Hiring a Professional Photographer
Stacy Mize 

 When planning a wedding, one of the more important decisions you will make is hiring a wedding photographer. Many brides will not hire a professional, and they risk having a very big let down when (if) the prints come in. Some will have family take pictures for them, hire a beginner or an intern, or rely on disposable cameras.  When you hire a professional photographer that meets your style criteria and fits within your budget guidelines, you will find that there will be no stress as to how (or if) the pictures will turn out. Professionals have made it in business for a reason, they provide professional results consistently. 

Many brides that I have talked to discuss having disposable cameras for guests to take pictures. This may work, but many times it doesn't. In my experience with this type of arrangement, brides are trying to save money, but in the long run this scenario will cost more. The little cardboard disposable film cameras run usually $4.00-6.00 each for 27 exposures. The cost of the developing is usually around $10 each. When you figure in the average wedding has 200 guests, how many cameras are you going to purchase? At the cost of $16 per camera, you are looking at a cost of $160.00 for just 10 disposables, or $1600.00 for 100 disposables (enough for 1/2 the guests). At this rate, it is much more economical to simply hire a professional photographer. Now we should also discuss disposable camera quality. Disposable cameras have a flash on them that are usually only effective for up to 6 feet. What this means is that those pictures that are being taken of the bride and groom on the dance floor will most likely not come out very well, if at all. These cameras are great as candid souvenirs, but they should not be relied upon as your only source of wedding day images.  You will find (most of the time) after the film is developed you will have a whole lot of pictures that you paid for, but are not of good enough quality to keep.  In the past I encouraged a mother of a bride to axe the idea of disposable cameras. While she did not completely cut out the disposable cameras, she did reduce the number of cameras that she purchased by 1/2. Of the 30 disposable cameras she purchased (enough for 1 at each table), she told me after the wedding that there were only about 10 pictures worth keeping (she basically ended up paying $480 for 10 pictures).  Another bride informed me that she too had purchased 10 disposable cameras that were to be left on the tables, and they were to be collected at the end of the reception and developed, only to find out that once the guests left, some of the cameras did too, and they didn't get the cameras back, nor did they get any prints from these cameras. She spent $160 on disposable cameras with developing, and only ended up with a few keepers.  In both of these instances many frames were wasted on pictures of the floor, pictures of shoes, and many improperly composed pictures which usually ended up with the subjects' heads cut off, images that are black/way too dark/way too grainy because the flash either wasn't utilized properly, or did not function properly. 

Many brides opt to have family members photograph their weddings. This too seems like a good idea at the time, until the appointed family member forgets to take off the lens cap, doesn't dedicate their entire day to taking pictures for the bride and groom (such as only spending about an hour of time taking pictures), doesn't bring enough film/batteries, has a mechanical breakdown and cannot continue or looses images, uses a point and shoot camera that is incapable of taking images in dimly lit areas with out flash (such as most churches require during the ceremony) so images end up way too dark and grainy, or only produces images that are able to be sized at 8x10 or less. Hiring a professional photographer not only ensures professional equipment is used, but also ensures that the person being hired is there to capture your day completely and professionally. Family members are going to take a few images, but they are going to want to have fun too, and will not be willing to dedicate their entire day to the strict job of capturing your day as balanced, accurate, and complete as you want it captured.

Hiring an inexperienced photographer can also be a costly mistake. You may save money initially, but are you getting what you really want? Saving money on photography means little if you only get a handful of images you find acceptable enough for display in an album or in frames. Some amateur photographers will shoot your wedding on film, and give you the film at the end of the night. While this seems like an excellent savings, it quickly turns into a headache of all this film that needs to be developed and printed.  You still will need to pay for developing before you see the images.  There will also be no retouching involved here.  Many end up with a box full of film that sits and waits to be developed.  Film will go bad if it sits too long!  Many more end up with countless images that they paid to have developed that are not of a good enough quality to put in an album or to even keep (out of focus, too dark, closed eyes, over exposed, etc).  In the instance of hiring an inexperienced photographer, you end up hiring someone who uses a consumer grade camera which has a much lower quality than professional gear, they may print out your images on a consumer (home) printer with ink and paper that may only last 3 or 4 years.  Your professional photographer should be providing you with top of the line products, services, and they should be using professional equipment, and having their images printed for them through a professional lab (Professional prints made with professional grade paper will last 100-200+ years).  It is best to stay away from people that use consumer grade cameras that you can buy from any electronics store; and avoid those who will print your images on their own printer and paper (this is 99% of the time not professional equipment, and results will vary greatly - one thing is certain, you will not end up with the best quality images or products). 

Hiring a professional photographer means that you pay someone to do all of that work for you! You pay for someone to be there, and to provide you with exactly what you want. When you hire a photographer, you not only pay for their time, but you pay for the products you receive as well.  Usually wedding packages are offered that give you coverage time, and products.  When you spend $1000 on a cake that is going to be eaten by the end of the night, the only thing you are going to have left to remember the cake is pictures of it.  10 years after your wedding day, what items from your wedding day will you cherish the most?  There are many things to purchase for a wedding, but when the night is over, one of the few things you will receive after your wedding is your wedding day photographs that you will be your cherished memories for decades to come.

When seeking the photographer for your wedding I always give my potential brides the advice that the two main criteria should be 1) Do you like the photographer's style? 2) Do you like the photographer's personality? These two answers should be yes, if they aren't then it's time to look for another photographer. A photographer's style is something that evolves naturally, you cannot expect a photographer to suddenly change their style for your wedding. If you look at their recent work, that is an indication of the quality and quantity you should expect to receive. You will be spending the entire day with your photographer, and you will find that you spend a lot more time with this person than almost any of the other professionals on your wedding day. A bond is formed between the photographer and the Bride and Groom. Most professional wedding photographers love what they do, and a working friendship occurs because they are there to share and feel your day with you. A photographer lives the day through the lens, but his/her heart is there too! I love photographing weddings because it is a happy day where all emotions of the human being is present.  When the photographer does not love photographing weddings, what do you think your photographer is going to provide to you?  Their best attitude?  Their best work?  Photographing weddings is also a huge challenge! From the multiple and changing lighting conditions, running from one event to another to capture the day, ensuring that desired images are taken, and the constant thinking on your feet, it is truly not a career for the faint of heart.  Your chosen photographer should be able to show you a variety of lighting situations with excellent results and prove to you that they can do the work that you desire. 

Hiring a professional also means that they are there and being paid to delivery to you exactly what you want.  Many photographers work many, many more hours after the wedding retouching images, creating custom images, and putting together your wedding day memories. On the average, once the wedding is done, I spend another 40+ hours on the wedding day images.  The following is a list of 12 questions I would encourage brides to ask all the photographer's they are considering:

1) Are you available for my wedding date?

This should be the first question you ask.  It will save your time, and the photographer's time, if they are already booked.

2) How many weddings do you book a day?  A year?

Make sure your photographer only books one wedding per day to avoid him/her from leaving your day before all your desired images are captured, so that he/she can make it to another job (commonly referred to as double booking).  Also if a photographer is too booked for the year, quality and customer service will suffer.

3) What do you require to book my date?

Is the entire amount due to book your date? - Or - Is a deposit due to book your date?  If a deposit is required - How much is the deposit?  Does the photographer offer a contract to protect your investment?  Contracts are important; they are promises that are enforceable by the law.

4) What are your cancellation policies?

Cancellation policies vary, be sure that you find out this information before you book. This policy should be in the contract as well for both the photographer and the client.

5) What is your policy should we require more coverage time than originally contracted?

Some photographers won't work past the contracted time frames, some charge overtime, some allow overtime at no additional fees.  Find out before your wedding date so that if you need the photographer to stay a little longer than expected, you will know if this is possible and if any additional fees will be charged.

6) Can guests take pictures? Are there any restrictions on who takes pictures or when?

This is also another important question because some photographers will not allow any one else to take pictures, and it's in their contract. Some photographers only have certain restrictions such as they will be the only hired professional photographer.  Some photographers restrict any images being taken during the formal/posed images, other photographers simply request that all guests wait until they have completed before guests take images.  It's best to ensure that you know what the individual photographer's policies are before you book with them.  

7) Do you retouch images? Is there any extra fee for that service?

Many photographers retouch images now, but many do not.  There may be restrictions or additional fees. If  this service is important to you, check out their guidelines and prices ahead of time.

8) How much do additional prints cost?

Make sure that you have a pricing structure of what additional prints outside of your package will cost.  This is an important consideration because you will always end up wanting more prints than your package includes.  Also find out about additional options for prints and the cost for that as well, such as mounting, lacquering, etc.

9) Do you offer color/black & white/sepia tone? Are there any extra fees for this?

If you desire a variety of styles, then this will be a question that you will already want to know. Some photographers will charge extra for making images black & white or sepia tone. You will want to find out if this service is available, and what the fees are (if any).  Some photographers charge more for black & white prints than color prints. Make sure you understand not only the fees for the initial service, but the fees for the prints too!

10) Where are the prints developed? Is it a professional lab?

Some photographers will offer you a lower price, but on further investigation you may find that they are having their prints developed in a substandard way. A professional photographer should be using a professional lab.  A professional photographer should not be having their prints done at quick 1 hr labs, pharmacies, discount stores, nor should they be printing on consumer grade printers and products in their studio. All of these consumer alternatives are cheaper, but they are not providing the same quality level as professional labs. Both quality and longevity will suffer. If you are paying to have a professional photographer covering your event, you should receive the best products available. Ink jet prints such as those that many print in-house, can be a disaster depending on the brand, the type of ink, and the type of paper used. Longevity can be anywhere from less than a year to an estimated 100 years. A basic analysis can be found at http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,50663,pg,2,00.asp where you can see a few printers and their longevity. When you are talking about memories that can't be recreated, you need to research what will provide you with life long prints. Most professional labs will use archival paper such as Kodak Endura or Fuji Crystal Archive with an archival life of 200+ years.

11) Do you copyright your images?  Do we get to keep copyright?  Do we get to keep negatives?

These questions are important to you if you want to reproduce your own images.  Most professional photographers copyright their work making reproduction illegal.  If you desire to reproduce their work, you would need a release letter giving you the right to make copies.  Sometimes photographers will sell or give negatives with packages.  Are the negatives film negatives, or digital negatives on CD/DVD?  Also the type of negatives varies (especially when you discuss digital negatives).  Does the photographer crop the negatives for you at certain dimensions, does the photographer only offer 4x6 negatives (proof size), or do they give you un-cropped, unedited, originals (you must then find someone to color and density correct, retouch, and crop to the desired size).  Find out exactly what type of negatives are sold/given.  If a professional photographer sells/gives you negatives, you will still need a release letter to have the images reproduced.  These are vital details that you will want to clarify with your photographer before you book your date.  While you are at it, you might also ask about maintaining originals, how long the photographer holds original negatives, if you purchase negatives will the photographer still maintain a copy, what happens to negatives after the cut off date for the photographer to maintain them (does he/she offer to sell the negatives to you, does he/she throw them away, or something else)? 

12) Last, but not least, make sure your photographer goes the extra mile, gives 150%, etc. 

Ask your photographer about what they do to go above and beyond expectations.  Often the desire to exceed expectations will differentiate a good photographer from a great photographer.  It is also a good indication of what they are willing to do for you when you need them the most.  Sometimes the best professionals you can hire are going to be those that are creative and imaginative and can resolve issues through creative problem solving.  There have been many times that a little creative thinking has solved issues and prevented stress or concern on the bride's wedding day.  Sometimes things can indeed be fixed with a roll of duct tape, something as simple as having extra long boutonniere pins, or knowing the right phone number to call for help.

©Stacy Mize Photography, 2006