We've recently noticed a lot of advice online in different Bride and Wedding forums on what new brides should be concerned with and the specific questions that they should ask any potential photographers that they may want to hire for their special day. While some of the questions we see are definitely important, some are not as big of a deal in the overall scheme of things, so we thought we'd kind of put together a response from the photographers side, and maybe it'll be helpful for you, even if Morristowne Photography isn't in your part of the world.This is going to be a slightly longer than usual post, so grab a cup of coffee, settle in and please, leave some comments at the end with any other questions or opinions that could benefit all the brides, grooms and photographers out there who are trying to capture the most from they're special day.
1 : What kind of equipment do you use?
We're not so sure this is that big of a deal. What I mean is, what you really should be concerned with is the final product, not what is used to get to that final product. A great photographer could come to your venue with a $200.00 Kodak point and shoot and blow everyone else away, not because of the equipment, but because of their vision, their creativity, their angles, their knowing how light works, their computer editing skills after the shoot. All that the more expensive equipment does is make things easier, especially if you have problem venues with weird lighting. The “pro” equipment is generally better in low light, they can be adjusted quicker, they have better flashes, can be used with off-camera lighting, they take more frames per second...blah, blah, blah. What they don't do is give you an artists eye.
Actually, the real important question to ask about equipment : Do you have a back-up camera? A photographer has to expect his camera won't work someday and have some sort of back-up plan.
All that being said, we at Morristowne are gear heads and generally take 4 cameras and 6 different lenses to every wedding and are always buying new gadgets and products...all to make our jobs easier. They don't necessarily make us better photographers. Which brings us to what we think is the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION...
2 : Can I see your portfolio and a sample of a full wedding shoot?
This really is what it's all about! The final product, the images that you are going to be left with the rest of your lives. Now, hopefully you have already seen your proposed photographers portfolio online, so you have a good feel for the stuff they like to do, the things they want to produce, and have gotten a good feel for their style. But always remember, the images in their portfolio are their hand-picked, best of all time photos. Out of the thousands and thousands of photos they have taken, these are the 10 or 20 that they think are their absolute best work. What does the other 100 or 200 or 800 photos from that wedding look like? That's really what you need to know.
Now, every photo from a wedding just can't look like it should be on the cover of Vogue, that's not what a wedding is. You have formal portraits, walking down the isle, candids of the audience, garter's flying through the air, dancing at the reception...on, and on, and on. Some of it is just documentation. But all the images should still be high quality, have the same feel of that particular photographer, with the occasional Vogueish moment sprinkled through out the whole ceremony. So don't be afraid to ask to see a sample wedding album or a sample CD of an entire wedding...just some way of knowing there just wasn't those two good shots you saw in their portfolio from that entire day's wedding.
3 : How many weddings have you shot?
This is relevant only in that you do want to know that they can reproduce a good wedding more than once...that they didn't just get lucky on that one wedding they shot for their sister. But honestly, it all goes back to question #2...if their style and quality blows you away, who cares if it's only their 3rd wedding? Sometimes “experienced” also means stuck-in-a-rut and inflexible. Sometimes “new” also means passionate and exciting.
4 : What is your photographic style...photojournalism, traditional, etc.?
Again, read #2. If you have looked at their photos and liked them, who cares what it's called. Labels mean nothing! Photography is about visual art, not spoken or written word. Choose your photographer on how his images make you feel, not by the flowery words that they or someone else uses to describe them.
5 : How will you and your assistants be dressed?
Obviously, you don't want your photographer at your wedding in hunter's orange shorts, a tank top just above the navel and pink flip flops. But the other thing to consider is a good photographer is not going to be standing around like a statue. They'll be laying on the ground, squatting here and there, crawling in the rafters, sweating, all the time with maybe 2 cameras strapped around their neck, extra batteries, memory cards, etc. If the goal is #2, the final product, don't get hung up too much on the photogs not being in a tux and/or a dress. Though you do want them to blend in as much as possible, your goal is for them to produce the kind of images you've seen in their portfolio...and they are not going to be in your pictures. On your 2nd wedding anniversary you won't even remember what they looked like (unless they were wearing the hunter's orange and tank top).
We personally try to wear dark browns and grays, nice, neat clothes but ones that we can comfortably lay down in the grass or sand or bugs with.
6 : Do you have insurance?
Very important question!!! If someone trips over a camera bag, a light, etc., you need to know that the photographer has insurance to cover any of those weird mishaps that could occur.
7 : May I have a list of references?
Very valid question to ask. Though not all clients want to be bothered frequently by phone calls asking how their wedding photographer was, most don't object to at least an email reply to a prospective bride. Your photographer should be able to give you at least 2 or 3 you could communicate with in some fashion.
8 : What do you think distinguishes you from other wedding photographers?
You can ask it, but whatever the reply is it is just words. Refer back to #2. If that doesn't tell you what distinguishes them, nothing will. We always tell people that since we both shoot, you get both a male and female perspective of your wedding day. But if we both stink, you're going to have two stinking perspectives of your special day. Let your prospective photographer's images do the talking.
9 : Can I have a CD of all of the unedited photos?
You can ask, but you're going to find very few photographers that would be comfortable doing this. A huge part of a photographer's style and look is based not just on what happens inside the camera, but also on the way they process their images. And hopefully you have chosen your photographer based on the way their photos look. (see #2)
We personally never give out unedited photos. Every image we let out of our studio has to look good enough that we are fine with anyone posting them anywhere, as is, and saying “Morristowne Photography” took this.
10 : Can I have a High Resolution CD so I can make my own prints?
Historically, especially when film was the only medium used, the photographer never gave out the negatives to their photos. You received a small set of proof prints, maybe 100 or so, and from these you chose which ones you wanted printed larger, and the photographer would make that happen for you...and you would pay the photographer for all of the prints purchased. Now that digital is the primary medium used, photographers are still trying to figure out the best way to handle it...because selling prints was/is a primary source of their revenue. Virtually everyone knows how to get their own prints now and don't think they need the middle-man photog getting more money out of them from selling prints. What's the answer?
The way we at Morristowne decided to deal with the situation is this...you, the client, are hiring us for our artistic eye, editing abilities, our professionalism with a camera. We are not printers. We are photographers and that's what you will be paying us for. We will give you all edited, agreed upon photos for you to print out on your own to your hearts desire. We give you a limited copyright release form stating you can print these images for any personal, noncommercial use that you see fit. We also at least give you one print from a company we use for all of our printing needs so that you can see what a good quality print should look like and suggest that you use a quality printing company.
You see, the other thing that most clients don't realize is how attached to the photos a good photographer becomes. Those photos represent them and their company...their sweat and blood. If the client prints the images on their home computer on standard white paper...the photo is going to look awful! Even photos we've seen from Walmart and Cord Camera have been less than desirable. The photographer hates seeing a bad representation of their work...seriously, it almost makes us sick!
So just keep in mind that all photographers handle this differently, and though money through print sales may be part of it, there are other factors that the photographers as artists have to weigh when giving their negatives/high rez images out. If the photographer doesn't give out their high rez images, no way, no how...I wouldn't consider it a deal breaker. Again, the goal is #2...them taking the kind of images you want. The other details can usually be worked out to your and they're satisfaction.
11 : A question to ask yourself...is there chemistry between you and the photographer?
This is a big one for us...right next to #2. If you don't feel like you are both on the same page, if it doesn't feel like you both have the same goals for the wedding day, the images captured will probably reflect that tension. This actually goes for both the photographer and the client. If either feels like things don't seem to click, for whatever reason, it's probably best to step away. Don't take it personally, it's all about giving the best possible product/experience to the paying customer. We don't want to take your money if we can't give you what you desire and you sure don't want to pay for something/someone you don't like.
There has only been one time where we didn't feel we were the right match for a client and suggested they try another photographer, and it actually turned out great for them. We recommended a friend of ours and it all ended as it should have, both parties happy with the final result.
There's probably been clients that didn't choose us because of this...that we just weren't the right fit for them and their day...and that's okay!
There have been a few times, though, where we were chosen by the bride's/groom's mother or by a wedding planner, and things just didn't feel quite as great as they could have. We still captured great images, but the bride and groom just weren't into it...pictures were more of an annoyance rather than a time to record a historic day in their life. It just felt like we were documentary photographers rather than a team working together to capture something special. Just doing the job. We hate just doing the job. We'll do it well if we have to, but isn't creating things together so much more fun!!
So a collaborative meeting between the photogs, bride & groom, mom & dad, wedding planner, etc. is in our opinion huge. You absolutely have to make sure that you all are going in with the same vision and goals or no one will be happy in the end.
In ConclusionSo this is just a few things that prospective clients and photogs may want to consider, but we know there are plenty more. Let us know what worries you or what questions you may have in the comments and we can keep adding to this post as time goes on.
Take care,
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