Thanks to Shaun Menary Photography for answering this week’s reader question:
What are the most important questions to ask potential wedding photographers?
1. Do you have insurance?
This is such an important question, and it is never asked. The reason this is important is two-fold. Obviously, the bride and groom can ensure that their guests and photographer are protected in case of accident or injury involved with the photographer, because sometimes accidents simply happen. But the more important and less obvious reason is that a photographer who takes his or her business very seriously will carry insurance. You want a photographer who not only takes the kind of images you want, but also runs the business side of things well.
2. How do you back up your files?
If you get anything other than a confident answer replete with techie lingo that baffles you, dig a little deeper. And if you get a deer-in-the-headlights look, just run. Basically, you want your photographer to have your images backed up right after the wedding, especially during busy season when a wedding can wait in the queue for weeks. If something happens, again, like accidents do, and one set of photos is lost, the photographer should still be able to edit and deliver your wedding images.
3. How many weddings have you shot?
This is perhaps the most important question you can ask a photographer because this one little question will give you so many answers. Basically, a wedding photographer does much more than point a camera at the pretty things. The photographer must be able to capture real emotion, be able to work with large groups of people, be able to work with large groups of drunk people, take direction, give direction, help make the wedding day schedule, always be punctual, and basically juggle all these and more responsibilities with a huge smile. These are things that are honed and perfected only with experience. Now, more experienced photographers are going to be more expensive, but you can be more confident that they can handle the weight of these responsibilities and still deliver dazzling images.
4. Do you bring backup gear to your weddings?
Again, this will illuminate the photographer’s level of professionalism. Cameras break, lens shutters go bonkers, and surprise, surprise, accidents happen! If your photographer’s primary equipment becomes unusable, he or she should have a backup system that can be accessed without missing something important.
5. What is your style?
Again, this seems straightforward, but it’s definitely worth asking. Make sure that you and your photographer are on the same page. Some photographers will only deliver a dozen artistic images, and there are brides for that. Some photographers shoot only outdoor weddings, and there are brides for that. Some photographers shoot with a photojournalism approach, and there are brides for that. Just make sure you choose the photographer who is right for you; otherwise, you will be unhappy with your wedding photos. And there are no repeatsies for wedding photos!
6. If your wedding and/or reception are indoors and/or at night, you should be asking this question: How do you shoot low-light situations?
A photographer must have quite a bit of technical skill in order to shoot low-light situations with expertise. Most of the time, you’ve paid for uplighting and decorations to have the space look a certain way. Without getting too detailed, I’ll just say that producing images wherein both the subject is well-lit (i.e. looks glorious) and the ambiance of the space translates accurately, that requires a technically proficient photographer.
7. What qualities do you like in the couples you shoot?
People don’t think to ask this, and I don’t see why they would. However, some brides don’t realize that during meetings, photographers are subtly interviewing them. Confident and seasoned photographers know that every bride is not right for their personality and their style of photography, and some photographers even refer brides to different photographers after initial meetings. It’s nothing personal; they simply know it isn’t the right fit. And that’s really alright! There are so many wedding photographers out there, and there is definitely one that is great for you. If your potential photographer values qualities that aren’t important to you, they’re going to be looking for things and photographing things that you couldn’t give a flying flip about. And again, no repeatsies for wedding photos.
The post Ask the Expert: Seven Questions You Should Ask a Wedding Photographer appeared first on D Weddings.