Top Ten Things to Ask Your Photographer Before You Hire Them Part 2
Table of Contents
Do you work with a second photographer?
How do you handle unexpected situations?
What is your policy on retouching/editing photos?
What are your favorite moments of the wedding day to capture?
Can we see a full gallery?
Venue visit?
“Photographers know how they work best, if they need an assistant they will hire one.”
6. Do you work with a second photographer or assistant(s), and what is their role during the wedding?
I have seen some photographers fly solo at weddings and absolutely crush it! So, this one is interesting. Photographers know how they work best, if they need an assistant, they will hire one. If they like to fly solo and they are a pro, I’m sure they have you covered.
It's important for you to know because you should be feeding them. If a photographer shows up with a small army to create the images and you have only ordered 2 vendor meals, well that would stink. I don’t want to go off on a tangent here, but please feed your vendors, it’s hard to carry a decent meal all day and many of your vendors will be on their feet for hours and cannot go find food elsewhere. Some venues and caterers automatically take care of the vendors, and some do not, we have been given wonderful meals and cold leftovers, we much prefer the former and are forever grateful to be thought of.
Another reason to ask how many people will be with your photographer is to consider how many people you are comfortable having in the room. If you’re an introvert like me (Noah) and like a little extra space, how many people is too many?
Julianna and I work together all the time. We split up beforehand and come together during the first look or ceremony. We work seamlessly together and in different ways so that we are not doing the same thing at the same time.
7. How do you handle unexpected situations or changes in schedule during the wedding day?
Tricky!! A wedding has so many situations at any given moment. You want to make sure the person is prepared for the job. A photographer or any industry person knows this. You absolutely must roll with it and find a way to be a calming presence if the storm presents itself. How can you tell if they have this skill by asking the question? Instead ask if they bring extra equipment. See if they quake in their boots when asked about rain. Make sure they only do one wedding a day. You don’t want to worry about someone rushing from place to place and hitting traffic. A professional will be able to think quickly on their feet. If the ceremony starts an hour late and family photos need to be done at cocktail hour. My hope is that they would offer you some insight as to what they can do or offer to make up some time. This can sometimes be covered in the run of day conversation. You will see a pro if they address common issues while talking about your timeline, “if this happens, then we do this”, that type of mentality really gets shit done!
“Are they more interested in the details; things like lay flats of your invitation and jewelry, the tablescapes and décor or on the people?”
8. What is your policy on retouching/editing photos, and how long will it take to receive the final images?
This one here might make me the most upset. The term retouching has been misused by people for a long time. There are many levels to retouching and editing. Is white balance and color correction retouching? Is fixing someone’s double chin retouching? Is removing distractions retouching? Some people do all of it and some do none. So please ask what editing means to them.
We like to view the image as a natural representation of what you look like on a good day. We do not alter body form or remove wrinkles completely. Not something we believe in. We do however remove the hell out of pimples, blemishes, fly away hairs, exit signs, fire alarms and stuff that drives me nuts to look at. There are many things we can “photoshop” before the photo is even taken, i.e. proper framing so a rogue trash can isn’t in the frame, or running over and moving it from where it was placed (as long as we are allowed to).
An example of an unedited image as it was captured straight in camera.
The final version of the same photo. Removing the little things we defined as “Distracting” The hairs sticking up in the light. Our light stand behind the couples feet. The hair and specks of rain blocking our brides face and the overall color and look of the image.
The image on the right is unedited straight out of camera. The left image has been edited. Distractions like exit signs and fire alarms have been removed. Everyones style and list of distractions may be different. So, it’s important to ask.
9. What are your favorite moments of the wedding day to capture?
I find this question to be very telling of how a person truly feels about what they do and if their visions of a wedding align with yours. Are they more interested in the details; things like lay flats of your invitation and jewelry, the tablescapes and décor or on the people and a portrait session with you and your spouse? Or both? Or something different. We have often had couples tell us, they aren’t interested in the dress hanging photos and want more of the comradery of the people surrounding them, and in which case we don’t spend time on photos like invitations and such.
10. Can we see a full gallery?
This could be the most important one out there! What is being delivered to the client at the end of the day. Have you been in love with someone on Instagram who only does one thing well? Maybe. Check out the recipe, taste the whole soup! Don’t hire off 6 images. You might also be pleasantly surprised and find something you never even knew you wanted in a full gallery. Some of our couples’ favorite moments are the quirky, funny, and weird ones. They don’t always live on Instagram.
Seriously! Judge for yourself, see the whole enchilada.
A last little tidbit. If you can, take the time to meet your photographer or photographers. An engagement session is great or a cup of coffee. Even a zoom meeting (last choice in my opinion as in person is great to feel what their energy will add to your day). In my opinion it is incredibly important for you to hire a person you are comfortable around. Someone who adds and not subtracts from your feeling of joy. It’s our job to capture great images no matter what, and we believe the experience of that person plays into all of it, so that you can be YOU!
Julianna and I have been doing this job professionally now for over 13 years. We invest a lot into it. We care about our couples and want you to find the right person for you. As much as we wish we could do all the weddings, we can’t. But we don’t want anyone to have regrets about those they do hire. It’s something you feel every time you look at the picture. It’s not just the image in it, it’s all the feelings that happened around it.
“It’s something you feel every time you look at the picture. It’s not just the image in it, it’s all the feelings that happened around it.”
11. Are you familiar with our wedding venue, and if not, are you willing to visit it beforehand to plan for the best photo opportunities?
This is a good question but not a make or break in any way. We have not become stationary at one venue for a distinct purpose. We are artists, we like to move around and do different things. Sometimes a person's first trip to a venue can be absolutely inspiring!
If we have not been to a venue and even when we have, we arrive an hour early to walk the property. During this time we make a game plan with all the logistics of the wedding timeline and the circumstances of weather and sun on that particular day. We think about where we will face the camera in option A,B, and C. We track sun placement with our sun surveyor app and discern where the wind is coming from and we create a flow with the couples requests and favorable spots in mind, so that while you’re in front of the camera you just have to focus on being with each other and in the moments with the people around you. And don’t worry, we will guide you through everything!
A few important extras!
- Do you have insurance?
- Back up equipment?
- What do you wear?
I feel like this is something that will be added to yet again in another post but we hope this a great start. We truly love weddings and it has been a wonderful career for us. We want everyone to enjoy the process and their photos at the end of the day. We hope this information gets you the photographer you have been looking for.
Meet Noah & Jules
With 13 years of experience and over 350 weddings, we have seen and experienced it all and are here to help bring YOUR story to light.
