Questions to ask photographers

EllenG27

I'm meeting with a photographer next week and not really sure what questions to ask. I'm sure I should ask some, but I haven't come up with much.
I really like her work on her website - liked her photos immediately! I know she's been to my venues before, she already said she gets the CD to you within a week. She brings another photographer with her. And I know all about her pricing. What else should I be asking?

fallbride1109

I would ask to see an entire wedding from beginning to end so you will see how she captures the day, preferably a wedding that will be shot in lighting similar to yours (outdoor, candlelight, etc.). 

KristenPhotography

As a wedding photographer I've found that the first meeting is just a "get to know you" meeting. You want to make sure you like the photographer personally and that you'l feel comfortable being yourself in front of them. As a recent bride, I couldn't think of what to ask either...and I'm in the business LOL

You might want to ask if they're expecting to eat at the wedding and if they have any special dietary needs. Otherwise, just chat and get to know them. If you're interested in prints or albums, ask if they do that. You might also want to know what kind of post-processing they do - PhotoShop etc.

[Deleted User]

Ask about backup equipment, coverage for the day in case of an emergency and she can't make it, is the second photographer just an assistant or an actual hired photographer?

- If you get the disk in a week (which is very fast), are any of the shots edited? Editing takes a long time, it's unlikely she could edit all the pictures in that amount of time. Just something to keep in mind.

- I also agree, ask to see an entire wedding from beginning to end.

GolfChick78

You should confirm that the pictures are high resolution.  Sometimes they're only low resolution or have the photographer's watermarks.

Tikki 77

Definately ask if she brings a back up camera to the wedding.  If she has only one, and it fails, then there will be no photos!

  Ask if she stores the photos on multiple hard drives. What if one crashes? It will all be lost.  ( I keep my stuff all on 3 different hard drives.  3 copies)

  A disk within a week sounds insane.  How many images? and are they edited? Maybe they are just "proofs"?    One week is really insanely fast. It can easily be done though, if she has nothing else to do all week.  I can do rough edits on a whole wedding in a few hours. But that's rough edits, and not something I would show a client. 

  Does she do a lot of weddings?

laurwakefield

Some of the most common questions I get as a wedding photographer are:

Payment schedule (when is the deposit, balance deu)
Travel Expenses
If I have insurance (Liablity)
Album cost

A week is VERY fast to edit an entire wedding.  It is almost impossible even with outsourcing.  I would find out how many pictures you are getting on the CD (she could be giving you 50 of her favorites or something like that).  Find out if you get the print release with the photos...and also what she will charge for printing if you don't get the release.   Let me know if you have any other quesitons!

Lauren