Choosing Your Wedding Photographer // PART THREE
/Before you read further, if you haven’t already, you can read the other parts of this little trilogy here: PART ONE and PART TWO!
Okay so you found your true match made in heaven... with your photographer. You love their personality, style, and the price is just right. You've asked all the right questions and you're ready.
What do you do now?!
You snatch them up because there are only limited weekends in a wedding season and you want to make sure you get your first choice *cough PICK ME! cough*. Basically you like it so you need to put a bunch of money down on it.
The typical wedding photographer will need between 30-50% as a non-refundable retainer fee. This is required for two reasons. The first is to secure your date. Unfortunately many photographers have been burned by not receiving any kind of payment for their work. The second reason is to offset loss of business if the event is cancelled. Since there are only a limited amount of weddings per year, chances are that after you book your photographer, they are getting more inquiries that they turn down because they are already booked. If for some reason, you have to cancel, they are most likely not able to rebook their dates. Some photographers have in their contracts (like I do) that if the event is cancelled or postponed within a certain timeframe AND the photographer can rebook the date, the retainer fee will be returned. While we are business owners, we are fair.
Speaking of the contract. Make sure you are sent one to protect yourself. If a photographer does not have a contract you might want to reconsider hiring them. The contract protects both the photographer and you! Make sure you read through carefully. The contract lays out all the things you can expect from your photographer and what they expect from you. This contract should list the time and date booked for, the wait time for post processing the images, payment schedule, cancellation and rescheduling policies, as well as print rights and model releases. As under copyright law in Canada, photography is considered an art and the photographer, the artist. Photographers hold all the copyrights to their images, even though they are being paid to create the art. So your contract should have a print release and a description of what the photos can be used for. Typically, they can be used for all personal reasons, on social media, printing for your house or albums, and sharing with your friends or family. You won’t be allowed to use the images for commercial gain or sell the images, those rights remain with the photographer only. As well as sharing with other vendors, leave that up to your photographer so that they can thank the others involved in your day as well as explain the proper use of images. And as always, do not edit or alter the photos!
Photography is such a fun thing to book for your wedding but these “boring” aspects cannot be overlooked. You are paying thousands of dollars and you want to make sure you are booking a trusted, capable, and responsible photographer. Make sure you look at reviews on their Google business pages as well. This will help ensure you are booking someone who is going to show up for you. However, be warned, sometimes people leave terrible reviews to photographers who they haven’t even worked with, so be mindful of both the positive and negative reviews!
And then, if everything checks out and you and your partner feel comfortable (and excited!) sign the contract, send the payment, and take a deep breath because you can confidently check off one huge decision off of your wedding planning checklist!
If you’ve read through this whole trilogy and you’d like to book me as your wedding photographer, click HERE to contact me!
Choosing Your Wedding Photographer// PART TWO
/Before you read further, if you haven’t already, you can read Part One of this little trilogy here: PART ONE!
PART TWO
IMPORTANT INFORMMATION YOU DON’T NEED
That doesn't sound right does it? I'm here to dispel questions that wedding sites may tell you to ask your potential wedding photographer during the booking process, and instead give you the real important questions.
What you don't need to know and what to ask instead:
What equipment do you use?
This question gets asked a lot but to be honest, unless you are a photographer yourself, the answers you'll get to this question won't really mean much to you. Knowing that I shoot with two Canon 5D Mark IVs, 35mm lens, 50mm lens, and 85mm lens doesn't really help you out when trying to decide. I know nothing about Nikon cameras!
Instead ask: what made you choose the equipment you shoot with?
This will give you more of an idea of how your photographer shoots and why they are passionate about their art. I don't shoot with zoom lenses because I absolutely love the way I have to move around more to get different angles. I get to move with you as a couple, give you space when I need to and get right all up in your business when you're comfortable. Plus me moving helps you to move around too and feel comfortable and we get much better images!
2. Have you shot at my wedding venue?
I totally understand why this question is asked, however, it isn't all that necessary for a photographer to have shot at a venue before. Yes, they might know their way around a little bit better, but as a whole, we wedding photographers have really good eyes and can spot a good location a mile away. Plus, shooting a venue doesn't always mean that the pictures will be the same. Weather plays a HUGE role in how our images turn out. I really wish I could control the sun and the clouds! So I might shoot at your venue the weekend before your wedding, but those same spots I used might not work on your wedding day because of time of day, weather, different aesthics, mobility of dress, size of wedding party etc. There are so many factors invovled that I find myself changing spots whenever I shoot at a venue more than once!
What to ask instead: Can I see a full wedding album?
This question is great because even if the album is not at your venue, you can get an idea of what a full gallery will look like. Keep in mind things like weather and lighting though! No two weddings are the same! Be aware too that not every photographer will show you a full gallery, for client privacy reasons.
3. How many weddings have you shot?
Again, a totally valid question, however the number of weddings doesn't necessarily mean they are better or worse. There are new photographers who are incredible, and more experienced photographers who haven't grown or progressed in their skill. Quality over quantity is more important. You definitely want to make sure you are getting some experience (unless you are looking for a newer photographer to help them start out their business in exchange for a lower price tag, which is great! We all have to start!) so you can use the portfolio to see the variety. If you keep seeing the same faces over and over again, good chances are that the photographer is starting out. Which again, is not necessarily a worse thing.
What to ask instead: What are common wedding complications that you have come across?
This is a great question because it asks about experience. Chances are you are reaching out to this photographer because you like their style (and hopefully their personailty!) Hearing stories about common wedding problems is great for two reasons. I would tell you how I would handle the situations, giving you reassurance that I am comfortable even when things are not going well, and gives you an idea about what might go wrong at your wedding! The most common wedding issue is time deficits. I try to minimize this by helping you with your schedule before the wedding and booking plenty of photo time, because photo time is what gets pushed when your hair&makeup takes a little longer than expected, or your ceremony starts fifteen minutes late.
4. Can I just have all the images from the day, even if you don't edit them?
The answer 99.9% of the time will be no. The RAW images that come straight from my camera are unfinished pieces of art. It would be like buying a painting but asking to be able to finish it yourself. Most people don't have the software to even open RAW files, let alone the skills and programs to edit them. Plus, shooting styles vary between photographers based off our our editing style. I tend to shoot a little darker because I love having shadows and contrast, whereas someone who shoots lighter and airier will shoot brighter so they can achieve their look in post processing. The images coming off my camera are not a good representation of my final work and I want you to have the best of the best! Plus, on a typical 8 hour wedding day I will take about 4000-6000 images, if I have a second shooter and they shoot 1000-2000, you could be looking at way more photos than you need and the magic moments get lost in between all the closed eyes and repeat photos. Trust me, let me go through the 8000 photos so that you get the best ones.
What to ask instead: If I wake up with a huge zit on my face, can you fix that?
The answer 99.9% of the time will be yes! Most photographers now try to not alter the way you look because we want a more realistic and natural documentation. I usually don't edit out scars, or tiny "flaws" or skin tones (please don't get a spray tan!) but I promise you, if you have a distracting new blemish on your face, arms etc. I will definitely take that out for you!
AND
5. Do you have a degree?
Photography is an art. It can and is taught in schools, but it is also learned and developed with passion outside of a classroom. There are so many excellent photographers who went through traditional education to train and others who didn't. Neither one is better. A degree doesn't necessarily mean you have a good photographer. For most, photography was a hobby which grew into infatuation, and then obsession turned career! It comes down to passion, practice, and (you guessed it) personality! Oh and for the record, I do have a degree. In English Literature and Psychology. It helps me read people. (DID YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!)
What to ask instead: Why did you become a wedding photographer?
To me there is only one answer to this question. I LOVE weddings, I LOVE love, and I LOVE going through 8000 photos until my eyes burn out. Just kidding, it's not all glamorous! This question will show you the passion your photographer has for weddings and love and photography. This is a better gage of how invested your photographer is in their career and in your wedding. This is the important one.
Phew. That was longer than I thought it was going to be! *insert "that's what she said" joke here
Continue reading PART THREE!
