Questions to Ask Your Event Or Wedding Photographer

Good quality digital cameras are becoming so inexpensive that almost anyone can afford them. As a result many people are entering the photography field and opening their own photography business. While many of these people possess good artistic skills and a decent understanding of light they often lack the experience to photograph events. If a mistake in the studio it is often caught there and a re-take of that shot is done. This is not an option at a wedding or special event. There is simply no second chance. You need to hire a photographer who understands event photography.

When looking for an event photographer you should ask these questions:

Who is going to be the photographer at my wedding or event?

Most studios have more than one photographer. If you are working with a nation wide company the odds are that they will hire one of the local photographers in their pool. In some cases you may not actually meet the photographer until the day of your event. This is a big mistake. In the case of a wedding, you will interact more with your photographer than any other vendor at the wedding. At a function, like a banquet, the photographer may be interacting with many of your guest of dignitaries. You want to make sure that the photographer has the personality that matches what you need in your photographer. You need to feel comfortable with your photographer in advance and not worry about them during your special event.

Does the photographer carry backup equipment?

The degree to which the photographer is prepared for the unexpected is an indication of the photographers experience and capabilities. Photographic equipment is mechanical and it will fail. Don’t let that time be in the middle of your wedding or when the President of your company starts to speak. Any photographer that has been photographing weddings and similar events professionally will have high quality cameras and backups.
I personally carry at least one backup for every piece of equipment. This includes studio lights and battery packs.
At the risk of telling war stories I was shooting a dance competition one time and had two $4,000 dollar cameras fail. While my shooter was shooting on the last camera I went to Best Buy on a Sunday and bought another camera. Within one hour of my return camera number 3 failed. We eventually tracked it down to an electrical problem at the venue. Not having backups would have been disastrous.

Does the photographer work alone?

Some events are small enough that they don’t require a second photographer. Other events, like weddings, do. There is simply too much going on at a wedding for the photographer to be covering all the details.

Does the photographer have a backup plan in case of an emergency?

Even seasoned professionals can have life events occur which can cause a problem. Do they have a stated backup plan? Do they seem confident that they can address potential problems?
This is as important as carrying backup equipment. Emergencies arise. If your budget allows, book two photographers. With two photographers you will have much better coverage from different angles, and built-in backups.

What kind of equipment does the photographer own?

Believe it or not some “professionals” own low-end consumer cameras. While these cameras have high megapixel specifications they are not built with the idea of heavy shooting volume. Some of these cameras have such lightweight bodies that they will not support professional size lens.

While asking about equipment be sure to describe the lighting at the venue and ask if the photographer has low-light equipment? The key here is to find out if the photographer has invested in equipment with f2.8 or f4 glass. These types of lens can capture images in situations which inexpensive lens cannot.

Is printing done on-site? If so, what printers do they have?

Some professional photographers will take a single ink-jet printer to an event. For low volume printing, these printers are fine. If a photographer works with on-site printing a lot they will tell you that they bring x number of printers or have a dye-sub printer.

Both of these options can work very well and demonstrate the fact that this person is professional enough and experienced in delivering images at an event. Once you have established the fact that the photographer has the experience and dedication to event photography you will want to clarify their product offering. Many photographers will offer a low-end price to cover an event and then make it up after the event. There is nothing wrong with this approach; it is simply a way to do business. It is your job to understand what the cost will be when the event is over.

Look at examples of their work.

When looking at a photographers work don’t look at a limited number of handpicked photographs. Look at the photos from an entire wedding or special event.
There is an old saying that goes like: “Given enough time a monkey with a typewriter could recreate all the written works of man.” The message here is that even the worst photographer can get a good image every now and then.

How long have you been photographing weddings and events? OrHow many weddings or events of this type have you done?

These questions give you more of an idea of the photographer’s experience level. I was saw a TV judge case where a photographer being sued had been in business for 8 years and had shot 4 weddings.

How long will it take before the images are available?

Some photographers can take months to present images. Whether the event was a wedding or a corporate party 2 months after the event is too long. While you still want to see the images, the emotion is not as strong as it would have been the week after.

Will our photos be viewable online?

If so, can they be purchased online?
What are the print costs?

Can I buy the digital images?

Many people believe that they are entitled to the images. Actually, you are not. United States copyright law states that the digital images and printed photos are the copyrighted property of the photographer. While there are work for hire considerations the rights stays with the photographer. If you want the files with a copyright release be sure to negotiate that before hiring the photographer.

In Summary

I hope that this helps you plan your wedding or special event of any kind. Event photography is not the same as taking pictures in a controlled studio environment. Whether your event is a wedding or banquet what is required to photograph it professionally is experience and the equipment to support that experience. The bottom line to this is that you need to meet your photographer, ask questions, and feel comfortable that they will deliver the kind of memories that you want.

Written by Art Sprague. Art is the principle owner of artsphotography.com, a photography studio located in Kansas. The studio specializes in weddings as well as corporate and private events with an emphasis on on-site printing and viewing.
Art is also a regular contributor to http://www.forphotography.com and has several ebooks available through that website.A If you have a question for Art on any of the content on this article please feel free to Contact him.