of view as a photographer to help the brides reading this. A couple times out of the 30+ weddings we shoot ever year we get lists like this compiled from wedding websites and they frustrate us. It makes us feel like the bride doesn't trust us. Many times they get advice to bring the questions because their friend had a horrible experience with their photographer. All of that we understand. The problem is that many of the lists are dated or they ask unnecessary questions that sound like we're being interrogated. I'll be the first to admit that there are a lot of talented and a lot of untalented people in this industry. I think it's because of the latter that these lists exist. Before even calling a photographer, ask other vendors about who they recommend. There's a good chance that if you hear a name more than once and like their online portfolio, they are worth meeting with and at that point, many of the questions are no longer necessary to be asked.

    To reiterate, I just want brides and their photographer to have the best relationship possible. Not that your list was wrong to be asked, it just represented a point of tension between photographers and their brides.

    So in the interest of helping brides ask the right questions, I'd suggest rewording these questions something like this:

    1) Show me your portfolio so I can understand your style.
    2) Show me your portfolio so I can see how your images are developed.
    3) What input do you need from me to best photograph my wedding?
    4) These are my ideas for portraits. About how long would you need for them?
    5) Who will be the primary photographer for my wedding? If it's not you could I see their portfolio and meet them?
    6) Unnecessary. The bride should trust the photographer's assistant choice will represent the studio well.
    7) Tell me about your background in photography. (Numbers are arbitrary and don't reflect the talent, personality, and care of the photographer. There are photographers who have shot a few hundred weddings who I would never suggest hiring because they have not improved over time. There are also photographers who have only photographed a handful of weddings who are fantastic because they get it. The portfolio, references, and referrals should speak for the photographer.)
    8) Unnecessary if you trust them. We might shoot one, we might shoot three. Every wedding gets our all. A trustworthy photographer works this way.
    9) Of course they will charge if it goes more than a few minutes over. Otherwise the bride could easily book six hours and go eight because she isn't getting charged.
    10) Unnecessary as the answer is "I'll bring what's appropriate." They will bring what it took to create the images in the portfolio and cause vendors and other brides to recommend them. Many of the tools are unique to the style of the photographer so there is no way to gauge a correct answer.
    11) Unnecessary. It's rare to find a film shooter any more.
    12) Valid questions.
    13) No valid photographer will sell negatives to a client assuming you mean digital negatives.
    14) Tell me about your retouching process.
    15) Can we purchase a disc of the images for archiving? (The release is unnecessary. Hiring a photographer to do top-notch work and then taking the images to a low-quality printer like Target or Shutterfly is an insult to his work. Instead ask about their prints and their warranty on them. Mine have a lifetime guarantee.)

    And then add these questions:

    16) What does the timeline from booking to wedding day to final delivery of images look like?
    17) Can we have an engagement session so we can get to know each other better and have amazing images to use for our wedding?
    18) Tell me about your prints and albums?
    19) What does the contract and payment process look like?
    20) How will we first view our images and select prints?
    21) How will my friends and family view the photos and order prints?

    I hope this helps your brides.

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    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 11, 2012 at 12:51 PM

      Thanks Chris! You are exactly right about the horrible experience stories. I hope you didn't take offense and I really appreciate you taking the time to help! I have updated the blog posting and those extra questions you added are perfect. I never want there to be tension I just always like to have something to reference in an interview process. I know everyone is different, but I tend to get nervous and forget to ask the important questions. The interview with my photographer went very smoothly and he was great answering the questions. I actually didn't really have to ask too many because he answered them in the flow of the conversation. (Which I think is a great sign of a professional!) Thanks again for the advise! It is much appreciated! :)

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