It’s February 29, and you know what that means?  Leap-year, of course, and the day when even the most superstitious woman can propose to her guy without fretting about tradition or bad luck.  Ladies – I want to hear your proposal stories!  Or better yet, I’d love to help you record his surprised face when YOU pop the question on any day of the year.  Proposal photographs are a great new trend and a wonderful addition to your wedding album.  Don’t worry – I won’t ruin the surprise!

6.   Do you mind if our guests take pictures at the wedding?  This is a great question to ask to gauge how flexible your photographer will be on wedding day.  Do you want someone who will take over your day, or someone who understands their role in the bigger picture?  Look for answers that seem professional and accommodating.  No photographer wants a gaggle of paparazzi getting in front of their camera and distracting you, but not allowing any other photographs during the ceremony, formals or reception might not be the guest experience you were looking for on your big day either.  Besides, if the photographer’s busy with your cake cutting photographs, wouldn’t it be great if cousin Sue captured an awesome candid of your flower girl on the other side of the room?  The beauty of technology being readily accessible is that your wedding day will be captured from so many different perspectives – just make sure your photographer has a plan to manage the photography that you can live with, and you will still get the professional photographs you’ve paid for!  Relying on guests to work your wedding and take all the required photographs is a dangerous risk.  Hiring a professional will ensure that all your precious memories are captured and your guests can relax and enjoy your day with you!

Visit tomorrow for #5!

Continuing in the series on interview questions to ask your wedding photographer, here’s #7:

7.  Who owns the rights to the photographs?  Before you decide you must have the images on a DVD, let’s talk about rights.  Prior to the advent of digital imaging, very few couples had the “rights” to the photographs.  The photographer generally kept the negatives and gave the couple printed images that they could display in their homes.  Most couples wouldn’t have a use for negatives, and if they needed additional prints, they could just come back to the photographer for reprints.  With today’s easy access to computers and home printers, it’s tempting to ask your photographer for a disk and nothing else.  Once you have the full rights, you can make all the prints you want, post your photographs on facebook or email them to all your friends.  A disk can be a great comfort to couples, since they feel they will always have access to those precious memories.  It comes with a set of unique issues to think about, though.

-Like all technology, DVD’s, CD’s and flashdrives will someday be outdated.  Do you still have a drive that will read 5 ½” floppy disks?  Make sure that you transfer your images onto new media once your storage media is out of date, or you risk losing your investment.

-Technology corrupts.  It is possible that your DVD can get scratched or damaged.  Take good care of it and store it in a clean, dry, dark place (preferably in an archival case).

-Unless you invest in a high quality output device, home printers just can’t offer the quality of your photographer’s professional lab.  Not only will you get more options in paper finishes and sizes, but the prints your photographer can make will have an archival guarantee of 100-150 years before detectable fading (and most professional photographers guarantee their work to last – if you have a problem, they’ll replace it for free).  You might have to redo that home image every few years, and the cost could add up.

-There’s something precious about holding a wedding album.  How do you look at your parent’s or grandparent’s wedding pictures: in a beautiful book or on a screen?  Consider having your photographer create an heirloom wedding album for you, so that you can pass it along for generations.

Judge the cost you’ll pay for disk against the number of photographs you want printed.  It may be more cost effective to have a few large prints that you can display in your home, than to purchase the disk.  If the only reason you want the digital images is to post them online, ask your photographer if they charge for facebook uploads/tags.  They may do this as a complimentary service, and you won’t need the disk.  Or, ask if you can purchase a low-resolution web disk for facebook/email sharing only.  Just be warned – printing from a low-res disk will yield images that are blurry and pixilated.  Low-res is meant for web only.  Be cautious of photographers offering disks only – if they are that eager to end your relationship, how hard will it be to work with them after the wedding is over (if you need additional retouching, reprints, album design, etc)?  Read reviews from previous couples before you book.  Ask for references so you’re comfortable with the photographer you pick.

Check back soon for #6!

8.  Do you primarily shoot weddings?  Experience with other types of photography (commercial, portrait, fashion, photojournalism, fine art, etc) could be important to you, if you want to break away from traditional wedding photography.  If you subscribe to a few fashion magazines, you might want to seek out a photographer with experience working the runway.  If you love the candid look of images you’ve seen at a friend’s wedding, you might want to seek out a photojournalist.  If you value an artistic eye, an exhibiting fine art photographer could be perfect for you.  Just be careful – a wedding is a far different venture from a fashion shoot, news story or art exhibit.  Make sure you pick a photographer that’s comfortable with wedding schedules and challenges.  Your day should be all about you – not the photography!

Stay tuned tomorrow for #7!

Here’s the second post of the series on interview questions for your photographer:

9.  How long have you been a photographer?  What’s your experience, background, and education in photography?  Everyone has to start somewhere, but do you really want your special day to be the first wedding a photographer works?  Many wedding photographers start by working alongside an experienced pro as a “second photographer.”  Experience like this will help prepare them to shoot your wedding with confidence.  Higher education or continuing education classes also train your photographer to shoot in a variety of challenging locations like old churches or romantic, candle-lit reception spaces.  Photographers that invest in education through professional memberships or affiliations care about the quality of your wedding images.  Ask if they belong to organizations like the Professional Photographers of America, Wedding and Portrait Photographers International or the Wedding Photojournalist Association.  When looking at albums with your photographer, make sure you look at a full wedding, not just compilation albums.  You want to know that the photographer’s style matches your vision.  If you’re on the fence, ask for references and talk to couples that have worked with the photographer before.

What a great day for engagement photographs along the Charles River!  Here’s a few previews of Heather and Eric’s session!

Congratulations, Eric and Heather!

Interviewing potential vendors can seem daunting when you first start planning your wedding.  How do you know what questions to ask?  Unless you’ve been married before, or have an “in” with the wedding industry, you might not know how to select the right services for your big day!

Here are the top ten questions to ask a wedding photographer, as well as key points to consider about the answers you get!

10.  Who will photograph our wedding – you or another photographer?  Many couples on tight budgets pick franchises or large studios to cover their wedding photography.  The benefit of a large studio is that because they work in high volume, you’re generally offered a reasonable bottom line.  The downside: you’re just another wedding to a big franchise who might send out dozens of photographers on the same Saturday!  You can still find great service with some big studios, but make sure you meet the actual photographer that will cover your wedding, not just a sales rep!  Yes, personality does matter – don’t settle for a photographer that annoys or stresses you out.  Ask the rep for other choices, if you’re not happy, or go with a small business instead of a franchise.

Stay tuned tomorrow for #9!