Re: What ?s should I ask when going to see a photographer for the first time.
These are the questions we used (there are a lot b/c i'm a bit type-A!!):
Equipment What kind of camera do you use (35mm vs. medium format) Do you use wireless equipment How many cameras do you use Do you bring any backup equipment? What will you do if you are sick and unable to shoot the wedding?
Photos/Negatives/Film How many exposures will you take at my wedding? Is there a limit on the number of exposures or your time? What is the size of the proofs? Do I get to keep all of them? I would like the negatives. Can you fulfill this request? How long will you keep the negatives? Do you shoot in black & white, color or both? If you shoot with a digital camera will the prints be of archival quality? If you shoot with black and white fillm, do you do your own developing? How soon after I place my order will the photos be ready?
Albums Who exactly will be photographing my wedding? Can I meet with them? Can I see a complete album from one wedding you/he/she photographed? In particular, one that you shot at Coindre Hall. Do you have examples of pictures taken in low-light conditions - i.e. candlelit ceremony Cas I see the album that comes with my packages? Ca I see a proof book from a recent wedding you/the photographer did? How many pages in parent album Are album pages acid-free/archival quality? Do we have choice of album, page & border styles? What is the cost of additional albums or pages?
Philosophy/Experience Do you bring an assistant or additonal photographer? Who will shoot the actual pictures? Describe to me your philosophy and approach to wedding photography. Do you prefer photojournalism, candids, or portraits What is the balance between posed and candid shots? Describe to me the most difficutl wedding you ever photographed. Are you familiar with Coindre Hall? If not, will you be willing to come an look at it? Have you worked in multi-room settings before? How do you work in this kind of environment? Have you worked at weddings with videographers? Can you please describe how you handle this kind of working environment? Please tell me about a time when you had to work with a large group of people. How did you handle it? How will you dress for the wedding? Will you work of a prepared shot list? What is your typical shooting schedule? Do you know good places at our site to shoot?
Fees Do you charge additional fees for travel time? What deposits are required, by when and in what form? What's the cost of additional hours? Are there any additional charges? Do you have liability insurance? Do you guarantee your work - what if we're not satisfied? What is your cancellation or postponement policy? Can you please provide me with 3 references to contact?
XFINALLYX
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Re: What ?s should I ask when going to see a photographer for the first time.
its a nice list that you made but its a waste of time i think. no one is really gonna ask those questions maybe half.. probably not even half the questions. you dont need to question a photographer that much. the question about what equipment do they use, what does it matter? most likely you wont know what kinda camera the guy has anyway and you could have a ****** camera and still come out with beautiful pictures. im just talking like this cause i was a photographer. i asked him about the proofs, how many pictures they'll take, if they'll have assistants, do we need to pay extra for the assistants or tip them, roughly when the proofs will be back and they said worry about the albums after the wedding, no need in stressing that now when theres so many new type of albums coming out now and all of the time. just talk about the things i listed above and what time they'll come for photos, their packages, try to negotiate prices and thats about it.
(sorry if that sounded rude i didnt mean to, its just a waste of time to ask all of those questions, if someone asked me all of those questions i'd be like ok um psycho!)
