8 Questions to Ask Before Hiring Your Wedding Photographer

Hopefully by now you’ve read over my recent blog posts about how to choose your wedding photographer. We talked about 5 Trending Shooting Styles among wedding photographers, and also 5 Trending Editing Styles. It’s important to know and understand which styles you love and think would be a good fit for your wedding day! Have fun doing your research and finding out what style best speaks to you and your fiance! Now, the next step is possibly the most important step in the whole process! Making sure you are a good fit personality-wise before hiring your wedding photographer.

Let’s say you’ve narrowed your choices down to a few different photographers. What’s next? First of all, head to their website and fill out their contact form. You can find mine here, or you can reach out to me on Facebook here. Here are 8 Questions I suggest asking before hiring your wedding photographer; the first one being to actually talk to them!

 

Hear Their Voice

You’ll want to make sure you connect with them either over the phone, via a Skype call, or in person. Meeting them in person, or at least a conversation on the phone, can make all the difference in the world! You’ll get a feeling for if you guys get along, and if his/her vibe is the kind of “vibe” you want for your wedding day!

Ask to see a full wedding day gallery!

We have chatted about this before but it’s important not to just go off the highlight reel of their Instagram account or website, and make sure they understand how to photograph the full range of lighting situations on a wedding day!

What is the turn around time with getting your images back?

Setting up a good expectation now eliminates awkward questions in the future.

Does their package include an engagement session?

I HIGHLY recommend doing an engagement session with your wedding photographer as this will ensure you all are comfortable with each other BEFORE the wedding day! Plus, who doesn’t want fun photos with their fiance?!

Will they be working with a second photographer?

If you and your groom will be getting ready at different locations, if you have a large bridal party, or if you have invited over 150 guests, you definitely want to consider making sure your wedding photographer will be working with a second shooter on the day of the wedding! Sometimes this is included in the cost of a wedding package, and sometimes it will be an add-on item. Make sure you understand the costs for adding on a second photographer!

Are there any travel fees?

Did you find a photographer you LOVE ….but who is out of state? Most likely they are willing to travel to you. Just make sure you ask them upfront what their travel fees are. Some want a flat rate and will book their own accommodations, and some just want to be reimbursed!

What is their payment process?

How do they accept payments, what percentage is due upfront to hold your date, do they charge sales tax, and when is the final payment due? These are all important numbers to discuss! You don’t want to be hit with any surprises!

Ask to see a copy of their contract

Finally, ask to read over the contract with your fiance. If you have any questions or concerns about it, reach out to your photographer before you sign! Most photographers have reasonable contracts that protect both YOU and them, but making sure you understand what you’re signing is always important 🙂

 

Sometimes these questions are already answered in a photographer’s pricing guide, or on their website. But if you can’t readily find the answer, make sure you fully understand all these elements before making it official with your wedding photographer! Hopefully you’ll walk away from this meeting (or phone call) knowing one way or the other if this is the PERFECT photographer for you! Hiring your wedding photographer is an important step of the wedding planning process – make sure you go into it with confidence!