21 Questions To Ask A Wedding Photographer | Colorado Wedding Photographer
21 Questions To Ask A Wedding Photographer
Congrats, your’re engaged! This is one of the most exciting times of your life, but you have so many questions that come along with wedding planning. Believe me, I know how you feel; I’ve been there. This post, along with my other wedding photography resources, have been created to help you navigate the process of planning your Colorado wedding.
It may seem like a daunting task choosing the wedding photographer that’s best for your Colorado wedding. One does not simply choose a Colorado wedding photographer with just a Google search or venue referral, right? Correct! You should definitely be doing your own research when selecting your wedding photographer. After all, you and your fiance are the ones who know yourselves best, so you’ll want to make sure you and your wedding photographer connect and get along well.
This list of questions is a great place to start when finding your Colorado wedding photographer. After reading, if you have any additional questions I’d love to chat.
Are you Available On My Wedding Date?
This is the most obvious question, but ultimately the most important one. However, even if your wedding photographer is not available on your date, they may have associates who are.
Associates are photographers who work alongside with the lead photographer and shoot weddings that the lead photographer is not available for. This is something you could ask about if the primary lead photographer is unavailable. Note: an associate photographer is different than a 2nd photographer.
Will you be the one photographing our wedding? If not, who will be?
You certainly don’t want to be blindsided when you find out your wedding photographer has actually sent an associate to photograph your wedding. It’s always good to at least be introduced to the person who will physically be at your wedding. With CM Photography, unless specifically stated otherwise, Cameron will be the one photographing your wedding.
Can we see a full wedding gallery?
This is one of the most important questions to ask from your wedding photographer. Every wedding photographer is showing the best of the best on their website. A lot of them even display photos on their website that were part of a styled shoot, or even as a second shooter.
Asking for a full gallery or two will allow you to completely envision what your gallery may look like when it’s delivered. You’ll also be able to make sure your photographer is able to adapt to tricky situations, like a darker reception.
What is your ‘style’?
Your photographer’s editing style should be clearly evident with what they put on their website or what you might see on their social media channels. Seeing a full wedding gallery will help you ensure that editing style is consistent throughout an entire wedding day.
The other ingredient that goes into a wedding photographer’s style is how they are on the day of the wedding. Are they more of a ‘candid’ photographer or do they prefer more posed/staged moments? Granted, there are times of the day where either style is best suited. Because of this, most photographers use a bit of both, especially to combat that fear (that everybody has) of looking awkward in photos.
I love capturing candid moments that occur on their own, and only taking control when it’s absolutely needed. This is usually during family photos and the couples session. If I were to put a percentage to candid vs. posed, I’d classify myself as 75% candid and 25% ‘posed’.
What is included in your packages?
Weddings aren’t cheap, so it’s good to know what you’re getting before you make any sort of commitment. Different photographers offer different items. Are the items bundled? Is it a la carte? I create packages for my couples. Each includes a set amount of hours of photo coverage, 75-100 edited images PER HOUR of coverage, a planning call, timeline assistance, and more.
Do you offer engagement sessions?
Some photographers will bundle your engagement session into your package. Others will offer a discount on an engagement session after booking a wedding package. If you want engagement photos, double check to see if it’s included in your package!
When And How will we receive our wedding photos?
The When: I’ve heard too many horror stories of couples not receiving their wedding photos for 3, 6, 12 months even! It’s paramount to know when you’ll receive your wedding photos so that you don’t become victim to something like this.
The speed at which you receive your photos may depend on when your wedding is. June-October is considered busy wedding season, so if you’re getting married during these months you may be waiting until the later end of your photographer’s delivery timeframe.
With that in mind, if you ask me, it’s still never okay for a photographer to go past their contractually promised timeframe for delivering your photos. You’ll find it pretty common that, on average, wedding photographers will deliver your photos in about 4 weeks. Make sure this is part of your contract!
For reference, if you book with me, your contract will state 4-6 weeks for delivery, but my average delivery time in 2022 was a bit quicker than that.
The How: There are countless ways to deliver images these days; USB drive, digital gallery, physical prints/albums, etc. Make sure you know exactly how you’ll receive your images, and if you’ll be able to share them!
I prefer a digital gallery. It’s easy to use/navigate, and you can easily share the entire thing with your loved ones. Additionally, some of my packages include some sort of physical product, whether that is a canvas or a wedding album.
How Many Photos Will We Receive?
This can vary widely with different wedding photographers. Truth be told, we take A LOT of photos throughout the day, like thousands. And it would be quite the task to deliver you every single photo that was taken.
Some photographers may deliver 1000+ photos. I personally think it’s a lot to have you sift through so many photos.
In my case, I deliver as many photos as it takes to tell the story of the entire day. So, with that being said, I don’t necessarily restrict how many photos I’ll deliver to you, because every wedding is different. However, on average I deliver about 75 photos per hour that I’m hired for.
Have you worked at our venue before?
Though it’s not required, it’s nice when your photographer has worked at your venue before. That means they probably know the owners of the venue and also know where the best photo locations are.
How do we book/Pay?
In most cases, your wedding photographer will require a deposit up front, often referred to as a ‘retainer’. This makes sure you lock in your wedding date, and the photographer won’t accept any other bookings for that date. This means the retainer is most likely non-refundable (read the fine print). It’s usually not a good idea to try to bargain on price, BUT definitely ask about payment plans, because most photographers will be willing to work with you there!
If you’re considering hiring me as your wedding photographer, you can get started by filling out my contact form here. We’ll exchange a couple of emails and set up a time to chat over the phone or video chat. Then, once we’ve decided that we’re all awesome and want to work together, I send you a booking portal to get things rolling.
Can We Print Our Photos?
It’s important to know what you can do with your photos after they’re delivered! Some photographers require that you purchase prints/albums directly from them, and that’s it. Others allow you to download the high-resolution images and print on your own.
I have a bit of a hybrid model. I don’t want to restrict you from printing your photos. That’s a bit ridiculous in my eyes. If you book with me, your wedding gallery will have a print shop attached to it! So, you could easily purchase prints of any image right from your gallery.
My couples love this, because it skips the ‘middle man’ and a lot of the steps involved in printing on your own. I also only work with reputable labs that provide the best print quality.
Do you have a backup plan?
It’s very rare that a wedding photographer is unable to show up on your big day. BUT… it is important to know what would happen anyway. If you’re hiring me, pretty much the only way I won’t be there is if I’m in the hospital. Ain’t no way I’m missing your wedding!
In the case that I can’t make it to your wedding, I would reach out to my network of colleagues to see who is available to take over for the day. If you booked a package with a 2nd photographer, they will most likely take over as lead while I send a different 2nd photographer for the day.
How do you coordinate with other vendors?
Communication between vendors is key to ensuring a smooth wedding day. I reach out to your vendors a few days before your wedding to introduce myself and let them know my process. Sometimes, I’ll work closely with your planner/coordinator on the timeline to make sure we have plenty of time for all of the photos you want.
Do you have a second shooter or assistant?
Along with knowing who is going to be photographing your wedding, it’s equally important to know how big of a team your wedding photographer will have. Is a second photographer included in your package? Will the photographer have an assistant no matter which package you choose? Double check so you know how many vendors to expect on the day of your wedding.
What if we need more photo coverage on the day of our wedding?
Sometimes you decide you want your wedding photographer to stay past their original contracted time. It’s good to know if you’re allowed to add additional coverage on the day of the wedding, and how much it’ll cost.
What happens if the lighting is poor?
This ties into asking to view a complete wedding gallery. You’ll want to see how your photographer reacts when the lighting isn’t ideal, especially during harsh sun in the middle of the day and dark receptions. Do they use flash? What is their flash style? Ask to see photos in all lighting conditions to cover your bases.
Do you have a cancellation policy?
Due to many reasons, you may need to cancel your wedding photography coverage. No one wants to go through this, but it happens. If you find yourself in this position, it’s important to know what will happen if you want to end your contract with your photographer. More than likely the photographer will allow you to transfer your deposit to another type of session. There is no guarantee you will get your retainer back, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Is there a contract? Can we read it before we pick you?
If a photographer doesn’t have a contract, that’s a big red flag. Having a contract makes sure both side is protected and gets exactly what was agreed upon. It’s always good to read a contract before you sign anything. Ask your wedding photographer to clarify anything that is unclear to you as well.
Do you have insurance?
If you’re asking if your wedding photographer has insurance, it’s likely that your venue asked first. With CM Photography, we do have insurance, so let me know if your venue needs my info.
Can we provide specific shots we want?
This is a tough question, and it involves putting a lot of trust into your wedding photographer. Your photographer should be experienced enough to know what to cover to tell the entire story of your wedding day. Some photographers (myself included) will send out a questionnaire prior to the wedding that asks questions related to what type of shots you want. Included in this is a portrait list for all of your family photos.
Sending a checklist with 100 wanted photos is not the way to go about things. Something like this would only get in the way of your photographer doing their job on the wedding day. You can also share a Pinterest board with your photographer that includes pins from them so you know the types of photos you want.
What’s your policy when it comes to photo rights?
It’s important to know who ‘owns’ the copyright to your photos and what you’re allowed to do with them. I have an extensive blog post that explains the difference between photo copyright and a print release. It’s a really great read that will help you understand the difference. Ideally, your photographer will allow you to print your photos as you please once they’re delivered. Some may only let you print up to a certain size, and some may not provide you the rights to print on your own at all.
Make sure you know what you're allowed to do with your wedding photos once they’re delivered.
Your media team (photographer/videographer) are the vendors you’ll spend the most time with on your wedding day, so it's important to hire the right one. The resulting images are what’s going to live on forever and allow you to relive the day over and over again.
If you’re getting married in Colorado and think we’d be a good fit, I’d be thrilled to discuss all things Colorado wedding photography with you. Click below to get started.