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photographer meetings

shasha8shasha8 member
First Comment
in Massachusetts-Boston
I'm finally getting around to picking a photographer and have a few meetings set up next week. What kinds of things should I make sure to ask them about??

I'm most concerned about price but what should I ask about their packages? Experience? Style? etc...

What were you guys concerned about when picking a photographer??

Thanks!!
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Re: photographer meetings

  • mjmessinamjmessina
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Ask to see a whole wedding.  The website is always full of their "best" or "perfect" shots.  When I went to see my photographer he had proofs from a recent wedding and I got to look through the 700+ pics so I could see exactly how a whole wedding is filmed and not just those perfect shots. 
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  • mjmessinamjmessina
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Oh, it's also good to ask if they sell the rights to their photographs.  Most photographers will either give you a whole set of proofs or a disk full of the photos.  But, it's good to see if you can have the rights to them this way you can take it and make as many copies as possible...that was my biggest concern.
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  • Galaxy8227Galaxy8227
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Making sure you have the rights to the photos is the biggest thing to check on.  I agree with PP's about asking to see an entire wedding as opposed to just their best shots.  Make sure the photographer you meet with is the one that will be shooting your wedding.  Some larger companies have multiple photographers on staff and you don't always get who you meet with. 
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  • shasha8shasha8 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for the suggestions! I had heard about some photographers signing away the rights and I think you've convinced me that that's something I really should ask about. And good idea about seeing a whole wedding!
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  • sunflower331sunflower331
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    It's also helpful to know whether or not they have ever done a wedding at your venue, and if so, you can ask to see photos from a wedding he/she did at your venue...it gives you an idea of whether or not they're familiar w/your venue, etc.  Rights to all photos a must, a dvd is a must, package costs, number of hours, etc

    I have narrowed our choices down to 2 and I'm having a very difficult time deciding

    which photographers are you meeting with?
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  • JulieJ11JulieJ11 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    You will also want to think about the overall feel you want from your wedding album and photos. Are you super traditional and need all the traditional posed shots? Are you more into the photojournalism style? Make sure your photographer understands how you envision your day overall so he/she knows what you hope to capture. I was also really concerned that my photographer be able to capture all the special moments and important pieces of my wedding without being overbearing and intrusive. I was at one wedding with my now FI and the photographer was really bossy and tried to kick FI's brother's wife out of the photo because it was "family only." Excuse me? So make sure they work within the boundaries you want to set. And I agree with PPs, having the rights or at least CD that allows you to make your own prints is super important these days. 
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  • shasha8shasha8 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We are meeting with:
    Beth Marengo
    Sue Lynch
    David Garcia
    Julie Surette

    We were looking for someone reasonably priced. I got a bunch of names from this board and these are the ones free on my date. Feel free to suggest others! :-)
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  • 1111luckybride1111luckybride member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Things we asked:

    How many hours (we got 8 hours)
    How many photographers (we have a wedding of less than 150 people so we opted for one photographer since we are both getting ready in the same hotel)
    Rights (we will have the rights to print)
    Albums (our photographer has very nice albums but we were not obligated to commit to ordering when we booked and can order after the wedding and pay then)
    How much deposit to put down to book them (ours has a 25% deposit)
    Turnaround time (ours is 8 weeks)
    Do they have the backup cameras (in case it breaks, we saw this question in another forum and I thought it was a good one to ask)
    How long have they been taking pictures (ours has 10 years but is still young and seems fun)
    Do they have insurance (our venue required it, and I can imagine many of the halls and especially museums require it)
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  • jkeprosjkepros member
    Ninth Anniversary 1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Another thing to ask about is how booked up they get.  For example, do they book 3-4 events in a weekend?  Will yours be the only event that day?  
    Yay! Finally able to update my signature :)
    by Shannon Sorensen Photography
    My hubby & I rock the frock.
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    6.12.2010
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