Three Surprise Questions to Ask Before You Book

What is your approach to portraits? 
Candid photos are a wonderful part of your wedding photography, but it’s essential that your photographer has the ability to create portraits. I use the term create because a portrait isn’t simply taken. Portraits are truly the foundation of your wedding album and memories. 
 
A portrait is the result of intentional lighting, posing, and composition. A portrait photographer studies your face shape, body type, and personality in a matter of seconds and sets up a series of portraits that beautifully represent you. This skill is imperative during your bridal, groom, family, wedding party, and romantic sessions. 
  
What is your crowd personality? 
I’ve literally had people climbing the walls during large group sessions.  (I’m not complaining – it was kind of fun. If you’d like to hear this story, give me a call.) It was funny to me instead of overwhelming; that is my personality.
 
A wedding photographer must have the ability to wrangle a crowd. Many weddings have large wedding parties and large families that need to be organized into several, important group shots. Weddings are not always quiet, calm places where everyone is immediately cooperative. Your photographer should have the personality and ability to pull everyone together, guide them, pose them, and photograph them in a fun, timely manner. 
 
What is your editing style? 
Perhaps this isn’t such a surprise question. I see it on lists for brides to ask photographers, but it’s important to be prepared to hear the answer. There is quite a bit of technical jargon that can be associated with photo editing. 
 
To you, one of the most important is probably touching up, or removing blemishes on skin, but what about also touching up the landscape, or the plaster on the wall or the hair spray on the table in your getting ready room? Or that telephone pole... or (I like to joke, but it’s true,) that cat who came around during your romantic session... Your photographer should be prepared and willing to take distractions out of your images. 
 
Another obvious answer is correcting light and color. All your photos should be properly exposed for light, not too dark or too bright. They should also be fixed for poor white balance. Warm lights in your hotel room, or reception area, and green color-casts from the grass can and should be corrected in your proofs, but especially in your final images. Skin tones should be perfect, or close to, in your final images. 
 
Lastly, lets discuss presets. This is a personal choice that every couple will discuss when they think about what they want their wedding album to feel like. Every photographer uses presets to some extent for pop, color, and drama. Think of these as filters, like the ones on Instagram. Some presets are trendy and will come and go in a matter of months or years. You will have your album for a lifetime and you will hand it down through your family. Ultimately, you will choose your photographer based on how their final images feel to you. My thoughts are to choose a photographer who edits for classic beauty. Think Ansel Adams instead of Instragram. 
 
Now, give me a call and ask me these hard questions! Happy planning.