If you’re newly engaged and starting the grueling process of hiring your wedding vendors, you’ve already learned that the wedding planning process is, to say the least, a lot. Whether you’ve had your dream team picked out for years, or you’re just starting to gather information, it’s important to do your due diligence in making sure your vendors truly are the best fit for such an important day! Keep reading for a comprehensive list of questions to ask before hiring your wedding photographer.
The Role of a Wedding Photographer
While I may be biased, I believe that your photographer has an incredibly significant job on your wedding day. They are integral to your timeline management, they leave you with the only product remaining after your day has ended, and they spend more time with you throughout your day than any other vendor. They are by your side in your most intimate moments, the ones where you’re overtaken by emotion, or your nerves are most heightened – the moments even your guests don’t get to see. It is so important that you trust your photographer and feel comfortable with them, both as an artist and as a person.
(No pressure!)
So, how do you make sure you’re hiring the right person to photograph your wedding day?
No matter how you’re interviewing them, here are some great questions to ask any photographer you’re interested in hiring:
What is their back up process?
Professional wedding photographers photograph in a RAW file format. Best practice for photographers is to back your images up to several locations immediately after your wedding day. Most professional cameras also write each image onto two memory cards, which should never be formatted until after your wedding gallery is delivered. This way, even if equipment fails, there should always be several copies of your RAW images.
What is their gallery delivery time frame?
Anticipated delivery time frames look different for all photographers depending on their workflows and life circumstances. I typically deliver between 6-8 weeks, though my contract accounts for 10 in case of any personal or technological emergencies. It is extremely common for wedding galleries to take 10-12 weeks for delivery as well. Film can sometimes take even longer. Each photographer has their own individual workflow, but it’s important to know so that you can frame your expectations accordingly.
Do they carry business insurance?
Make sure your vendors are insured going into your wedding day! I would never hire a vendor without it. There are options for purchasing single-day event insurance policies (through companies like Thimble, who I used when I was just getting started). Most vendors, including photographers, have a full blown business insurance license. I personally use the Hartford. The consequences if anything goes wrong are just too steep.
Ask to see a full wedding gallery (… or two, or three)
Ideally, this would be from a venue or vision similar to your own wedding day. I always send prospective clients 3-4 wedding galleries to go through, in the hope that at least one resonates with the style of their own day. Full galleries look very different than what is posted on Instagram and contain a variety of different lighting situations, posing styles, etc., which helps to prepare you for how your own day will look!
What is their approach to your wedding day?
This is completely dependent on the style of images you want and how you want your wedding day to feel. Regardless, it’s so important to be aligned and communicating with your photographer about their approach!
Are you looking for extremely posed, Vogue-style images? You’re probably looking for a very hands-on, editorial style photographer who will curate and pose your entire wedding day.
Are you looking for more candid, down-to-earth images? You’re probably looking for a more documentary style photographer, who will sit back and watch as your day naturally unfolds. This is the camp I fall in.
(Pro tip: a lot of wedding photographers are a hybrid of both!)
What would happen in an emergency if they can’t be there?
Whether it’s a car accident on the way to your wedding, illness, or some other act of God, sometimes emergencies happen. Unfortunately wedding vendors are not immune to these situations or how they can impact their work. It’s extremely helpful and important to know that your photographer has plans in place in case the worst happens. This can include a network of trusted photographers to ask, an associate photographer list, and more. It’s also why I always have a second photographer scheduled with me for wedding days, so that there is always someone coming for the most important parts of your day even in the worst case scenario.
Read their reviews!
Whether they’re on the Knot, Google, or Facebook, reviews are extremely telling about any vendor you’re hiring. Read them, and trust them!
Do they offer an engagement session?
Do they do engagement sessions? Are they included in the wedding package? Does it need to be scheduled at a specific date or time? Do they help you with planning or location scouting?
How long have they been photographing weddings?
I am firmly in the camp that age and newness to the industry should not necessarily disqualify any photographers from your short list. There are incredible wedding photographers who have only been in the industry for a short period of time. For some, that fresh perspective is a stroke of genius. That said, there is reliability in experience, and it’s helpful to know where your photographer stands in their career.
There are many, many more questions you can certainly pose to your wedding photographer, but this list is a great place to start! If nothing else, I hope this list of questions to ask your wedding photographer gave you a great feel for how you will work together with any vendor you’re looking into, and help to narrow down what matters most.
No matter what, the most important thing in your planning process is to trust your gut. This applies to your vendors, as well.
Ready to get more information on photographing your wedding?
As a photographer with more than 5 years in the industry, I’m so excited to get to know you both and learn about your love story! Drop in via the link below to say hello and get some more information. I can’t wait to hear from you!
Want to see more images of real wedding days? Take a look at this spring wedding at the Maas Building in Philadelphia!
