5 Questions To Ask A Wedding Photographer
Choosing to invest in someone who will capture your wedding day just the way you want can be a daunting task. There are so many wedding photographers out there, offering similar services – so how do you choose who to trust and invest in?
The first thing you should do is look back at their previous work and ask a few questions to yourself.
• Do you like the photographs that they have chosen to display on their website or social media? These are normally their best work, the ones they are really proud of.
• Can you see yourselves as a couple in some of the images?
•Do the photos spark a sense of excitement or emotion when you look at them and want that to be you?
If you answer yes to those questions, then that’s normally a sign that you should contact that photographer and ask some key questions to see if they're right for you!
1. Do you have our date available?
This sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But there is nothing worse than getting deep into a conversation, getting all excited about the photos you are going to create together, then finding out that they aren’t available on your wedding day.
If the answer to the question is yes, then celebrate and do a happy dance all the way to question 2. Or stay here and read the next bit anyway, it’s completely up to you, choose your own adventure!
If the answer to the question is the dreaded “sorry, no, I don’t have your date available” then your chosen wedding photographer could still be of major use to you! They will know other professionals within the industry, usually of a similar style and working methods to themselves (we tend to stick together like that) so they can recommend someone to get you the wedding photos that you want from your big day.
2. What is your Photography and Editing Style?
With a multitude of descriptions for photography styles out there, how do you cut through the jargon to work out what it is you want? The portfolio is normally a good place to start and should give you at least a feel for what the photographer can produce.
Asking this question to a photographer should spark them into life, we love describing our work and what makes us different. You’ll hear words like "candid", "relaxed" and "unobtrusive" – which all mean pretty much the same thing. There are photographers who will take more of a lead during the day to get the shots you want, posing you and your guests to get the right light, pose and composition for their way of working. The key is to know, at least roughly, what sort of photos you want to look back on from the day.
This doesn’t mean that those who say they shoot candid can’t or won’t pose you; or that posed photographers won’t shoot candid. This is just the style they’ll default to for much of your wedding day and the way they think they get their best work.
Editing is whole different ball game! Everyone has seen filters and “edits” on Instagram, but that is not really editing in my opinion. Editing photos is a practice that takes years to get good at, learning what changes can be made to improve or ruin a photograph in the photographer’s opinion.
Much like shooting style, there are loads of different ways to describe editing styles. “Light and Airy”, “Dark and Moody”, “Cinegraphic” and “Natural” are all adjectives to say, “my photos look a certain way when I’ve finished with them”. As before, the key is to make sure that the photos are consistent with each other throughout the portfolio, and that you can see them on the wall or mantlepiece after your wedding day.
3. What are your contingency plans should you have an emergency?
This is a topic that no one likes talking about. Your wedding day is being planned with precision to make sure it goes perfectly! However, sometimes life throws a spanner in the works! Asking your photographer for their contingency plans is a great way to see how they operate. A well organised wedding photographer will have plans in place for eventualities such as illness on the day, a family emergency or even a breakdown in the car on the way to you.
A bonus question for this topic is: “Do you have insurance?”. Industry professionals should have Public Liability Insurance to cover them in case of injury because of their actions. This insurance could also cover you should they not be able to shoot on the day due to an emergency.
4. How many shots do you normally give your couples & how long do you spend at the wedding?
I caveat this question immediately with the old phrase “Quality over Quantity!”. On an average wedding day when shooting alone, I capture somewhere in the region of 3500 photographs – you DO NOT want to see them all, believe me! The beauty of digital is that we can click away to our hearts content and then cull the shots to find the ones where you look at your very best. I aim to deliver at least 500 photos out of those, fully edited, for my wedding couples.
Some photographers will give you a set number of shots, then charge for additional ones above that number. Others will have packages of digital and prints. It is up to you how many you want to receive and in what format – it’s worth thinking about and discussing with prospective photographers.
Coverage times vary with each photographer, often between 10 and 12 hours, it is worth finding out what their standard package includes when booking. Many will stay behind after the hours if you want them too, but it may incur an additional charge.
5. Can we give you a shot list?
I am yet to meet another wedding photographer who will say no this question. It helps us capture your day in a way that will make you happy – that is what we are there to do!
There is however, often a discussion to be had around your shot list. If you have something specific in mind, one of the best ways to explain your idea is to show your photographer a photo similar to what you are thinking, they won’t be upset! This then blends into the other questions above; the selected shot may not suit the photographer’s style of shooting or editing, which could point to them not being the right person for you.
There are other factors to consider too. You can plan the entire build up to have a beautiful backlight rain shot of you. This only works though if it actually raining on the day! Or if the venue has a couple of hoses? Wedding photographers are brilliant at working out photographs that look epic and give you what you want to hang on the wall. They are less good at controlling the weather. If I bump into one who can, I’ll link them below!
Remember, it is your wedding day, and it deserves to be documented in the way that you want.
Bonus Question – Do we need to feed our Wedding Photographer?
Not a necessity by any stretch of the imagination, this is more of a nice thing to do. Your wedding photographer is going to be on their feet for the best part of 12 hours during your day, some dinner will be much appreciated by them! They don’t have to sit with your guests or even have the same meal, we know wedding catering is expensive! They will be more than happy to be hidden away somewhere with a bite to eat and a chance to recharge ready for the evening.
Many photographers will have a clause in their contract about this very thing, but it always worth double checking with them. Besides, you’ll get bonus points for being lovely and you have less chance of being photographed with dinner hanging out of your mouth!