Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer

 

When it comes to your wedding day, hiring a wedding photographer is one of the most integral parts. The photos from your wedding days will be ones you look back on for decades to come and show countless people. You will no doubt want the best of the best to capture your day. Someone who is experienced, down to earth, and can make you comfortable in front of the camera. Finding that perfect person can be challenging especially because there are so many photographers out there to choose from.

 

The best way to ensure you are hiring a wedding photographer that is your ideal person is to ask them all the right questions. It is the perfect way to gauge their level of experience, care, and delivery to make sure they are the right fit. But, unless you are super familiar with the industry, finding the right questions to ask can be hard. So, as a seasoned Seattle wedding photographer, I thought I’d step in and share with you what those right questions to ask are! Keep on reading and make sure to bookmark this page so you have it to refer back to!

 

01. How many photos will we be getting back?

You’ll want to ask this to make sure you are receiving a reasonable amount of photos back from your wedding day. The rule of thumb is typically 75-100 photos per hour. So, if your photographer is capturing an eight-hour wedding day, you should be receiving about 600-800+ photos back.

 

02. What is the turnaround time for receiving our photos back?

Sometimes photographers get swamped with weddings and sessions and turnaround time can extend into a period longer than what you are willing to wait for. Ask this to make sure their turnaround time is reasonable. Turn around time should be no longer than 3-4 months.

 

03. Can we see your portfolio?

Ask to see their portfolio so you can see more of their work and see if it fits your style! Look closely and see if they are keen on capturing things that are important to you. For example, if you want a ton of emotional candids at the reception, pay close attention and make sure their candid work meets your expectations.

 

04. What happens if we need to cancel or reschedule our day?

Things happen! Especially in the time we are currently living in. Whether it’s due to a pandemic, natural disaster, or emergency, make sure they allow you to move your date. Find out about their deposit policy in case you need a refund or want to move the date. Most vendors don’t offer refunds on retainer paid (typically the first payment) but most will move your wedding day to another available date, for a fee.

 

 

05. Do you offer a second photographer?

If you want extra coverage of your day, check with them to see if they also offer a second photographer. Second photographers are great to further the coverage of your day by capturing the day from different angles. Your photographer is also only one person and can only be at one place at a time. Second photographers allow for the opportunity to capture things you may have missed with just one photographer.

 

06. Have you shot at our venue before?

Every venue is different. They all have different spots for nice photo ops, different policies, and layouts. You’ll likely want a photographer who is already familiar with your venue. If they aren’t, see if they are open to familiarizing themselves with it before the wedding day to help everything run smoothly with photos.

 

07. Do you charge a travel fee?

If they have to travel to you in any way whether it’s a short plane ride or a long car ride, ask about travel fees! This way, you can make sure they are reasonable and you can budget that all in.

 

 

If you enjoyed this post be sure to check out “what to wear to an engagement session” by clicking here! And if you are looking for someone to capture some sweet engagement photos for you as well as capture your big day, click here to book me now!

about anna

Anna is a wedding photographer based out of Bellingham, Washington. She is a coffee lover and a momma to her three little girls.

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