QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Is price an indicator of the quality of work produced by a wedding photographer?
This is a difficult question to answer. In most cases yes more expensive will mean better as with most things you pay for what you get, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Running a wedding photography business legitimately has high costs. Like any other business a wedding photographer has overheads that must be paid. Income tax, national insurance, equipment, advertising, liability insurance, equipment insurance etc. it all adds up and those costs need to be covered. So if you see a photographer advertising wedding photography at a very cheap price there has to be a reason why. In some instances, they may be cutting costs somewhere, like operating without insurance or using inferior equipment. The reason the guys at the very top of their game can be so expensive is not always just down to providing better photography, but is also due to their level of experience, they have been there, done it and got the t-shirt and can cope with any situation that might happen at a wedding. Also on the flip side of the coin there are photographers out there with little skill level who are excellent at marketing their business via wedding fayres etc. and can book 50-60 weddings a year at high prices, but produce low quality images and deliver poor service. There are also guys out there offering really low prices because they are just starting out or because they only do photography part time and use their real job to subsidise their wedding business but can produce good work and offer a high level of service. So while yes price can be an indicator all of the other factors should be looked at as well. Do you like the photographer’s images? Are you happy that they can repeat the same level of work at your wedding? Are they someone you can easily get along with? Do you trust them to deliver what they say they will after your wedding?
When should I book our wedding photographer?
As soon as possible, like any of your wedding vendor’s dates can sometimes be booked a long time in advance. Don’t leave it too late to confirm a booking with your photographer just in case you miss out. We regularly get contacted by couples who are interested in booking with us and don’t hear from them again for some time. Then out of the blue they get in touch a few weeks or a month later but unfortunately in between times we have already booked the date with another couple.
Do all wedding photographers use real wedding photographs for advertising?
We only use images from real weddings, but not everyone does. Many wedding photographers use images from fake styled wedding shoots with models. Many also use images taken at workshops under instruction and in very controlled conditions. These can provide a wow factor but it can be difficult for them to replicate that same level of work at a real wedding. There is a big difference having all day to set up a couple of shots with a team of hair stylists, make-up artists etc. always at hand and having maybe 45 minutes for portraits with a bride and groom after their wedding ceremony. When looking at a photographers work on their website the best option is to ignore all of the images on the front page of the website and instead visit their blog and look for images from real weddings which show a complete range of photographs from a typical wedding day. If their blog posts from a real wedding only show a few images be dubious and request a full set of images from a wedding from them.
Should I ask to see a sample album?
Yes, absolutely. A sample album will at the very least allow you to view what you will get if you book a package that includes an album. However, always ask if the photographs in the sample album are their own and if the album was designed by them. Many album manufacturers supply free or heavily discounted sample albums for photographers to use to show potential clients and some of these use stock images rather than the photographer's own. Don’t only base your decision on if their work is a good fit for you from the images from a sample album.
Should I ask to meet the photographer before the wedding?
In our opinion yes. While arranging a wedding can be difficult and time consuming your wedding photographer is likely to be the only one of your wedding vendors that you are going to spend all day with. In an ideal world you want this to be someone that you are going to find it easy to get along with and enjoy spending your day with. It is going to be more difficult to be sure of this if you have not met them before the day of the wedding.
Do all wedding photographers provide the same thing in terms of product after the wedding?
A lot depends on which package option you choose when you book your photographer and is something you should discuss with them in detail. Using ourselves as an example we provide every client with a full resolution copy of all of the edited photographs. Some photographers only provide low resolution photographs not suitable for printing or photographs which are heavily watermarked. Depending on the photographer you may only be able to buy prints from them and copies of digital images which don’t have a watermark may involve additional cost. Always confirm what you will receive after your wedding, before you confirm your booking.
Please feel free to ask any further questions we haven't covered using the comments section below and we will do our best to answer them.
