Recently, I thought I should re-make my wedding album. It was damaged years ago during a move, and it’s something that’s been on my mind ever since. The thought of this had me going through the digital files of my wedding, and it stopped me in my tracks. These photos did not stand the test of time.

I’m not even talking about the stylistic choices I made at my wedding. I made pretty much all of the typical wedding faux pas. I made compromises on too many things and lost my own voice in the wedding planning. But that’s another blog post. These images were blurry, out of focus, and not formally edited. Not to mention, we only got 200 images for a 10-hour day. I stared at these photos and took them into lightroom to see if I could edit them to make them represent us better. I couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment. Now I say this, not to be harsh on the photographer we hired, because they were kind and courteous, and they did work very hard for us on the day of the wedding. But it did make me realize I didn’t communicate my expectations very well upfront. I met up with them at a coffee shop and hired them on the spot. I never asked any questions and just listened to what they had to say. I never allowed myself to put my own voice in the process.

At the time of our wedding planning, I was knee-deep in photography school. I should have known what to ask my photographer but just didn’t have the experience to think of them. So, I thought I could help someone else prevent this feeling for their wedding photos. Below you’ll find a list of possible questions you can ask your photographer or even videographer for your big day!

Questions To Ask Your Photographer

• How would you describe your style?
• What are the ways you support your clients?
• How would you describe your personality and working style? Are you willing to take charge on your own, or do you leave the big choices to the wedding couples?
• What is the projected amount of images we will receive?
• Describe how you edit the photos. What is your editing style; how much retouching do you do (if at all?)
• What are the benefits of hiring you as a photographer?
• What rights do clients have with the photos? (printing, sharing, etc.)
• What do you typically wear when shooting weddings?
• Can you describe the quality of the images that will be provided? (are they full resolution, and what file type)
• Can we see a full wedding gallery of your work?
• What is the best way to extend the life of our wedding photos?
• How do we create wedding photos that remain classy over the years?
• Can you describe how you plan and what are your backup plans if something goes wrong?
• Can you provide any testimonials or references to past clients?
• Can you also document wedding festivities, like rehearsal dinners and pre/post-wedding events?
• How do you charge for travel?
• What is the projected amount of images we will receive?
• What are the benefits of hiring you as a photographer? Do you have any other services we can use post-wedding? (albums, prints, education?)
• Will you be the only one shooting at the wedding? do you have second shooters?
• Can your services be customized?
• Do you have business insurance?

If you’re here looking for a wedding photographer, I’d love for you to explore my own answers to these questions. Let’s get to know each other and chat! Get in touch here.