Quick! What to ask a potential photographer?

topchef33 · August 2010

We're having a phone meeting w/a potential photographer shortly, mostly just to go over pricing options in detail. Are there any important things we need to remember to ask?

NuggetBrain · August 2010

Do they have a camera, or will you have to supply your own? That's the most important, to me.

twilight.rose · August 2010

Whether or not you'll receive a disc with all the photos, and rights to them. That's usually a pretty big one these days.

zippityb · August 2010

I think a good thing to ask is whether or not he will press charges.

katiewhompus · August 2010

Will you have rights to your pictures?
What happens if they cannot be there (illness, injury, death, etc)?
When will you receive the finished product?
What will they be shooting (getting ready, reception, after party?)

NuggetBrain · August 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_quick-ask-potential-photographer?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:0f4445ed-0167-4d14-92be-a2e17173d963Post:29357ce2-a338-457e-a69b-897b14751ad2">Re: Quick! What to ask a potential photographer?</a>:
[QUOTE]I think a good thing to ask is whether or not he will press charges.
Posted by zippityb[/QUOTE]

That's a fantastic one. Make sure to ask the follow up question "and if so, could you provide a written statement of what exactly consitutes 'indecent exposure' to you".

emilyinchile · August 2010

The rights is a HUGE question. One of my best friends is a photographer, and she stresses that it's really important to know who is allowed to print photos - if you don't have the rights, you can be stuck buying expensive albums from your photographer.

Also ask how many photos are retouched - some photogs will give you, for example, a CD with 300 images, all of them retouched, and you do what you want with those, whereas others only retouch the photos that go into the albums or prints that you buy from them.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · August 2010

Ask about the pricing structure. For example, ho much deposit? What's due before the wedding? Is the final payment dependent on you receiving your pictures?

shortee426 · August 2010

Ask how long you will have them for (6hours? 8? all day?).

Ask if there will be a 2nd shooter, or just 1 photog.

vegasgroom · August 2010

+1 on the rights to the images.

Also ask how many photographers, some will say two cameras but what they mean is one camera is on a remote controlelled by the one photographer, which is fine, but you should know if that's the case.

Ask if they take breaks and how frequently and for how long.

Check their contract and see if it specifies they can use your images for anything; I had an issue with my photographer's initial contract saying they could use the images they take for advertising and promotional activities but they were willing to remove that since I had a problem with my images being used that way for work reasons.

dittmerbullard2010 · August 2010

Ask what their backup plan is in case of illness or equipment failure.

ARod22 · August 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_quick-ask-potential-photographer?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:0f4445ed-0167-4d14-92be-a2e17173d963Post:1cc74242-9924-4d54-ad44-d61566effc60">Re: Quick! What to ask a potential photographer?</a>:
[QUOTE]Will you have rights to your pictures? What happens if they cannot be there (illness, injury, death, etc)? When will you receive the finished product? What will they be shooting (getting ready, reception, after party?)
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]

These are definitely the most important questions and should also be addressed on the contract... if the contract says nothing about your rights to the pictures, or what will happen in the event of illness, injury, death, act of God, etc., you might have a problem.

ARod22 · August 2010

Ask about if you will get digital negatives, and get a copy of their package deals. Compare their packages with several other photographers'. It's a good idea to meet in person to look at their work as it appears in albums and what kinds of albums they offer (if you want an album), not just how the photos look on a computer screen.

The best advice I got was to get a feel for how I like being around this person... is s/he too pushy or not pushy enough, am I comfortable speaking with her, etc.

Quick! What to ask a potential photographer?

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