Since your Wedding is not an everyday event, nor is choosing your photographer. I believe the following information will be invaluable to you in understanding the decisions you will have
to make.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the advantages of hiring a professional?
A professional photographer will be timely - arriving at your wedding promptly and getting results to you on time. A professional has just the right equipment for photographing your wedding. having attended many weddings, an experienced wedding photographer will be at ease at your wedding.
A professional uses a colour laboratory that is in the business of meeting high professional standards of print quality. And a professional is used to working with individuals, couples and groups to make the arranged photography go smoothly.
When you think about the cost of photography, remember that the photographer's fee is only part of your investment: You, your parents, your extended family and your friends will be investing trust with the photographer during the wedding. Don't disappoint your selves and others by entrusting your wedding day with a photographer who won't produce the results you love!
So, I want a professional to photograph my wedding. What do I do next?
Visit wedding photography websites, then choose photographers to call. Emailing is not personal enough for wedding photography. If you like the photographer on the phone, arrange a meeting and when looking through sample albums pay attention to your emotional response to the photography and to the communication skills of the photographer. Look for high technical quality too. Once you have decided on a photographer whose work has meaning to you, discuss prices, deposits, packages, quantity of pictures and so on.
What is the first question I should ask the photographer?
Once you have established that the photographer is available for your date and location, you will want to ask " if we book you, will you be the photographer covering our wedding?"
Some studios and national companies have several photographers and you may be speaking to a salesperson. The sample albums may have been done by photographers who do not even work for the studio anymore. If this is the case, you should make arrangements to meet with and see the work of the particular photographer who will be doing your wedding. You should also ask for a commitment from the studio to that effect, in writing. I personally attend and photography every wedding that is booked.
Shouldn't I be asking "What do I get and how much does it cost?"
Even shopping for shoes or furniture you wouldn't ask that question until you find the style and quality you like. After you have looked through a photographers portfolio- seeing candids, formals and illustrative pictures, you will know if this photographer has the technique, style and spirit to be the eyes through which you and your children will see your wedding day.
Of course, you should determine if the photographer is within your budget, give or take a little, but what you really want from photography is memories and feeling. Look for an established and reliable photographer whose work moves you, whose technical quality is the best. If you find a photographer who makes you happy, you will never regret your investment, whatever the cost. When people have invested in items that will be with them for the rest of their lives, their satisfaction has been highest when they have paid a little bit extra for the best quality.
So, how much does wedding photography cost?
Prices range from £500 to £5000 and even more! Photographs (and maybe video) will be your only permanent record of the day. You want good photographs (or you would not have read so far), so be prepared to spend on average a minimum of £850.00. for a smaller midweek wedding, to approximately £1200-£1500 for a wedding on a weekend. Also for extra copies allow between £15.00 to £30.00 each for a 8 x 10 reprint. Expect better photographers to charge the higher rates. If you are looking for a bargain and shop via the phone for prices, you are following a recipe for poor to mediocre photography. My research shows that photography takes about 10%-15% of the wedding budget. When couples value photography highly and are on a limited budget, they will spend up to 30% of their wedding budget on photography.
Most brides initially underestimate the cost of photography by 50% - in other words, you will probably spend at least twice as much as you budgeted, unless you have had advice from a wedding organiser who is familiar with prices in your area.
We're having a small wedding, with thirty people, and only wanted to spend £600 on pictures. What can we do?
The first thing to do if you want a professional photographer under these circumstances is to be flexible. A true wedding professional can only work so many weekends in a year and reasonably expects to photograph one or two large weddings per weekend from May to October. If he/ she reserves a prime Saturday in July for you, then larger weddings will have to be turned away. If your budget is small, you will be choosing from the second and third tiers of wedding photographers.
If you plan your wedding earlier or later in the day, you might find a photographer who can fit you in after of before another event, and thus be able to work with your budget.
Unfortunately, when you are limiting yourself to a smaller photo budget you can expect lower quality photographs
How much time will you spend at my wedding?
That is really up to you. You can have the photography start where you are getting ready, this may be your parent's home, and take pictures up until you leave the reception, or you may just want a few hours of photography after the ceremony. (If you choose a high quality professional, the price differential will be small). My typical coverage starts a couple of hours before the ceremony and
ends after the cake cutting.
What are Proofs?
Fifty years ago, photographers presented clients with proof pictures printed on special paper; images would last for a few weeks and then fade. Now colour proofs (if printed on paper) are either made with the identical paper and chemistry as final pictures, or on ink-jet printers. However only on the final pictures will you have retouching and cropping. Not all photographers will include cropping and retouching, it is worth checking to see if this is included. Photographers also now use digital proofing methods: Online, CDRom, DVD and Video. This means that you initially view and select the images on a computer or TV screen and have the photographs a few weeks later.
Digital printing can be done on an inkjet or laser printer but I prefer a true digital print on traditional photographic paper. Currently, the colour and longevity of desk-top prints does not match professional
prints on photographic paper.
What about Proofs, Negatives and Digital Files?
Proofs may be printed one or more on a page, or electronic (CD,DVD, or on line). Because of the proliferation of scanners and copy shops, printed proofs have become an invitation for illegal copying.
Most photographers will give you proofs in a form that makes ordering easy and copying difficult.
New photographers (having lost their jobs in the wider economy) sometimes compensate for their fledgling skills by giving clients the negatives and files. This is a good approach for photographers who hope to return to their chosen occupation, because they may be unavailable to handle reprint and quality issues a year after your wedding. Photographers who plan to be in business for the long haul attract clients who want the photographer to oversee print and album production and provide long term customer service.
What about getting an album?
Some photographers don't provide albums. Make sure your photographer can provide an album that they will assemble for you because most of us never get around to putting our pictures in albums if we have to do it ourselves. Consider ordering parents' albums too with their own selection of pictures included.
Who chooses the pictures that go in the album?
After looking at all the proofs, the bride and groom usually decide what goes in the album. The photographer may let you specify the size and sequence of the pictures so that the album really shows the wedding the way you want to see it, with important images enlarged and related candid shots grouped together.
Template or Magazine style albums are now very popular. If the styles of your photographer, you and your wedding all match, the resulting album can be a fabulous visual experience.
What size are my finished album pictures?
The finished photographs are 10"x 8" with a mount which covers the image by 1/ 4" on all sides.
Can I add extra pages and photographs to my album?
I can add extra sides (pages) to your album in units of two, at a cost of £20.00. per side.
What about black and white photography?
Some couples want black and white pictures because they like the classic look. Also there has been a return to black and white in weddings with a contemporary or fashion look to it.
For you this is purely a matter of preference. The advantage of digital printing is that every image is available in colour, or black and white, without any loss in quality.
What's this "wedding reportage" that my friends are talking about?
There are many visual stories within the wedding as a whole, the bride getting ready, the groom, best man and ushers meeting and greeting guests, the first dance etc. Moments like these, when photographed without posing are reportage or photojournalism.
But capturing moments alone does not tell the bigger stories; Relationships and Dreams.
A posed loving photograph of the bride and her grandmother captures the relationship, and this is a photo that will have meaning for generations. the bride and groom in a idyllic setting has that dream quality that some couples want as part of their wedding memories.
Anybody with a camera can take a formal photograph or a reportage photograph. A good traditional photographer captures genuine expressions of relationships and makes everyone look their best. A good pictorial photographer creates your dream images and makes them look real. A good photojournalist captures decisive moments to tell a story. Don't you want all three at your wedding?
Find the photographer who can do all three well.
How can I relax? I just hate posed pictures - I always look so stiff and unnatural in them
I know what you mean. I had posed pictures taken every year at school, they were awful, however the person behind the camera was probably given minimal training and was not probably interested in photography. For a lot of people this is their only experience of posed photography.If you have reached this far down the questions, you are probably going to be looking at professional photographers who are far more skilled (we hope) than your school photographer.
What sort of balance between posed shots and candids should I get?
This is also a matter of taste, combined with necessity. Great wedding photography can be done with no formal posed pictures at all (wedding photojournalism). But there may be many people and combinations of guests that will never be captured unless the photographer deliberately gathers them in one spot for a picture. (whether the picture looks posed or natural depends on the photographer)
When planning with your photographer draw up a list of "must get" photo's such as university friends, a four generation family picture, and so on. If you compile a large list of specific pictures then expect your photographer to spend more time doing those, and less time taking candids and wedding photojournalism.
What can I do to keep the photographer from running my wedding day?
It is essential that you talk with your photographer in that last week before your wedding. Go over your timings for the day, find out how long the photographs you have requested are going to take; if too long, cut out some of the posed pictures. If you have dozens of posed shots on your photo list, expect your photographer to be persistent in getting them. Or tell your photographer the way you have scheduled the day and that he/ she is to follow the schedule. A posed cutting of the cake takes ten seconds, and the rest of the cake shots should be candid.
Suppose I want more copies in two years?
Your photographer should keep negatives or digital files for a specified number of years so that you can call or write at any time and order more prints. Or, he/ she may offer to sell or give them to you after a certain period, Expect to pay a fee for retrieving old negatives after your third or fourth anniversary.
Photographers who are not established may leave the wedding field, even relocating for non-photographic employment. If this is your photographer, get the negatives now. I personally keep wedding pictures on premium quality archival gold CD-Roms for future ordering at any time.
Shouldn't my photographer have a back-up in case he / she is sick on my wedding day?
That would be ideal, but consider the plight of the backup photographer who has to turn down weddings just in case she/ he is needed for yours? Professionals are part of a network of photographers and do have many people they call on in an emergency. The worry of this for the clients is out of all proportion to reality. No doubt as your wedding approaches you will have many far more significant worries. Let your photographer manage this aspect.
What about having two photographers?
Some studios offer two photographer coverage - where both professionals are taking pictures. One concentrates on the formals, the other on photo journalism. Expect to pay a much larger fee to cover the extra labour.
I want to make copies of my photos. Does the photographer really own the copyright of his/her pictures? Do I still have to pay the photographer if I want to make the copies myself at a copy shop?
Yes and yes. For peace of mind, It is best to have a full understanding of your position when booking any photographer. According to the law, images produced by a professional photographer are copyrighted the moment that they are created. The copyright act prohibits copying or reproduction of copyrighted material without permission from the owner of the copyright ie the photographer. If you copy or scan your photos, the photographer should be paid just as if you were buying reprints. If you or your videographer transfer the proofs to videotape, the photographer should be paid just as if you were buying reprints. When I really appreciate something I purchase, like a fabulous meal, an antique, a good pair of shoes or work of art I do not mind paying a premium for getting the highest quality which will give pleasure over a long period of time. Look for the photographer who will provide you the satisfaction of a job well done.
Jeff Hopkins LBIPP 2004
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