Top 10 questions to ask your wedding photographer before booking
Being a photographer is a tough job. You need to know how to use your cameras perfectly, in ever-changing light situations, with no time to prepare. You need to get things perfect the first time, every time. You need to be experienced enough to know where to stand, what to capture, what’s coming next. But with so much choice out there, how is someone looking for a photographer meant to tell the experts from the chancers? As a wedding photographer myself, I have written this guide to suggest some questions you can ask a prospective wedding photographer before you book in with them.
Questions to ask a wedding photographer
How long have you been doing this?
I put this question first because it’s a good ice breaker. I always like to tell potential clients how I got into wedding photography, too. It’s nice to hear a bit about when a photographer got started and what their motivations were for getting into the industry. Plus you know how experienced a photographer you’re getting, which is very useful information.
Can we see some full galleries from recent weddings?
This, too, is really important. Ideally you’d want to see a gallery from a wedding that’s similar to yours. So if you’re having a winter wedding, ask to see a winter gallery so you can see how they take photos in low light. If you’re having a barn wedding, see if they’ve got a barn wedding gallery to show you. Pay attention to how they manage different lighting situations, how they capture candid photos of guests, and how they pose couples for their portraits.
What would you do if your camera broke?
So at weddings, you’ll often see photographers carrying two cameras. Part of the logic to this is that you can have a slightly wider lens on one camera and a slightly closer lens on the other, and capture a variety of photos at the same time. There’s a very practical second purpose though which is that if one of the cameras broke, you’d still have a backup. I listened to a photography podcast recently where the speaker said that the shutters broke on BOTH her cameras at the same wedding. Nothing like this has ever happened to me but I now keep a backup third camera body in the boot of my car just in case. I also bring spare film camera bodies. One wedding I was setting up and realised that I actually had 5 cameras with me. There’s a tiiny chance that might be overkill, but you’re looking for your photographer to acknowledge that no camera gear is infallible and that they have a plan for what they’d do if it failed them.
Do you have insurance?
Even though I have always had the correct level of professional insurance, I’ve always thought to myself “what damage could I possibly do?”. Then I shot a wedding at Kew Gardens - they asked for a copy of my insurance certificates in advance and, as I was surrounded by rare plants and expensive Victorian greenhouse glass I was suddenly very, very aware of why I have public liability and indemnity insurance. A lot of venues will ask to see it. You won’t want to book a photographer who doesn’t have it. This is a very important question to ask!
How do you store the photos? What happens if you lose them?
Do you ever have nightmares about something going wrong at work? I think every wedding photographer will tell you that if one thing about the job gives them nightmares, it’s the idea of losing someone’s wedding photos. Personally, my storage system is as follows: Firstly, all of my cameras have two memory card slots and I have them set to record RAW files to both cards at once, so I’m automatically creating a backup. When I get home from a wedding, I transfer the files from all the cards onto two separate hard drives, so I have a backup if the hard drive breaks. One memory card from each camera then goes into storage (an extra layer of backup) and doesn’t get touched until after the wedding photos are edited and delivered to the client. Honestly, accept no less of an answer from a photographer than that. Make sure any photographer you’re speaking to takes the job of protecting your memories seriously.
What happens if you get sick on the day and can’t make the wedding?
We’re going in hard with all the difficult questions here! You can ask some nice ones of your own too! But really, this is an important question, because as much as we hope it wouldn’t happen, people are only human. People can get sick. Cars can break down. The important thing is that your photographer has thought of this and has a backup plan in place to make sure your wedding isn’t impacted. Most professionals will have a reciprocal network of people they can call on to cover for them in an emergency - ask what their plans are for this.
How long will it take to get the edited photos back?
Another important question to ask! I’m soo impatient myself and I know how excited my clients are to get their photos back. But photographers should outline their editing turnaround early so you’re not hoping for the photos at week 3 when the photographer plans on sending them at week 8. There’s no average for photo turnaround, either - some photographers are busier than others, some take a little longer to edit - it could be anywhere from 3 weeks to 12.
What’s your backup plan for if it rains?
What you’re really asking here in an indirect way is, how will you take a good photo if the light is rubbish? I personally have the boot of my car filled with clear plastic umbrellas, and light stands, so I can either offer up umbrellas or do portraits indoors with flash. I guess the answer here will vary depending on the photographer’s style but what’s important is that they’re adaptable and aren’t going to crumble under stress if things aren’t perfect.
What’s your approach to taking photos on a wedding day?
You cringe at the idea of anything cheesy but they plan on doing a portrait shoot straight out of an early 2000s bridal mag. You want some trendy, fashionable portraits but they like spot-colour editing and white vignettes. You really value lots of photos of your family but they’re taking 150 motion-blur photos of a pair of shoes instead. I’m not sure why I’ve saved this question for number 9 on the list because it might be the most important thing to ask out of them all. Make sure your photographer’s approach is what you want for your photos. If it isn’t, Google tells me there are 50,000 wedding photographers in the UK. You’ll definitely find someone else who can do the style you’re after.
What does your full-day package cover?
Some photographers offer extras in their packages, like some prints, film photography, a second photographer. But it’s also good to know how many hours a full day is to them - will they be there for when the party starts to get really messy? Do you want that, or would you rather someone who leaves you to it after the first dance? There’s something out there for everyone, so don’t be afraid to ask.
Looking for a UK based wedding photographer?
Finally, a question for you. Are you looking for a UK based wedding photographer? I’m Suzie, an experienced documentary-style film and digital photographer who works across the UK. I would love to chat to you about your plans and what you’re looking for in a wedding photographer. Tap the links below to get in touch.
