So you’ve decided you want to hire a photographer for your event, wedding, party, conference or whatever it may be, and you’ve searched Google and after looking at a few websites you like the look of a particular photographers work, but you want to make sure they’re right for you and you arrange a meeting so you can get a better idea of what they offer, but what do you ask? well below I have listed a few sensible questions to ask your photographer to ensure they’ll be the right fit for your photography needs.
1 – What’s in the box?
To start off you need to know what is included in the package your photographer is offering, from the time they spend on the shoot to the method of the delivery of the final images its a good idea to ask exactly what the package you choose will include and if you can bolt on any extras like bespoke editing and stylising the images.
2 – How much?
Get a clear confirmation of the costs, ask what the deposit will be and the full final cost of the shoot so you don’t get a surprise when the invoice lands on your doormat, sometimes a photographer may ask you if you would like any extras to be added on the day of the shoot so ensure you keep a record of what you agree if that happens, but try to get a set cost prior to the shoot to avoid any confusion.
3 – copyrights
Ensure a conversation is had with regards to the rights of the images, the copyrights of the images belong to the creator of the image so in general your photographer, so you need to be clear on what your images will be used for so the photographer can grant a licence to allow the use of the images in each scenario you desire, but be careful if you use the images in a way other than what was to agreed you could end up in a spot of bother, for example if you pay to use the images for your website and social media only but then use an image in print advertising which was not agreed, the creator has the right to seek legal advice to recoup money lost due to the infringement of the copyright, however it works both ways, if you have a shoot you can ask your photographer not to use your images as promotional material for their website etc, it can be a little complicated so check out this link for more information – copyright information
4 – Are you the one?
Be sure your speaking to your photographer, sometimes you will be speaking to an assistant or even the head photographer but they may not be the person actually undertaking the work on the day, so be sure to ask who your photographer will be and if it’s not the person your speaking to ask to meet your actual photographer, you need to get a feel for them as a person and also a one on one conversation ensures you avoid confusion on whats been agreed.
5 – Do you understand?
Be sure that your photographer understands what your vision and expectations are so ask them how they will deliver what you’re looking for, they may have an individual style that you like and thats why you are looking at hiring them so make sure they know what your looking for, highlight images of their work you liked and would like replicated or images you’ve seen online from other creators that you like and ask them if they can replicate that style, the last thing everybody wants is for yo to be unhappy with the end product.
There are many more questions you can ask and a good photographer will also answer questions you didn’t know to ask so be sure to meet with them prior to your shoot, you may find that after meeting them they don’t have the right fit for you or the needs you have but it’s better to know that prior to the shoot giving you time to look again.
Don’t forget to check out our photography services and pricing and feel free to give us a call for any questions you may have