In writing my ultimate wedding planning guide for couples trying to find their wedding photographer, I thought back on all the questions I’ve been asked by prospective couples over the last decade plus of photographing weddings. And then I thought about the meetings where couples have turned up with PDFs downloaded from bride websites or ripped out of magazines and I don’t think they are necessarily the best things you can ask your potential photographer. So what are the real questions you should be asking your wedding photographer before you book them?
I’m a Hertfordshire wedding photographer, covering UK wide weddings (and weddings overseas when I’m invited!) who loves happy, natural photography that captures the little moments of magic that make up your wedding day and make you look back and remember exactly how you felt, not only how you looked. If you’re looking for largely documentary wedding coverage then we might be a good fit, let’s chat!
Can I see a whole wedding gallery?
This is really the best way you’ll get a feel for the wedding photographer’s work and a great question to ask. If you get in touch with me I will happily send you full galleries of weddings.
When I do this I’ll try and find weddings in a similar setting; if you’re having a church wedding followed by a tipi reception then I’ll see if I have anything close so you can visualise what your wedding photography might look like. Of course, it’s more important to see a full gallery and get an idea of style rather than the exact same wedding but I do my best!
While you’re there check and see if there are some reviews and testimonials from former clients on the wedding photographer’s website site and make sure they’re getting great feedback. Are the things that are said are the kind of experience you want from your day too? Make sure that these are also on a third party site like Google so that you can verify the legitimacy of the reviews (all my reviews are on Google as well so just search for my name!).
I hope that you’ve asked this before you meet up with a wedding photographer and you find that the photographer’s work matches your needs for your wedding and you can move on to what you want to ask in person or on Zoom!
Are you hoping for lots of candid wedding photography moments? Struggling to find someone who will fit into your day seamlessly? We might be a perfect fit! I photograph Hertfordshire weddings and weddings all over the UK too!
Have you worked at this wedding venue before?
I’m going to add this one in just because I think the answer if useful for couples to hear and I think the answer will be useful for you to decide what is important to you.
Early on in my professional photographer career I was turned down by a couple because they went with a wedding photographer who “knew all the spots to take couple shots”, whereas I’d not photographed at the venue before and that was important to them. I looked at his website and realised that all couples were getting photos in the same locations and that’s the opposite of what I want to deliver to my couples.
For me, I love being asked this question, because although I have experience working at the same venues a lot of times I never give couples the same photos in the same places. I feel your photos should be unique to you.
And no, I don’t do venue visits before the day either. I used to but I’d get ideas stuck in my head about where group photos should be taken or where the best spots for couple photos were and it would complete stifle my creativity on the day if the light was different / it wasn’t the same exact time of day as the venue visit / the seasons had changed / it was raining etc.
This one, therefore, is down to you to decide and ask your potential photographer. Would you feel more comfortable with someone who has worked at the venue before? Someone who can turn up and be creative first time? Not super bothered either way?
I’m actually on a number of recommended supplier lists and have written a Hertfordshire wedding venue guide (with some in other counties too!) but I also love the challenge and creativity new venues bring me.
Are you still needing help finding a wedding venue? Needing help finding other wedding suppliers? Don’t worry, I know LOADS of fabulous people and am happy to help in any way I can! Let me introduce you to all the best wedding suppliers. Let’s chat all things wedding photography and wedding planning!
Can you help me understand the how the day will work?
This is a big one! You need to make sure you understand exactly what your wedding photographer can offer you and what they will provide on the day. I know that when we were building an extension it got tricky trying to figure out who was offering what… it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges!
But make sure you understand exactly what the wedding packages offered by each photographer includes. What will you get covered on the day in terms of hours; will they leave straight after you sit down to your wedding breakfast, the speeches, first dance or stay till the wee hours?
If they plan to leave earlier than you’d like can you ask them to stay longer and is there an extra hours cost? Remember these photos are going to be the story of your day after your wedding is over so it’s important you think about what you would like captured.
After the day will you get digitals, prints, a wedding album? How long will it take to see your wedding files?
For me I have shorter packages for intimate weddings on weekdays right the way through to full day coverage on weekends that either include wedding albums or not. You can see full details of all of this on my wedding photography information page. My favourite way to work is being there all the way from getting ready through to dancing. It helps me to tell the story of your whole day for you and really settle into your stories while you relax into having a camera around you.
Not sure if you want someone there for the whole day or not? Abi & Will said this, among other things, after their incredible Charlton House wedding in Greenwich: “A huge bonus for us was that Tori stayed for our first set of dancing (we had a very rowdy dance floor) which we know not every photographer does, and those our some of our most cherished photos from the night!”
If you want someone who won’t ditch you immediately after your first dance then we could be a match made in heaven because the dance floor is what I live for! Check your wedding date and then we can have a chat to see if we’re a good fit for your wedding day.
Can we give you a shot list?
This is a good way to understand how your wedding photographer works.
Personally I don’t need to be given a list of specific shots apart from things that I wouldn’t know about otherwise. So yes, I absolutely need a list of what group shots you want and if there is anything that is unique to your day such as you have an heirloom hanging on a bouquet that you want captured etc.
Once I got given a list that was 5 sides of A4 that included requests for photos like ‘bride getting make up done’, ‘bride walking down aisle’, ‘first kiss’ etc. These moments make up part of normal weddings and will, of course, be captured and trying to sift through a long list just slowed me down to find things I needed in the mammoth list!
For me, capturing your day how it unfolds is where the joy of documentary wedding photography lies. It’s how you end up with a beautiful gallery of photos that you can look back on that’ll remind you exactly how you felt when they were taken rather than just how you looked. If that sounds good you can check your wedding date with me and we can start a conversation…
Can we have an engagement shoot?
This is a great question to ask! An engagement shoot is a brilliant way to have a trial run with your photographer before the big day.
Because none of us are that confident being photographed in this way, it’s a great chance to get those camera nerves out of the way in advance as well as seeing how your chosen photographer works.
I personally feel that couples who have an engagement shoot benefit in lots of different ways.
Firstly, they have an awesome time!
Secondly, they relax in front of the camera and around me which gives them better photos on the wedding day.
Thirdly, they get some awesome photos from their pre-wedding shoot too!
I’ve written about the five main benefits of having an engagement shoot at length so if you’re on the fence then definitely check that out and if you’ve got questions about whether it’s right for you or you need help with a location then we can work that out together. I’d love to help you get relaxed in front of the camera before the big day – let’s have a natter.
Questions that you can also spend about 2 minutes asking your wedding photographer!
If these things matter to you then crack on, but I don’t know of any professional in any field that wouldn’t have insurance for example. But the 50 point PDF in the magazines have these and about 500 other questions from different angles in them! Here are my answers for you:
- Do you have wedding insurance? Yes, it’s called professional indemnity and public liability insurance and it costs a small fortune!
- Are you a full-time photographer? Yes, I don’t have another job, I work full time photographing lovely weddings, amazing families and small businesses and the occasional other events that come my way. Wouldn’t have it any other way…
- Do you have backup equipment? Of course, the stress of things going wrong on the day is just not worth it to me to only shoot with one camera.
- Do you have a backup plan if you’re ill? I know it’s something that couples worry about. I have a list of photographers I can call on in worst case scenarios and unfortunately two of them have had to call on me last minute to step in for them. I worked my bum off for their couples exactly as I would do my own and provided flawless coverage when the photos were delivered back to the original photographer for editing.
So many other questions that you may have so it may be worth having a quick chat to see if we’re a good fit for your wedding. You can contact me and we can schedule something in so I can answer all the other things that have popped into your head!
And the most important question you should be asking yourself after your meeting…
Do I like this person?
Your photographer is around you all day. You are trusting them to tell the whole story of the day, capture candid moments of the day that involve them being right in the action and be alone with you for couple photos. If you’re finding them in any way annoying over a coffee or a zoom meeting they aren’t the right fit for your day.
If you’re getting on well now, then there’s a good chance your day will go well too! You want to be around a friend with a camera!
What are the next steps?
If you like the photographer and feel your questions have been properly answered then maybe it’s time to think about booking! By now you should have double checked the terms of deposit and final payment and if there are any add-ons for travel or accommodation if you aren’t getting married locally. However, all of these boring details should also be clearly laid out in the contract that your photographer will send over to you so you’ll get another chance to check through everything.
This contract will also lay out all the other obligations they have to you and your images like delivery times and so on. Please do make sure you have a contract in place as it can save you so many headaches in the long run and will keep your relationship running happily when you both know exactly what you can expect. (Seems super unsexy but it is important to have things written down).
I hope this has been helpful in understanding some of the REAL questions to ask your wedding photographer before booking. Sure you can ask about have you ever photographed a large wedding, whether you get a selection of unedited photos or how a photographer triple backs up your photos to what kind of storage (and ask these things too if they are of particular concern to you), but don’t be distracted by wedding magazines and wedding sites.
I once got asked about what camera apertures I used on a wedding day. When I asked the groom if he was a keen photographer and why he was asking me that, he said that a wedding magazine had recommended it as a good question. It’s such a bizarre question that tells a couple nothing no matter the answer I give! So make sure you are asking the questions that matter to you and the ones that will help you make the best decision for you about the photographer that will suit your day.
And if you’re realising that a photographer that offers candid, natural wedding photography and loves to be with you for your whole day while staying unobtrusive and friendly is going to be a great fit for you then let’s start planning your wedding together.
If you’ve found this helpful then why not check out some more happy and relaxed Hertfordshire wedding photography and I’d love to hear all about your wedding plans too so let’s chat!
