Questions to ask your Wedding Photographer
Finding a photographer is probably one of the hardest things to do for your wedding day. From the minute that you post that ‘recommendation’ post on Facebook, you are completely swarmed with (albeit AMAZING) hundreds of photographers telling you why you should choose them!
This blog really isn’t going to be a ‘why you should choose me’ post. Instead, it’s going to give you some tips and tricks in culling down the photographers who have in fact messaged you/ or commented on your posts.
Step 1: Knowing what you want
Firstly, you need to have a little think about the style of photography that you like. What do you (and your partner) respond to? You may be a couple who prefer super bright, clean and airy images, for which I’d recommend taking a look at Geraint Roberts. Or, you prefer that moody look- because you’re a bit of an edgy couple! In which case, take a look at Leesha Williams! Or maybe you’d like something warmer. So, have a little look at my page while you’re here.
You also need to take into account the styles of photo you would like. Do you want everything to be posed? Or, do you want things to be a bit more candid?
If you haven’t already done your little post on Facebook, maybe try to include the details of style you want- so as to narrow the amount of responses down immensely!
Step 2: How to Cull
Ideally, you want to eventually decide on just one photographer. So, you already know what style of photos you want, and that means you’ve narrowed it down to a smaller (but, still intimidating!) amount of photographers. Maybe you have 3 in mind, maybe you have 30! What you want to do is really look into the things they say on their website, their instagram, and their Facebook. You have to remember that you are going to be spending all day with this person. And, while half of the job is having great photos, you wouldn’t want to hire someone, just to find out that they’re completely rude.. or insensitive, or just not your type of person. It’s important to really get to know these people before you send them over your hard-earned money!
You’re naturally going to need to submit an enquiry form with each of these photographers you’re interested in. This will immediately narrow the search down, as some may not have availability, or cover your area. However, say that they were ALL available. Look at their responses. Was it cold/automated? Maybe you don’t like that. Maybe someone replied in a super upbeat way, and really made you feel like they wanted to know all about you. But then again, maybe you prefer they have that professional barrier! This is a great way to narrow down, and when you do this, you can go ahead and reply to them asking for a phone call/zoom/FaceTime! Most will be super happy to comply with this.
Step 3: The ZOOM Call
You looked at their website. You stalked their Instagram. You made an enquiry. You’ve got them on the phone. What the heck do you do now?! How do you know what questions to ask, and what the right things to look for are? It’s difficult, but that’s why i’m here helping!
Questions to ask while Zooming:
Can you describe your style of photography? We touched on this already, and while you think this photographers style is for you- it’s important just to confirm this in person with how they see it themselves, and what they prioritise about it.
Am I able to see a full Gallery of photos? No photographer is going to put full galleries on their websites. That would be FAR too many pictures to look through! Just check with them that you can see a full wedding, as it’s just handy to see the kinds of things you’d be getting!
Do you do photography full time? I was a little iffy about putting this one in. Just because somebody isn’t full time yet, doesn’t take away from how great their work is. However, you should be conscious that somebody who does this part-time may have different priorities, and a longer turnaround time.
How long is the turnaround time? A pretty standard question! These can differ between 2 weeks- 2 months.
Will we meet before the Wedding Day? It’s always a great idea to meet your photographer before the wedding. It just eases the nerves a little. Maybe your photographer offers a pre-wedding session within their packages, a great way to meet them, and to allow yourselves to become more comfortable in front of the camera.
Are you Insured? This is an incredibly big question to ask, so please make sure you VET everyone you talk to!
Have you shot at my venue before? And, will you visit it? Again, with this one, try not to judge. If a photographer hasn't been to a specific venue, their view will be unbiased and they will always have a unique perspective.
Will we have the rights to the images? This is a tricky one. You will almost never receive the full rights to your images. However, don’t let this put you off! Make sure to ask about this with your photographer. As, they could have a different way of working around the rights issues. For instance, with my packages, though I own the rights to the images, you would be allowed printing & sharing rights.
What happens if you’re ill, or in an emergency and can’t make the wedding? I can’t speak for anybody else here. But, I work with various associate photographers who would be able to step in should I fall ill on the day. However, just check with different tog’s as they may purely work solo.
So, you’ve asked all these questions, and maybe you’ve added some of your own too. Now is just time to sit back with your partner and discuss both, who had the best responses, and who did you connect with the most? In an ideal world, this would be the same person, but I can’t promise it will be. It’s really down to you both now to choose. Maybe you’re really stuck now between three photographers you spoke with. So, you could even ask them for a reference list- so that you could speak with previous couples they have worked with! Take a good look at reviews, and even factor in the price and what you receive with each package.
I really hope this helped you! Please feel free to contact me if you want to know more about something, need advice, or just want to chat!