What are your needs For an Event Photographer to be able to quote your event fairly

1. It is very important to make sure you know what your brief is, I will do another blog about creating a good brief to get an accurate and reasonable quote. Clarity of your needs is so important to ensure you get what you are looking.

2.      What kind of experience has an events photographer had?

Make sure you have proof of a potential photographer’s experience. Check their website to see what their style is and if it fits with your vision. Ask how many years they have been a professional events photographer.  Photography is a life time of learning. The longer the candidate has spent as photographer the more likely they will have developed the necessary skills. There is exceptions to every rule so don’t just take your potential photographers word, ask for some kind of prove.

3.      Portfolio Do you like the event photographer’s portfolio, is it a broad portfolio wiht a wide selection of high-quality pictures or are there just a few great pictures from a few events.  Every photographer should be able to take a few good pics, we take a lot of pictures so lady luck will give us a few good shots but you need to be sure your potential event photographer has an abundance of high standard photographs.

4.      Testimonials Testimonial and references are a great way of understanding the skills of your photographer.  If they can’t provide either then it’s time to move on.  Booking a photographer for your event will be a big part of that’s events photography.  You need to be sure other people are happy with their work!

5.      Specialise When looking for your event photographer it is wise to check if they specialise in a specific area of photography.  A good freelance photographer will have developed many skills to make sure they take good pictures. A professional event photographer will rarely say I can’t get a good picture in this environment.  Many locations are challenging but that’s why you book a professional photographer.  It’s our job to get the shot no matter the conditions.

6.      Production Times In the fast paced world of social media people are needing their picture with very short deadlines often on the event od the following morning.  This will often mean the photographer working into the early hours of the following morning.  It is therefore reasonable to pay a little extra for that service.  This is something to discuss with you photographer.  If you really don’t need super fast delivery it is wise to give a couple of days for edits.  This will mean the photographer gets some sleep and will likely do a better job of the editing.

7.      Permissions Make sure to ask what restrictions the photographer puts on for the use of their pictures of your event. 

8.      Customer is King A good event photographer will be flexible on times, dates and what they will or will not do.  Whilst both parties should show a bit of flexibility the more you can agree before the shoot the less need there will be for flexibility.  However, the customer is king and your event photographer should be open to your needs and timings.

Please do take a look around my website www.grahammartinphotography.co.uk You will find answers to the points made in this blog as well as a wide variety of pictures for you enjoyment and an example of how a photographer can be proficient in more than one segment of the art.