should we use a cousin, who is a professional wedding photographer? what to look for in a photograph

rlosecco

Our wedding isn't until next year so we have plenty of time...  My fiance has a cousin who makes a living as a photographer, particularly weddings.  He sent us an email saying if we were interested, we could work out a deal.

Now if the deal is better than what we find in the Outer Banks (where our wedding will be), then we will definitely think about it.

The only concern I have is, since he is out of town, he might not have that many ideas of where we should go for the pictures.  I'm not picky but I do like brainstorming with my fiance and our vendors.

Am I crazy? Or is the fact that he is from out of town not that big a deal?

Either way we want to look into some of the local vendors, just in case...  Does anyone have suggestions as to what to look for in general, when you are looking for wedding photographers?

Thanks!!!!

Nina9

Personally, I would avoid having relatives or friends provide professional services like photography.  It's too fraught with peril if things don't go according to plan--ending up with wedding photos you don't like is one thing, but what if it also means very resentful toward your cousin?

If you do decide to go that route, however, insist from the beginning that your cousin treat you just like any other client.  That means having contracts in place, standard consultations, and the same set of expectations any client paying full price would have.

Important things to think about when meeting with a photographer:

• Flexibility: will they work with you to provide the exact scope of services you need/want, or are they just trying to sell you a "standard" package
• DVD of images: you want a photographer who will provide, at no additional charge, all of your images at their full resolution and without watermarks of any kind. For a decent sized wedding, this is typically 3-4 DVDs worth of images
• Printing rights: your photographer should give you complete printing rights so you can do whatever you would like with your photos
• Testimonials and references: a professional should have ratings on independent sites like Yelp and should be able to furnish a variety of references (and yes, you should call them!)
• Aesthetic: are you looking for a photojournalistic, candid style photographer or do you prefer a more formal, traditional look?  Also think about what you like in photos you see: black and white, vintage looks, sepia tones, creative compositions, artistic framing, unusual setups, etc.

But most importantly...

• Comfort: do you want to spend the happiest day of your life with this person following you around? You probably won't see much of, say, your florist on your wedding day, but your photog will be there with you all day long. Make sure you "click" and have a good rapport, and consider having an engagement session ahead of time to familiarize yourself with their shooting style and so that you see how they photograph you!

rlosecco

Thank you!!!!

Nina9

No problem!  Good luck and let us know what you decide to do!

woodfrogs

Just my 2 cents worth, a standard dvd can hold about 800 images at full resolution. That's more than enough pictures for anyone from their wedding.
If someone is giving out 3-4 DVDs, they're not doing their job editing out duplicates, bad expressions, and other lesser quality images(and that's part of what you pay a photographer for).
Also, a photogrpaher may include a disk with their covergae, but you're still paying for it, it's price is already incorporated into their fee. Some photographers charge an additional fee for the disk, sometimes hundreds of dollars, or they may charge a lesser fee for additional disks.
Your "rights to print" are just that. You may make prints in any size, and quantity, as long as you're not charging someone else to do that. Your rights usuall do not include the right to import the images into Photoshop(or some other editing program) and do what you like to them. That is copyright infringement.
The best thing is to decide what sort of wedding coverage you want (usually whole day vs. hourly) and what sort of products and services you want. These might include a disk, Thank you cards, an album, etc.
It is also very important that you communicate what type of coverage you want(casual, formal, or a combination), and what images are important to you. A personal meeting helps to gauge whether you're comfortable with the photographer and if their style is something that appeals to you.
Everyone's taste is different, and their approach is different, interview a few people. Look at their on-line galleries. Look thru their proof books and albums and decide what you want.
HTH.

[Deleted User]

I was thinking exactly what woodfrogs wrote- one DVD is MORE than enough.  If they're giving you more than 800 photos, you're going to have a lot of weeding out to do on your end.  Going through thousands of photos can take hours.  A few of my friends had this problem when they didn't ask the photographer if they actually went through the pics before posting them.  Not to mentoin there were some horrible pics of the bride and even the mother of the bride's underwear made the cut.  AH!

The photographer is the most important vendor I'm going to have at my wedding and this is what I'm looking for:

Hours of coverage (mine includes 8)
Number of photographers (2 is key in my opinion)
Is the photographer you're talking to actually the photographer that will be at your wedding?
What books/prints are included?
Is an engagement session included?
How much does X Y Z cost to add (another book, event cards, etc)
Do I get an online gallery with purchase options?
Are all photos edited?
Can I see a proof book of a whole wedding? (anyone can put "best of" shots on a website or in a book)

Check out their style- the ones on their website will most likely exhibit their own personal style.  Any photographer can take traditional pictures so often they'll put the more impressive/stylized ones on their website.  In talking with my photographer we told him we'd like a good mix of "artistic" and traditional (mom needs pics too!). 

I'm getting married in Va Beach.  There are some great photographers in the Hampton Roads area.  I'm using Scott Hayne:  www.scotthaynephotography.com and I know some others that are supposd to be good are Echard Wheeler, David Schwartz and Eleise Theuer.  I didn't look much further than Scott so I am not the best source  

Oh.  And to answer your first question... NO I'd NEVER use a friend/family/family friend as a photographer.  I'd be too afraid of something falling through and ruining the relationship with them or my contact.  I also consider photography to be my top priority.  I'm having a friend do my videography because a) it's not top priority to me, b) I'm not that picky about videography, as long as it's captured I'm good with it and c) we spent too much on the photographer.  lol

Goodluck!!  Where in OBX are you getting married?  We had briefly looked at the Pier House because it's so gorgeous but they're booked until late October of next year!

Nina9

In terms of the number of DVDs, that actually depends on a few different factors, including what format the files are in (RAW files, for instance, are much larger than JPGs, and some couples want both), whether there were one or two photographers, and how many hours the photographers were shooting.  A one photographer, four hour wedding is going to need a lot less disc space than a two photographer, ten hour wedding.  Typically, we can fit about 400 photos onto a DVD with the settings we shoot at.

We always eliminate about 1/3 of the photos we shoot for the reasons cited, as any reputable photographer should.  However, one of the reasons couples choose to work with us is that we do provide them with everything that turned out well.

Of that larger pool, we always present them with a much smaller suggested pool for making their retouching suggestions, but sometimes couples want to see it all!

inkulio73

Wouldn't you want your cousin to have fun and enjoy the party?

Haring

why not?

Nina9

[QUOTE]I actually have ended friendships with people that do not do business with me[/QUOTE]

<div>Yikes--that's harsh!  I can't imagine pressuring a friend to use my services, let alone doing that.  Some things are more important than business IMO.  </div>

mmw8780

If you are concerned about your cousin not knowing locations, I suggest taking a camera around and "scouting" locations yourself. Be sure to get a feel for how different locations look during different times of the day (direction sun sets and so on). Also, if it is private property, you should ask permission and find out if there are any fees for photography. Then you can show your photos to your cousin and make arrangements from there.