1. Should I hire a professional wedding photographer or relative/friend?

While you may feel comfortable with a relative or friend to capture your big day, a professional photographer possesses the technical mastery of shooting, logistics and time constraints. Experienced photographers will work with you, understand the vision of your event, and then capture your most precious memories without getting swept up in the celebration, lose entire segments of your wedding or forget backup equipment. If a relative or friend shoots your wedding, he or she is more likely to get caught up in the celebration and miss important shots. Professional photographers anticipate and capture the most expressive split second at the exact time. They know how and when to crop the picture to highlight an important detail and keep all the other elements in the background. Professional photographers can also preserve all the details in a picture and keep all the important objects in sharp focus. Most importantly, experienced photographers can make your event look magnificent regardless of your wedding budget.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

2. What is a proof?

A proof is a low-resolution digital image or small-sized print. Photographers do not retouch all the pictures from their event shoots. Instead, they print or create a low-resolution version of all “open eyes and in-focus” photographs for a customer to view and then select a handful of the best pictures for further post-production and larger prints. Artvesta Studio is committed to ensuring the highest quality of proofs. 

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

3. Should I hire two wedding photographers or a solo photographer?

The decision of hiring two wedding photographers depends solely on your budget and photography needs. 
While the first photographer’s primary responsibility is to take all standard or classic wedding shots, the second photographer focuses on snapping additional action shots and different-angled images that capture those precious and fleeting moments. Many authentic emotional shots usually take place outside of the lens scope of the main photographer. He or she can also support the main photographer if something unpredictable happens. A photography duo will also give you two distinct styles of photography that complement each other. The only disadvantage in hiring two wedding photographers is a higher price in the wedding photography package due to the extra cost of production and post-production.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

4. How can I determine the best wedding photography package?

A typical wedding package includes 8 hours of photo coverage by one or two professional photographers, digital or printed proofs, and a password-protected online preview gallery. Sometimes, wedding packages also include enlargements such as 11×14” or 16×20” as well as wedding albums for the bride and groom and two sets of parents. We offer 4-hour, 8-hour, and 10-hour wedding photography packages that include digital proofs and an 8×8” or 10×10” Artvesta Photo book. We also offer a number of a la carte items such as additional photo albums, photo canvases, prints, pre-wedding and post-wedding photo shoots, additional or reduced hours of coverage, and customization options.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

5. What is the average retainer to secure a photographer for my big day? When is the remaining balance due?
A customary retainer for a photography package is at least 10% of the entire package price. While some wedding photographers prefer a 50% retainer, other photographers request 100% of payment delivered upon contract signing. At Artvesta Studio, we require a 35% retainer to reserve a date.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

6. How come the price ranges drastically among various wedding photographers?

The wedding industry has been known for having low barriers of entry. Most photographers soon realize that the costs of running a legal, well-equipped, and fully insured business are high and they must charge market rates to provide quality service and stay afloat.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

7. When should I book a wedding photographer?

Start scouting for the right wedding photographer as soon as you secure your wedding date. Since experienced photographers accept bookings years in advance, it’s in your best interest to book your wedding photographer once you find the best combination of vision, skills, personality, and price that meets your requirements.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

8. What qualities must a wedding photographer possess?

As you interview multiple wedding photographers, look for the right combination of personal and professional qualities that will assure a smooth flow of your wedding day and captivating photos. Make sure you understand a photographer’s personality and figure out why he or she became a wedding photographer. For example, I became a wedding photographer because I love capturing emotions and enjoy brainstorming creative photo concepts and ideas and bringing them to life. Nothing is more rewarding than creating the exact shot that I had in mind and the satisfaction of the couples with the finished product. I spent years honing my craft before offering my talent commercially.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

9. What should I be aware of when scouting wedding photographers? 
Make sure to view several full galleries of weddings that the potential photographer shot from the beginning to the end. Many wedding photographers start out as second shooters for well-established studios and often include second-shooter pictures in their portfolio when booking their own jobs. Even if those pictures are impressive, you cannot be sure that the photographer can withhold the pressure of being the first or, especially, the only photographer at the wedding. Another helpful tip when scouting a wedding photographer is whether he or she is willing to give you printing rights to the photos. Withholding of reprinting rights is the main source of hidden additional costs in the industry. For instance, a photographer can offer you a very low price for their photography services, and after the wedding, they can inform you that the only way for you to receive your pictures is to pay $6.99 for each 4×6” print. Considering that a professional photographer takes between 1,000 and 3,000 images per wedding this can get very pricey very soon.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

10. What equipment should a wedding photographer carry?

Since wedding photography is a rapidly-changing industry, new technologies and equipment are being constantly introduced to professional photographers which makes it difficult to give exact specifications of the equipment required for a quality photo shoot. However, some standards remain unchanged such as having at least two professional-grade photo cameras, a set of various lenses and speedlights, as well as off-camera photographic lights, reflectors, stands, portable batteries, and photographic umbrellas. In my professional kit, I usually carry three professional-grade photo cameras, five to six lenses, five speedlights and one video light, at least two photo stands, a tripod, three sets of wireless speedlight triggers, 2-4 light stands, a stepladder, and a set of creative props.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

11. Are photography prices less expensive for off-season and weekday weddings?

The prices for professional wedding photography vary for off-season and weekday weddings. You can potentially save up to 20% on a regular photography package with a winter wedding on a weekday. If you want to include albums in your package, the discount will probably be much smaller because the cost of album production is fixed and included in the photography package price.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

12. Can I order both black and white and color photos?

Since it is fairly easy to convert a color photograph into a black and white one, do not worry about making this decision in advance as long as you agreed on color photography.

Photo by Tatiana Valerie at Artvesta Studio

13. Why do wedding photographers copyright the pictures they take at weddings?

Transfer and printing rights can easily be confused with a copyright. The copyright is granted to any photographer at the time a picture is created. It does not need to be claimed, documented, or registered by an author. If you want to reproduce the images from your wedding photographer, make sure a reproduction release is included in your contract. For more information on copyrights, visit www.copyright.gov. It is common for wedding photographers to retain the original hi-resolution files to be able to maximize their profits by making additional money on prints.

Still have questions? Please feel free to ask me by commenting below or email [email protected]