2010 | YOUR WEDDING DAY

Briefing a Wedding Photographer

Before calling a photographer you and your partner should consider your needs and future aspirations of the photographs captured on your wedding day.

Things to consider:

• to what extent you want the wedding photographed
• the style of photography
• album sizes and style
• DVD audiovisuals
• budget

Your wedding day will be one of the most special and memorable days in you life. They can be days of mixed emotions so it is important to look for a photographer who you feel at ease with. They should be confident, professional and experienced.

 

Briefing a Portrait Photographer

Briefing a portrait photographer should be a truly interactive experience. People have their own soul, personality or character and in our minds eye we have an impression of what a person looks like. A photographer’s role is to explore all of this with their subjects and ensure that the final results meet their client’s needs.

Things to consider prior to speaking with a photographer would be:

• styles
• black and white versus colour
• location or studio
• size of the final prints

 

How do Photographers charge?

Different sectors of the market charge in different ways.

Commercial /Advertising photographers generally charge for their time based on how the images are to be used. This can be per hour or per day. In addition they will charge for their expenses including film and digital post production, travel, models, couriers, assistants, post production retouching etc.

Wedding Photographers will generally work to a package and have various options to suit the needs of different wedding styles and budgets. These packages will have specific inclusions and professional photographers should have an itemised price list for product not included in the package. This may include extra pages in wedding albums, reprints for family and friends and framed display prints.

Portrait Photographers will generally charge a modest sitting fee and then have an itemised price list for print orders and framing. It is important when talking to photographers to ask what the additional print prices are, as this will generally give you a better understanding of what your final cost may be.

 

Who Owns the Photographs?

To explain this properly we must first differentiate between the tangible product (say a photographic print) and the intangible being intellectual property.

When you buy a book from a store you own the book that includes the ink, the page’s, cover etc. what you don’t own is the copyright, the authors intellectual creation of the story and words.

Similarly, with photography, the photographer’s intellectual input into creating the image is protected by Copyright law.