Photographers serve you by capturing important moments & memories to last a lifetime. However, there are a lot of logistics that go into making sure that statement rings true. Photography isn’t just about owning a camera and clicking a button — there are a lot of front end details and back end work that go into the process of making & saving photos.

As a professional photographer, I know a LOT about these details … but I didn’t know jack squat before I picked up a camera! That’s why I’m here to help YOU avoid booking a photographer who doesn’t know how to protect you and your photos.

Here are 4 important questions to ask before hiring a photographer:

Do they have a backup system?

This is super duper uper important. If you lose your photos, if something goes wrong … they have backups and they GOTCHU. Pictures are supposed to last a lifetime, and backups systems make sure that saying rings true!

Do they use dual card slots?

Many beginner-intermediate level DSLR cameras don’t have dual card slots, but most (if not all) professional DSLR cameras do. This means your pictures get written to two separate cards at the same time. This is important because if one SD card corrupts (God forbid!), your pictures won’t be lost forever because they’re on the other card as well!

Do they have a contract?

Contracts protect both you and your photographer. It should include things like how much you owe your photographer and by what date, who owns what rights to the images, and when your photographer must give you the photos. Each contract is different, but it’s important to enter into a legally legit agreement to ensure you get the photos you paid for!

Do you get printing/posting rights?

Every photographer is different with these rules, but it’s important to know them before hiring your photographer. Personally, I retain copyright ownership to all of my images since I’m the one that created them, BUT I grant my clients the right to publish/post, share and print their images. However, since my clients don’t own the copyright to the images, they can’t sell the images for a profit (which I don’t see anybody doing anyway).

Hope this helps if you’re browsing for photographers!! Ask them these questions before booking and not only will they be impressed, but you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into yourself! Happy hiring 😉