Five Questions You should ask EVERY Photographer

 

Whether you are visiting this site as a prospective commercial customer, or your needs are for family-related images or personal use, whether or not you are considering other rival photographers for the work you require, it's always advisable to ask these five questions before you get in front of the camera.  It might save you a lot of heartache ... and a huge amount of money ...

 

1.  Is the photographer / studio insured for professional commercial public liability and indemnity insurance on site or on location?  (Basically, if something goes wrong, am I as a customer fully covered?​)

   • HL-Studio holds 5,000,000 Euros public liability cover and indemnity insurance through Allianz Insurance.

2. Is the photographer professionally qualified and experienced?

   • Barney Douglas was awarded a Licentiateship of the Master Photographers' Association in 1987, (although he is no longer a member of that body), and is currently the highest rated commercial photographer on the world's largest freelancing website, freelancer.com.​  He also holds a current EU equivalent of a DBS certificate.

3. Do I have to pay a deposit?

   • If you are a french resident having photos of yourself or your products taken locally, then no, because there is no sitting fee per se.  However, if you cancel that booking at short notice and then ask to rebook, you may be asked for a deposit for the rebooked appointment.  

   • If you are not french resident, or if you are booking the photographer to take photographs at another location, then you may be asked to pay a deposit to secure an appointment and to cover the photographer's costs in the event of a cancellation. 

   • If you are hiring the facilities at Axat for use for your own photographic or related needs, then yes (through AirBNB).

   • Full payment terms are displayed on your invoices.  Please ask if you would like to see them in advance.  The studio's Data Protection statement is available here.

4. How competitive are your fees and reorder prices?​

   • You can find an outline of my fees and prices here, but they are not exhaustive, simply because there are so many variables.  I especially pride myself on treating my customers fairly and will not ask extortionately high prices for products and services I supply based on unacceptable emotional pressure. 

5. May I see and ratify the studio's and photographer's references please?​

   • This page provides links to a number of other websites where you will find testimonials, and this page provides a small selection covering various different customers.  I am happy to ask any client (who is willing and available) to provide a reference by email, or provide verifiable published links, but obviously cannot oblige any previous client to do so.​

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HL-Studio is a "full service" operation.  Basically, if it will go through the door, I will photograph it.  So there is perhaps one extra, final question you might ask ...

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"Can you do ...?"  And the answer is probably "yes", so please ask away.  I am here to help.