These will help make sure that any photographer you are thinking of is a perfect fit for you and your day. It will also help reduce the chances of running in to any issues later. Follow this guide to get the right person for the job.
1. Are you available on our wedding date?
Sounds obvious but with the backlog of weddings, many wedding photographers are fully booked. Sometimes bookings are made a year or two in advance so just quickly check the date and then you can hopefully move on to other questions.
2. Is photography your full time job?
A lot of photographers do it as a side job. You shouldn't dismiss these straight away, just be aware that this may impact the editing time after the wedding if they have another job. It is something worth asking and noting. Some full time photographers, including myself, keep days free after the wedding to help make sure you're not waiting too long to see your finished images.
3. Have you shot at our venue before or will you visit before the big day?
The photographer knowing their way around the venue before the wedding day is very important. They will have knowledge of the best spots for photos, taking in to consideration, the composition, background and lighting to name just a few elements.
4. Can you customize a package to our specific needs?
Sometimes photographers will offer a set number of packages and you have to pick one. Others appreciate that every wedding and every couple is unique. We offer to always find a package that will make you both happy.
5. Why do you shoot weddings?
This ones important. You want to make sure it's not all about the money. Someone who is there for the right reasons and enjoys it is more likely to care how the day goes and produce top quality work.
6. How long will we need to wait for the images?
For some this is more important than others. Although most photographers will offer delivery in a matter of weeks, I have heard horror stories of couples waiting months and months, going to a friend's wedding and still not had their own photos back. Check timescales with them. We know the waiting isn't fun, that's why we always offer to send a small batch of edited photos within days so that you have something to look over during your short wait for the rest. The feedback we receive is that this is really appreciated.
7. How will the images be delivered?
Usually this will be at least by USB and/or online gallery. Prints and albums are sometimes included with some premium packages. If there will be an online gallery, remember to find out how long the gallery will be available for.
8. Will the images have watermarks?
The example above shows a watermarked image. For weddings, we never watermark client's images. This is another very important question to avoid any unnecessary upset later.
9. How much of a deposit do you require to book our date? When will the rest be due?
This one can really vary. Some will work on a certain percentage of the full cost, others may have a set fee.
10. Do you have backup equipment?
You only get one chance to shoot a wedding. All good wedding photographers will have backup equipment encase anything goes wrong. It's your special day and you need to know you have the right people for the job.
Bonus questions - What will you wear? Will you bring your own food? Can we provide a shot list?
This doesn't cover every question you may want to ask but I'm sure it covers some of the most important. If you'd like any more advice, to chat about weddings or see if we're available on your wedding date, just send us a message and we will get back to you soon.
All our contact details are on the About Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.
Take care,
Jamie - Proud Of My Pixels - Wedding Photographer
07843 863856