Questions to ask a wedding photographer
Choosing your wedding photographer is one of the bigger decisions in your wedding planning process. Your wedding photos will be how you and your loved ones revisit and remember your wedding day so it's important to find someone you trust and whose portfolio you love. There are many important questions you can ask a wedding photographer but I think these are some interesting questions that create better conversation to help you decide whether or not the photographer is a good fit for your wedding day.
Wedding Photographer Meeting Checklist
Below is a list of questions that can serve as a meeting checklist for your wedding photographer consultation. I’ve included explanations for each question below:
Are you available on our wedding date? Are you able to give us a soft hold on the date?
What do you enjoy most about photographing weddings?
How would you describe your working style and general presence on a wedding day?
Can you describe how you work with other wedding vendors on the day-of?
Have you worked at our venue before or at a venue that is similar in light, layout, etc.?
Is it possible to see a full wedding gallery from a past event you have photographed?
Can you help us with our wedding timeline?
Do you shoot from a shot list?
How do you approach posing for couple portraits?
How do you backup your photos?
How will you use our photos?
What happens if you have to miss our wedding?
Will you receive digital files of your photos? How and when will they be delivered?
How many wedding photos can we expect to receive?
What is your favorite part of a wedding day?
What gear or equipment do you shoot with?
What is the coolest or most fun thing you’ve seen done at a wedding?
Do you have everything you need from us in order to do your job?
Can we change our photography package? Can we add a second shooter?
How do we cancel or reschedule?
What to ask your wedding photographer
Are you available on our wedding date? Are you able to give us a soft hold on the date?
Wedding planning is hard and there are a lot of moving parts for all parties involved. It’s a good idea to double check if the photographer is still available for your wedding date and to understand how competitive your date is. Some photographers will provide a short, soft hold for the date to allow you some time to make your decision while others will book first come first serve or in this case whoever puts a deposit in first.
What do you enjoy most about photographing weddings?
Learning why the photographer shoots weddings can tell you a little more about them and why they chose wedding photography as a focus. Do they seem passionate about their work and excited about your wedding day?
How would you describe your working style and general presence on a wedding day?
Your wedding photographer will be one of the vendors you work with most on the actual day so it's important that you get a sense of their personality and how they work on the day of. Do they have a large personality that fills a room or a calming, easy going presence. Are they hands off throughout the entire day or do they arrange and produce moments?
Can you describe how you work with other wedding vendors on the day-of?
Your team of vendors work for you and should all have the goal of making your wedding day the best that it can be. It was a surprise to me when I first found out that occasionally there is drama between videographers and photographers. I'm not here for that and I don't think you should be either. Getting a sense of how your photographer works with other vendors is valuable insight to have. How do they go about working with videographers, wedding planners, etc.?
Have you worked at our venue before or at a venue that is similar in light, layout, etc.?
Most wedding photographers with several years of experience will be well versed in working at new venues. There are so many wedding venues around and it's almost impossible to have worked at all of them. A professional, experienced photographer will know how to adapt to new surroundings but it's a good idea to understand if your photographer has experience working at venues that are similar to yours.
Is it possible to see a full wedding gallery from a past event you have photographed?
Photographer websites and their social media profiles are often filled with the best moments and photos that perform well on those platforms. It’s a great idea to see how the photographer performs throughout the entire wedding day. Are their images thoughtfully composed, properly exposed, and sharp during real time, faster paced scenarios like the wedding ceremony and reception or just during more structured and posed moments like couple portraits? I’m always willing to share a past wedding gallery for prospective clients so that they can see the whole day and not just cherry picked moments. It’s also a great way for them to see the online gallery that I provide.
Can you help us with our wedding timeline?
Determine whether or not your photographer will be available during the planning process to advise you on how long certain parts of the day will take and when the best time of day is for certain moments. Is that planning assistance included in your photography package or is that an extra fee? I include planning assistance in all of my wedding photography packages and I’m always happy to share timeline resources.
Do you shoot from a shot list?
If you are looking for particular types of images that you are wanting to recreate or just have a particular vision, check with the wedding photographer to see if that is something they are comfortable with. Most experienced photographers are well versed in how a wedding day flows and they should know what the go-to moments are but there may be certain moments that are unique to you and your partner and it's important to communicate that.
How do you approach posing for couple portraits?
Not everyone is excited to be in front of a camera so it's important to know what that experience will be like with your photographer. Is the photographer comfortable providing direction or are they more hands off? Are they comfortable providing poses that are gender neutral? For my clients, I try to find poses that feel natural and mimic how their bodies come together in real life. I work with folks by talking them through the process instead of just holding my camera in front of them waiting for them to do something cute. I want whatever "poses" we do to feel natural and not posy. I also always check in with the couple to make sure they are feeling good.
How do you backup your photos?
It's important to know what happens to the photos your wedding photographer shoots following your wedding day and before they are delivered. A good backup plan has multiple levels of redundancy and at least two different physical locations. When I photograph a wedding the first thing I do is import the photos to at least three different hard drives. I then begin uploading the images to an online storage platform. Lastly, I make sure to copy the photos to a flash drive that I can bring with me whenever I leave the house.
How will you use our photos?
As is industry standard, most wedding photographers retain the copyright to their photos unless otherwise agreed upon. Knowing how your wedding photographer plans to use your wedding photos is important. As photographers, being able to share our work is a necessary part of growing a photography business and vital to attracting new clients. When I share my photos I always do so in a way that is respectful and I make sure to never post names or identifying information about my clients. I only ever use the photos on my website or social media and I never sell my images.
What happens if you have to miss our wedding?
This can be a tricky question to answer as a wedding photographer but seeing how the photographer communicates that answer is important. Most photographers will try everything in their power to be there at your wedding. I've never once missed a wedding in over 15 years. The mere thought of being late fills me with late night anxiety. Emergencies happen though and our backup plans can often only be hypothetical unless you're willing to pay for a backup photographer to sit on standby. For my clients, I promise to do everything in my power to be there or to find a qualified professional colleague who can be there in my stead if I’m physically unable to make it.
Will you receive digital files of your photos? How and when will they be delivered?
It's commonplace these days to receive some amount of high resolution digital images from your wedding day but it's good to double check with the photographer what their photography packages include. Some photographers may only offer prints or a certain amount of digital images with additional downloads as an extra fee. It's also important to know what the deliverable is and when you will receive it. I deliver all of the final edited high resolution images available for download access via an online client gallery that is connected to a professional print lab.
How many wedding photos can we expect to receive?
Every wedding is different and this amount can vary depending on your timeline, individual events on your wedding day, and how long your photography coverage is for. Your wedding photographer may have packages that dictate how many photos you will receive. I deliver roughly 100 edited images per hour that I shoot but again that number can vary depending on the day and how the timeline is structured. My goal is to deliver as many edited photos as I can without overwhelming clients with duplicates.
Fun questions to ask a photographer
What is your favorite part of a wedding day?
This is a great way to get to know what parts of a wedding day your photographer enjoys and might give you some ideas about your wedding day.
What gear or equipment do you shoot with?
This questions is by no means necessary and makes no difference how good a professional photographer is but if you’re into photography and camera gear you might have fun connecting with a photographer about this.
What is the coolest or most fun thing you’ve seen done at a wedding?
As wedding photographers we get to see a lot of different celebrations and it’s not uncommon to see something new or out of the box at a wedding. Your photographer might end up giving you an idea that your guests will love.
Last-minute questions for your wedding photographer
Before your wedding day you might have some questions for your photographer regarding last minutes changes. You might find some of the answers to these questions in your photographer’s contract.
Do you have everything you need from us in order to do your job?
Make sure that you provide your wedding photographer with a timeline of your day, necessary contact info and addresses, information on parking, a shot list or list of family portraits if applicable. Ask your photographer if there are any details they need from you prior to your wedding.
Can we change our photography package? Can we add a second shooter?
As your wedding planning moves along you might decide you want more or less photography coverage than your initial package includes. You might also decide you want a second shooter. Check your contract or ask your wedding photographer if and when you can make these changes.
How do we cancel or reschedule?
Life happens and unfortunately even the best wedding plans can hit road blocks. Communicate with your photographer as early as possible regarding your plans to cancel or reschedule your wedding and see what options you have. Revisit your photographer’s contract to see what steps are laid out.
This is just the start of some of the questions you can ask a wedding photographer to work out whether or not you want to work with them on your wedding day. As a photographer myself, I find these questions open up conversation a little more than others and help paint a picture of who the photographer is and how they do business. Ultimately the questions you ask will likely be unique to you and your wedding.