Useful Questions To Have Answerd By Your Wedding Photographer
1) Why are you worth the amount you charge?
There are many reasons we charge the rates we do, some of which are quite obvious: all of our photographers have many years of experience and many, many weddings under their belts, we offer full resolution images with full reproduction rights, we use very expensive equipment, we edit the photos ourselves – each of the photographers edit the photos from the wedding, their own and the second-shooter’s; then there are the “hidden” costs, like having a beautiful lounge in most hotels we work with, having to pay all the additional people involved in the process of organizing photography and cinematography for a wedding – our colleagues at the Call Center, our Wedding Planners that meet the bride and groom in the hotel and help plan and organize the whole experience etc.
2) Do you shoot natural light or artificial light? Or both?
All of our photographers in DreamArt, myself included, are comfortable shooting both. We do prefer using natural light whenever possible and as late as possible, but we also always look for opportunities to be creative with off-camera flash, or complement that available light with a little fill from our flashes. We also use flash to create better quality photographs when there is an actual need for the extra light – like during a reception where there isn’t much light or the light is in all different and weird colors.
3) Do you back up your files online just in case of a fire? Do you have backup equipment?
We actually have several backup plans in place at all times. First off, we download the photos to the photo lounge in the hotel the same day we take them. Second, we have a NAS in place in our main office, where everything gets copied to, then there is the Online Gallery, where our brides can actually access and download their photos at all times. We also keep our photos for a minimum of eight months, most of the time much longer than that.
4) Will I get a high resolution DVD?
We actually give the Full Resolution images (between 20 and 40 megapixels’ resolution), which is perfect for doing both large prints – we regularly print our photos in 18*12 inches – and also larger or smaller things too, like huge canvas prints or just regular 6*8 inch prints. We also give our photos on USB and online. Both versions are the full resolution files.
5) How do you make us feel relaxed for the photographs, especially when posing?
Both myself and all of my colleagues have extensive experience working with people, from all walks of life, and we also have photographed quite a few weddings (I photographed over 150 weddings). Also, we all come from different parts of the world, so, if nothing else, our quirky accents will make you laugh.
6) What is your shooting style? Do you focus on storytelling?
We pride ourselves in capturing your special day with all the possible details, storytelling being the main focus. It will be a combination of both photojournalism and some posed shots (especially the group shots and some of the bride and groom). We tend to be as unobtrusive as possible so as to be able to capture all those natural, genuine moments that cannot be posed and planned for, nor repeated. We only take center stage when we need to organize a specific shot.
7) Will you help us with the planning of photos and video for the wedding day?
Yes. The most important things for us are for the bride and groom to first, have a great time and not worry about anything, and second for their photos to be as beautiful as possible. Since we live here and know what light is better, how long it takes to move from one place to the next inside the hotels, what can end up taking longer than initially thought etc. we do our best to help you plan accordingly, so that you take advantage of the best places with the best possible light and with all the time you have with your photographers and videographers. It happens often for a bide to come to the interview with our Wedding Planners with a specific timeline in mind or even written down, and leave with a very different schedule after that meeting. We try to have the photographer present during that interview, or at least have several questions and ideas written down by our Wedding Planners and communicated to the photographer.
8) What happens if you get sick on my day?
We are very lucky in the sense that we always have someone that can take over if needed.
The benefit of working with such a talented team for such a long time (there are around 40 photographers in DreamArt, and we have been working together for the past 3 years, or more) is that if you were to have a situation where you really can’t attend a wedding, one of your colleagues could take your place easily. This is something that hardly ever happens, and it has never happened to me personally.
9) What happens if it rains?
This is an important question, because most brides would think their photos and video would be ruined if this happens. This is actually not the case. There are some photographs that can only be done on a rainy day, with rain as a backdrop. We always make the best of any situation and rain is just that: a different situation. There is always a Plan B in terms of where your cocktail or reception will take place, in case of bad weather, and we also I have also offered couples an hour of two of extra time on a different day so we can get photos with the beautiful Caribbean Sea in the background, rather than just rain.
DreamArt Photography is the leading luxury photography company based in resorts in Mexico and Jamaica. In the past years, DreamArt Photography & Video has become world leader in its category with more than 1,000 weddings, 6,000 lifestyle sessions, and almost 250 events yearly, in both four and five diamond resorts.
By Andrei Mihalache
Kay English
Photos: DreamArt Photography
Event Resources
©DreamArt Photography 2010 - 2016. All Rights Reserved
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