Hiring a photographer for your wedding is a big, huge, massive decision! And the key to finding wedding vendors you love is to get to know them first – ask questions before the contract is signed, and figure out if it really is a perfect fit. You’ll be spending pretty much your entire wedding day with your ’tog, so you really should get along!
But, since a lot of couples haven’t planned a wedding before, they aren’t exactly sure what to ask or where to begin – so this guide has a list of questions to ask your wedding photographer (before you hire them), and a few questions that you shouldn’t ask!
You can ask a lot of these questions over email, but we always recommend scheduling a phone call with any potential wedding photographers. Talking to each other out loud lets you get to know each other in a way that words on a screen don’t, so book a consultation call and use it as an opportunity to ask all of your burning questions!
Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before Booking
There are probably like, a million things you want to know – so write down a list of questions to ask your wedding photographer before you chat with potential options. Here are some important questions that you should ask!
Can we see a full gallery?
You should definitely look through their website before sending an inquiry, to make sure that you love their work! But, after you get in touch, it’s worth asking your wedding photographer for a full gallery. What you find on their website or social media is usually the best of the best when it comes to their photos, and seeing a full gallery allows you to see the entire story of a couple’s day – getting ready, moments where the lighting may not have been perfect, and more. Some photographers might have a lot of photos on their site, and some may only show a few, so make sure you see enough, whether it’s on their site or asking for a full gallery, to be sure it’s what you’re looking for.
We’re awkward… can you help?
If you’re worried about getting in front of the camera, you’re definitely not alone! It’s a totally normal fear, and addressing it with your potential wedding photographer is a great way to help put your mind at ease, and also to make sure that their style meshes with yours.
For example, our approach as wedding photographers is very candid and fun – we want your wedding photos to be less “posing for photos all day” and more “you having a blast while we happen to be there with the camera.” The best moments are the unplanned, silly ones, and we’ll make sure you feel 100% comfortable and confident with witty (some might call it terrible…) banter and jokes, and we’ll make you feel like we’ve been friends for ages.
Do you do group photos?
Yes! We don’t show them but we definitely do them. We keep them quick and easy and recommend around 6 max so you don’t get bored. We do them when we feel the time is right on the day (after you’ve had a chance to say hello to people and before guests get too drunk or disappear off randomly!) We also like to do fun ones sometimes, and it can be a great way to have a laugh with your fave people.
What happens if you can’t make it?
While you should definitely make sure you trust your photographer to show up, sometimes things happen – so it’s important to know what their plan is for illness, and what happens to the money you paid them if they aren’t able to be at your wedding.
Most photographers wouldn’t miss a wedding for the world – but in case of serious illness or a life threatening injury, most photographers will find a suitable replacement to take over. Photographers tend to know a lot of photographers, so we won’t leave you hanging!
A big perk of being a photography duo is that in the unlikely event that one of us is physically unable to make it to your wedding, the other one can handle it!
When will we get our photos?
Setting expectations is important, so another question to ask your wedding photographer before you hire them is when you can expect to get your photos – the industry standard is usually 8-12 weeks.
Questions NOT to Ask Your Wedding Photographer
Now, while you want to be prepared and know what to expect on your wedding day, there should be some trust between you and your photographer – and it’s important to let them work their magic without stepping into micro-managing territory. If you hire an experienced professional, you should have confidence that they’ll go above and beyond to make your day amazing! So, here are a few questions you should not ask your wedding photographer.
What kind of camera do you use?
Be honest… will you know what to make of their answer? Will it affect your decision? This question often pops up on lists of questions to ask your wedding photographer written by various wedding magazines – but it’s not really important. If you’re working with a professional photographer, you can guarantee they’ve got a camera that can capture your wedding day in high quality!
Now, if you do dabble in photography yourself and you do know about different cameras and you just want to geek out a little about gear, we’re here for that!
Can we have a discount?
Remember, this is our job! Wedding photography is a ton of work, and we love what we do – and our prices are the way they are so that we can give every couple the incredible experience they deserve.
Now, if you’re on a budget, we definitely believe that you deserve coverage of your wedding day, and we’re happy to chat about shorter coverage for weekdays or off season weddings.
Can you Photoshop our bodies and give us new faces?
Okay, if this is something you truly want for your wedding photos, then you should ask your wedding photographer this – to make sure that it’s something they’re willing and able to do.
But, we encourage you to reconsider! This is your wedding day, and the way you look is the way you look – and it’s lovely. Our style is very candid, and we’re all about capturing the real stuff. When you look at your photos, whether it’s a few weeks after the wedding or a few years later, you should see yourselves – the way you really were. So while we do edit our photos, when it comes to Photoshop and changing the way you actually look, we might clean up a few flyaway hairs or smooth over a temporary blemish, but we don’t believe in heavy retouching.
Can you recreate all the photos on this Pinterest board?
While most photographers are totally fine with you sending over some photos you like or a list of shots that you want, it’s important to remember that your wedding is one of a kind! Your photos shouldn’t be a replica of someone else’s day – they should be unique to you. Plus, some photos that look amazing for another couple might not be quite right for you, because your photos should reflect your personality and your unique, real love.
So, making a Pinterest board is absolutely fine – but asking your photographer to copy every pose on it isn’t!
Can we have all the raws?
This is like asking a chef to hand over all the ingredients, wrappers, rinds, mouldy bits and all. We take a lot of photos and give you all the good ones. We don’t keep any from you for the sake of delivering a certain number. The ones we don’t send are terrible – unflattering faces, blinking, blurries, test shots of the floor and each other. A huge part of what we do, and what takes the longest, is sorting out the good ones from the ones to bin, so you don’t have to go through 6,000 photos. We also shoot raw, which can’t be opened on many devices, and we have a very particular and considered edit, to make the photo look brilliant. Raws look awful! So yeah we don’t hand over raws and trust me you don’t want them!
One Question You Should Ask a Wedding Photographer Now…
If you’re ready to start chatting with a wedding photographer duo who’s all about fun, colourful photos and candid shots, the next thing you should be asking is “are you available for our wedding date?” Fill out our contact form, let us know when your party is, and we’ll start chatting about photographing your wedding!
