:: 15 Questions for your Wedding Photographer ::

            When going into a wedding photography session, it so important that you are well informed and know exactly what you are investing it. We always hope that you hire Nashville Wedding Photography to shoot your special day, but regardless of who you choose to do your wedding photography, it helps to have an army of questions to ask so that you find the perfect photography for your wedding day and events.

            If you want to read up some more about choosing a wedding day photographer, read our client resource page for Choosing Your Photographer.

1)Do you mainly specialize in wedding photography?

Quite often, photographers specialize in many different areas of photography, wedding photography being one of the many. If you wish to have someone well versed in the wedding photography genre, ask them what their main area of expertise is, well before you ask many of the other questions listed here! At Nashville Wedding Photography, our central areas of practice are weddings, engagements, and events. These all are incorporated within a wedding so for us, our main choice of style is wedding photography! Photojournalistic wedding photography, of course.

2)Have you done many weddings in the past and are you experience with various wedding styles?

Over the years, we at Nashville Wedding Photography have done quite a few weddings and engagements! From the traditional to the laid-back, we are accustom to shooting different styles of photography based on different kinds of weddings. If you read our article, Choosing Your Photographer, you’ll get a better idea of our backgrounds and experiences in various areas of wedding photography. Couples tend to lean towards a certain style and feel for their wedding pictures. We have described a few of the most common wedding photography styles we are asked to shoot on our Wedding Photography Styles and Techniques page.

3)What is your shooting style?

This is the question that we probably get asked the most! Our style of photography is rooted in a photojournalistic style. We aim to capture the candid and unposed moments that happen naturally in life. Although we are experienced at doing posed and planned out photography, our main style revolves around that of photojournalism with an artistic flair. If you DO feel that this style of photography suits what you are looking for, check out our information about our style, Wedding Photojournalists.

4)Do you color correct the photos during the editing process?

During a wedding day shoot, there are many variables that affect the pictures. Sunlight, shadows, spotlights, candles, miniature lights, and others cast different glows and cause different exposures in the pictures. Because this vastly changes the look and appearance of the photos, it can often make them look distorted and not as professional as they could look. We color correct all of our photos at Nashville Wedding Photography to make sure they are as real and true looking as in real life.

5)Do you shoot in black and white or only color?

The fun part of the editing process is mixing it up and seeing exactly what photos look best in which format. At Nashville Wedding Photography, some of the photos we are most proud of are in black and white and also in color. Depending on the photo, the exposure, the setting, and the overall “feel” of the picture, we make some color and some black and white. Often times, we edit photos to have the same photo in color and in black in white. Usually we do this to some of the best pictures in the bunch because we want our clients to have options to choose from! Our Wedding Gallery showcases some of our best wedding day photos. Also, make sure you know what style of wedding photography suits you best as a couple in advance. Tell the photographer your thoughts, ideas, and opinions to make sure you get the exact photos you want. Specific styles and formats are outlined on our Wedding Photography Styles page.

6)Can I choose if my photos are retouched or what the final photos will look like?

At Nashville Wedding Photography, we always encourage the feedback and input of our clients and work to fill the request and desires of each client that we work with. While some photographers choose to give out the photos straight from the camera with no editing whatsoever, we always do post-editing and retouching on our photos.  This results in a professional and finished product. For an additional fee, we can give out the originals, but this is extremely rare and not a traditional request. We value the input of the clients and strive to work in editing requests. Our photographers spend valuable and precious time editing your photos to ensure you have the best wedding day photos possible.

7)Does each wedding package include an assistant or a second shooter?

Each package is outlined in detail on our Pricing Informational page. For larger weddings, we do strongly suggest that a second shooter is included in order to capture the many special moments that often happen at once during a wedding ceremony and reception. It is impossible for one person to capture the groom’s face upon first seeing the bride and likewise the bride’s face when she first sees her groom at the end of the isle. In addition, at Nashville Wedding Photography a photographer’s assistant is always included in order to help with the transportation and changing of equipment throughout the day.

8)Are you shooting events other than mine that day or weekend?

Because the importance of small details and each element of the day are crucial when taking wedding day photos, Nashville Wedding Photography does only what time allows on a day or a weekend. We never ever rush our clients and most certainly do not rush through our work and our art. This is your investment and we devote each second to giving our time and our capabilities to your important day. Please Contact Us to see what our future schedule and availability is - we thankfully stay very busy!

9)Do you have a contract for your photography services and am I allowed to keep a copy?

Your investment in your wedding day photos are as important to you as our cameras are to us! It is something you invest your time, money, and resources into with hopes that it will give you fulfillment and happiness. At Nashville Wedding Photography, we absolutely have a contract that we require for each client to carefully read over and sign with their respected information. We encourage every client to keep a copy of the contract and refer back to it should any questions or confusion arise!

10)How long does it take to get my photos back after my wedding?

Depending on which photography package you choose, the length of time taken for editing and color correcting the photos can vary. However, we do commit to having your photos back to you within a four week time frame, no matter how many hours of photography your day includes. We can rush edit the pictures for an additional fee, but typical return time frames fall within just a few weeks and no more than a month.

11)What does the photographer and the assistant normally wear to the shoot?

The emphasis of your wedding day should be on YOU! Although the photographer is an integral part of the day, we always make sure at Nashville Wedding Photography that we are not distractions to the planned events. Our attire consists of black or dark clothing that is not flashy or distracting. Also, if you are having a cultural ceremony and require specific colors to be worn, or, some colors are considered to be “taboo” for your culture, we work around and with every background to ensure that your day is centered on you and your moment. Since our main style at Nashville Wedding Photography is a photojournalistic style, it is beneficial to us to “blend in” with the background. The more unnoticed we are, the better and more candid shots we can get!

12)If the photographer becomes sick, what do we do?

At Nashville Wedding Photography, we never cancel a date based on an illness of a photographer. If an absolute devastating illness or accident occurs, we do have back-up photographers in place should such an emergency arise. However, this should never be a concern as we have never canceled a shoot to date.

13)Do you have insurance?

All professional wedding photographers should be required, and expected, to carry insurance. This not only protects and covers the photographer’s equipment should an occurrence of theft or damage happen, but it also protects any random accident that might occur. If a family member falls and hurts him or herself over the photographer’s equipment, this insurance provides liability protection for the hurt family member. Professional photographers should carry business, equipment, and liability insurance for their business.

14)What kind of camera equipment do you use? Do you have backup equipment?

At Nashville Wedding Photography, we are proud of the investment we have made into our photography equipment. We use equipment that is top of the line and used by other professional photographers. A detailed list is on our page, Our Equipment Toolbox.  Because things happen and equipment can break, we do make sure to always have backups ready, just in case. Nothing could be worse than investing in a wedding photographer who has a lens break and no back up ready to replace it, thus missing out on many of the important moments of the day. The equipment listed here are the basics of what we feel is needed to be successful at a wedding day photography shoot. These are a bare minimum of the equipment we have, so follow over to our Equipment Toolbox page to see the rest of our photography equipment:

Cameras:

-- Canon 7D
-- Canon 500D (T1i)

Glass:

-- Canon 24-105::4.0L EF IS
 -- Canon 70-200::2.8L EF IS
 -- Canon 10-22::3.5-4.5 EFS IS
 -- Canon 100-300::4.5-5.6 EF
 -- Canon 28mm:1.8 EF
 -- Canon 50mm: EF

Strobes:

-- 2 x 580 EX  II w/case and stand
-- 2 x Alien Bees B800

Light Modifiers:

-- Flash Mount 5” Lightbox
-- 2 shoot-through umbrella units
-- Collapsible reflector (24”) w/case

15)If the event last a bit longer than expected, will you stay longer? Are there any additional fees involved?

We strive to always stay true to the time committed and agreed upon in the contract with each client. There might be some flexibility in certain cases and we always do our best to work with the client however possible. In some cases, we do have fees involved for overages in time. This is an important characteristic of your day that you will want to know about in advance. Some photographers might be sticklers for time while others may be a bit more flexible, depending on their policies and standards. This is a great question to ask in advance just to be aware of what principles they work by. For more information about us, definitely check out our About Us page to see how interesting (and cool!) we are!