7 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer

It’s finally time to start planning your wedding and it’s a super exciting time. There are so many decisions to be made and probably have a ton of questions. When it comes to your pictures, you may be wondering, are there any questions to ask your wedding photographer to make sure you are picking the right one? 

I am here to tell you YES! You should absolutely ask your wedding photographer questions to make sure you are comfortable with them and their process. Now, you shouldn’t use this as a chance to interrogate a photographer, but there are some questions you should definitely know the answers to. 

Here are my top questions to ask your wedding photographer! 

Explain your style.

Before asking the question, this starts with looking through their website and any social media channels. If you like what you see, then you can ask them to explain their style and how they work to you. At the end of the day, these pictures are what you are going to remember your wedding by. You want to make sure that you can look back and be happy with the pictures you have and that the process is aligned with your priorities.

Each photographer has a different style for their pictures. Whether this is how they actually shoot the pictures themselves/what they use or how they edit the pictures after the fact, their style has a big impact on your photos. 

Make sure you get a sense of their style and see if it matches what you want for your wedding. For example, if their style is more dark and moody, but you want your photos to be bright and vibrant, they may not be the best option. Or, maybe your photographer loves to use special effects or props in the pictures, but you would just prefer simple, true to life photos. 

You may be thinking, well, can’t they just do it this way for one wedding? But you have to remember that photography is an art. You wouldn’t ask a painter to make a sculpture because that’s what you want. You want to find someone whose eye and photographic style speak to you. 

Are you insured? 

This is a question that not many people would think to ask, but it is super important. Firstly, you want to make sure that your photographer is covered. Most photographers will have some sort of general liability insurance, and you won’t have to worry about paying anything extra for it. This is just to protect both of you, should you say, your friend Bob has one too many drinks and he trips over your photographer’s light stand during the reception and breaks his wrist. A lot of venues do require photographers and/or other vendors at your wedding to show proof that they have insurance in order to be at their venue. The last thing you want is an issue with your venue or unforeseen charges due to your photographer not having insurance. It’s also just smart business and will keep both of you protected. 

What backup systems do you have in case of tech issues? 

Technology is great and allows us to do so many things, but it can also fail us sometimes. You want to make sure that in the off chance some technical issues arise with your wedding photographer, your wedding photos are not in jeopardy. 

There are two sides to this that you can talk about with your photographer too. First, you can ask about backup systems of plans if something goes wrong with their equipment on the day of. For example, do they have alternate cameras they bring and can use if something malfunctions with their camera itself? 

There is also the post-wedding side. Once your wedding is over, you can’t just go back and do it over again if you lose the pictures. So you can talk to your photographer and see what their process is for keeping your photos safe. 

Do they store them all in one place, or do they back them up in multiple places so that if something happens to one copy, they still have others that they can use? Who is responsible for the long term storage of the digital images?

Your photographer should have a system in place to ensure that everything is safe, but it is good to ask to make sure you are protected if the worst case scenario happens. 

What sizes of digital images do we get? 

Now, every wedding package will be a little different, meaning that what you actually get will vary from photographer to photographer. However, if you are getting digital versions of your images, one of the best questions to ask your wedding photographer is what sizes of those digital images are you going to get. 

It’s important to know this beforehand, though, to make sure you know exactly what you are going to get from your wedding, especially if you are planning on printing out some of your wedding photos after the fact. The last thing you want is pixelated photos when you print them because the resolution is too small, and now you have to buy the larger file size too.

What is the process leading up to and after the wedding? Are you hands on at all with the planning and timeline for the wedding day? 

This is definitely one of the top questions to ask your wedding photographer! Just like every photographer’s style is going to be different, each photographer’s process is going to be different. Some photographers prefer to be a little more hands on when it comes to your weddings, and some prefer to sit back and follow your lead. 

It is important, though, to know their individual process so that you have an idea of what to expect. And this doesn’t just mean on the day of your wedding (although that is important too!). There is so much more that goes into your wedding. 

For example, once you book your photographer, is there anything that you need to do before the wedding? Are there any calls that you have to talk about your wedding and what you want? Do they need to know what your wedding colors are, how big your wedding is, etc? Is there anything additional included in the package (like an engagement photo session) that happens before the wedding? 

When it comes to your wedding day, how early do they get there? Do they have a set schedule you need to keep to get all the pictures, or do they just work around you to capture everything? Do they only shoot for a set amount of hours, or do they stay for your entire wedding? 

What happens after the wedding? How long until you get your photos or anything else that is included in your package (like albums, prints, etc)? Do you get any preview galleries, or do you just see the final product? Do you have to choose which photos you want, or do you get all of them? 

There is a ton that goes into your wedding that you may not necessarily think about at first. Knowing all of this beforehand will not only ensure that you are prepared for everything but will also ensure nothing surprises you or causes you unnecessary stress. 

If you are traveling, what do you do to ensure you get there on time, have all of your equipment, etc? 

Destination weddings are some of my favorite weddings to shoot, and I think they can be so magical. But, they are not immune to some of the issues you see every day when traveling. It’s important to talk to your photographer about how they handle the logistics of traveling for the wedding.

This can be questions like how they make sure they are at the location on time. Do they plan to arrive the day before the wedding, or do they plan to get there a few days before your wedding, so they have time if something goes wrong with their original travel plans? 

How do they make sure all of their equipment makes it to your wedding? This is especially important if your photographer is flying to your wedding. We have all heard horror stories of airlines losing passengers’ luggage, and the last thing you want is for their equipment to get lost on the way to your wedding. Personally, if I am flying somewhere, I will purchase extra carry on bags to ensure that all of my equipment stays with me the whole time. But every photographer will have their own process. 

While you may not be able to change a photographer’s mind or make them change their process for your wedding, it is important to ask these questions so you have peace of mind and know that your photographer is doing everything they can to avoid any issues on your wedding day. 

What is your favorite part of photographing a wedding? 

While most of the questions on this list are more logistical, this is more so just a fun question to ask your photographer to get to know them better. Odds are, your wedding photographer has shot a ton of weddings and has seen every which way the day can go. 

Asking them this can help create a more personal relationship with your photographer and can even open you up to doing things at your wedding that you hadn’t even thought of doing! 

There you have it. My top questions to ask your wedding photographer. There are so many more questions you can ask, and the list could go on and on. But, at the end of the day, just remember this is your wedding, and you want to make sure that you are comfortable and confident in the person that is going to capture such an important day for you and your partner. 

Still looking for that perfect person? Click here to get in touch and hear our answers to all of these questions!