8 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer

8 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer

‍Choosing the right photographer for your wedding day is one of the big decisions along your wedding planning journey. It may even provide the biggest list of search results when planning your big day. With a variety of styles, experience and packages available there are lots to choose from. This list of questions will help you filter through this potentially daunting task and help get the right photographer that connects with you and your vision for your day.

‍Can I see a full wedding gallery?

‍This is a great way to step away from the selected highlights of a website portfolio and view the true client experience. Even better when a shared gallery is close to your wedding style, i.e. if you’re planning a cosy winter wedding and they demonstrate they are great at handling flash lit environments you have confidence they can handle your day too.

‍How long have you worked as a wedding photographer?

‍Like with any job you get better with experience, and photography is no different. Qualifying how long the photographer has worked as a primary shooter gives an insight into their experience and ability to handle the ever fluid events of a wedding day. A quick Google search into their customer reviews will help confirm this also.

‍What’s your working style?

‍At this stage in your planning you likely have a good idea of what style of wedding images you resonate with. Just as important is how the photographer makes that happen. Do they take charge of the day and get those portraits done at the agreed time, or maybe they’re more low key and flow with the day. Do they prefer to mingle amongst the guests or keep to the edge of the dance floor. Remember your photographer, along with your planner, is with you the entire day and you want to feel comfortable with their working style.

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‍When should we expect to receive our images?

‍Ask five photographers this question and you’ll likely get five different answers. Some take 2-4 weeks, whilst others will take 3 months. It varies depending upon the detail of editing they apply, and of course how many images they intend to deliver. A popular approach by many is to deliver some preview images a few days after the wedding to help share the good news and print some thank you cards. Asking this question gives an understanding to how the photographer manages their wedding season and sets a clear expectation as to what happens next.

‍What happens if our timeline goes later then expected?

‍A well planned wedding can still have it’s hiccups with timings, it’s always better to ask ahead of time what happens in this scenario to ensure you don’t get any surprise invoices after your wedding day. If the band’s sound check goes late, will they still be there for your first dance? Rest assured, with some offering flexible unlimited coverage or 10+ hours coverage you should be covered nonetheless.

‍How many photos will we receive?

‍Photographers typically take thousands of images on a wedding day, later culling them down to the best of the bunch and editing them to be delivered in a gallery. Each have their own process for doing so and galleries will range from maybe 500 to 1000 edited images, depending upon their approach and how many guests you have on the day.

‍How long does it typically take to photograph our family and couple portraits?

‍Nearly every wedding carves out some time in the schedule to capture the family shots and couple portraits. They’re an important keepsake for a lot of people, to be hung proud in the family home for years to come maybe. It also means taking time away from friends and drinking your lovely champagne, momentarily. Will this be fifteen minutes or an hour of your day? This is good to know going in.

‍Are there any restrictions or additional costs to download the photos?

‍When you receive your wedding gallery it’s good to know who has access to the images. Some provide restriction free galleries, meaning all guests can gain access to their favourite shots. Others will limit the images to the couple only and require additional payment to download the high resolution watermark free images. An important aspect to the wedding budget to consider in advance. 

Article & images by Lee Maxwell Photography.