I have to stress -- make sure when you hire a photographer you have a contract.
This is something every photographer should have and utilize from big-all-day weddings to the 20-minute family mini-session. This not only protects the photographer, but this protects YOU! It says what you're getting when deposits and payments are due when you'll get your photos and any other details about your day or session.
I had a friend (this is someone I met a few months before her wedding and we became friends - she didn't know me or my business) who came to me several months after her wedding day and was like "Hey, how long does it usually take to get wedding pictures back." I asked, "When was your wedding?" She answered, "About six months ago." I tried to hide my "what the heck" expression. I failed! I told her my turnaround time. She said they are supposed to get prints and other items, but she was having a hard time pinning down their photographer when they'd get their stuff. I asked who the photographer was. She said a friend of theirs. I perked up and asked, "What does your contract say?" She got a worried look on her face and said, "We didn't have a contract."
What ended up happening it took about 7-8 months before they got their digital gallery and another couple of months for their prints and the prints they got were not what they had discussed.
This is why a contract is super important and gives you confidence, and a voice and protects you in all the important details of your day or session.
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