Sarah Williams Photography

With a lot of you becoming newly engaged… I thought this was a perfect opportunity to voice my opinion on things every bride and groom should ask their photographer before booking. Sadly, I’ve heard from a couple brides recently who are not happy with their photographer and wishing they had spent more time picking the right person. So here’s this weeks installment of IMHO!!!
QUESTIONS TO ASK A POTENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHER.
1. “Can I see an entire wedding.”
If the answer is no, or I dont’ have one to show you, or “I don’t do that” RUN. and RUN FAST. With technology as amazing as it is now a days, everyone thinks they are a photographer – and I guarantee if I handed you my camera, flipped it to auto, and let you shoot for an hour – you will get a couple of amazing photos. Which is scary… If you’re only seeing one or two shots from any given wedding, make sure you see one from start to finish. Everything. A wedding isn’t one or two amazing shots, its the entire day.
2. “Will I get a CD with HIGH resolution images? If so, do I get printing rights?”
Even if you have to buy the CD for an extra fee, make sure that you at least have the option. More importantly, make sure that the images provided by the photographer are a high enough resolution that you can make enlargements without having blurry/distorted pictures. As for printing rights, the photographer will always own the rights to your photos, but ask for a written note (mine is in my contract) that gives you permission to print your own photos.
3. “How long will you keep my images on file?”
My standard practice is to keep weddings on file (as in- on my current hard drive) for a year. After that, it goes to storage. Say you don’t decide to purchase the CD right away, but you want to later.. make sure you will have ample time to access your wedding. Some photographers will “delete” your event after delivering you your products.
4. “Is there any way to get a discount?”
ASK. I was a bride myself, I know how much weddings cost – and asking that question can’t hurt. maybe they’re running a special you didn’t know about, maybe you can get a free engagement session by booking before the end of the month.. Maybe if you refer another bride who ends up scheduling a consultation, you can get a discount… etc etc. If you don’t ask, you won’t get a discount.
5.”How long will it be before I get to see my pictures?”
I’ve seen photographers get sessions turned around in a week – i’ve heard horror stories of people not getting their photos for over a year! Know what to expect, and when. Understandably, things can run behind schedule, but make sure your photographer communicates the timeline with you.
6. “Do you have a contract/liability insurance”
Your wedding photographer needs to have a contract. And they better darn well have liability insurance.
7. “What do you specialize in?”
This is a big one. We all have a unique sense of style and it’s important that you match styles with your photographer. For example, I would say that I am very couple oriented. My favorite part of the wedding is capturing photographs of the couple. But there are photographers who exceed in the photojournalism side, and have a more candid style. If you want to hang pictures on your wall of you and your hubby – find someone who takes amazing pictures of the bride and groom, if you want an album full of your guests getting funky on the dance floor – find someone who has a more journalistic approach.

That’s it for today!! I hope I helped someone. The next topic will be about post processing. It’s sure to be a talker… so stay tuned!