Questions to Ask a Wedding Photographer

Do’s and Dont’s

So you just got engaged and have started setting up all types of meeting with the vendors and venues that you are interested in. However, it’s pretty overwhelming trying to figure out what the important topics are to talk about at a consultation. Consultations are also amazing opportunities to get to know your vendor and really find out if they’re as experienced as they let on. In this article, we are specifically talking about the types of questions to ask a wedding photographer. Some questions get us photographers in a knot because an uninformed wedding blog told a client to ask a ridiculous question. For example, do you have references I could talk to? That’s a weird question because I don’t believe that past couples should have to talk to endless amounts of people on their own time. We’re living in this modern era where we have these things called online reviews. However, it’s completely understandable that first-time bride and grooms aren’t sure what they should and shouldn’t be asking. Therefore, I have laid out 14 important questions to ask your wedding photographer and 6 questions we all hope you don’t. Read below to find out why.

Prefer to learn video style? Check out my Youtube video about the same subject here.

DO!

• What happens if you’re sick on my wedding day?

It’s super important to know what will happen if your wedding photographer becomes too ill to photograph your wedding. While this occurrence is super rare, it does happen. And when it comes to weddings if it could happen, you should plan for it. You want to know that your potential wedding photographer has a plan in place to deal with this situation. Most photographers have a group of trusted peers with the same photography style and approach that they can call upon in a time of need. If the photographer you are chatting with does not have a plan of action for this situation I would consider it a red flag.

• Do you have insurance?

Professional wedding photographers always have business insurance but it’s important to find out for sure. This covers any accidents that may occur during your day. Red flags should pop up if your potential wedding photographer says they don’t have insurance or try to get out of answering it. If you think they are telling you what you want to hear you can request a proof of insurance certificate. It’s also helpful to find out if your venue requires proof of insurance from your vendors. This is becoming a standard in the industry and if your photographer can’t come up with one they won’t be able to operate on the property.

• Do you have back up gear?

Don’t forget to add this one to your list of questions to ask a wedding photographer! This is extremely important to know. Photography gear is dropped all the time and it’s rare that it survives. So what happens if your photographer shows up with one camera body and lens but then it breaks? You can’t pause your wedding ceremony to wait for the photographer to go to the nearest store and by a new set up. Make sure that they have at least 2 camera bodies, lenses, and flashes. Added bonus: Many cameras now come with 2 memory card slots. Ask if your photographer is adding another line of protection for your wedding photos by using a backup memory card so each photo is created twice. If one of the memory cards corrupt, which is possible, you’ll have the other copies and all will be well.

• How do you keep our images safe?

A lot of couples don’t think about this part of their relationship with their photographer. Computers and hard drives crash, files are lost. How will your potential photographer make sure that doesn’t happen to your wedding photos? The rule of thumb is to have 3 copies of your images in 3 different places. This means if one was to crash your images would be safe. Ask them how many places, which places and when they will be backing up your photography. This rule applies to you as well! After you receive your wedding pictures back them up to 3 places as your photographer will not keep them forever.

• Can I see a full gallery of a past wedding?

Let’s be honest, wedding photographers love to showcase the bride and groom photos most in their portfolios. There’s nothing wrong with this but there’s more to a wedding day than that. While portraits are usually a top priority for most couples, you want to know that your photographer can capture any scene well. How disappointing if they could take fantastic couple photos but don’t grasp lighting enough to create equally great getting ready or reception photos. You also get a taste of how you will receive your gallery, how many photos to expect and how your photographer approaches each section of the day.

• How would you describe your approach?

Is your photographer that fly on the wall that lets your day unfold naturally or do they direct every moment? It’s important to know this because you may not want a photographer that will interrupt a moment to fix your dress. On the other hand, you may be the bride that wants to look perfect in every photo so that type of photographer would be great for you. You want to ask your photographer how they approach every section of the day so that you know what to expect and can make sure it suits your needs.

• How would you describe your style?

A photographer’s style comes down to the lighting, editing, posing, angles, and the crop they use. For example, there are two major schools of photography style at the moment. We have dark and moody which consists of lots of contrast, drama, and shadows. The opposite is the light and airy style. The lighting used by this type of photographer is very soft and lacking any deep shadows or contrast. When looking at a photographer’s portfolio you notice these styles but it’s nice for the photographer themselves to put it into words so that you know it’s what you connect with.

• Do you provide any educational materials?

Again, you’ve never done this before but your photographer has many times. They should be the expert that you can trust and turn to for help. It’s important for your photographer to educate you in at least some way. This could be via blog posts, scheduled emails, client guides, etc. The photographer most likely wants the photos to turn out the best possible, just like you. This means they will want to let you in on things like the best times of day, planning for light and the best types of locations for photos. There’s really a lot to know and if a photographer offers nothing you have to wonder why.

• How often will we be in communication?

Is it ok if you email them anytime for help? Will you book your photographer and then not be in contact with them again until your wedding day? It’s nice to know what the communication will be like as the silence can be a little unsettling. There are other things you need to keep in contact about like timelines, sharing the day of details, etc.

• How long is turnaround time?

While this is not as important a question as the above it’s still important to know the answer. For example, if your wedding photographer said that their turn around time is 6 weeks but now it’s 6 months later, you know something isn’t right. You can then take the necessary steps to deal with it. The average turnaround time for a wedding photographer is 8 – 10 weeks so keep that in mind.

• Do you have a contract? When do I see it?

If a photographer says that they don’t have a contract that’s a sign to run for the hills. Contracts are put in place to protect you and the vendor. It also sets expectations around the service. If you need any clarification on a contract don’t be shy about asking because it’s important to understand. You also want to make sure that the contract covers important things like payment, archiving, date change, etc.

• What is the payment schedule?

You want to know the payment schedule so that nothing comes as a surprise. Photographers usually require retainers as well so this will let you know how much you need to pay upfront to book. It’s also an important number to know because if you cancel with this photographer that amount is nonrefundable. This just helps you stay organized and plan your payments.

• Do I have printing rights?

It’s not as popular as it once was but some photographers and studios do not grant printing rights to their clients. This means that you are not allowed to go anywhere anytime and print your photos. You can only buy prints, albums, and other products through your photographer. Sound shady? Well, not exactly. Certain photographers do this because at the end of the day they own the artworks and base their income off of the sale of printed products. This may be something that you are or aren’t looking for in a photographer. It’s good to understand this so there are no surprises in the future!

• Do you offer engagement sessions?

You may not want an engagement session but if you do make sure this is something your photographer offers and for how much. An engagement session is a really awesome way to confirm you like working with your photographer, how they create images and the final product. Say, for example, everything seems great and you go ahead and book your photographer. You never truly get to understand their process or how they photograph until after the wedding if you decide against an engagement session. I include a free engagement session in all of my packages because it’s a benefit for everyone. I get to find out what a client is like in front of the camera and find out where they may need some help. Also, my clients get to see what types of crazy things I do to make them laugh and get them interacting together. If for whatever reason you end up hating the photos or the process it’s important that this realization doesn’t happen on or after the wedding day.

DON’T!

• Can we get the unedited, RAW photos?

This question really throws wedding photographers through a loop. “Why on earth do they want the RAWs?” we think to ourselves. And it’s true, why do you want these? Unless you have your own Adobe software you wouldn’t be able to do anything with these files. But even if you do have your own Photoshop, are you planning on editing your photographer’s photos, your way? I suggest that if you don’t like the way your potential wedding photographer edits their photos so much so that you want to do the editing, don’t hire them. Instead, hire a photographer who’s complete shooting and editing style is what you like. No one wants to deliver an unfinished product and at the end of the day, you don’t have the copyright anyway. I’m going to blame people asking these questions on bad wedding advice articles…

• Can I get a discount? Can we avoid taxes?

Have you ever walked into the grocery store, collected your items, had the cashier ring everything up and exclaim “Oh goodness, that total is out of my budget. Can you give me a discount?” The cashier replies “Of course!”. Didn’t think so because no one gets a discount just because they want one. Just as you wouldn’t walk into a retail store expecting them to change their prices, photographers will not do this either. Unless you have something fantastic to make this agreement balanced, find someone who is in your budget from the start. Also, legit businesses pay taxes and will not jeopardize their hard-earned success because you want to withhold a couple of hundred bucks from your government.

• My friend/family member loves photography, can they take some photos too?

It’s great that your friend loves photography and of course, they can bring their camera and take photos. However, there are boundaries that should be respected. This friend or family member should not shoot over your professional photographer‘s shoulder or stand directly in front of them, blocking their shot. You have invested a lot of money in your photography, it would be a tragedy if your shooter missed your first kiss because uncle Bob jumped into the aisle to get it on his iPhone. If someone was to follow your photographer around all day shooting everything they create, turn around and add those images to a photography portfolio in hopes of getting wedding photography business. That’s a no, no. On top of that your experienced photographer probably has an exclusivity clause in their contract so be careful not to cause a breach.

• Can I give you a Pinterest board of photos I want?

Us photographers understand that Pinterest is a really great tool for collecting the vision you have for your wedding day in a way that you can show and discuss with your vendors. It’s great for that! However, making a Pinterest board for what wedding photos you want to recreate doesn’t work for most wedding photographers. If you hire a traditional or editorial wedding photographer they may be ok with staging moments. (Check out this article that explains the difference between photography styles.) However, it’s kind of a ball buster to have a client not trust your creative abilities to the point where they want you to copy others. Maybe it’s a good time to ask yourself if you actually like this photographer’s work.

• Can we hire your second photographer for 1 hour?

Your potential wedding photographer should only be hiring experienced, professional second photographers who are main photographers as well. So when you ask if these professional photographers can be booked for just one hour on a Saturday during busy wedding season, it’ll be a no. This is because it is highly unlikely that they will be able to book another job on that day. They would rather keep that day open, book a full day or just take the day off. Wedding photographers don’t get enough weekends to relax with the family to begin with.

• Can we add a filter when we post our images on social media?

Your wedding photographer will take so much time editing your photos to perfection! They’ve also been honing their editing skills and style for years. If you feel like the photos need a little more something, something you don’t like your photographer’s style. Hire a professional photographer whose work you love, without adding an Instagram filter on it.

So after reading this to you have a better understanding of which questions to ask a wedding photographer are necessary? Check out more planning advice articles for brides and grooms on the blog! Thank you 🙂