Singaporebrides | Editors' Notes

January 2018

Mixed Reactions from Wedding Photographers about the 45 Important Questions

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Read our 45 Important Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Wedding Photographer article yesterday? We received some reactions from some wedding photographers about the list and we’re sharing them here.

Last September, we published 6 Approach Techniques Wedding Vendors Wish You Knew for couples who are absolutely clueless about how to reach out to their favourite wedding vendors. We received a lot of positive feedback from vendors who shared the article. However, we know there are still many couples who don’t know where to start on the vendor selection process. We gathered some real questions from brides-to-be about choosing their wedding photographers and put them into a massive list of 45 questions as a guide to help them with this.

The article received mixed reactions from some photographers. Here are some of the comments we saw:

“Here’s a list of questions you should NEVER ask your wedding vendors.”

“Terrible article.”

“If you ask these questions I can 99% guarantee you that the photographer will reply that he is unavailable 😂😂”

“I really had a couple who met us holding a similar list… with even more items 😑”

“THESE LISTS ARE THE ONES THAT KILLS RELATIONSHIPS!”

“I’m sure SingaporeBrides made some typos. Should be what ‘NOT’ to ask.”

The photographers’ point of view

In an attempt to understand and address the photographers’ concerns, we spoke to some of those we’ve worked with before, and here are what some of them have to say.

“Couples should do their research first rather than just randomly emailing and doing ‘window shopping’. That makes it easier for them to categorise the type/style of photographer on their list, and from there it’s easier to differentiate and narrow down their list,” said a photographer who wishes to remain anonymous.

“Go to the photographer’s website to view their work. If you find that they do not show a full portfolio of their work, then email to ask if there is a way to view of their work. Some photographers include their package prices, including add-ons and customisation, on their websites. So, only ask for them if you do not see them on their website or rate card.”

Some photographers, such as 12Loves and Glen Sin, do list their package and “starting from” prices on their site, while Chris Ling has a more comprehensive rates list.

One photographer said, “I think most of the questions are closer to Bridezilla mode… but I think some very nervous and overly careful brides may ask these questions. Anyway, if I do get so many questions I may not reply the couple because it’s too time consuming.”

Another photographer said, “I think that some questions like ‘Do you have a backup plan/photographer in the event you are unable to shoot my wedding for some reason’ or ‘How far in advance do I need to book with you are valid… but quite a lot of them are a bit of a turn-off.”

Another said, “Actually, most of the questions are what photographers don’t wish to be asked because it means the couple doesn’t really know our work and style.”

Some photographers’ replies to the 45 Questions

On the other hand, some photographers have shared the article on their Facebook pages and some even answered those questions we have in the list.

On True Love Stories‘s Facebook page, they answered all our questions from a videographer’s point of view.

However, they acknowledged that “not all vendors may wish to take the time to go through all the questions in writing unless you are checking with them on their availability and their rates.” They also said, “With regards to the rest of the questions, please ask them offline, especially during the meet-up and other concerns you may have too, unless they do not require a meet-up like our business model.”

Brian Ho from thegaleria wrote his own article and posted it on his Facebook Page. It was a lighthearted response to our article, and we enjoyed reading it. And he completed it within five minutes!

We reached out to Brian to ask him what he thought about our article, and he responds, “That article for some reason has caused a lot of unhappiness with photographers, based on what I’ve observed so far. My personal thoughts: I don’t really see it that way, so I decided to take a fun approach (to the questions).”

“I understood why it was written. In all fairness, many questions are very valid.”

It’s all about building a relationship

For many couples, wedding planning can be an exciting yet daunting task with so many vendors to consider for different aspects of their wedding. To help couples with their planning and decision making, we’ve come up with lists like 8 Essential Things Your Wedding Photographer Wants You to Know to help them understand their wedding vendors better and guide them along in their planning. Our lists are not meant for couples to use as interview questions with their vendors, but to be used with discretion, as you may have already found some of these information available on the vendors’ websites or social media accounts.

There are all kinds of wedding photographers in Singapore–individual photographers, those who work with junior teams, those who team up with videographers, those who offer photo booth services in their packages, and photographers who are part of a bridal studio’s team. While the 45 questions won’t apply to every photographer, couples can use them as a starting point as they search for a photographer who suits their individual needs.

Ben Chan from Eggs Benedict Chan says, “I always feel that the client and the vendor must be comfortable with each other before the client engages their service, because it is a wedding; it’s not easy to just go there to shoot it for money without emotion, without good vibes.”

Finally, we’d like to thank all the photographers who took time to share their thoughts with us patiently.

Photo credit: Hisu Lee from Unsplash

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