They are a great company out of California that is changing bridal dress shopping much the same way eBay changed shopping.

Do you offer albums?

Please don’t get me wrong, I know that things like framed prints or a CD of images are great ways to keep your wedding pictures.  But for me, nothing beats a well designed album.  Just to be able to sit down and turn the pages and see your entire wedding laid out there before you makes it worth the price.  My favorite albums are hand made by Graphi in Italy, like Italian sports cars and suits, Italian albums are works of art.

What is your turn around time after the wedding?

There is no set time that you should be looking for as a rule.  You should be wary of the photographer that says they will have your pictures back to you a couple days after the wedding however.  Good editing takes time, so it is better to have the photographer take a couple weeks to do all the edits than to rush getting the pictures back and have the editing suffer as a result.  You also may want to avoid photographers that take several months to return the pictures to you after a wedding.  This extended editing time can be a sign that they have more work than they can handle and can’t give you their full attention.

Can I see an entire wedding?

The answer should be along the lines of “Absolutely, here is an album showing a recent wedding from start to finish.”  What you are looking for as a bride is consistently good work.  Lighting and other conditions for the photographer change and he or she should be able to create great pictures throughout the day, not just at one point in the day.

What do you wear?

This conversation needs to take place.  It helps the photographer know what to wear to blend in, and should put your mind at ease he or she will be dressed appropriately for your wedding.  I say for your wedding because a friend of mine, who will remain nameless, came down to the coast for his first beach wedding in July.  Being used to weddings in the Raleigh area he wore the standard black on black with dress shoes.  All of the wedding guests were wearing khakis and flip flops on the beach, and were comfortable.  If he had discussed appropriate attire with his bride before the wedding, he would have been comfortable and able to better focus on the wedding.

Will you have backup equipment?

If the answer is not yes find another photographer.  I hate to say it, but if the photographer will not have appropriate backup equipment you should not trust your wedding to him or her.  This is a once in a lifetime day for you and cameras fail at the worst times it seems.  Most professional photographers have not one but at least two sets of backup equipment at the wedding. There is no reason for not having a spare set of equipment readily available.

When is the wedding?

Most wedding photographers will be booked every weekend from the end of March through the end of June.  Knowing the date and time of your wedding will save everybody’s time if that date and time is already booked.  The photographer will simply say I am sorry but I am already booked and there is no need for the bride to meet with that photographer.  If the date is still available, then the photographer will move on to asking the second question.

Where is the wedding?

An exact location is not necessary at this point, but a general location will help the photographer plan and know if he or she can make it to the wedding without any problems.  For example, if you say my wedding is on the beach at Mytle Beach during sunset the photographer can take that into consideration for travel time from any prior engagements and possibly a hotel after the wedding.

What is your budget?

Most photographers are trying to help you when they ask this question.  If the photographer knows your budget he or she can make recommendations on ways to make the coverage you want fit into the budget you want.

The prior three questions will probably be asked before you meet with the photographer, the following two questions will probably be asked at the meeting.

Do you like a certain style of wedding photography?

This question is about an important part of the way your wedding photography will be conducted.  Do you like posed photos or candid?  Candid photos are becoming more popular, and show more of the spontaneity of a wedding.  The downside is that the photographer has to work much harder to get amazing pictures because he or she is trying not to disturb.  Posed photos will be directed to a greater detail and the photographer has to be more obtrusive.  My favorite way is mostly candid with a little posing help now and then.  For example, I might ask the bride to move a foot or two to get something ugly out of the background, or I might move the box of pizza to somewhere behind me to make the picture look better.

What don’t you like about wedding photography?

Have you seen things before you don’t want in your wedding photography?  This is so the photographer can make sure they don’t do something that will upset you on your wedding day, or when you get the pictures back.

These are just a few things that most photographers will ask of you, the bride.  They may not ask all of the questions, or they may have some additional questions.

As always we at Chris Niemann Photography would appreciate the chance to be your wedding photographer, so please Contact Us Today.

From now through Christmas 2012 we are announcing 50% off all portrait sessions!  We are also including in the portrait session a free phone consultation prior to the session, and an ordering session after the session.  This special is only good for sessions booked between now and Christmas, so please book today!

One great thing about Millers Landing at Cherry Point is that it overlooks water, which makes for a great backdrop for a wedding.  This picture was a result of something that had happened after the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding party wanted to reenact as a joke.

And this picture we just thought was funny.

Inside after the pictures everybody had a great time.

Schedule your portrait session today before summer is gone, and the kids are back in school!

Just to give you a small idea of what I am talking about, check out this picture of the ceremony area.

Then add one beautiful bride, that somehow remained calm through everything that was going on just before her wedding.

Did I mention the horse drawn carriage?

Following the beautiful, yet simple ceremony I had a few minutes to get some pictures of the bride and groom before the reception.

After sunset Fox Hollow put on a fireworks show for the newly wed couple.