Your wedding day will be one of the best days of your life, and one you’ll want to remember forever. Therefore, it’s very important that you pick the perfect photographer. Unfortunately we have heard some horror stories from brides about their photographers, which is why we’ve come up with this “must ask” list of questions so you can be confident in who you end up hiring. When you’re ready to hire your wedding photographer, make sure you interview a few options and ask each of them all of these questions so you can be sure you’ve picked your perfect match.
photography by Jenna Bechtholt Photography and Gasparian Foto of Southern California
The First Questions
- 1. Is our wedding date available?
- 2. How far in advance do we need to book?
- 3. Are you the photographer who will shoot our wedding? If not, who will?
Ideally, you want to ask your actual photographer these questions. - 4. How long have you been shooting weddings? How many have you shot?
- 5. Have you shot at our venue before? If not, would you do a site visit before the big day?
Doing a site visit prior to your wedding, either on or before the day, is important as it allows the photographer time to scout locations and plan great shots. - 6. Can we see a full wedding you’ve shot?
Their online portfolio will only show the best of the best images, so it’s a good idea to look at an entire wedding to accurately judge their work. - 7. Can we have a list of references to contact?
photography by Crystal Nicole Photography
Their Style
- 8. How would you describe your photography style?
- 9. What about your working style?
Some photographers like to blend in, while others are more visible, and others even like to choreograph shots. - 10. What separates you from all the other photographers?
- 11. Do you shoot digital, film, or both?
- 12. What type of equipment do you use? What backup equipment will you have?
- 13. Do you shoot in color, black and white, or both?
- 14. Will you follow a “must have” shot list, or do you prefer to have full creative control?
- 15. What’s your favorite part of the wedding day?
This is a great question to ask to get to know the photographer as a person and see what their personality is like. You’ll be able to see how much they open up and if you mesh well.
photography by B. Miller Photography
The Wedding Day
- 16. How many pictures will you take?
- 17. How will you and your team be dressed on the day?
The photographers should be dressed professionally and should be willing to accommodate your wedding style and colors. - 18. How many weddings do you photograph in one weekend?
- 19. Will you have any assistants or additional shooters?
- 20. How will you coordinate with the videographer?
These two will need to be respectful of each other’s position throughout the day so they don’t interfere with one another. It’s a good idea to hire a photographer and videographer who have a rapport or who have worked together before.
photography by Emily Katharine Photography
Services and Products
- 21. What packages do you offer?
- 22. Do you photograph engagement sessions? Is this included in your packages, or what is the a la carte fee?
- 23. Are there any hidden fees?
- 24. Is my venue within your area, or will you charge a travel fee?
- 25. How many images will we receive? Do we get to select the ones we want?
- 26. Can we receive all images, and is there a fee for that?
- 27. How long after the wedding can we expect to receive our images?
- 28. How will we receive the proofs?
Online, CD, USB, etc. - 29. Will the proofs be retouched before we see them?
- 30. Do you offer retouching or corrective services? What are the fees?
- 31. What type of albums do you offer? Can we see a sample?
- 32. What other products do you offer, if any?
- 33. How do we order photos, albums, or other products?
photography by Sarah Lanette Photography
Contracts, Payment, and Policies
- 34. Will I receive a written contract?
- 35. What is the required deposit? When is it due?
- 36. What forms of payment do you accept?
- 37. Do you offer a payment plan?
- 38. What is your refund and cancellation policy?
- 39. What happens if you’re unavailable on my wedding day?
For example, if your photographer becomes very sick and can’t shoot, do they have someone to take over or will you be left without a photographer? - 40. How many hours of coverage will we get?
- 41. What are your overtime fees?
- 42. Do you allow others to take photos while you’re shooting?
- 43. Will you post our images on social media or submit them for publication?
- 44. Can we post our images on social media or submit them for publication?
- 45. Do you have liability insurance?
photography by Kate Elizabeth Photography
Closing Thoughts
- – Did you get a good vibe from the photographer? Did you have a good chemistry or connection?
- – Did they listen to all of your questions and answer them thoroughly?
It’s good if your photographer didn’t rush you and valued your time as much as you do theirs. - – Check their references thoroughly to help you make your final decision.
Michelle says
Good advice. I wish I would have known all that’ when I got married
Heather | My Moxietude says
GREAT list!! #20 is so important for both the photographers and videographers. My photography team was highly experienced, but my videographer was not {we loved his style shooting and editing style} as experienced. They had never worked together before. It caused a bit of tension with both the photographer and my wedding planner on the day of the wedding.
melissa yvonne says
these questions are perfect + to the point without being overwhelming to the photographer as well. i especially love your closing thoughts portion, you always want to make sure you have a connection with your photographer. you spend so much time during your wedding with them present with you, you should feel completely comfortable with them.
Kara says
#15 is so great! I didn’t ask that, but if I did it all over again I would 🙂
Amanda says
This is an amazing resource for couples looking for a wedding photographer! This would have come in handy when I was planning my wedding!
Bea says
Great post! I’m helping to plan a wedding this year + this is such a huge help!
http://thebbar.org/
Tiffany says
These definitely seem like questions you would definitely need to know the answers to when hiring a photographer. Having them written out like this can take a bit of the stress away from trying to remember them in the midst of the chaos. Great Share!
Ryan (Palm Springs Photographer) says
Form a wedding photographer’s perspective, I think one of the best questions is to ask the approach the photographer will take What I mean is are they going to be a fly on the wall and work more of a passive approach and hunt moments, or are they going to be more active an instruct the couple/guests etc. That should give the bride a good idea of what to expect the day of (if she did not get an engagement session, which is something I encourage).
Kamil says
Wow 45 questions – that is a lot! As far as I remember, none of my couples asked so many questions during our meeting. But they should! So many good questions!
Cake and Lace says
At Cake & Lace, we think it is so important to be thorough! You only get married once and so it is best to be prepared!
weddingvelvet says
This is so helpful! Thanks for sharing
Cake & Lace says
Thanks Wedding Velvet for commenting! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Tyler Johnson says
That’s a good idea to ask your photographer if they have any packages that you could make use of. I would want to save some money on the wedding, so if a photographer could give us a package with all the stuff we want for a smaller price that would be great. I’ll have to take a look for good photographers who would do that.
Flixaura says
All the pictures are so beautiful and lavish with full of grace and happiness shows in their faces, You people are capture so well.
Flixaura says
Really Good work, all the pictures are really good and shining, Thanks for sharing!!!