What To Ask Your Wedding Photographer

What Is Your Cancellation And/or Refund Policy

None of us likes to think about the worst, but it is prudent to plan for it, so ask about the consequences should you need to cancel your contract with your wedding photographer. How much noticed must you give? Will you lose your deposit if you cancel? Will you lose it if you re-schedule?

Dont be afraid to ask these questions because, in the event you need to cancel , youll be glad you did.

Honest Conversations About Pricing

The issue of pricing bears another mention. First of all, always be open to the value that a photographer provides, rather than the price. Every photographer offers something different which will be reflected in the price you pay.

On the other hand, if the photographers starting price is way out of your budget, and you cannot stretch it, then its not worth meeting. Ive personally had experience in which a prospect told me I was out of budget, booked a phone call regardless, both of them spent the time chatting, then reiterated a few days later that I was out of budget.

So, be sure that the basics are in place and youre done your vetting before moving forward with meetings:

• You like the photographers work
• You are happy with and can pay the prices
• Youre read the reviews and looked out for any red flags
• You feel a connection to their words as well as imagery
• You are seriously considering hiring the photographer

Professionalism is of the utmost importance when booking your wedding vendors. Pricing is a topic that inexperienced or unprofessional vendors will want to shy away from. To understand the topic of wedding vendor pricing specifically, Ive created this helpful resource linked below that goes into the topic in depth.

You can also ask about whether the business owner has or uses associate photographers to shoot your wedding, thus potentially saving money on the higher price of the lead photographer who owns the business.

Can We Get A Discount Or Can You Match The Price Of Xyz Photographer

The money question again! Negotiation is part of every business, but its very different from haggling. Sure, if youre in the souks of Marrakech or contemplating a second-hand car, haggle away. In a way, thats part of the fun. But when youre trying to beat down a full-time professional on their prices for no good reason, youre telling us were not worth what were charging.

If you can offer something in return, then thats more of a reasonable discussion! Maybe you have a YouTube channel with a million subscribers, or your wedding is something truly out-of-this-world unique, or you want coverage of a lot of different events. These are all great bouncing-off points for leveraging a discount, so lets talk!

Tire-kickers are every business owners nightmare, so please be respectful of a small business owners prices and time. If you have questions about pricing, always ask! Plus, Im always happy to refer other awesome photographers who operate at a lower price point as I completely understand budgets are real.

If you do want to learn more about how to successfully negotiate with wedding photographers, Ive written this in-depth guide just for you!

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How Do You Like To Schedule A Wedding Day

It might seem like one of the stranger questions to ask a wedding photographer, but its an important one. Its essential for a photographer to have good time management skills and to be able to create a photography timeline that will work for your big day. Their ability to stay on schedule will affect how your wedding day plays out. Do they prefer to do portraits before or after the ceremony? How flexible are they to hearing your ideas and vision of your day?

Logistical Things To Get Clarification On

There will be so much to think of on the day of your wedding. Its best not to leave anything, which matters to you, to chance. So, dependent on what may affect the enjoyment/logistics of your day, you may want to consider asking any/all of the following questions:

Hopefully, when youre looking for a photographer, many of these questions will be clearly laid out on their website. Luckily, you may also be able to find reviews online to supplement what the photographer tells you. Together, armed with these questions and a sound understanding of what you want your wedding day to look like, you should have no problem sorting out who your ideal photographer is and how best you can work together on your big day.

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Do You Carry Liability Insurance

Before booking a photographer, make sure to ask if they have liability insurance. Chances are you already booked your wedding venue and most wedding venues require all vendors to carry liability insurance. It would be a total headache to find out just before your wedding that your photographer doesn’t have insurance and will not be allowed on the property. We carry $2 million in liability insurance.

What Are Questions Wedding Photographers Should Ask And Why

If you run a wedding photography business, you know how important your services are for the bride and grooms big day. They depend a lot on their photographer for capturing their once-in-a-lifetime memories. To make that special day even better, its important to ask the right questions to learn about your clients expectations.

Here are the questions wedding photographers should ask their clients, and why theyre crucial to ask before you take their wedding photos.

1. Whats your budget for wedding photography?

The first thing that you should ask your client is their budget for your photography services.

Even though it can be awkward to ask, you need to know how much your couple is willing to spend on photography. Their budget will tell you whether you can take the project or negotiate first. The budget of your wedding photography client may also determine which wedding packages you present to them at your initial meeting.

These wedding packages can even include extras like a print or digital wedding album for an additional fee, of course!

You should consider several aspects before finalizing the price, including the photography clients answers to many of the questions below.

If youre wondering how to price your wedding photography packages as a professional photographer, see our post on how much wedding photographers earn.

2. How many photos do you need?

3. How many guests are invited to the wedding?

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The Top Questions To Ask Your Wedding Photographer:

The Basics

• How long have you been working as a wedding photographer?
• How many weddings do you photograph a year?
• Do you work alone or do you work with a second shooter?
• If theres a last-minute issue, what is your contingency plan?
• Are the travel costs included?
• Can I see some wedding albums that you have created?
• Have you worked at our venue before?
• Have you worked with any of our vendors before?
• What information do you need from us before our wedding day?
• Do you have insurance?
• When will we receive the contract?
• Will we have the rights to the images?
• Will I get all the images? Or will I only receive the images selected by you?

• How would you describe your style?
• Can I provide you with a list of shots we would like taken on the big day?
• Can I read some client testimonials?
• Do you prefer to capture candid moments? Or do you prefer to shoot more choreographed images?

Costs

• Do you offer an engagement shoot as part of your packages?
• What different packages do you offer?
• Can I customise a package to fit my needs?
• How much is the deposit and when will you need it by?
• When will we need to make the final payment?
• Do you charge a travel fee?
• Do you offer retouching and other corrective services? If so, how much will this be?
• How will I receive my images?
• Will there be an extra charge for photo albums or having the images printed?

Photography by Ciaran ONeill Photography

On The Day

Questions To Ask Yourself Before Hiring A Photographer

If Things Run Longer Than Expected Can We Ask You To Extend Our Coverage Time

Sometimes things get delayed for various reasons. To ensure certain moments are still captured even with the day running behind, you may consider asking your photographer if they can stay longer. This is rarely an issue. Your photographer will either have you submit payment for the extended coverage asap or will send over an updated invoice after.

While adding on 4 extra hours on the day of on a whim might not be possible, adding 30 60 minutes typically isnt out of the question!

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Wedding Photography Gig How To Prepare

Wedding Photography

The role of a wedding photographerhelping to document one of the most important days of a persons lifeis very important. So it goes without saying that the job must be done well. Many of the opportunities to snap the perfect picture are fleeting and will be lost forever if missed. Its normal to be nervous, considering the situation. I remember how I felt before my first wedding. But if you are confident that you are fully prepared for the big day, you can focus more of your attention on being ready when those precious moments arise.

Photo by Joe Zakaria Desire Commit Satisfaction ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/00-second exposure.

The methods you employ before the day of the wedding and the equipment you need may be quite different from those of other forms of photography, so the following checklist may prove invaluable.

Interviewing the Clients

Having a questionnaire prepared beforehand is a necessary aid in interviewing the bride and groom. It both ensures that you dont forget any major details and adds a nice professional touch. The questionnaire should ask for information regarding the following:

• the wedding and reception venue and any related restrictions
• the location where the bride will be preparing
• important times
• as complete a schedule as possible, such as the wedding ceremony start time and duration, the reception, when the bride will begin preparing, etc.
• any religious affiliations and resulting restrictions that may apply

Scouting Locations

Can You Take Engagement Photos

Depending on your photo package, a photographer may take engagement photos in addition to the wedding day itself. By having the same photographer take your engagement and wedding photos, you can build a relationship early on in the planning process.

Feel free to ask about other pre-wedding events like the rehearsal dinner as well. If you want professional photos from your rehearsal dinner, ask if this can be included in your package.

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What Attire Will The Photographer And Their Assistants Wear

Even though the wedding photographers are a big part of the wedding day, its important that they are not distractions. As such, its important for the photographer to blend in as much as possible. Furthermore, for religious or cultural ceremonies, there may be certain colors that are considered taboo. Make sure your photographers will be dressed appropriately for the occasion. Typical Lin and Jirsa wedding photography attire is black suit pants with a black polo or dress shirt. We dress completely in black because we want to go unnoticed by the clients and guests so that we can capture the event as photojournalists.

What Questions Should A Wedding Photographer Ask

Every wedding photographer adds their own little flair to their questionnaire based off experiences and things that they deem important. Here are a few of some of the most common questions that wedding photographers ask on their wedding photography questionnaire that you should be including in yours!

Clients parents names

Are there any special circumstances in your family that I should be aware of?

Provide a list of family groupings for immediate family portraits

Are there any additional groupings that you would like me to get?

Please list your  bridal party by name and role

Please list partners bridal party by name and role

Would you like getting ready photos?

Would you like photos of your partner getting ready?

Would you like to have a first look?

How long will the ceremony be?

Will you be having any type of special or religious ceremony?

Will you be having an announced or special entrance?

Will you be having a cocktail hour?

Will you be having any special dances?

Are there any photography restrictions at the ceremony?

Are there any must take photo ideas or details that I should know of?

Where are you v getting ready? Provide address.

Where is your partner getting ready? Provide address.

Please list addresses of ceremony and reception locations.

What time will you  arrive at the ceremony location?

Will you be doing any type of formal exit from your reception?

Please provide travel time between locations.

What are your colors for your wedding?

Clients cell number

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Questions For Destination Wedding Photographers

The list of essential questions will certainly grow if you are hosting a destination wedding. If thats your plan, be sure to ask these additional questions as well. Pick and choose accordingly, dependent on whether you have chosen a wedding venue with an in-house photographer. We always recommend choosing an in-house wedding photographer as they have the most knowledge of the location and know the best spots to capture beautiful photos.

What Is Your Back

People get ill and family emergencies happen. Your photographer will likely have a network of fellow professionals they can call upon if circumstances change unexpectedly. Despite the best laid plans, its always recommended you get wedding insurance to cover for any last-minute disasters. Listen to your gut if they ignore the question youre only going to have one chance at this day and you need to trust they have you covered.

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How Much Does A New York Wedding Photographer Cost

Ask your wedding photographer these questions about how much New York wedding photography costs. When you are budgeting planning, these will help you determine whether a photographer is within your range.