This is a question that comes up time after time and anyone budgeting for their wedding is going to ask themselves this question. It isn’t an easy question to answer because it all comes down to your budget.
A very quick rule of thumb is that you should be prepared to spend 10% of your total budget on the photography
When you are considering your photographer you want to be confident that they can do the job, that they have a good background of wedding photography and they are not someone with one camera, one lens, a pop up flash gun and no experience
To help you get through the minefield of price, special deals and a host of other things to tempt you here are some “must ask” questions
1. Do you do this for a living? – many photographers (good ones included) have a full time job but if they were to make a complete hash of your wedding they go back to work on Monday knowing they still have a salary.
2. How long have you done this for? – everyone has to start somewhere but do you want a newbie photographing your wedding? They will be cheaper but you might not get the quality you want.
3. Are you insured? – a must have when you are considering who will shoot your wedding
4. Do you bring spare kit? – another must have – if you have the one camera, one lens person and something stops working then your wedding photography stops there apart from friends with iphones. You need to know that the photographer you book has spare cameras, lenses, flashguns etc so that if anything stops they can swap out and carry on
5. Do you have a website? – not a total necessity but a proper website with a relevant email address tends to feel better than a facebook page and a johnnyphotographer@hotmail address
6. Can I see examples of your work? – you really MUST do this and look at the brides and guests faces in what you see. If there is a pattern of the same faces showing up time after time it could be an indication of someone with only one or two weddings under their belt
7. Do you have any testimonials I can read? – another MUST – you have to look at what others have said about the photographer before you book
8. Can I see albums? – these are a great way of seeing the printed quality of the photographer’s work but look for albums that show a full wedding from beginning to end and not just a load of sample photos from different weddings. These are good to look at but a very average photographer will take some good shots and if put into a “catch all” album they can make you believe this is the normal quality and not just lucky shots
9. What do I get afterwards? – THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK!! – you have to bottom this one out at the get go. Many photographers will appear cheap but if you don’t ask the right questions you could end up paying through the nose after your big day. You must ask “Do I get all my images as hi-res jpegs without watermark that I can download?” Don’t get hung up on copyright, as long as you get full permission to share your photos with friends, family, social media etc that’s all you need
10. And finally . . . .- if things look too good to be true they usually are – would you buy a Rolex watch for £20 from a street seller in Cairo and believe it’s the real thing – probably not so apply the same thought process to your wedding photographer and you shouldn’t go far wrong
If you need any more information please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We offer free advice so you get off to a good start planning your wedding photography
Nick