6 Cues from a Wedding Professional

Obviously, unless you are a professional in this area, how do even know what to look for here? You may not know exactly how to look for the signs of a skilled artist and business owner, but I will give you a few clues to look for as you are talking with various studios:

(Continued from Part One)

 

2. Hiring a friend (OR) An inexperienced Professional Photographer

There’s a lot of warnings out there about using “friendors” or a new, inexperienced photographer for your wedding. Part of this is due to the risk you run gambling such an important hired service on someone who may not have a proven track record to guarantee a consistent, quality result. Also partly because you know how things can go when money exchanges hands between friends. (Or if it’s done for free… that’s a whole other issue)

Questions to ask:

• Do you have a back up plan if they get sick or can’t come? They’re [most likely] not a professional/ working in the industry so wouldn’t have a partner/ back up vendor they would use regularly.

• Do you have experience shooting at a venue like yours? At the time of day/night like yours? Have you seen examples of how they shoot at night? Low-light is the achilles heel of new wedding photographers. Read more about this important topic here.

• Do they have insurance – most likely they don’t – what happens if they inadvertently [or even directly] cause an accident causing harm to you, the venue, property or a guest? Who pays up? -Most likely you!

• Will you have a contract, or a formal agreement for what they are providing – if your hired a professional you most certainly would!

• Do they have the proper skills/ talent/ experience to perform/produce the wedding service they have so kindly offered? [ A wedding isn’t a dress rehearsal – if they forget the extra camera battery your wedding might not be the fairy tale you dreamt.]

• Is the photographer is a professional but normally does not shoot weddings?

• What happens if you are not happy with the results of their work? How will you complain and or ask for more, or something different [and still remain friends if they get offended?!]

Source: Weddinghigh.com

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, run for the hills! It’s not worth the risk with a new photographer. Also, mixing friends and business is sticky and ESPECIALLY sticky with the amount of expectations and pressure of a wedding.

Wedding days are what I call a “typhoon” – they are very fast paced and a LOT is happening at once. Arranging family photos takes previous experience to know how to direct a group of 50-100 people with ease, anticipating the timing for ceremonial elements to a ceremony (as well as reception: i.e. cake cutting, bouquet toss) is something that an experienced wedding photographer is in place for because of their experience – and – last but not least – partnering with other vendors (such as how to work with a videographer) takes experience shooting weddings.

• RE: The above: Does your photographer regularly shoot something OTHER than weddings? As in: commercials, music videos, films, documentaries, anything non-wedding?? If your photographer is accustomed to shooting video in a different environment than a wedding, there is a learning curve.

NOTE: It took me TWO years of continuous weddings to learn how to anticipate the biggest (and smallest, easily missed) moments at a wedding. I missed many of them in my inexperience. I also didn’t have the experience to guide family portraits and the bride ended up directing the show in those early years… ugh. Don’t risk it.

All of these things are so totally critical to making beautiful wedding photos, and making it look easy. How many of you have heard of wedding photographer who carried on with painstakingly slow portraits so long that everyone was sick of it, or they were so bossy and uncomfortable to be around? Or they just didn’t have the command and confidence to clearly direct everyone because of their inexperience/timidity?

4. Find the lowest price possible

The single biggest mistake most engaged couples make is thinking that wedding photography is a commodity they can easily shop to find the lowest price – as though we will all provide the same quality for the money.

com·mod·i·ty

Function: noun

Pronunciation: k?-?mä-d?-t?

A basic good used in commerce that is interchangeable with other commodities of the same type.

A commodity is a product that is the same no matter who produces it, such as petroleum, notebook paper, or milk. In other words, copper is copper. The price of copper is universal, and fluctuates daily based on global supply and demand. Stereos, on the other hand, have many levels of quality. And, the better a stereo is [perceived to be], the more it will cost.

According to Webster’s Dictionary & Wikipedia

Does photography sound more like petroleum or a stereo to you?

Remember, you are not just hiring a ‘photographer’. There are a million photographers out there. Instead, aim at hiring someone for his or her aesthetic sensibility and creative vision.

To learn more about what couples spend on their vendors in your area, this is a great resource: http://www.costofwedding.com/ Simply enter your zip code and see the statistics on how much people are spending on their wedding in your area. It’s a great tool – and it helps you know what the market level is expected for pricing, and what to risk/not to risk.

Sources: Photo Focus and Black Star Rising

1. The “3,000 deal”

Let’s say you receive a quote for: 8 hours coverage, two photographers and an engagement session for under $3,000. Slow your roll, and be a little curious about this (in fact, with this kind of coverage, I’d be concerned with a quote less than $4,000!) This is a red flag for someone just getting started in wedding photography, and there are some risks to consider (see #2 below).

It takes a decent budget to get a decent result. Good reliable gear with backups cost money. Training cost money. A second photographer costs money. Quality wedding prints and albums cost money. After all of these costs (and taxes!), how would a professional sustain a living? Not for long. Trust and consistency is earned over time, and what could be more valuable for your wedding day images?

Don’t make the mistake of budgeting so strictly that you lose out on quality. This is not an area to go cheap on! (Don’t believe me? Ask around, sadly, it is not that uncommon).

Photography is highly specialized, and there is a huge difference between poor, average, and sublime photographic work. These photographers consistently deliver work that is simply sublime. They have many positive reviews online and a proven track record of consistently happy clients. Trust this.

 

The single biggest mistake most new brides make is thinking that wedding photography is a commodity they can easily shop to find the lowest price – as though we will all provide the same quality for the money.

com·mod·i·ty

Function: noun

Pronunciation: k?-?mä-d?-t?

A basic good used in commerce that is interchangeable with other commodities of the same type.

A commodity is a product that is the same no matter who produces it, such as petroleum, notebook paper, or milk. In other words, copper is copper. The price of copper is universal, and fluctuates daily based on global supply and demand. Stereos, on the other hand, have many levels of quality. And, the better a stereo is [perceived to be], the more it will cost.

According to Webster’s Dictionary & Wikipedia

Does photography sound more like petroleum or a stereo to you?

Remember, you are not just hiring a ‘photographer’. There are a million photographers out there. Instead, aim at hiring someone for his or her aesthetic sensibility and creative vision.

To learn more about what couples spend on their vendors in your area, this is a great resource: http://www.costofwedding.com/ Simply enter your zip code and see the statistics on how much people are spending on their wedding in your area. It’s a great tool – and it helps you know what the market level is expected for pricing, and what to risk/not to risk.

Sources: Photo Focus and Black Star Rising

 

4. Shorten your photographer list = More personal = Better deal

You probably didn’t expect a science lesson but unfortunately you’re gonna get one.

Studies have found that the typical human brain cannot hold more than 7 pieces of information at one time (Hence, a 7-digit phone number). So if you’re, say, walking to work and chewing gum at the same time, you can’t possibly be comparing 10 photographers on top of that. In fact, try it, and you’ll be lucky not to end up walking into traffic.

Speaking seriously, the one word I hear from brides most often is “overwhelmed.” You all know there is a lot of planning to be done, and far too little time, no matter how much you’ve set aside. Some people try to rise to the challenge by over-booking themselves. They have to quit their jobs and hire personal assistants just to schedule all the vendor interviews.

Limit your meetings to a very short list of photographers whose work has wowed you online, or in a brochure. Also, do these in person. Most of the time, photographers are willing to give you better deals when they know you’re not just shopping them on the internet. Use the interview just to get a sense of personality, and rapport. Can you connect with this person? (See Point #5 – in Part 2) How do they deal with questions and follow-up? Make sure you express your thoughts to the photographer, and take note of how he or she responds to your ideas and suggestions.

Finding a great photographer doesn’t have to be the most serious task of your life. Know yourself, don’t overdo it, and have fun.

Source: Nelson Rodriguez

5. The Use of Lighting

Light is the heart of a photograph – the medium a photographer “paints” a picture with. It’s EVERYTHING.

Now, sometimes a photographer cannot control the lighting in your wedding (i.e. your ceremony is held at 1pm with the sun glaring with stark shadows, or the church is very dimly lit) But, you need to know if they can manage the poor/challenging lighting situations and transform your photos into something beautiful.
With enough skill and experience, the best photographers will work with natural light sources rather than flash.

This is where Getty trained me extremely well. I worked for 6 years for Getty Images (the world’s largest image agency) and traveled around the nation shooting for their clients, Nike, Sega, the Oakland Athletics, SF 49ers, and we were DRILLED on lighting – how to master it. I ran into some of the most challenging and surprising lighting situations (and celebrity athletes) I’ll ever see!! This makes shooting a wedding like a walk in the park – no matter what your venue looks like, inside or out, it will be something I am prepared for.

You want a photographer who is an expert in how to find beautiful light no matter where they go.

6. You don’t really “connect” with the photographer

Once you have determined the photographer(s) you are considering (by their work and the samples they show you) you must now think of the actual day and how close you will be working with this individual. The personality of the photographer should match you and your party. Hey, do you like the person?

Part of this problem can arise if you only converse with the photographer via email or the phone. Or, if you’ve sent a blanket email out to 10 or 20 different photographers in search of the lowest quote (then we run into issues previously discussed in Return to Part 1” target=”_blank”>Part One of this article – see #1 and #3)

This all may sound kind of simple and ridiculous to put so much weight on this, but if you have never worked closely with a photographer for any length of time (most people haven’t), you’ll quickly learn otherwise.

If you love their work but don’t really “gel” with them, forget it. Choose someone else. Most photographers worth their salt will also insist on getting to know you before hand.

If you are not comfortable with who you work with, you will not be comfortable when the photos are taken and as a result, you will not get the best photographs.
Why take a chance? It is not worth it.

NOTE: Most brides are happier if they go with their instinct and intuition on this one.

Consider this last thought:

When faced with eminent disaster that destroys homes or the possibility of such a disaster, everyone grabs their most prized possessions, which always includes their photographs.

They don’t reach for their wedding dress, or frozen cake or even copies of their wedding invitations, they take all of their photographs, and they are lucky and if they can.

Return to Part 1