Congratulations! You're getting married!

Now what?...

Now the planning begins! The most commonly first booked vendors when beginning wedding planning are a venue/location and your wedding photographer. It can be hard to know what to ask a photographer. Chances are this is the first wedding you've ever had to plan which makes things even trickier. I'm going to list for your not only technical questions to ask to vet your photographer, but also VERY important points to consider to make sure you book an ideal match. A photographer's personality, editing and photographing style, work flow, and more play into finding a match and are definitely worth considering.

Personality is Queen!

Do you want a hands on photographer that is very communicative and directive or do you prefer a documentary style, fly on the wall type? Do you want a calm cucumber who's very chill or mellow or do you want a life of the party, energetic personality that is going to hit that dance floor with you? From the ultimate hype girl to the calm and soothing directive, we're out there and ready to work with you! Personalities are often reflected in the photographer's style as well. Personality will play into how much and the type of communication you will have with your photographer, how much collaboration they will have with you regarding wardrobe, location, posing, and more. These are all important to consider when vetting the right photographer for you. Your photographer will spend a healthy amount of time both in person and digitally, so make sure you choose a personality that vibes!

I have questions.. ..I'm just not sure what they are.

Do you want a photographer that has a lot of experience and skill in all lighting situations? Are you okay with a newer photographer? Do you want print products as well as your digital photos? What about a second photographer? I get it! There's a lot to consider, and this is probably your first time hiring a photographer for something this intense. Let me offer you a great list of questions that you can ask you potential photographers and a good reason why each is important to ask!

1- Are you available for our date and location?

First thing you should mention is your date and location. The worst is to be sold on someone and find out they aren't actually available. If you don't know your exact date or location yet, make sure you let them know! Are you flexible? Thinking of a few dates and locations? Include that in your original inquiry!

2- What is your wedding photography experience level?

How long have they been doing wedding photography? How many weddings have they captured? Have they been the lead photographer for those weddings? Some do not realize that photographing weddings and photographing families or real estate are not the same. An experienced wedding photographer is going to be key in making your day run smoothly, has experienced the common (and uncommon) hiccups of wedding days, can photograph in all different kinds of light (and the lack thereof) and more! Less experienced photographers are likely more "budget friendly", but is probably not as ready to handle the hiccups, quick timeline changes, take group photos as efficiently, and may not transition as smoothly between the ever changing lighting situations.

3- What is your photography and working style?

Photography and working style are extremely important to consider. No two photographers are the same and each will have a different process and artistic style. You should NEVER hire a photographer and expect them to edit to the style that YOU want. You hire the photographer that all ready has the style you love. Style would include their posing and composition in their images, their colors and use of lights and darks in their edits, how they utilize natural and artificial light, and artistic style. A photographer's editing style is unique to them and has been developed over years of refinement and preference and is unique to them.

It is also important to consider their working style - the way they communicate and interact with people and give direction before sessions, during your photoshoots and wedding day, and after your wedding day. Do they have guides? Location assistance? Questionnaires? Can we reach out to you outside of business hours? How do they prefer to communicate?

4- What kind of gear do they use?

This could be way over your head or you could know a bunch about photography! What is important is that they have reliable gear and BACK UP gear! Even the best gear can be dropped or stolen, or just plain decide it does not care that today is important - it is not working. A professional will have back up gear with them exactly in case this happens! Make sure your photographer does! And though not necessary, I STRONGLY recommend a photographer who's cameras are Full Frame (not crop sensor) and have dual card slots (rather than a single card slot). Even if you don't know what that means, your photographer will!

Flash photography knowledge is a huge wedding photographer requirement. If your photographer does not use flash or prefers "only natural light" I would recommend asking them for galleries you can view that specifically include dark receptions and indoor photos. Flash and lighting is essential for a wedding photographer to utilize and I would very much exercise caution to hiring a wedding photographer who does not use it.

5- What are your packages and pricing? What is included? Are there additional fees?

Many photographers have pre-built packages that will include different offerings such as an engagement session, a second photographer, a wedding album, photographer consultations, travel within a boundary, etc. Not every photographer will include the same things. Will they customize packages? Some photographers happily build custom packages, while others have their packages crafted a very particular way and cannot customize. Sometimes there are additional fees that need to be added such as a "split day fee" (if your events are happening split times during the day or over a couple of days), travel fees, and parking fees, etc.

6- Can we view full wedding galleries?

Engagement and bridal galleries are wonderful to view and get a great idea of a photographer's style in chosen location and time frames. Wedding days happen throughout a whole day, indoor and outdoor, through changes in light and weather, and you need to see full galleries (more than one is ideal) to see how your images may look in your gallery as well. From getting ready to your fireworks at the end of the night! If you like 90% of the images you see in their galleries then you have a very high chance that you will be happy with your galleries as well!

7- Additional Costs?

We discussed this above a little, but if you have any concerns about additional costs it is a good idea to ask if there are items that may be included additionally into the final package price such as travel costs, lodging, overtime, print products or albums, photoshopping, etc.

8- Deliverables and photo rights?

How do we receive our photos? What can we do with them when we have them? Most photographers deliver your photos to you via an online gallery of their choosing. Some may also include a USB drive, fine art albums, or other print products.

9- How to you protect our images?

I don't want to scare you, but I DO ABSOLUTELY want you to be aware that this is a thing - SD cards and hard drives can corrupt and destroy your images. If they are not being backed up and backed up again your images are in danger of being lost forever. This is a huge reason why I recommend you find a photographer that has experience and photographs on cameras with dual card slots. That means that your images are recording on two cards at the same time, so a backup is being created within the camera in real time. I personally save my images immediately to two separate hard drives and I save all the SD cards from the wedding until the wedding has been edited, delivered, and received. There are several ways to ensure that images are protected and saved in multiple places, but be sure your chosen photographer has a plan and will be doing everything they can to protect your images.

10- How do I receive my images?

It is great to understand how and when you will receive your photos. Will they be delivered in an online gallery? Delivered by USB? A fine art album or prints? How much access do you have with your images? Do you need to purchase downloads separately or are downloads included? Can you print your images (print release) or do you need to order print products through your photographer?

It is also a great idea to ask when you should plan to receive the gallery and how many images they would estimate to be in your gallery. An average turn around time for a wedding gallery is between 6-10 weeks. Sometimes the season can make a difference in turn around times and different photographers have different processes and timelines as part of their working process.

11- What is the backup plan?

Though it doesn't happen often, we're all human living life and sometimes we can get injured or very sick and unable to work your wedding day. What is your photographer's plan for those unpredictable situations that can happen? Maybe they have associates or a network they trust and can have cover for them? Does the second photographer take over?

12- How involved does the photographer like to be in the planning? Do they like to work with other vendors?

Vendors have different levels of involvement and personal preference of how involved they like to be for their process and how they provide their service. Do they have a list of preferred vendors for you? If you have a wedding planner does the photographer prefer to be in touch and work closely with them, hold back and just make adjustments and contact as needed, or just go with the flow the planner creates? If you do not have a planner are they going to be involved in timeline creation or create most of the timeline for you? Are they comfortable with allowing you to take the reins? I will state that your experienced photographer is an invaluable resource to helping with the timing and timeline of your day. They know how long it takes to set up and photograph different elements of your day, have seen many different layouts and solutions, and know what light they like to photograph best in for different events. They will also be your best resource for helping you determine how many hours of coverage you will need for your day. It may be your first wedding, but (very high chances are) it's not ours! Let us help!

13- Do they allow special requests?

Is it important to you that you be allowed to make special requests? Do they allow them? Making too many specific requests of your photographer can make it really hard for them to do their own style and quality work (which is what you are hiring them for, right??) so be cautious about bogging them down with too many have to have poses or special requests. Most photographers are down for a few special requests, but it is a good thing to bring up before you hire someone.

14- If it is important to you, it is worth mentioning!

Is there a few things that feel really important to you, but not sure if that's something you bring up to your photographer or not? Bring them up! Maybe they aren't applicable, but they very well may be! Even if they don't seem directly photography related, it communicates your personalities, important values and style for your wedding day, and gives a really good feel for how you and the potentially photographer interact and vibe together. That's important!