What Do You Ask a Wedding Photographer?

I was surfing some popular wedding planning, information, and advertising sites tonight and it struck me how much outdated information is out there. It really concerns me because some of these sites (I'm Knot Knaming Knames but one of them started with a K) are very well respected, and almost a goto source for brides to be. I mean nothing was actually incorrect about the information, but just old. Many, many, many of the articles, FAQ, and checklists all revolved around film. And that is great if you are hiring a photographer who shoots film. So I thought I'd do an update here.

What Do You Ask a Potential Wedding Photographer?

This is one of the most important days of your life. I want you to have good questions to go into these meetings with vendors. So these questions are what I think are really important to ask any photographer you are thinking about hiring. I'm going to list the question, and then tell you why it is so very important. 

• How many back-up cameras, lenses, flash units, and memory cards do you have?
• Notice that this question is not, "Do you have a back-up camera?" Any wedding photographer worth his or her salt knows that you absolutely must have back-up equipment. Two cameras gives me a sufficient comfort level as long as the second is not a point and shoot. Lenses, well that can be a little tricky. It is not necessary to have the exact same lens, but it is a good idea to have at least two lenses that cover the "normal range" of between 35mm to 85mm. Don't worry if you have no idea what that means, just ask the photographer if he dropped and broke his lens during the ceremony does he have another that he could use without having to move closer or further away. Flash units, O.K. I'll cut some slack here. It is not necessary to use flash, and there are some fabulous wedding photographers who don't. But most do, and they should have spares. Finally memory cards, this seems silly right? It is not, it may be more important than a back-up camera. They make memory cards so large that I can shoot well over 4,000 images on one card. Cool right? What happens if that card goes bad, gets lost, damaged, or just plan breaks? You loose all of your images. Now compare that to someone who switches out cards every 200-300 shots. You'd only loose some of your images. I've never had it happen, but I'm not taking chances you know.
• Do you use lenses with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or greater?
• And your eyes just glazed over! I'll make this very easy. The aperture is the hole light passes through, the bigger the hole the more light. A bigger hole is represented by the f/number. The smaller the number the bigger the hole (kind of backwards I know). These lenses are also called "Fast". It be perfectly acceptable to ask, "Do you use fast glass?" You want your wedding photographer to have lenses with f/numbers of f/2.8, f/2, f/1.8, and f/1.4. They need at least one lens with one of those numbers. This is important because those lenses allow more light in, so if you are in a dark environment like a church your pictures ultimately come out sharper. Additionally they are better built (Think less chance of breaking) using better optical glass in them for better images. Think of it like this you can have a Alpine stereo in your car with 4,000 watts of power, but if you have cheap factory speakers it does you no good. So why wouldn't wedding photographers just buy these good lenses then? Well they can be very expensive with prices approaching and sometimes going over $2,000 each!
• Do you use a second photographer, and is that included in the price?
• Again, it is not mandatory, but recommended. A skilled second shooter doubles your chances of getting great shots. It definitely means you will get a second angle of important moments. Second shooters will cost a photographer about $200 per day so expect to pay for that comfort, but it is worth it.
• Do you use flash or just available (or ambient) light?
• Again this is a preference, but it is important because you need to consider your venue. If you know your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception are all going to be very dimly lit then it may be necessary for the photographer to use flash. Now if you are in a bright venue or outside it might not be necessary. Sometimes you do have to use flash on very bright days to fill in shadows from hard sunlight or when the sun is behind the subject. It is a lot about style, but take that style into account when you plan your venue. If you really love a photographer who only uses available light then talk with them about what they need to produce gorgeous images for you. If you choose a flash photographer make sure their images are lit nice and even in a style that looks good to you!
• Do you do a lot of post processing (some people will say photoshop) on your images?
• Not every photographer uses Photoshop (including me) there are some very powerful image editing tools out there that cost a lot less that work just as well for photographers. Every wedding photographer should include basic color, exposure, and contrast corrections with their images. Some people, photographers and couples, really like images with very heavy editing or artistic effects applied. That is purely a style point, but make sure you know what your potential photographers style is. The really big point here is to not assume that the photographer is going to remove aunt Betty's mole from the end of her nose in over 300 images for free! Detailed editing and touch up takes a considerable of time. Time you will have to pay for if you ask. It is customary for retouching such as skin softening, minor blemish removal, and eye and teeth whitening to be done on portraits. I do that for engagement and bridal session free of charge. These are often the images that get printed the largest, placed out for everyone to see. Make sure you ask if this is done.
• How many finished images can I expect with my package?
• Your photographer should be able to give you an approximate number based on how many hours they will be shooting. You are not going to get every image. Photographers only release images which meet their quality standards. It is a form of brand protection. Even the most famous photographers in the world take bad photos! The trash goes in the trash!
• Can I have a list of what I will be receiving in this package attached to my contract?
• Wow, that one is full of meaning! Let's go piece by piece. First, many people shy away from contracts. We feel they are an obligation, we get nervous, we doubt, etc, etc. They are in fact an obligation by you. But guess what, they also are an obligation by your photographer to perform and deliver a service and/or product! By making sure everything the photographer promised you is in writing on the contract you are signing you are protecting yourself too. Don't take, "Oh I do that for all of my clients." Make them right it down on the contract. Make sure the contract has their contact information, it guarantees your date, and all services, prints, and albums you agreed upon. If they don't have a contract, walk away. Seriously, walk away!

Now how about some questions you don't need to ask!

• How many megapixels (MP) is your camera?
• When digital first hit big, that might have been important. Any digital SLR (DSLR) camera bought within the last four years is more then sufficient to shoot weddings, magazine ads, or even billboards from a resolution standpoint. Megapixels are just a measurement of resolution. In fact Cannon manufactured a great high end point and shoot camera called the G10 (I own one) the next model was the G11. The G11 actually had fewer megapixels! Why you ask? Well, a camera's sensor has to be a fixed size. The more pixels you cram into that space you can destroy image quality, especially when shooting at a high ISO level. 
• How many rolls or type of film will you be using?
• Obviously shooting digital does not require film. But I guess for the sake of talk if you are using a photographer who uses film expect them to be a lot more expensive. Film has gotten very expensive along with processing it. A roll of 120 film, getting it developed, and scanned will run a total of about $17 - $20 per roll! And that is for 12 pictures.

I really hope these question gets you thinking about what you should ask every potential photographer. if you have questions about...uh...the questions shoot me an email.