One of the most important decisions you will make when planning your big day is choosing your wedding photographer. They need a strong combination of artistic vision, professionalism and experience, as your wedding photos will take pride of place for generations to come on your photo albums. Ask the following questions and rest assured that you'll hire the perfect professional.
1) What is your shooting style? (Fashion editorial, Candid, traditional, Quirky or documentary)
Whether it's the fly-on - the-wall documentary, the stylised fashion editorial or the classic traditional, you'll know from looking at lots of portfolios, which style of photography you prefer. It is therefore very important that the photographers you meet are aware of and specialise in the style you choose. Please check our article Wedding Photography Style Explained.
2) Do you shoot photos on film or digital?
Even thought film are become out date it is still prefer by minor group of people, and in terms of editing and getting the right shot the first time around, film is more difficult – the results are pretty spectacular. While digital consumes less time, it's equally impressive. Both look ace so don't be too worried. On a big day, just balance outputs against time!
3) How many weddings do you photograph per year?
This is an incredibly important question as it will give you an idea of your photographer's experience and how much they are likely to be paying! For example, a photographer shooting less than 20 weddings a year will either be extremely expensive as they spend a lot of time shooting and editing, or they will be reasonably cheap as they have not yet established a solid industry reputation.
4) Can I see an example of a complete wedding album by real client?
This means you will see all the photographs taken on your wedding day, not just the best ones the photographer has chosen to show you.
5) May I contact previous customers for references?
Some good photographer will be delighted to put you in touch with previous customers, it's a great way to understand whether your photographer is good or bad. If not check the review such as google review and Facebook.
6) What wedding packages do you offer and what do they include?
You want to know if the package includes the album, the editing, the engagement shoot and visiting the venue before the day. Essentially, you will want to find out exactly what is included in the wedding package so that you won’t have to pay additional charges for extras you thought were already included!
7) Do you have insurance?
A professional wedding photographer should have both professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance for between $5-$20 million.
8) Have you taken photos at my wedding venue before?
If your photographer has shot at your wedding venue before, make sure you ask to see a complete wedding album or online profolio taken at this venue! This will give you a much clearer indication of what your wedding photographs will look like.
9) Do I need to cover your travel or is that included in the price?
This is another question to make sure there aren’t any unforeseen costs. Similarly, you will want to know if you will need to pay for petrol or overnight accommodation, or both, usually wedding photographer in Sydney would charge travel cost outside the metropolitan area such as Wollongong, Central coast.
10) Will it be you photographing us on the wedding day? Do you plan on bringing assistants?
We advise you to think carefully before you ask for 1-2 assistants to attend your wedding and cover it second by second. We find that an experienced photographer can capture your day with discretion and thought, with you and your guests barely knowing that they are there.
11) Do you have any good back-up photographers you can call on should something happen to you?
Though the likelihood of your photographer not working on your wedding day is slim, you will want to make sure someone is there to pick up the ball and capture your special day! Usually a good photographer has a team to cover the photography.
12) Do you have back-up equipment?
Even if your photographer has a great rig, it's not enough! In fact, may not be enough even for two cameras. Should one fall / run out of your safe, your photographer is back to having just one camera. A professional photographer should carry at least three cameras, and as many different lenses as possible.
13) What do you wear to a wedding?
You want your photographer to blend as much as possible with your guests, which is why you want to make sure they don't come to your wedding in jeans and a T-shirt, while everyone else is in ball gowns and smoking!
14) When can I expect to see the finished wedding photographs?
You will want to know when your online gallery will be up on the website and how much reprints of your favourite photographs will cost you.
15) How many photographs can I expect?
Most people would expect over 500 photos on disc or USB for a typical wedding day, Printing the photos yourself can be a cheaper option so ask if that's possible – just make sure they're printed on quality paper so they don't wear over time.
16) Although you have the copyright, can I print my own photos from the wedding disc and can I put your photos on my blog?
By default the photographer legally owns the copy right unless been advised otherwise, you want to make sure that you won’t have to pay for any extra photograph that you want printed. Similarly, if you want to post your images online, you will want to know that you are allowed to do so!