What advice would you give to a B&G re choosing their Photographer ?

<p><strong>The Situation:</strong><br>

Your Niece or Nephew, is getting married in six months.<br>

You will not cover this wedding as it is too far away and you will not be attending for a variety of other reasons. You don't know any particular colleague in their area whom you can recommend. You care very much for them and you want to assist but not stick your nose in other than giving then your very best advice when they ask you:</p>

<p><strong><em>"What should we do and how should we go about choosing a Photographer for our Wedding? </em></strong><br>

<strong><em>We know nothing. </em></strong><br>

<strong><em>What problems might happen and what can we do to avoid those problems?" </em></strong><br>

<em> </em><br>

<em>. . . </em></p>

<p> </p>

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<p><strong><em>"What should we do and how should we go about choosing a Photographer for our Wedding?</em></strong></p>

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<p>You should find a photographer whose imagery you love. You should look for someone whose imagery portrays weddings the way you want yours to be portrayed. Every photographer is different, every one sees the world through different eyes, and every one captures it differently. Any experienced wedding photographer will likely be capable of capturing the nuts and bolts, but if you want your wedding photography to be something you cherish, as opposed to a picture on the wall you dust off every six months, your choice in photographer is as important a choice as is your dress - spend equal time considering both. </p>

 

<blockquote>

<p><strong><em>We know nothing.</em></strong></p>

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<p>Ahhhh, yes... youth. I remember it fondly...</p>

 

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<p><strong><em>What problems might happen and what can we do to avoid those problems?" </em></strong></p>

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<p>Many things might happen, an asteroid could strike the earth (they routinely do), a tornado could come through, or an earthquake may ravage the city. The good news is that an experienced professional photographer won't let much less than that stand in their way of photographing your wedding. So what you can do to avoid these problems is simple. Ask questions, have a meeting of the minds, formalize that understanding.</p>

<p>Once you've chosen a photographer (or several) based on their imagery, and available online information, you should sit down and meet with them.<br>

Ask them questions - for example:<br>

Why do you do this?<br>

Have you learned solely by experience, or have you been formally educated?<br>

How did you do this picture (refer to one of your favorite images -maybe bring a screenshot)?<br>

What tools (equipment) do you use to capture the imagery? (take notes on this)<br>

Why do you use a (insert random piece of equipment here)?<br>

How do you ensure that nothing happens to the pictures?<br>

What is your 'post-processing' process?<br>

What is your advice on how to make our pictures as good as possible?<br>

What are your expectations for us?</p>

<p>All these questions are ones that any experienced wedding photographer will be able to answer without a moments hesitation. You should try to get a feel for how they work, as well as how friendly and open they are. Comfortable people are better subjects of pictures, and you feeling comfortable with them is very important to maximizing the creative potential. <br>

More than that, this discussion should give you a clear impression on how they approach each and every aspect of the job. When you ask questions about equipment, and other quantifiable things, you should expect them to refer to specifics (ie. "<em>I shoot with 2 5D mark IIs, most commonly I pair those w/ a 70-200/2.8 and a 24-70/2.8, I carry some fast primes as well, and of course several 580 speedlights...</em>" -- non specific answers should be a warning to you ie "I use professional DSLRs, and some professional zoom lenses, a couple of primes and some flashes" and might mean, literally, anything.) while which particular gear we use is rather unimportant (assuming it is capable), we ALL have carefully thought through our choices, and are proud of what we can do with them. Most are happy to talk about it. If you get the impression the photographer is spinning bull, or doesn't know (or doesn't want to say) the answer to any of these questions, it is a huge warning flag. And since you are taking notes, even if you don't have the foggiest clue what a 18-135/3.5-5.6 IS lens is, you can go home and google it. </p>

<p>Once you are comfortable with the photog, and are satisfied that they really are who/what hey say they are. You'll need to come to a 'meeting of the minds' - ie. agree to what you get, and how much it costs. The specifics vary infinitely of course, but consider things like coverage time, deliverable image quantities, and reprint rights.<br>

With this understanding, a formal contract is an absolute must. back and forth tenuously agreed to emails are not good enough. You should have a piece of paper you can read (and understand), has all the relevant terms on it, and sign.</p>

<p>You can never avoid every problem, or every hiccup, but doing the preceeding will prevent 99% of the potential problems, and give you a fair response should one develop.</p>

<p>Best of luck, and if you have any questions, Ask!</p>

 

How long has the photographer been n business?

 

Are they willing to guarantee that all of the photos on their website shot by studio photographers, and that none are stock photographs or photos they've taken from other photographers' websites (hint: do all of the photos look like they were shot by one person or is there a large variety of styles and treatments)?

 

 

Are they a member of PPA or a similar professional organization?

 

Do they have liability and reshoot insurance?

 

Do they have back up photographers they can call case something happens prior to the shoot?

 

Do they provide references you can contact?

 

Do you get a good feeling when you meet with them?

 

What is their average turn around time?

 

Do they offer a variety of galleries, packages and albums?

 

Do they offer on line fulfillment of print orders?

<p>The posting history here seems to suggest budget is most likely to be the dominant factor in determining quality of service and results; makes sense as more experienced and more competent photographers tend to charge more. <br>

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Therefore I would recommend a careful consideration of the photography budget; raise it if necessary, communicate expectation clearly and concisely to the photographer, and before signing, take great care in reviewing contractual terms to avoid pitfalls. </p>

<p>I'd say "Are you crazy? Do you know how long marriages last nowadays? You'll probably split up before the photos are delivered, considering the typical MWAC delivery time is 18 months and even then you'll be lucky to get 500 low rez out of focus JPEGs run through Picasa's Lomo and cross-processing filter, along with some excuse about how her dog ate the raw files. Heck with that. Tell all the guests and Uncle Bobs to bring their phone cams and dSLRs and snap away freely. If your marriage lasts more than a year, reward yourselves with a professional to shoot the trash-the-gown thing then. If you last three years I know a gal who does large format glass plate portraiture printed on handmade paper. Save your money for that."</p>

<p>But Lex, your suggestion goes against the very fabric of North American values - live for today, think short term, and spend what you don't have while you can! How else can the economy benefit? That's why I suggested upping the photography budget as necessary. </p>

<p>"non specific answers should be a warning to you ie "I use professional DSLRs, and some professional zoom lenses, a couple of primes and some flashes" and might mean, literally, anything.)" - there's no black and white/right or wrong answer. I usually don't go into equipment specifics because I can just see clients' eye glazing over. ;-)</p>

<p>Here's my take: find somebody whose style you love. LOVE. Don't ask a photojournalist to take a bunch of traditionally posed formal photos. Steer clear of anybody who "specializes" in weddings, family photos, maternity, seniors, dog and nature photography. <br>

See if your venue recommends a photographer (and ask if they've paid to be on their vendor list - if it's "Pay to Play, you can pretty much forget their recommendation ... not to say it doesn't happen but usually, I value recommendations from people who stand not to benefit from it by means of kickbacks). Read reviews on google - see if there's a common theme. Follow the photographer's blog - see if they are booked consistently or if they just do a wedding here or there. See if they post entire weddings on their website or if they just cherry pick.<br>

Ask for liability insurance. Get a contract. If it's not in writing, you have nothing. If you can't meet in person, do a Skype session. See if you can actually stand the person who'll be photographing your wedding. </p>

<p>Meet in person and see if you click.</p>

<p>Hope they don't ask. Remember this is art, what the two of them think is good may be very different from your ideas. </p>

<p>We get asked this occasionally and my response has been set out in a blog article (which largely reiterates what has already been said here): http://lindsaydobsonphotography.com/blog/finding-the-right-photographer/</p>

<p>We can do what we can to educate clients but these days we do face the mindset that photographers are all the same and all that is needed is a fancy camera. Going by the rising number of complaints against photographers which have popped up on this forum over the years, you would think that common sense would prevail - but it's surprisingly rare. On a couple of occasions this season I have been approached by couples who are dissatisfied with their wedding photography - these are couples with a healthy budget (and quite a bit of general intellect) who felt it was not necessary to spend much on the pictures, and who have been left with poor results which they hope can be 'rescued' after the fact. And if the pictures can't be rescued, then they are expecting advice on how to pursue a claim against the photographer - with little heed to the fact that they instructed somebody inexperienced, cheap, and uninsured. Unfortunately it can be a matter of informing the couple but they have received exactly what they paid for.</p>