Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before Booking - Wedding Photography FAQs
What is the key to finding the perfect wedding photographer? Ask them questions! Your photographer will spend most of thier shooting time following the wedding couple, so in additional to loving their editing style, make sure to ask them some questions and have a meeting (either face-to-face, by phone, or online) to get an idea of their personality.
Not sure what questions to ask your wedding photographer? Below is a list of questions that you can choose to ask your potential wedding photographers. You don’t have to ask them all, but hopefully it gives you a few ideas.
The Basic Wedding Photography Questions
You’ve found a wedding photographer who’s style you love, so what comes next? These are the questions to ask first which may or may not lead to other questions. After all, you will need to know if they’re even available for your wedding day before going into a detailed set of questions that you might want to know.
Are you available to photograph my wedding date?
This may seem like a fairly obvious question, but you would be surprised by how many people get in touch with photographers to ask for pricing, without even knowing if the photographer is free to photograph their wedding. I put this in as part of my contact form so I can be sure I’m free in the very first conversation. You don’t want to get attached to a professional who’s work you love if they aren’t available for your day. Most photographers are booked 8-24 months in advance, so I highly recommend having early discussions with photographers as soon as you have booked your venue for a date.
Will you be the actual person photographing my wedding? If not, can I meet the photographer who will be there on the day?
If you are booking through an agency or a collective, they might have multiple photographers work for them that cover their own specialities or locations. For example a destination wedding company might have recommended photographers for each country they provide weddings into. It’s important to know that the person you are booking is the person who will turn up for the day. There may be second shooters or assistants on the day that you haven’t had any dialogue with in advance, but hopefully you trust that your photographer has hired any additional professionals they need to get the job done.
You need to know up front if the person you are speaking with is the photographer who will document your special day. In my case, if you’re booking me, it’s me that turns up!
Can I see a full gallery of a previous wedding/event you have photographed?
This for me is the most important thing to ask. This will give you an idea of exactly what kind of value you will be receiving for your money and is the only way to see the photographers complete delivered work. You will have already seen images on their website or marketing material but these images are often the absolute best of their work. Seeing a full gallery lets you see all the different kinds of shots your photographer will be taking and delivering for your own wedding.
If you are looking for a budget photographer that’s just starting out, it’s unlikely that they would have photographed a wedding previously and may not have an album to show you. In this case, at least ask to see some examples of what they have photographed before, and just keep in mind that proceeding is a risk.
Do you carry backup equipment?
You would be surprised how many photographers there are in the market, and how many of them operate without any backups. The answer to this question should be an absolute yes, If you are paying a professional to capture your wedding day. This doesn’t just include the camera! Professional wedding photographers should carry backup cameras, lenses, memory cards, flashes, and more. They should in this day and age also be recording to two memory cards at the same time, in the event that one card corrupts. If you’re on a budget, or someone is photographing your wedding for free, be aware that they will not likely have backup equipment and it’s up to you whether you want to take that risk. I’ve seen a local horror story of a photographer begging to borrow someone elses camera an hour before a paid wedding, because they only have a single camera. You need to weigh up whether it’s worth the risk to proceed with anyone who doesn’t have backup equipment.
Do you have any other weddings or events close to our wedding date?
This isn’t the most important question in the world and there isn’t really a right or wrong answer to it, but you will need to feel comfortable with the answer they give. If the photographer is only shooting your wedding and nothing else the day before or day after, then you know all of their focus and time will be spent on you and your partner’s special day. If the photographer is at another wedding hundreds of miles away the day before your wedding, there is always the risk they will not have the energy to shoot another big event the following day, or they may be in a rush to leave to get to another event somewhere else. Use your own judgement here and go with what you feel is comfortable.
Do you have any assistants working with you at weddings?
This is often based on the size of the event but it’s good to know how many people will be working your wedding day. For longer days you will likely have to provide a meal for your suppliers so you will need to know if your wedding photographer is working with an assistant or second shooter. Some people prefer to work alone but larger weddings can definitely benefit from a second shooter. Check this with your photographer as a an assistant or second shooter may be an additional cost.
How much experience do you have photographing weddings? How many weddings have you photographed?
Personally, I don’t agree with this age old question as I know a lot of photographers that have been working in the wedding industry for years that still produce awful photos, and I know lots of very new photographers that produce exceptional photos. I think it’s important to see your photographers work and to gauge an understanding of their capabilities so that you know what quality to expect for your money. Bear in mind that just because someone has done something for a long period of time, it does not make them automatically good at it: Years of experience can also be years of bad experience.
Have you shot any weddings of similar size and style to ours?
Good wedding photographers could capture any occasion, but each photographer has their own unique styles and niches that they tend to fall into and perhaps excell at capturing certain style events over others. The photographer might specialise in bohemian-themed outdoor weddings, for example, and might not actually be interested in a church wedding. It's important to know that your photographer has an understanding of how they'll document the day, so make sure to tell your photographer how many guests you are expecting at your wedding as this will determine whether or not they require an associate or assistant. Capturing a small 40-guest wedding in a reception area is very different to capturing a 300-guest wedding in the grounds of a castle.
Have you shot at our ceremony location before? Or will you check out the venue in advance?
Your photographer might not have shot at your wedding venue before, and that’s perfectly fine! It’s also ok if they aren’t able to check out your venue in advance if they haven’t shot their before. Most good photographers will research the venue in advance to find out what it’s like and prepare for anything in advance. This may be as simple as checking out photos of the venue online, or asking other local photographers for their advice on shooting at that location. You might want someone who has shot your specific venue a lot so they have great inside knowledge on the best spots, or you might want a less formal style of photography where there aren’t many planned portraits anyway. There isn’t a right or wrong answer to this question but it’s good to ask about their process.
Have you worked with our wedding planner or videographer before?
Again there is not a correct answer to this. It’s important to know that your photographer will work well alongside other key vendors throughout your wedding day, particularly the wedding planner and videographer. Perhaps let them know your key vendors in advance, if you have them booked already. They will soon be able to tell you if there are any previous conflicts to avoid but any professional photographer should be able to work around all of your chosen vendors.
Photo by Josh White Photography
Style
Style doesn’t just refer to how the images will look! You will already have a good understanding of the photographer’s visual style from photographs on their website and marketing material. You also need to know the photographer’s approach to actually capturing those tangible moments, and what their personality is like.
How would you describe your wedding photography editing style?
You need to have a good idea of what you want out of this question before you ask it. The photographer should confidently be able to tell you their approach to editing. If you’re looking for really true-to-colour edits and your photographer tells you they like to edit to a warmer softer tone, then it’s probably not the right person for the job. There’s no correct answer to this, you just need to know style you want and to ensure the photographer is going to deliver on that style.
How would your describle your shooting style?
It’s even more important to understand how your photographer will work your wedding. Do you want someone to be in the background documenting the day as it is,? Do you want an arty, posed style that is more like a photoshoot for a fashion magazine? Do you want to be heavily guided or do you want them to take the day as it comes? These are all completely different approaches to shooting wedding photography and you need to choose a photographer who will suit your preferences.
Can we provide a shot list of photographs we would like captured?
This is going to depend on the photographer’s style and also whether or not you actually want any planned photos. If you’re hiring someone to take an art style shoot then it’s probably best to provide an extended shot list you would like captured. That style of shooting is more posed, so it’s handy for the photographer to know if there are any specific poses you would like. If you’re looking for someone to document your day in a more natural, non-posed way, then a large shot list will not work. Speak with your wedding photographer about this and see what their approach is to shot lists. They might even have a prepared basic list for you to fill out. At the end of the day, it’s your wedding, and if there is something you 100% want captured then definitely mention this to your photographer.
Do you only shoot on digital, film, or both?
A really simple question but if you really have your heart set on vintage film photography and the photographer only shoots digital, then it’s not the right fit. Ask this question early on if you have a preference. The other thing to think about is with digital you will likely be delivered a lot more photos because digital cameras can hold thousands of photos. With film, you are limited to rolls of 32 shots at a maximum. Don’t approach a film-only photographer and ask them to deliver 600 photographs, for example.
An example of 35mm film photography by Josh White Photography
Pricing & Packages
You’ve found a photographer who’s style you absolutely love and they’re available on your wedding date. Perfect! Next step is to find out if your preferred photographer is within budget, and what’s included within their wedding photography packages.
What is included in your standard wedding photography packages?
To keep things simple, most wedding photographers have standard tiered packages that at least offer a guide to their pricing. It may not be 100% of the costs but these packages are a good indicator for how much you’ll be spending on their services and what those packages include. If it isn’t clear as to what is included, then make sure to ask.
Do you offer custom wedding photography packages?
If you have a specific request for something that you want included within a package, you want to add extra hours, or simply want a tailored package to suit your very specific needs, then ask. Some photographers might say no, but it’s worth opening up the question to see if they are able to accomodate for you.
Do you offer engagement shoots in your packages?
If the photographer has a pricing or packages section on their website, this information will likely be included on there. If it’s not, and you would like one, ask if they have separate pricing for it. This may already be included within their wedding photography packages but if it’s important to you, then definitely ask.
How many hours of photography coverage are included within your packages? How much do you charge for working additional hours?
This is something that should be detailed in a wedding photography contract but you will need to know this before even booking. The photographer’s wedding packages on their pricing sheet or website should tell you exactly how many hours are included, and whether they have a price for additional hours that will be invoiced as a surcharge. Some photographers may not offer additional hours if you have only contracted them for a certain amount. This is because you will normally pay all of your wedding photography fees before the wedding day, and there is always a risk that the additional hours don’t get paid for. Coverage hours will start from the moment the photographer is scheduled to arrive to the time they leave, and time flies by on a wedding day! Make sure you book with a bit of leeway so they can capture everything you want even if there are delays on the day.
Do you offer any optional extras?
There are so many things photographers can offer as optional extras for your wedding so definitely ask what they have available, and put in a request if you have something specific in mind. This could be anything, including: photo books, prints, film negatives, engagement shoots, a videographer, photo booths, and more. If there are a few things you would like, your photographer might be able to bundle together some prices for you when available.
What editing processes are included within your services?
Any professional photographer (when shooting digital) will be capturing your wedding images in .raw format and editing those pictures in their unique style to deliver via a final readable format. You need to know how far your photographer will go with their editing. IE: do they include basic lighting, crop, and colour adjustments only, or are more advanced edits included? This could be removing a guest from a photo, colour correcting a bridemaid’s dress that was ordered in a slightly different colour, fixing a flyaway hair, etc. Ask what is included, and/or if they offer advanced editing as an additional service.
What distance do you cover? Are there any travel fees to pay on top of your standard package costs?
Most photographers will have a working area they cover within their standard pricing, but may charge additonal fees outside of this range. You might need to pay for lodging if they’re travelling a long way to you. This is particularly important for destination weddings, as there will be airport parking, flights, hotels, luggage, and other expenses to consider on top of their standard fees.
Photo by Josh White Photography
Photo Delivery, Prints & Albums
Once your wedding day is over, you will be able to look back on those beautiful photos taken by your wedding photographer… or will you? I’ve heard horror-stories about couples thinking they’re getting a really good deal from someone, and then they receive a digital album full of low-resolution watermarked photos. They’re then told to remove the watermarks is going to cost them another small fortune! My advice is to make sure you have a very clear understanding about deliverables: when will you get the photos, how many photos will you receive (this might be a strict figure or a rough estimate), will you receive any prints, and will you receive a photo book? These questions will ensure both your and your wedding photographer are both on the same page.
How will you deliver the wedding photos?
Some photographers will share an online gallery with you, some will offer a USB stick containing all the photos delivered to your door, some will offer a print-only service with no digital photos all. All wedding photographers have a different way of delivering the final photos to you, it’s up to you to decide if that method is in line with what you would like. If you’re really set on a particular photographer who usually offers an online gallery, but you would prefer a USB of photos, then ask them. They will soon tell you if they’re happy to be a little bit flexible with their delivery method or not. The key is to know exactly how the photos will be delivered to you, and make sure they are free of watermarks!
When will I receive my wedding photos?
By far the biggest portion of a wedding photographer’s time is taken up by the editing process. I can only speak with personal experience here, but it takes me up to 24 hours total editing time to complete a full day gallery for a client. It’s unrealistic to expect your wedding photographer to deliver photos next day, or even within a week of the wedding finishing. Most wedding photographers will usually say 4-8 weeks turnaround time from the end of your wedding to the photo delivery. Some may also include a few edited highlight images within a couple of days of your wedding just a teaser that you can share online in anticipation for the full album. Just make sure you are comfortable with the answer before you proceed to signing their contract.
Will we have the rights to the images? Do we own the photographs?
A lot of couples might assume that because they have paid for the wedding photographer, that they own the photos. This generally in not the case. Ask your photographer what rights you will have to the images and you may receive an answer that is something like: unlimited royalty-free personal-use license and a non-commercial print release. This sounds complicated, but it is really common for wedding photographers, and it basically means that you are being given a license to distribute the images online, to print the photos as many times as you like, for an unlimited amount of time, providing this is for personal-use only. The only thing these two licenses do not cover is commercial use. For example, if a bridal magazine wants to use one of your photos from your wedding, they will need to seek permission from the photographer to do so, not you, because the copyright is retained by the person who took the photograph.
Will we receive high-resolution digital images (or negatives, for film)?
It is unlikely that your photographer will give you a specific size that your digital images will be provided to. This is because when we crop images, you lose some of that file’s information and therefore the image size is reduced. However your photographer should be able to at least tell you that you will receive high-resolution jpeg images without any watermarks. If they’re taking film photos, are they going to deliver you the negatives, or will they develop the photos and issue you digital versions of the film photos?
How long will our images remain accessable for? Do you archive images?
Your photographer is not responsible for keeping images for forever, so please make sure that once you have downloaded your photos, that you keep at least one backup, preferably more, to ensure their safety. My advice is to keep one copy locally (on your pc, hard drive, usb stick, etc.), one local backup (on a separate drive), and a third backup as cloud documents. This cloud backup is important as it keeps the photos safe even in the event of a fire or other major disastor. Some photographers will provide a permanent (or semi-permanent) backup, but you might pay an unarchival fee if you request images after a certain time has passed. You need to know how long your images will remain accessible for after the wedding images have been delivered.
Can we order prints directly from you?
Some photographers provide a printing service and others don’t. Any answer is acceptable but if you were hoping to go to a single vendor for photos and prints and they won’t, then you might prefer to work with a photographer who offers this service. It may not be a deal breaker, and your photographer might be able to recommend another company to go to for prints or photo books. A lot of modern photographers will use a professional online gallery service that lets you order prints directly from your delivered digital album, which saves a lot of backwards and forwards communication with your photographer.
Can we order a printed photo book from you? Will you design the album?
Printed photo albums don’t seem to be as popular in modern wedding photography as they used to be, but some couples do still really want a professional, memorable photo album that they can cherish and pass on for generations. If you really want a printed album, ask if your photographer provides an album design and fulfillment service. Just be aware that professional photo books are really expensive to print, so it might seem like your photographer is charging is a fortune but ultimately they will be forking out a few hundred pounds on printing the book before adding on their design time. Be assured though, that professional photo albums are significantly better quality than what you can buy online.
Do you include any photo albums or prints within your packages?
This will likely be outlined within the packages shown on the photographer’s website whether any prints or photo books are included. If it’s something you definitely want, it might be worthing if the photographer can tailor a package to include this from the off. Some photographers might even provide a discount for you if you want to order any prints or books in advance as part of their package payment.
How long does it take for prints or photo books to be delivered?
Prints are usually a more standard and will likely be a fairly quick turnaround. If your photographer delivers you an online gallery with an integrated print store, then these prints can be as fast as a day or two. However your photographer might wish for your photos to go to their own address first, so that they can check the quality before sending it on to you; the latter will take more time. Ask your photographer what their process is for this and how long they expect prints to reach you. If your photographer is designing you a printed photo album, then this will take a lot longer as they will need to take the time to do so. Ask them for an estimate on design timelines and whether you are allowed to be involved in the design process. Will the photographer send you a draft proof of the design to sign off before sending it off to their print lab?
Photo by Josh White Photography
Logistics
You now know that you you love the photographer’s style, they’re available to photograph your wedding day, you are happy with the price, you understand exactly what will be delivered after the wedding, and now it’s time to move forward to signing their contract. Most of this should be covered within a wedding photography contract, but if it’s not, ask! If the photographer doesn’t have a contract, this is a big red flag. Every working professional should be able to provide you with a draft copy of their standard wedding contract with a full list of terms and conditions. Although contracts aren’t the nicest of things to read, it does set in stone an exact agreement between two parties.
Can I see your wedding photography contract?
Do not pay any money to a wedding photographer without seeing their contract first. If a professional photographer does not have one, this is a huge red flag and you should walk away. A contract is absolutely necessary to clarify exactly what is covered within your agreement and the final contract should be read and signed prior to paying any money.
What are your payment terms? Do we need to pay a deposit?
It’s important to know exactly when payments from your chosen wedding photographer will be due, and how much those payments will be. Weddings are a big expense and you need to ensure you have the cash available to pay those expenses as and when when they need to be paid. Receiving a surprise bill when you’ve just paid thousands for something else might affect your cash flow. It’s not uncommon for wedding photographers to request a deposit (usually 50% to secure your wedding date), and the remaining balance (second 50%) to be paid a month or two before your wedding. Now, you might be thinking that you shouldn’t be paying for the remainder until you approve the photos, but rmember you’re paying for the photographer’s work, which has already been completed before you receive photos. Make sure that payment timelines are included within their contract.
When will we receive your photography contract?
It’s important to note that unless you have signed a contract, no vendor is officially booked! Ask your photographer how long it will take to get their contract over to you to read and sign before paying your deposit to secure the date. Most professionals have a template for this and will just need to change a few details for your specific wedding to include things like venue location, date, etc. However just bear in mind that wedding photographers are busy people, so it might take them a few days just to have time to send this across.
What is your refund or cancellation policy?
No-one plans on cancelling or reschedulling their wedding day but sometimes things do go wrong. Someone could fall ill, for example. You need to have an understanding of what your photographer’s cancellation policy is for if you do need to move the date or cancel the event, and whether they offer any kind of refunds for this.
What public liability insurance do you have?
Public liability insurance means that in the unlikely event of an injury or damage, then any claim (up to the insured sum) is paid out by the insurance company. A lot of wedding venues actually require other vendors to have their own public liability insurance to be allowed to work on their premises. Ask this question to ensure your photographer will actually be allowed into the venue. This is a good question to ask all of your vendors early on just in case your wedding venue does require it at any stage, you can confidently say that all your vendors are covered.
Do you have a backup plan for if you are unable to attend our wedding?
Wedding photographers are human beings. We are just as prone to ill health, sickness, and force majeure as everyone else, so it’s good to know what your photographers backup plan is if they are unable to attend your wedding for any reason. This also should be included within their wedding contract, and they should stipulate that they will find you a replacement photographer, send an associate, or someone who works to their same standards to complete your wedding shooting. They will likely pick up the editing themselves, if they can, so you still get their unique editing style even if someone else will be taking the images.
How will your photography team be dressed?
Some photographers will standardise to formal wedding wear but others may go for a less formal look and regular dress in workwear. It’s up to you what you feel comfortable with. If you want your photography team to blend in with the guests’ colour theme, then you might want inform them of the dress code. Just be aware that they might and can say no… a full day of wedding shooting can be 12+ hours and your photographer will need to be comfortable for that length of time.
Will you be posting about our wedding on your website and social media? Will you be submitting our photos to magazines or blogs?
If you want to keep your wedding (or at least some parts of your wedding) private, then please make sure to let your photographer know that you want your photos to remain confidential. If you’re happy for them to share the photos as part of their marketing material or to other sources then you can leave this question out. It’s particular important though if someone within your wedding requires safeguarding. Make your photographer aware of this at the earliest convenience so they can take extra steps to ensure only you see your photos.
Photo by Josh White Photography
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