Most people book a photographer roughly the way they book a taxi: whoever is available, whoever quotes the lowest number. That approach is fine if all you need is proof that the event happened. It is a disaster if you need photographs that you will still want to look at in five years.
Questions to ask before you sign anything
- Can I see a full gallery from a recent shoot of the same type — not just the portfolio highlights?
- How many finished, edited images will I receive, and by when?
- Do I get the raw files, high-resolution JPEGs, or both?
- What licence am I buying — personal use, commercial use, or both?
- What is your backup workflow on the day itself?
The backup question is the one that separates professionals from hobbyists. A serious photographer will shoot to two memory cards simultaneously and will not hand you a hard drive that has not been duplicated. If someone tells you they only shoot to one card because it is faster, that is a red flag.
Deliverables to insist on
You want a fixed number of edited images, a fixed delivery date, and a licence that is written in language you understand. "All rights" and "exclusive commercial use" mean different things and cost different amounts; make sure the contract says which one you are buying. For sporting events, insist that the photographer captions the images with at least the match details and, where possible, player identification. Uncaptioned pictures lose most of their value within a year.
The red flags
- No written contract.
- No online gallery from previous work.
- Vague pricing that is quoted per-hour with no cap.
- Refusal to specify a delivery date in writing.
- Watermarks so aggressive on the previews that you cannot see the picture underneath.
Booking a photographer is not a commodity purchase. You are paying for judgement, taste, and the invisible work that happens before and after the shoot. Pay accordingly, and you will be looking at the pictures for the rest of your life.