As I mentioned in my previous post, wedding day photography is very important to us. We knew we wanted to find someone who would shoot more than formal portraits; we wanted someone to capture stories from our day. Wedding Photojournalist Association is a great resource for this type of photography. Through the website, I located three photographers in the area and scheduled meetings.
Photographer #1 was imaginative, but introverted. It didn’t seem to us like she would take the initiative to help to make things happen, if necessary.
Photographer #2 was youthful and passionate. We loved her philosophy, but she was fairly new to the wedding scene and didn’t have the experience we were looking for.
And photographer #3 was just right! We met Robert Winton from Because You Love at a coffee shop halfway between his home and my parents’ home. He brought with him examples of his incredibly artistic work from museum art prints to stretched canvas prints. He’s also quite talented at designing and assembling storybook albums, which we love!
At first I was hesitant to hire a male photographer, but Robert put my mind at ease. He said he’d come in and out of the bridal suite as I wished. And I love how he offered to take the golf cart back and forth between me and Nick to capture both of us as we get ready.
I think it’s so important to find a photographer with whom you feel comfortable and confident, perhaps more so than with any other vendor. We created a list of questions to ask each photographer during our meetings. I hope this list will help you to choose your perfect one.
- How many photos do you take throughout the day?
- Can we see a proof album? (It’s important to see a full collection of raw prints including shots that have not been retouched.)
- Do you post proofs online? What is the timeline for receiving our proofs
- What is your post-production process?
- Can our guests order prints from you?
- Do you offer a complimentary engagement photo session?
- Do your work with a second photographer? If not, how do you plan to capture both the bride and groom getting ready?
- Can we see a sample contract? And what are your policies regarding the deposit, liability insurance, etc.?
- Do you have a list of references?
- What type of equipment do you use, and do you bring back-ups?
- What do you charge for overtime?
- Have you ever been to Lauxmont Farms?
- Can we pay remaining the balance after we receive our products?
We are so pleased that Robert’s payment policy is 1/3 to hold the date, 1/3 two weeks prior to the wedding, and 1/3 two weeks after the wedding. When he hands to us the disk of all of our images (yes, we have full rights to all of our digital images), we hand to him the remaining balance. I think this is important to negotiate, if possible.
So without further adieu, here are a few shots from Robert. I can’t wait to see what innovative ideas he comes up with for us! {credit Robert Winton}
Do you have questions that should be added to my list?