How are you to make sense of it all and make an informed choice when hiring a photographer? When you meet your photographer, come prepared to talk about your wedding, but also know what questions to ask. Here are a list of five basic questions that every couple should ask their wedding photographer before signing on the dotted line.

1. Can I read through the contract?
The contract should at the very least describe in detail what you are getting (prints, albums, slideshows, CDs of files, hours of time, etc.), when you can expect to get it, how much it costs, when your payments are due, and what is refundable or not. If there are any terms in the contract you don’t understand, ask! If problems arise between clients and photographers it is often due to a misunderstanding of the contract terms.

2. Can I see some sample albums of complete weddings?
Every photographer should be able to show you some samples of complete weddings they have shot. If they only show you a couple of highlights from selected weddings, you won’t have a very clear idea of how your pictures will turn out. It’s quite common for photographers to show pictures from the whole day of a complete wedding, so you should see pictures of people getting ready, the ceremony itself, the formal group pictures and portraits, and the reception.

3. What kind of experience do you have?
Wedding photographers have to be able to adapt to every situation during a wedding, and they have to react instantly and with confidence because there is oftentimes no second chance. Surprise situations happen all the time at weddings, such as a bride’s reaction to seeing a long lost cousin, or the groom spontaneously picks up his bride and swings her around. If the photographer is inexperienced, those are moments that can be missed if they are not ready or not anticipating the moment. Also, the variety of photographic challenges is enormous. Some venues are dark, some lit with flourescent lights, some have mottled shade, some have constantly changing light such as a partly cloudy day. Sometimes, the photographer encouters uncomfortable situations between family members. Your photographer should be able to tell you how many weddings they have shot and describe some difficult situations they have overcome. The better photographers tend to cost more precisely because of that experience and their work should reflect it.

4. How much direction or posing do you do during the day?
This question speaks to style and how you will interact with your photographer during the day. Some photographers take a strict photojournalistic approach, and don’t do any interaction or intervention during the day except for perhaps some casual posing suggestions during the formal group portrait session. Others will want to spend a lot of time with you and prompt you to twirl, dip, kiss, etc. and guide you through a number of poses. They may also take control at certain parts of the day and tell you to move into better light, or coach you on how to stand and hold the cake cutting knife. It all depends on what you want, so before meeting with your photographer, decide on how much time and control you want to give your photographer. Typically, photographers are comfortable operating in a certain way, so be sure to have them describe how they operate and see if that works for you.

5. Do you have insurance?
Professional wedding photographers should have the proper insurance for their business. This will protect them against equipment theft, but it should also provide protection in case Great Aunt Sophie trips over the photographer’s camera bag and breaks her leg. If your photographer doesn’t have insurance, it’s usually an indication that they are just starting out in the business, or they aren’t taking their business very seriously.

So there you have it, five basic questions to talk over with your photographer. The key thing to remember is, don’t be afraid to ask questions, even after you’ve signed on the dotted line.

Article submitted by Joe Milton

Congratulations to:

Teresa McKenzie (Portraits by Teresa Photography):

Bill Holland (Holland Photo Arts):

Kim Bednarski (KB Image Photography):

Marc Climie (Climie + Co. Photographers):

For the full contest results go here. Way to go you guys!

Many thanks to all the testers and early adopters for signing up and for providing valuable feedback on the site. Feel free to tell your photographer friends and neighbors who might be interested in joining. We’ve got big things planned so stay tuned!

I’ll be implementing a few ideas that I gleaned from the recent survey into the ISPWP site and then I’ll announce the official opening on March 31. At that point, the site will be open for membership applications and we’ll start to make some headway with promotion and search engine placement. We’re getting close!

The ISPWP Office Tower will be closed from March 15 to March 19 so the entire staff can attend the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) Convention in the city of Lost Wages. See you on the 20th!

http://www.greggibson.com
http://www.davidmurrayweddings.com
http://www.allegrasstudio.com
http://www.georgeweirphotography.com
http://www.hollandphotoarts.com
http://www.amydeputyphotography.com
http://www.hinzphoto.com
http://www.jkhphoto.com
http://www.jansfoto.com
http://www.mcgreevymarksphoto.com
http://www.bosworthstudio.com
http://www.markalanimages.com
http://www.goldenlight.com.au
http://www.clcphoto.com
http://www.scottandtemphotography.com
http://www.audrasphotography.com
http://weddings.forbescreative.com
http://www.willamettephoto.com
http://www.ajsstudio.com

In case you’ve missed it, Google has a fantastic support page for webmasters (that would be YOU for your own site!) at http://www.google.com/webmasters

Check it out!

I’ll be getting a lot of listings up this weekend so keep watching this space. When everyone’s listing is up I’ll post a final run down of who was added. Onwards and upwards.