15 Questions To Ask
15 Questions for your Wedding Photographer ::
When you are thinking of getting married and are looking for a wedding photographer, it is important that you have the right information and that you know exactly what you are investing in. We always hope that you choose Nashville Wedding Photography to shoot your pictures on your special day; but no matter whom you choose as your wedding photographer, it helps to ask questions so that you can determine who to choose for the perfect photography you want for your wedding day and special events.
Our client resource page for Choosing Your Photographer will help you in choosing the wedding day photographer that will do the perfect job on your wedding day.
1) Is your field of specialization wedding photography?
Wedding photography is just one of the many specializations in the different areas of photography. If you wish to hire someone who is well-versed in the genre of wedding photography, the first thing you have to ask is their area of expertise before you proceed to any other question. At Nashville Wedding Photography, our main areas of expertise are weddings, engagements and special events. All these are related to weddings, so our main specialization and choice of style is wedding photography. And not just plain wedding photography, photojournalistic wedding photography!
2) How many weddings have you done in previous years, and are you experienced in various wedding styles?
Nashville Wedding Photography has been hired for a number of weddings and engagements over the years! We are accustomed to shooting various styles of photography from the traditional to the laid-back kinds of weddings. Please read our article entitled Choosing Your Photographer so you will have a better idea of our extensive experience and background in many kinds of wedding photography. Couples have definite ideas of the style and feel that they want for their wedding pictures. We have provided a description of the most common wedding photography styles we were requested to do on our page entitled: Wedding Photography Styles and Techniques.
3) What kind of style do you use for shooting your photographs?
This question is the one always asked of us by our clients! Our photography is rooted in the photojournalistic style, where our aim is to capture unposed moments and candid shots that occur naturally in life. Although we are highly experienced in posed and planned photography, we prefer to work using the principles of photojournalism combined with an artistic flair. If you feel that this is the style of photography that you want to be used on your wedding day, please check out the information about Wedding Photojournalists style in our website.
4) Do you do color correction on the photos when you are editing the images?
There are many variables that can affect the quality of the pictures during a wedding day shoot. Strong sunlight, spotlights, shadows, miniature lights, candles, other lights and even reflective materials can cast different glows and cause differences in the exposure of the pictures. These factors can cause various changes in the look and appearance of the photos; they can look distorted and not come out professional looking as expected. At Nashville Wedding Photography we color correct all of our photos so that they will look as real and true looking as they would in real life.
5) Do you produce images in black and white or only in color?
The editing process can be lots of fun, sorting through images and seeing which photos will look best in certain formats. At Nashville Wedding Photography, we are most proud of our photos in black and white but we have also outstanding images in color. We produce color photos and some black and white photos depending on the image, the setting, the exposure and the overall “feel” of the pictures. There are times when we edit the same photo to come out in both color and black and white. This is usually done to the best pictures in a bunch so that our clients have options to choose from. See our Wedding Gallery for a showcase of some of the best wedding day photos we have taken. You should also choose in advance the style of wedding photography that suits you best. When you hold your meeting with the photographer of your choice, tell him or her your ideas, thoughts and opinions to make sure that you will get the photos that you want. For a list of specific styles and formats, please see our page on Wedding Photography Styles.
6) Do I have a choice if my photos will get retouched and how the final photos will look like?
At Nashville Wedding Photography, we work to satisfy and please our clients, so we welcome feedback and encourage the input of our customers. We value the suggestions of our clients and strive to work according to specific requests. Some photographers will give out raw photos straight from the camera but we always do post-editing and retouching on our photos, so that our finished products always look polished and professionally-done. We can give out the originals for an additional fee, but this occurrence is extremely rare and not a request that we traditionally get. Our photographers spend precious and valuable time in editing your photos to deliver your best wedding day photos.
7) Do your wedding packages include an assistant photographer or a second shooter?
We strongly suggest that another photographer is added on to the package for larger weddings to capture the special moments that occur during a wedding ceremony and reception. Please see our Pricing Informational page for the details and inclusions in each package. It will be best if one photographer focuses on the bride’s expression and her family on one side of the aisle; while another focuses on the groom’s family and his expression when he first sees his bride walking down the aisle. At Nashville Wedding Photography, a master photographer always has an assistant to help with transportation and the various equipments throughout the day.
8) Do you shoot other events than mine on my appointment day or on the same weekend?
Nashville Wedding Photography commits only to what time allows on a certain day or a weekend because small details and every element of a certain day are crucial in taking wedding day photos. We never rush our clients through their normal paces, nor do we rush processing our work and our art. We give back value in your investment in your wedding day photography by devoting each second of our time to your important day to the best of our capabilities. Please Contact Us for our schedule and availability – we are thankful to be very busy and we have bookings well in advance.
9) Are we required to sign a contract for your photography services and do we get to keep a copy?
At Nashville Wedding Photography, we require our clients to carefully read and sign a contract and provide us the required information. We assure our clients that their investment in their wedding day photos are very important to us and we strive to give back your time, money and resources in the form of wonderful photographs that are sure to give you fulfillment and happiness. You are encouraged to keep a copy of the contract so that you can refer back to it in case there are any questions or there is any confusion with the terms of agreement.
10) How long will it take to receive my photos after the wedding?
The length of time to receive your photos will depend on the photography package you have chosen, the time it will take for us to edit your photos. Color correction of the photos can also vary; but we commit to getting your photos back to you within four weeks of the day of the wedding, regardless of the number of hours you signed on for your wedding day photography. We can also rush edit your pictures for an additional fee, but typically return time will be within just a few weeks and no later than a month.
11) How would your photographer and his assistant be attired when doing the shoot?
The Nashville Wedding Photography regular attire consists of black or dark clothing that is never flashy or distracting. The star attraction of the wedding day should be YOU! Although the photographer moves about a lot and becomes an integral part of the day, we make sure that we do not provide distractions during the event. If you have a themed ceremony and require specific colors, or some colors are not allowed for some reason or another; we work around and do our best to satisfy your requirements. Our main style at Nashville Wedding Photography is photojournalistic style, so it is best for us if we “blend in” with the background. We are more effective in getting our candid shots when we are unnoticed.
12) What do we do if our chosen photographer is sick or becomes unavailable?
We never cancel a date at Nashville Wedding Photography based on an illness or unavailability of a photographer. We have back-up photographers to take over should a devastating illness, emergency or accident affect the availability of your chosen photographer. Our records show that we have never cancelled a photography engagement up to the present date, so this should never be a concern.
13) Do you have an insurance coverage?
An insurance coverage protects the photographer’s properties and equipment should theft happen or damage to the equipment occurs. It also covers any random accident like a family member hurting himself or herself because of the photographer’s equipment or random acts of the photographer or his assistance which caused an accident. All professional photographers should carry insurance protection for business, equipment and liability coverage.
14) What type of camera and other equipments do you use? Do you bring back up equipment?
At Nashville Wedding Photography, we are proud to say that have made a substantial investment in photography equipment. Our equipments are top of the line and comparable to those used by the best professional photographers. Please see the detailed list on our website page: Our Equipment Toolbox. We always have backup equipments ready in case some unexpected things can always happen or equipments can sometimes fail. A photographer whose lens broke with no back up to replace it will miss out on many important moments during the day, and you lose out on your investment even if you get a refund. The lost moments will never be recaptured ever again. The list below enumerates the basic equipment needed for a successful wedding day photography shoot. These are the bare minimum of the equipments we possess; more can be seen on our Equipment Toolbox page to see the comprehensive list of our photography equipments.
Cameras:
– Canon 7D
– Canon 500D (T1i)
Glass:
– Canon 24-105::4.0L EF IS
— Canon 70-200::2.8L EF IS
— Canon 10-22::3.5-4.5 EFS IS
— Canon 100-300::4.5-5.6 EF
— Canon 28mm:1.8 EF
— Canon 50mm: EF
Strobes:
– 2 x 580 EX II w/case and stand
– 2 x Alien Bees B800
Light Modifiers:
– Flash Mount 5” Lightbox
– 2 shoot-through umbrella units
– Collapsible reflector (24”) w/case
15) Will you stay longer if the event takes longer than expected? What about additional fees?
We always strive to perform according to the commitment and agreement with each client, but we do our best to be flexible in certain cases and work with the client however possible. In some cases we charge some fees for overtime. It is important that you know in advance what will happen if the ceremonies or the receptions gets delayed and your booking with the photographer is only for a limited number of hours. Some photographers will be sticklers for time, while others are more flexible. It will depend on their policies and standards and how they handle their time management. Some units may be going to another engagement after your shoot and might just have to leave when your reception gets delayed. This question should be clarified in advance. For more information check our About Us page to see how cool and professional we are in handling wedding photography.
