Hours and hours of planning go into making your wedding perfect! Make sure you hire a photographer who is going to capture your vision the way you planned it AND with whom you connect.  You want a photographer that not only works with your budget, but also whose work, and personality, you LOVE!  With THOUSANDS of photographers to choose from, how do you choose the person who’s right for you? Once you’ve created a list of photographers that match your budget and style, now you can ask more detailed questions to find your perfect match! I’ve created a list of questions to ask a wedding photographer, to help you with this process. I’ve broken it down into The Basics, Photography Style, Logistics, Packages and Pricing, and Questions to Ask Yourself.

The Basics

22 basic questions to ask a wedding photographer before moving forward with them.

1. Do you have my date available?
2. How far in advance do I need to book with you?
3. How long have you been I business?
4. Have you photographed weddings the whole time?
5. How many weddings have you photographed?
6. Can we see the full galleries of a few of your recent weddings?
   • Pay attention to consistency!! What does their lighting look like in well-lit environments vs dark rooms or evening photos?
7. How long after the engagement session and wedding can we expect our images?
8. How do you select our final images? How many final images should we receive?
9. How are the images delivered? USB? Online Gallery? If an online gallery, is there a limit on how long we can access our photos?
10. Do you deliver sneak peeks? If so, what is the typical turnaround time?
11. Do your packages include high resolution photos?
    • Social media sized/smaller files to post and share?
12. Do you help with planning the wedding day timeline?
13. What’s it like to work with you on a wedding day?
14. Could I see a list of references or a link to client reviews?
15. What sets you apart from other wedding photographers?
16. Have you worked with our videographer? Coordinator? Venue/venue manager?
    • How do you prepare for photographing at a new location?
    • If our vendors ask for images to be sent to them, how do you handle that?
17. If we hire you, when will we receive a written contract? When is the contract due?
    • Be very cautious of any photographer or vendor who doesn’t offer a contract!
18. What information do you need from us before the wedding day?
19. What do you do to reduce the loss of files on the wedding day, and after?
    • Do you record one or two camera cards while working? 
20. Do you have a favorite part of a wedding day?
21. Have you photographed weddings that have a comparable size and style to the one we’re planning?
    • A great wedding photographer can capture any type of celebration, but there is a difference between photographing a 50-person wedding and a celebration with over 300 guests. It’s important to know that your photographer has an understanding of how they will approach the day. Even if they aren’t familiar with your venue, if they are confident and can demonstrate a good understanding of lighting, then your wedding day should be in good hands!
22. If we book, what are the next steps?

Photography Style

10 questions to ask about their photography style and how they work.

1. How would you describe your photography style (e.g. traditional, photojournalistic, fine-art, dark and moody, bright and colorful)?
2. How would you describe your working style?
   • The answer to this should help you find a photographer who either blends into the background and captures what they see naturally unfolding, or someone who has a more visible presence by taking charge and setting up images.
3. What’s your approach to posing and capturing photos on a wedding day?
   • If we don’t want an engagement session, how do you approach posing us at the wedding?
4. In what format do you shoot weddings in? Digital? Film? Both?
5. Do you provide prints or just digital image downloads?
6. Are you comfortable photographing both indoor and outdoor?
7. Are you comfortable with flash if the reception is dark or the sun sets early?
8. How do you handle the specific poses/images we would like captured? Can I give you a shot list?
9. Do you batch edit our images, or do you hand edit each photo?
10. If we want some images fine-tuned, is there an additional editing fee?

Logistics

8 questions to ask a wedding photographer about second photographers, rainy wedding days, and more.

1. Do you work by yourself? Offer a second photographer? Bring an assistant? Hire an associate?
   • If you’re hiring an associate, can we meet them before the wedding?
2. What equipment do you use? Do you have backup equipment?
3. What happens if there is an emergency and either the wedding is cancelled or for whatever reason you can’t make the wedding (e.g. sick, pregnant, maternity leave)?
   • What happens if there is inclement weather predicted?
4. Do you reserve the entire day for us, or do you photograph other events on the same day?
5. What do you (and your assistants) typically wear to a wedding?
6. Is it okay if guests take photos while you’re taking photos?
7. If our wedding goes longer than expected, will you stay? Will there be an additional charge?
8. Are you a legal business? Do you have liability insurance?
   • THIS IS IMPORTANT! Make sure you hire a photographer who not only runs a legal business, but also someone who offers liability insurance. Some venues even require all vendors to have insurance.

Packages and Pricing

10 questions to ask about a wedding photographer’s packages and pricing.

1. Do you require a deposit or a non-refundable retainer? If so, how much is it and when is it due?
2. Do you offer payment plans?
3. What is your refund/cancellation policy?
4. Do you charge a travel fee? If so, what does it cover?
5. What packages do you offer and what’s included?
   • Are they customizable?
   • Do you offer bridal shower and rehearsal dinner coverage?
6. Do you offer a wedding album?
   • How does this process work? Do we get to pick the images or change layouts we don’t like?
   • What is the turnaround time for an album?
7. How long after I order prints/album will I receive my items?
8. Who owns the rights to our photos and what are our rights?
   • In other words, do we need permission to post the photos on social media, can we share them with guests, what are our printing rights etc.
9. Will you be posting about our wedding on your website and/or social media?
10. Will you be submitting our photos to magazines or blogs for publication?

Questions to Ask Yourself

After you’ve asked your list of questions to your top wedding photographers, it’s important to sit down and look over the information. Then ask yourself a few questions:

1. Did your personalities match?
2. Do you feel a connection with his/her photos?
3. Are you comfortable with the communication you’ve received so far?
   • If someone isn’t good at responding now, when you aren’t a client, how will they be after you’ve booked?
4. Did the photographer listen to all your concerns and address them?

If you’ve answered YES to the four questions above, then you’ve officially found the wedding photographer for you!

Save the image below on Pinterest for quick access to some basic questions when planning a wedding.