Many Utah brides have family or friends that generously offer to photograph their weddings for little or no cost. While these well-intentioned friends may well be excellent photographers, there are some points you should consider. Here is a guide to help you decide when and how to use their help to extend your wedding photography coverage.

Photography skills are not the only requirement for creating great wedding images. Experience photographing weddings is the only thing that can develop the timing and intuition required to anticipate and capture the moments that tell your story.

As a guest, your friend will be drawn into conversations, have some cake, a glass of punch, talk with their families and possibly be in some of the pictures himself. How many photos will be missed or poorly executed by a distracted photographer?

If things go badly, your relationship could be strained forever. Not to mention, you could be left with no photos. Casual photographers usually don’t own backup equipment. If he drops a lens, his camera fails, batteries die or a piece of equipment was left at home, your photography could suffer.

Family and friends may lack the versatility necessary to do what you want them to. A casual photographer has probably never had to adapt his style of photography to suit the tastes of another person or photographed enough weddings to have built a repertoire of poses and shots to offer you.
If he is shy or inexperienced in directing people or not used to minding small details, you may end up with poorly posed photos of people looking in all directions or photos of only the people he felt comfortable directing.

You aren’t his livelihood. Since he probably has a full time job, you can expect to wait longer for your photos and handle your reprints yourself.

He may not possess the tools or experience to retouch photos. Your wedding day nerves-induced pimple will be captured forever in each and every photo.

He may be biased. If he still views you as a sweet little six-year old girl, chances are that is how you will look in your photos. That could be a problem if you want to look glamorous and maybe even (gasp) a little sexy.

Skill operating a camera and skill posing you to look 10 or 20 pounds slimmer do not go hand in hand. If your friend does not have experience posing all kinds of people, he can make dozens of subtle (and not so subtle) posing, composition, and lens selection mistakes that make you look a little shorter, a little heavier, and a little awkward.

If your wedding photography budget is modest, we recommend you choose the professional photography package you can afford and use it for the most important photos. Use the professional’s time to cover formal bridal photography, bride and groom portraiture, and family photos. – basically the photos most people frame and hang in their homes. Then let your friend provide additional candid coverage after the professional photographer has left – or the types of image you’ll likely use to make a scrapbook or album. If you’re primarily interested in photojournalistic style photography then you should divide the work between the professional and amature in the exact opposite way.

Are you available on my date?
This is the most important question and can end the conversation very quickly. If they are already booked for your date they may be able to recommend another photographer.

Will you be the actual photographer or will you send an assistant?
Some photographers will accept multiple bookings and then assign them to trainees, assistant photographers and even other companies. Make sure the portfolio you liked belongs to the person who will be photographing your event.

What is the fall-back plan if you are indisposed on my date?
Will they handle finding a replacement of equal skill? Will the replacement honor all the pricing agreements and provide the same service? If no replacement can be found, will you get an immediate refund?

How many photos will you take?
The number of prints included is not always the same as the number of shots taken. Will you have 100 shots from which to choose your 50 favorite? Or will you just have 50 shots?

How long will it take to get my photos?
In most seasons you should have photos within 2-4 weeks from your date. If you are having bridal photos taken before your wedding, make sure there will be enough time to have prints made to display at your reception.

How many prints will you give me?
This information should be included in the package you choose. If it is not in writing, insist that sizes and quantities or a total dollar amount be noted in your contract.

Is retouching included?
Some photographers charge extra for blemish corrections, teeth whitening, etc. Find out in advance what these services will cost and if they charge per photo or by the hour.

Do you use digital photo gear or shoot with film and then scan?
An all-digital workflow will provide faster turnaround and lower over-all cost. Depending on the type and quality of film and scanner your photographer uses, a film to digital workflow can reduce overall clarity and color fidelity.

Can I purchase the digital negatives?
While many photographers offer the negatives for sale, some will not sell the negatives, will make you wait one year, or will offer only some of the negatives for sale. In most cases, the negatives will at least half the price of your total package, so ask about a discount for giving up the prints included in your package in order to get less expensive negatives.

Will the negatives be retouched? Some photographers that sell their negatives sell them as-is with no retouching. They may require you to purchase your reprints from them in order to get the retouched versions.

Will they be full resolution?
Not all digital negatives are equal. Make sure you will receive full quality negatives, not negatives resized and suitable for making only small prints.

Are there travel expenses?
This one is self explanatory, but be specific with your photographer. Ask if there will be travel expenses for your exact event location. Make sure these expenses are in writing.

Do you have a studio?
Even if you don’t want studio portraits, you should ask this question. Photographers that maintain a studio will have higher overhead and this cost is passed on to you in your photography package. On the other hand, you can benefit from them owning a studio if the weather won’t cooperate for an outdoor session.

Is there a fee for on-location work?
Studio photographers and even on-location photographers can sometimes charge fees for working “on-location.”

How much do reprints and enlargements cost?
When you are deciding whether or not to purchase the negatives, you may want to know the cost of reprints. The price of reprints and the number of prints you will buy may be less cost effective than purchasing the negatives. Be sure to ask for (and listen!) their advice on good labs.

How much do your albums cost?
Depending on the types, some albums can be less costly that ordering reprints. Ask what options are available, how many photos they hold and what they will cost.

If my photos are partially or completely lost or destroyed, will I get my money back?
Every photography contract should contain a clause about this possibility. While photographer liability is almost always limited to a prorated or full refund, make sure you at least have this protection.

Can I speak with some of your past customers?
Ask for the email addresses or phone numbers of three to five references. Keep in mind though; a photographer won’t give you the names of clients they know will give a bad reference. Most of the point of asking for references is to make sure the photographer has at least a handful of customers he knows will say good things about him.