Five Questions to Ask a Wedding Photographer
So you’re engaged - or maybe planning ahead - and starting to look around for the person to photograph your wedding day. Where do you even begin? How do you know you’re hiring someone worth having? And, what in the world do you need to ask this person? Choosing who to take pictures for your big day is a huge decision + an important investment, but I truly believe asking these five questions will help you make the best decision!
Here are the five questions you should ask a potential wedding photographer:
Can you help us with the timeline?
I don’t think every photographer does this, BUT it’s a great thing to know. If your photographer DOES this, then it takes some work off your shoulders. Occasionally, a wedding planner will do that but, again, not always. Personally, I do help all of my couples build a timeline. After shooting 100+ weddings, I love providing that expertise and experience with each of my couples to help them make the most of their day.
Can we see an entire gallery from a wedding you’ve photographed?
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, Y’ALL. This will give you a huge idea of what to expect from the photographer. So many factors go into a gallery - light, venue, etc. etc., but this will provide you great insight into how the flow of the day will go + what the eye of that photographer sees, captures, and delivers.
Will I have permission to print and share our images?
Some photographers don’t give full access to share your photos. Some photographers don’t give complete printing rights because they want you to order prints through them. I give full printing + sharing rights to all photos I deliver because my philosophy is why have the digital files if you can’t print or share them, ya know? P.S. - print those darn pictures!
How do we know our photos are safe with you?
I hope every photographer has a backup plan + the ability to save and store all of your images. I shoot with two memory cards in my camera. Immediately following the wedding I back up all of the images on TWO external hard drives and onto my computer. I NEVER delete or format my memory cards until AFTER the gallery has been delivered. The images stay on my hard drives forever and on my desktop for two years.
How long will it take to receive our gallery?
It’s so incredibly important to ask this question so you know what to expect + don’t get your hopes up. My guess is every photographer will give you a different answer to this, but it’s so important to understand the turn around time. My contract says I deliver all wedding galleries in 4-6 weeks, but I want to let ya’ll in on a little secret - I most often have complete galleries out to my clients in under three weeks. I also provide a sneak peek within 48 hours of the wedding!
What kind of editing is included?
Again, this question will probably warrant a different response each time, but that’s okay. This is also another reason to ask for a full gallery so you see how the edits look. True to life color is my MO when it comes to editing. I want my images to be as true to what your eyes see as possible. I also only do minimal retouching. Anything temporary such as bruises, pimples or scratches goes, but everything else stays.
What other questions have you asked a wedding photographer? What do you wish you had asked your wedding photographer? Let us know in the comments!
