Hours, files, backup
Ask what the
pictures include.
A portfolio shows taste. A quote has to show hours, who else is working, when the files arrive, and what you are allowed to do with them. Ask the same questions of each photographer or filmmaker before you compare prices.
By EventDoIt · Updated 3 October 2026 · 7 min read
Compare
Hours, delivery and a backup person
Name
The moments that must be covered
Ask
Who may publish, and when
Ignore
A price with no end time
01
Name the hours and the moments
Write the start, the finish, and the moments that matter: an arrival, a ceremony, speeches, a first dance, a product on a stage. Ask whether the quote covers all of those hours or only a portion, and what an extra hour costs. Ask whether film is a separate person and a separate edit. Two quotes for “the day” are not the same if one ends at dinner and the other ends at the last dance.
Start and finish
Moments that must be covered
Photo, film, or both
What an extra hour costs
Breaks and a meal for the crew
02
Ask what happens when you leave the room
Portraits, a couple’s walk and a stage all take people out of the event. Ask how long that takes, who is left covering the room, and whether guests will miss a course. A plan that needs the hosts for forty minutes during dinner has to be agreed with the caterer, not discovered on the day.
03
Ask when the files arrive and who may publish them
Ask how many pictures you should expect, in what form, and by which date. Ask whether you receive them to download, and for how long the link works. Ask who owns the files, whether you may print them, and whether the photographer may publish guests’ faces. Ask the same for a film: runtime, music, and whether you can show it to people who were not there. Get the answers in the agreement. A friendly message is not the agreement.
04
Ask who comes if the booked person cannot
Illness and a double booking are ordinary risks. Ask who would replace them, whether you can see that person’s work, and whether the price changes. Ask what equipment is duplicated. A one-person team with one camera is a different risk from a team that can cover the room if someone steps out.
05
Ask what makes the quote a booking
Ask the company name on the invoice, the deposit, the VAT rate, the expiry of the quote, and the cancellation terms on both sides. Ask whether the date is held, and until when. Record the numbers on the quote sheet. Do not treat a pencilled date as a booking until the deposit terms are written down.