Hello everyone. What makes a goof photographer. Is there any questions i should ask. Anyone have any advise, former brides, photographers, future brides.. Anyone.. I just want to know i'm making a right decision :) x
Found the man of my dreams
Getting Married on the 13th June 2015
CommentAuthorStephHsoon2bBodkin
good not goof*
Found the man of my dreams
Getting Married on the 13th June 2015
CommentAuthorMrsCross2be
Timings, price etc are obviously the first key questions. Do they know the venue? have they worked there before? It may be good if they have as they will know rules etc like the rules that stand within churches. Do they expect to be fed? Will the pictures be 100% yours and you have the copyright? Do you get a pre-wedding shoot? How many of them will there be on the day? How long after the wedding will you be able to see any evidence of pictures? Ask to see other pictures to see if you like their style, for example I dont like the use of props so I asked whether this is something they always like to do...
If the weather is bad on the day or the pictures are unsuccessful will they allow post wedding pictures?
CommentAuthorStephHsoon2bBodkin
Thanks :) i really appreciate it x
Found the man of my dreams
Getting Married on the 13th June 2015
CommentAuthorMrsCross2be
no problem hope it is of some help. Really shop around as well. There is so much difference in price and i've booked an 18 year old who has been doing it for a few years as a hobby and trained since and his pictures look amazing. Him and his Dad work together to offer a package where the dad does a video and is DJ in the evening. So we end up with pictures all day and a pre-wedding shoot and a video and dj. We will have full copyright and a disk of all pictures and a dvd of the video which will be edited with music we want. They will place a sample of images and a 2 minute video online by the next day and will edit the day pictures during the meal and put them on a big screen for our evening guests to see what happened earlier in the day. They will also do digital printing for guests on the night. That cost us £850 and they kept the price at 2013 price because we booked in April rather than 2014 price. So we can choose which pictures we want to get and put them in our album ourselves which we dont mind.
Thats amazing price. Our DJ we have booked takes videos and pictures of everyone on the dance floor and records our 1st dance. With the photographer i just want something classic and elegant and romantic. No effects just simple.. Did it take you long to pick your photographer ? x
Found the man of my dreams
Getting Married on the 13th June 2015
CommentAuthorMrsCross2be
I kept going to wedding fairs and speaking to them all and thinking "wtf" - £1000 for pictures that I might only look at a few times and pick some to put in frames or whatever and you will only be there for 4 hours and go.... So I had kinda decided we wouldnt have photos and just ask someone to take some pics but family convinced us we needed them so I spent a bit longer looking. We started going to wedding fairs in April 2012 and booked this guy April 2013 so we were looking a while to get a good deal. But since you are only wanting a few hours of coverage and you have the advantage of time you could find and book at the year before prices probably as well. Main thing also I had trouble finding was just someone who would do natural pictures without me holding a parasol or in wellies lol
CommentAuthorStephHsoon2bBodkin
Lol wellies! what!, The photographers that i have spoken to i have said natural, our venue for the wedding is exeter cathedral, and im going to view a reception venue called ABode in Exeter. Im just putting the peices together so i dont get in to dept also we are buying a house so i want to spread the cost out.
Found the man of my dreams
Getting Married on the 13th June 2015
CommentAuthorSuzieS
ohh thanks Mrscross2be this post has helped me too :] starting to look at photographers now. used that search thing on here, and I have been hounded with emails!! Quite a few good [cheap] ones who have contacted me too, not sure how to choose what I like, obviously price is important I don't want to spend a fortune but I don't know how to choose. None of the pictures are WOW to me, but I don't know if it is because I don't like the bride/groom people in them or what they are wearing. Judgey I know but don't know how to differentiate on who is the better photographer!! haha xx
CommentAuthorStephHsoon2bBodkin
SuzieS its your wedding you can be judgey, its your day, its your money and you need to find something that fits well with you. I must admit i'm feeling the exact same as you. Maybe its a bride thing. x
Found the man of my dreams
Getting Married on the 13th June 2015
CommentAuthorSuzieS
Maybe it is a bride thing!! I have just seen a lovely photographer on the threads that come up on my wall actually. But I know we deffo want a duo so they can shoot both of us getting ready. Have two different aspects of the day :] x
CommentAuthorStephHsoon2bBodkin
Me too, I want them to capture every aspect of our day. Especially his face when i walk down the isle.. I'm so excited. x
Found the man of my dreams
Getting Married on the 13th June 2015
CommentAuthorMrsK2b
Make sure you own the rights to the photos as alot of photographers wont give you the rights. We had our pre wedding pics done and got a letter with it ssaying that we own the rights and we can copy, print and send the picture to whoever we want.
Ask them to if they can give you the package you want at this years prices (or when you book) Also ask them what there bottom line is and if they can give you something for free. Ours gave us our pre wedding pictures that then went on to be our Save the Date Card :)
We have paid A LOT of money for our photograher. We have got two photographers for the whole day, so thats when both parties are getting ready, getting into the cars, etc they are staying until the end of the evening reception all for £1700.
Also remember some photograhers will want food, we have given ours just a main meal. So I would ask when you see them.
Cant wait until I become Mrs K
CommentAuthorSuzieS
I just want to see how he gets ready on his wedding day, when i'm not there to help him!! haha still not sure on doing a first look? kind of ruins the before walking down the isle pics. x
CommentAuthorStephHsoon2bBodkin
It scares me a little when you hear they have the rights to the photos and can send them to who they want. To me that's a Huge no. We have a photoshoot on Sunday where my fiance proposed to me to see how we feel with that photographer. I don't mind feeding them tha'ts not a big issue as long as the pictures are what we require then they can eat what they want lol. What do you mean by bottom line? x
Found the man of my dreams
Getting Married on the 13th June 2015
CommentAuthorLauraJo87
Wedding photography is the area most brides say they feel they wish they'd spent more money on after the big day...you only get one chance to take your wedding pictures, so it is quite important to make the right choice!
It is shocking at first to see how much photographers charge - but bear in mind the cost of equipment, including spares, insurance etc....also, although they may be only onsite with you for four hours, it can take many hours of editing and enhancing to end up with the perfect finish to a photo - everything from removing 'fire exit' signs to ensuring totally crisp colours. On average, it can take over forty hours to edit a weddings worth of photos...
That said, regardless of price or budget, you need to do your research thoroughly - there have been plenty of brides who've spent a lot of money and still aren't happy with the photos. Things to look out for:
1. Ask to see a whole weddings worth of photographs - not just there 'best' shots that they've got up on there websites...there have been lots of cases where the photos used on photographers sites haven't even been taking by them! 2. Do they have PI insurance? Some venues will insist on it. 3. Do they carry spares? What happens if the camera breaks? 4. What style do they favour? If someone is used to only taking posed shots, and you prefer candid ones, you may be best going elsewhere. 5. Have they shot at your venue before? If not, will they visit the venue before hand to take some test shots? 6. How long will they attend? Do you have to pay for travel and meals on top of the quote? 7. Can they provide references?
Once these have been answered to your satisfaction, have a face to face meeting - you do need to have a rapport with your photographer - if you just don't click with him or her, it will make it awkward to be honest about what you want.
I'd be wary of anyone offering full day footage for too low prices....after all, if you spend £300 and end up with a load of photos that it looks like a guest could have taken, it's a waste of £300...
We are on a budget and couldn't afford £1200 for a full days coverage, so we are having two photographers from bridal prep to the start of the wedding breakfast, about four hours, at a cost of £475...it's often a better idea, if you can't afford the full day, to just reduce the number of hours they are there for.
Xx
My Beating Heart Belongs To You
30 August 2013
The First Day Of My Happily Ever After
CommentAuthorLauraJo87
Oh yeah, defo ask if you own the copyright....my friend thought she was getting a bargain with a £300 photographer, however the prints were £50 each and all sold separately - all she had were the proofs with watermarks on them.
Xx
My Beating Heart Belongs To You
30 August 2013
The First Day Of My Happily Ever After
CommentAuthorStephHsoon2bBodkin
1000 pounds is my limit for photographers. Its worrying when you try to look for the perfect photographer and a reasonable price. Im new to the area i live and no-one i know is married, If there are any people in the area that recommend photographers that would be better for us. x
Found the man of my dreams
Getting Married on the 13th June 2015
CommentAuthorclive
you want to find someone who is creative, who loves what they do, and shows a genuine interest in your wedding. Ideally, you really shouldn't be spending less than £1400-£1500 for a whole day's photography (bridal prep/groom prep right through to first dance).
Just to pick up on the post about only being there for a day and costing upwards of £1000: What about the post-production/ your'e paying for that also. It isn't just about the photography on the day. For example, I had the most humungous zit that sprung up out of nowhere the week before our wedding - every photo of me had to be airbrushed. I'm sure my name was mud by the time she'd finished :o)
Copyright really doesn't bother us - they're still our wedding photos, and we have been granted permission to use on Facebook, etc, so theres no issues.
CommentAuthorValentinaK
I strongly reccomend looking through portfolios and also asking friends and family for word of mouth reviews. They should have several decent and RECENT wedding albums to show you their work. Look them up online and see if it all tallys.
Make sure that you're at least getting full digital rights to the images to reproduce and not just a copyrighted/ disc of the photos.
Make sure the price is in your budget, that they have either worked at your venue before, or have worked at such a diverse range of venues that they sem to be competent. Check that these images are consistently good. If in doubt insist you meet them in person on a couple of occasions and if doubt still exists go for a quick photoshoot with them to see if you like their style, that way you haven't invested too much if they're crap.
Check that you're happy with the contract BEFORE you pay the deposit and all avenues are covered and you have clauses in there that you think are necessary. Check that they cover and is in the contract what are MUST have shots, the hours they are going towork, how they will be fed, the date, times and locations of all the places you require photos!
And we lived happily ever after!
CommentAuthorInDreamland
I've bumped a thread for you x
Married the love of my life on Saturday 11th May 2013 xxx
Had our dream perfect honeymoon in Hawaii!
CommentAuthorStephHsoon2bBodkin
Thanks for the advice. I don't know what bumped a thread means sorry i'm very new to this. We have an Engagement shoot on sunday where my fiance proposed to me so we can see how he works :) Clive - The zit thing will be my worst nightmare :( I will shop around and make sure i will ask everything all of you have advised me :) x
Found the man of my dreams
Getting Married on the 13th June 2015
