PHOTOGRAPHER QUESTIONS....

What are some importat questions to ask when you meet with a potential photographer for the first time?

Here is a list the questions i took to each photo/video vendor...


Photographer / Video Questions

Name
Website
Address
Contact Person
Dates/ Times Available
Video?


PHOTOGRAPHERS / BASICS
• How many photographers do you have on staff?
• How many weddings to you cover in one day?
• How many photographers and assistants will be there?
• How would you describe your style of photography?
• How many shots will be taken?
• How many proofs will we see?
• Will you come early the day of the wedding?
• If you are ill, who will photograph our wedding?
• If others will be shooting, can we see there work?
• Can we give you a shot list?
• How long should formal pictures take?

TECHNICAL
• What kinds of cameras do you use?
• What format do you shoot in? Medium, digital, or 35MM?
• Color, Black and White?
• What quality and brand film / paper?
• Do you bring back-up equipment?
• What type of effects can you incorporate?
• Do you develop the film or send it to a lab?
• Are the photos we look at today developed by the same person who will develop ours?
• Do you retouch images?

PROOFS / NEGATIVES
• How long after the wedding will we see proofs?
• Do we get to keep the proofs and / or negatives as part of the package?
• If not, can we purchase them or do you always own them?
• If you keep the negatives, for how long do you save them?

ALBUMS
• How many albums are included?
• What types of albums do you offer? Digital, Sizes?
• How many shots in each album?
• Can we add pages? What would be the cost?
• Are pages acid free / archival quality?
• Do we have choices for style, color, border, design, etc?
• Is there an extra fee to have our names and date printed on the album?
• How long after we make our proof selections will we receive the prints and/or albums?
• Parent Albums?

PORTRAITS
• How many portraits are included?
• What are our size options for the portraits?
• What is the cost for additional prints?

VIDEO
• What style of video do you like shoot / edit?
• Have you shot at our wedding site before?
• Do you have a tape for us to view?
• Can we see a tape of a wedding similar to outs? Church, Feb
• Have you shot indoors and outdoors?
• Do you shoot weddings primarily?
• What other types of videography have you done?
• How many hours of service and raw footage?
• How many tapes, what length?
• Cost of additional tapes?
• Will you work off a shot list?
• Will you come early to shoot us getting ready?
• Can you be inconspicuous during the wedding?

VIDEO TECHNICAL
• What kinds of equipment do you use?
• Color, Black and White?
• Do you have backup equipment?

VIDEO FINAL TAPE
• Is the final copy uncut or edited?
• If edited, who does the editing?
• Do we help edit, or do you decide what to cut?
• If we’re getting an edited tape, what happens to the raw footage?
• Is a shorter highlights tape included?
• How do you transition between scenes?
• Can you lay music over some scenes? Is there an additional cost?
• What kinds of special effects can we include? Additional cost?
• Can you do titles? Additional cost?
• Can we give you baby pictures or honeymoon pictures to incorporate in the video? Additional cost?
• When will we receive the video?
• How many copies are included?

MISC
• 2-3 References?
• What will your attire be?
• Do you have liability insurance?
• Any additional charges? ie travel,

FEES
• Photo
o # of Hours
o # of Photographers
o # of Assistants
• Video
o # of Hours
o # of Videographers
o # of Assistants



PAYMENT
• Deposit amount and due date
• Balance due date
• Cancellation policy
• Are credit cards accepted

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Posted by SugaBeans

wow! thats the best list ever! i wish i had that!!! and remember to get everything in writing. verbal agreements are not good enough. if they say something, have them write it down.

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Thanks! your last point is sooo good too! get everything in writing, so important.

Ok here is my opinion on this, Ask the photographer whatever is important to you, such an maybe if they include e-pics, how many pics do they guarantee or anything you can think of

Honestly, ive seen the list of questions to ask photographers and i couldve asked and they answered but it wouldve been pointless with me...If i asked what kind of camera they use and they told me the model i wouldnt know whether its good or not or what would be better, and a bunch of other things that i have no clue about

I would also ask about their copyright policy. Some photogs copyright their images...meaning you're not really allowed to post them without their permission...you're only allowed to keep them for yourself to look at.

Also, if you want 'must take' photos, ask whether or not they like to do those. Some photogs (especially photojournalists) don't really like to shoot based on a 'must take' list....others don't have a problem with it.

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Posted by jenlen

I would also ask about their copyright policy. Some photogs copyright their images...meaning you're not really allowed to post them without their permission...you're only allowed to keep them for yourself to look at.

Also, if you want 'must take' photos, ask whether or not they like to do those. Some photogs (especially photojournalists) don't really like to shoot based on a 'must take' list....others don't have a problem with it.

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OH thats a good one, i think alot of ppl dont realize how it works with copyright pics, so its important to see how your photographer goes about that...Ive seen some girls have to pay extra bc of this.

And yeah very true, alot of PJ dont like must take lists