|
Venice, California    Love this sign!  I love all the different looks we were able to create. Found a few spots by the canals. The Ring! Nicole and Glenn are a super serious couple… Really they are.. OK Maybe they’re a little silly. Love, love, love this shot of the cute couple on the beach. Thank you Nicole and Glenn! We can’t wait for your wedding in a few weeks!!!
no comments
Last week I posted an article with questions to ask yourself before looking for a wedding photographer. After you have an idea of what you’re looking for in terms of style, hours, budget and products, you’re ready to meet some photographers in person and ask them more questions.
Questions NOT to Ask Your Wedding Photographer
1. Camera equipment
Question NOT to ask: What cameras and lenses do you use?
Better Question: Do you have a back-up for your camera and lenses?
Cameras and lenses are a tool. If you love the photographer’s work, then the tools are unimportant. Would you ask a chef what pots and pans he uses? Unless you know the difference between f/2.8 and f/5.0, a list of camera equipment won’t be helpful to you.
However, it is important that the photographer have back-up equipment. Although my camera bodies and lenses are regularly cleaned and inspected by Canon, I make sure to bring a back-up body, flash and lenses to every wedding.
2. Client reviews
Question NOT to ask: Do you have reviews or testimonials from previous clients?
Better Question: Do you have references?
Reviews and testimonials are great but they only provide a small part of the picture. The benefit of calling a reference is being able to ask questions that you feel are important.
Please only ask for references from photographers you’re seriously considering. Although I am happy to provide references, I hesitate to provide them to a potential client emailing me for the first time as I respect my previous client’s privacy and don’t like giving out their information to everyone who emails me. If you email me a few times, or we speak on the phone or have an in-person meeting, I will gladly provide you with references.
3. Portfolio
Question NOT to ask: Can I see a portfolio with your best wedding photos?
Better Question: Can I see a wedding album or your best photos from one wedding?
Looking at a photographer’s best work will give you a great idea of her style. However, that doesn’t tell you how well she captures the entire wedding day. Ask to look at a wedding album or slideshow with images from one wedding. Taking one great photo at a wedding is easy. Taking dozens of great photos and telling the story of the day is an art.
A few of my clients have asked to see all the edited images from a wedding. As I usually give my clients about 700 images, that’s a lot of photos to look at! Although I don’t think you have to see these to decide on a photographer, if you’re so inclined your photographer should not hesitate to show you an online gallery or proof book.
I’ve been talking to many brides and grooms who I met at the Queen Mary Bridal Show. One of the brides I talked to seemed to echo what many of them told me: I don’t really know anything about photography.
You don’t need to know much about photography to hire a wedding photographer – but I do recommend asking lots of questions. The more you know, the better decision you will make. Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Book a Wedding Photographer
I confess I read bridal magazines. I started when I was planning my own wedding, but now I just like to check out the trends. I always love reading the how-to’s when it comes wedding photography. Many of these articles feature questions you should ask your photographer before booking him or her. Before you do that, you should ask yourself some questions first: 1. Style 2. Hours 3. Budget 4. Products Hope these questions help you. Next week: Questions to Ask Your Photographer. Thank you to all the brides and grooms and future pin-up models who stopped by our booth at the Queen Mary Bridal Showplace. We met couples who plan on getting married everywhere from downtown L.A. to Big Bear to Cancun and Bermuda. We’re still running our show special until Sun. Aug. 21: Book a full day wedding and receive a complimentary engagement portrait session or $100 off. Call me to schedule a consultation! We also launched our re-branded boudoir photography Polka Pin-Ups. I’m so happy so many of you asked about our pin-up photos and I’m looking forward to photographing you at your sexiest! We have lots of people and vendors to thank especially Bridal Showplace and Sophia who helped me with all of my pre-show questions. I didn’t catch the name of another organizer who helped us measure out our space. Gene was our guardian angel at the show and helped us immensely with both set-up and tear-down. Thank you Gene!!! Many thanks to Kim who helped man our booth (or should I say woman?) and answer questions about Polka Photos wedding photography. Michael took this photo of me by the booth. My favorite linen vendor BBJ Linen (who we also used for our wedding linens) supplied the red polka dot tablecloth. The gorgeous red roses are from our local florist who we highly recommend: Playa Flowers. I added cute red and polka-dot bows on the pens so they wouldn’t walk away from the booth. Here’s our boudoir photography display for Polka Pin-Ups. Everyone loved the bra! What a day! Thank you to everyone who came by! |
|
.jpg)
.png){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}