Questions for engaged couples to ask a Chicago wedding Photographer.

1. Does your wedding photographer allow you to keep and own (on DVD) all the photos he shoots? Milestone does with every package (even short day). Some wedding photography companies have hidden charges or have minimum orders (some as high as $3000) for the couple to own the photos on DVD.
2. Does your wedding photographer correct in Photoshop all the photos he takes? Many times the photo a bride likes best is considered a reject by the photographer. Milestone does not assume what you will like and they correct AND provide all the photos that the Chicago wedding photographer takes.
3. Does your wedding photographer create Jpeg files in 2 RESOLUTIONS? Having your photos in 2 resolutions has the best of both worlds. Use the large files for making prints that are over 8″x10″. Use the smaller files for quick viewing, archiving, emailing, slow computers, situations where hard drive space is at a premium. Milestone gives you photos in 2 resolutions, no one I know of else does.
4. Does you wedding photographer make you order all the wedding photos off their website? (TRICK QUESTION) When you order from THEIR website the wedding photo company can charge any price they want for reprints. Check their price range per photo (8×10’s for $8-$12)  and compare with the completive prices at Wal-mart (8×10’s for $2)  and Shutterfly.  Milestone Photo and video allows the bridal couple to post the photos anywhere they want for the most completive prices for reorders. We require that you list Milestone as the photographer on your shutterfly page to give us photo credit.
5. Does your photographer include a video photo montage on DVD of the best 150 to 300 photos set to music? Milestone includes a wedding DVD of the best photos that the photographer took during your wedding day set to music with chapters and menus.
6. Is your Photographer experienced with taking wedding photos at your particular church or reception hall? Check out our photo gallery, it is arranged alphabetically by reception hall.
7. Is you wedding photographer capable of shooting different styles of photography? IE: Traditional posed,  Avant-garde posed, corny/cheezy posed, semi-posed, still life, Dramatic/deep focus, photojournalist.
8. Does your wedding photographer charge extra for stops along the way between the ceremony and the reception? Milestone will go to up to 7 locations through out the day.
9. Does your photographer experiment with all types of lighting techniques? Many other photographers use just one lighting technique for all situations. Basic flash for all photos makes for boring and flat looking photos. Or I have seen some who shoot with existing light for all photos, which looks cool and natural sometimes, but at other times can be grainy and unflattering on older people. Milestone uses many types of lighting techniques, IE: on camera flash (with diffuser), bounce flash, existing light, existing light with fill flash and Flash backlighting which has a halo of light surrounding the bride and groom.
10. Does your photographer allow your guests to shoot their own photos during a wedding photo session? Many of the largest companies in Chicagoland (that charge extra for wedding photographs) do not allow guests to shoot over the photographer’s shoulder. Milestone will allow other photographers to shoot the same poses.
11. Does your photographer do research on the internet to find out what are the newest, cutest and most innovative poses out there? Milestone does this research and we bring examples with us printed up to show the bridal party how to pose on some of the more innovative and complicated poses that we do.
12. Does your photographer use flash diffusers to mellow the harsh flash and make wrinkles, pimples and lines look less noticeable? Milestone uses the Gary Fong Lighsphere light diffuser and the Lumiquest 80/20 diffuser.
13. Can your photographer take extra shots of young children while they are behaving, and photoshop those children’s photos into group shots for posed shots that the child was not present for? (or was misbehaving during a photo session) Milestone does this often and this can be seen on our website galleries
14. Does your photographer have a super-wide fisheye lens that can take ultra-wide 180 degree photographs or entire rooms? Milestone is equipped with several of these lenses that can distort reality, let leave people looking normal and not fat. We have a gallery dedicated to this type of extreme creative wide angle shot.
15. Does your photographer have the ability to bring different height stools to layer people for photographs of large groups. This is important at reception halls that have no stairs. Milestone has these stools. Just let us know if there is no stair case.
16. Does your Photographer know the area with (26 years wedding experience) of your wedding or reception an will he be able to suggest a cool outdoor photo location between the ceremony and reception?
17. Does your wedding photographer shoot the posed altar photos in “Camera RAW” for better quality? This enables his pictures to have more dynamic range, ability to blow up and crop, and the ability to change exposure by a full 3 f-stops.  Milestone uses camera RAW for posed altar photos.
18. Does your Chicago wedding photographer give a large discount when you also book videography from the same company? Milestone discounts combining photo and video by $100 off the top. Then Milestone video will include a free unmanned second video camera a $150 value!
19. Does your wedding photographer shoot a free OUTDOOR engagement photo session? an outdoor engagement photo session will look more natural and modern than an old fashioned portrait in front of a background in a studio. We shoot these at Lilacia park in Lombard or Churchill woods forest preserve.
20. What is the size of the provided print of the engagement photo that the wedding photographer makes. The bigger the photo the better. Milestone prints the largest engagement picture and mat for signing at the reception . Our print is 19″x 13″ and the black sign able mat is 20″x30″.
21. Is your Photographer equipped with plenty of back-up camera bodies, lenses and flashes?

Copyright 2011 By Robert M. Busch and Milestone Photo & Video All rights reserved. No Part of this article my be used without written permission from Robert M. Busch.