FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How long has the photographer been in business?
“Experience teaches Wisdom.” “The Old Broom knows the corners.” These are some clichés that emphasize the value of experience. In choosing your photographer, you will want to know how experienced and reputable the studio is. An experienced photographer, besides having the camera and interpersonal skills, will most likely be familiar with most of the churches, locations, reception halls, as well as other professionals in the area.

2) How many photos are included in the packages offered, and what are the prices of each package, extra albums, reprints and other accessories offered?
Check out the number of photos and prices of each package carefully. Are the proofs, finished albums and negatives included? Do you have to pay extra for proofs, finished albums and negatives? In choosing your photographer, make sure you compare prices, item by item.

Packages are usually different from photographer to photographer. Try converting the package of one photographer to that of another. Do not go by the “face” value of packages.

3) What kind of coverage will I be getting? Where does the Photographer start taking photographs? Will the Photographer stay to the scheduled end of my wedding?
Wedding Photography is just another kind of Photojournalism. It is a journalistic or story book account of the events of your Wedding Day. A Photographer who starts at both the Bride’s as well as the Groom’s house and stays to the very end of your Wedding will most likely capture complete story of your Wedding Day.

4) How soon after my wedding will I be able to see the proofs?
Your proofs should be ready for viewing within two to three weeks after your wedding day. So, by the time you return from having all that fun on your Honeymoon, you should be able to recap all the fun you had on your wedding day.

5) How soon after I place my order will I receive my finished album?
Depending on the manufacturer of the finished album and the lab who does the processing, Finished albums should be ready between four to eight weeks after placing the final order.

6) Does the photographer carry back up equipment?
“It is always better to be safe rather than be sorry” This is another old cliché that applies to Wedding Photography.

Although reputable photographers invest in state of the art equipment, there is no such thing as a perfect world and professional photographic equipment is not immune to failure. Make sure your photographer does not only carry an extra camera, but an extra flash, extra batteries, and an extra of every accessory that he uses, including flash and battery cables.

7) Does the photographer have insurance?
They say things sometimes happen, and sometimes things happen. Anything can happen at your wedding. The kids or even grown-ups could trip over the photographer’s equipment and get hurt. As most photographers carry back-up equipment, it is very unlikely that all your photographs could be lost due to equipment failure. “But, one never knows”. Always check to see if your photographer carries liability insurance. Some reception halls will not even allow photographers to work without liability insurance.

8 ) What film format does the photographer use?
” Bigger does not always means better”. But in the case of film format, it does. Medium format film is recommended over 35mm because of the larger negative size (usually 2.7 to 4.0 times as large as 35mm). With a larger negative, your photographs will be a lot sharper, clearer and of a higher quality. Some photographers need the 35mm format to shoot candids as 35mm cameras are easier to use. A highly skilled photographer can use either format to shoot both formals and candids, and so maintain a uniform quality of photographs throughout your entire album.

9) Does the photographer take Black and White Photographs?
Black and White photographs are slowly creeping back into Wedding Photography. More and more photographers are using only color film to make both Black and White as well as Color photographs. Today there is no need too use Black and White film for Wedding Photography anymore. High quality Black and White photographs can be made from color negatives either by wet chemical processing or scanning the negatives into a computer and converting the Color tones to Black and White.

10) Does the photographer use a Digital Camera? Will the photographs from a Digital Camera be as sharp as the photographs from a Film Camera?
The Photography of the future is now here to stay and is getting better day by day. Digital Cameras are now ready for the Wedding Business. The resolution of photographs from Digital Cameras has not only caught up with the resolution from Conventional Film Cameras, but will surpass them in the very near future. Digital Cameras are also a lot more versatile than Film Cameras. With a Digital Camera it is easier to upload the photographs to your PC and e-mail them to your friends and relatives as well as uploading them on to a web site. You can also scan your negatives or photos from a conventional film camera into your PC and e-mail them as well as uploading them to a web site.

If your Photographer uses a Digital Camera, make sure all the Image Files containing your wedding photographs are backed up as soon as possible after shooting. Photographs printed from a Digital Camera may not last as long as conventional Photographs printed from Film. Make sure your Photographer gives you a CD-Rom with the Image Files of all the Photographs taken at your wedding.

11) Which is safer to use, Film or Digital?
The safety of your photographs after they have been taken, depends largely on how the Film or Digital Storage Medium is handled. If the film is accidentally exposed to light whether by your photographer, the transporter of your film to the lab, or the lab itself, you could lose some or all of your photographs. Photographers are usually very careful in handling film. It is very important to find out from your photographer how the film is transported to the lab, Also, find out from your photographer if the lab processes all of your film in one batch, or if each roll of film is processes in a different batch. If all of your film is processes in one batch, you could lose all of your photos during a power failure.

On the other hand, with Digital Storage Media, you could lose all your photos if the Storage Media gets corrupt! Yes, this is true!
Digital Memory Cards or Micro-drives can become defective! Make sure your photographer carries extra Memory Cards, as well as some back-up storage medium like a Laptop, or a Digital Wallet. With a back-up storage medium, all your digital photographs will be backed up. Check with your photographer to make sure all your digital photographs are backed-up before he leaves your wedding.
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12) Does the photographer work with an assistant?
Is two always better than one? An assistant assists the photographer and is not necessarily a back-up photographer. Most studios will not likely use two well trained photographers to shoot the same wedding. As assistant is useful in helping the photographer to carry the equipment, load the camera, hold the lights, adjust the bride’s gown, etc. Many photographers can get by without an assistant, but they need to be well organized. Remember that you will have to pay extra for an assistant, and most likely for an extra meal as well.

Good luck!