meeting with photog questions

L&E2010

Hello Ladies! I am meeting with my number on photographer choice tonight and I was wondering if any of you had some recommendations on what I should ask, or if there were any questions or ideas that were deal breakers for you guys? Thanks!

wendysandiego

I only spoke with/was interested in photographers that gave us all our photos on disc or USB. Some photogs hold them for up to a year after your wedding, to get you to buy their albums. I'd also ask what their turnaround time for photos is. In my opinion, waiting any longer than 3 months for your disc is too long.

L&E2010

Thank you! that is great advice.

Sprzout

I'd suggest asking what style of photography he/she is taking - photojournalistic (i.e. telling a story, getting candid shots of family, the bride getting ready, the groomsmen, the ceremony, the reception), traditional (posed/portraiture), or artistic (using soft filters, black & whites mixed with color, etc).Also, verify that you're getting THAT photographer for however long they're contracted. Sometimes, if it's a large studio, you may get whoever's free that day to take pictures, and their style may not be what you wanted.Ask if they bring any backup equipment - If the camera stops working mid-way through the event, are you stuck with only shots of the ceremony but none of the dancing, the bouquet toss, etc?I asked my photographer if he would do photo retouching on the photos, and if so, if I could get the raw images that he takes that day on a DVD/CD. I do photo retouching as a hobby, so I could do some artistic touch ups (i.e. have everything in the picture be black & white but the bouquets). Also, make sure that you're getting the rights to reprint the photos digitally. Almost all of the photographers I looked at offered this, but this was a HUGE dealbreaker for me. Almost all photographers give you a CD or DVD of the pictures they took, but if you can't reprint them at say, Walmart, Costco, or even your own printer, you are now held hostage to go back to the photographer to have them print copies - at an exorbitantly expensive rate. And, there's no guarantee that they will still have copies of the pictures - contracts will say many times they keep the photos on file for 6 months - 1 year, and then you can no longer get reprints. Be very clear with this in the contract, because some photographers will tell you that it's a violation of contract for you to repost the pictures on a photo sharing site such as Photobucket or Shutterfly...Hope this helps!

Just_Ali

If you go to www.realsimple.com you can download a check list of what to ask of certain vendors, check it out - there is a lot of good info!

L&E2010

Thank you every one, all your comments really helped! I cant wait for tonight to see how it goes!