Important Questions To Ask A Wedding Photographer Before Hiring

Your wedding day is a momentous occasion, a day filled with joy, love, and memories that will last a lifetime. Your wedding photographer plays a crucial role in capturing these precious moments, preserving them for you to relive and share with generations to come. Choosing the right wedding photographer requires careful consideration, and asking the right questions is essential to ensure your vision aligns with their capabilities. To help you make an informed decision, ShaadiWish is here to help you out with some vital questions you must ask your wedding photographer.

Also, in case you missed, here are questions to ask wedding planners before finalizing them.

Here Are Some Important Questions That You Must Ask A Wedding Photographer Before Hiring:

1. Ask The Wedding Photographer For Their Portfolio And Experience

Begin by reviewing their portfolio to assess their style and expertise. Ask how many weddings they have covered and inquire about their experience with venues similar to yours. Here are some basic questions that you need to take a note of for the first meeting with the potential wedding photographer –

How many weddings have you photographed so far?
How many years of experience do you have in shooting weddings?
Have you photographed similar weddings to the one we are planning? (For example, – could be related to a destination wedding or an intimate wedding that you are planning.)
Can we see some of your unedited work?
Did you cover weddings at our booked wedding venue before?

Questions You Must Ask A Wedding Photographer Before Hiring — Smarya

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2. Wedding Photographer’s Availability

Ensure that the photographer is available on your wedding date. Some photographers might have multiple bookings, so it’s crucial to confirm their commitment to your day.

Are you available on our wedding date?
Will you be shooting my wedding? Or will there be any other senior photographer who is supposed to cover our wedding day?
Team of how many people will be coming to shoot our wedding?
(In case of destination weddings- how many rooms will your team need for accommodation?)

3. Style And Approach Of The Wedding Photographer

Discuss their photographic style and approach. Do they prefer candid shots, traditional poses, or a mix of both? Understanding their style will help you gauge whether it aligns with your preferences. Also, ask if they can do a style that you have in mind – that is based off from Instagram or Pinterest.

How would you describe your photography style?
Do you prefer capturing candid moments, or would you want to dedicate additional time before the ceremonies to capture wedding photography poses?
Can you choreograph our pre-wedding shoot?
Can you recreate images and poses that we pick from our mood board?
What is the equipment that you will be using to capture our wedding photos?

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4. Wedding Photographer Coverage and Packages

Understand what their packages include. How many hours will they cover? Do they offer engagement sessions? Will they bring assistants or a second shooter? In fact, this information helps you plan and budget accordingly.

Can you customize your package as per our wedding budget?
Does the package cover our pre and post-wedding ceremonies too? Do you charge for the extra rituals that are not mentioned in the package?
Can you please share the complete list of deliverables (breakdown) that are covered in your quoted price?
How many edited photos from each event will you deliver in this package?
Do you include the travel and stay costs in the package, or will we have to bear that separately?
Are you open to video edits as per our feedback?
Do you also cover drone videography? Is there an additional cost for that?

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5. Questions To Ask Your Wedding Photographer On Delivery Time

Inquire about the timeline for receiving your photos. Wedding photographers often have varying turnaround times for delivering edited images, so make sure their schedule aligns with your expectations.

What is the latest that we can get a few edited pictures from all the ceremonies?
How long do you take to deliver the final images and videos? (An estimated timeline?)
Will you provide the raw data – including wedding photos and videos?
Apart from sharing the photos digitally with us, do you also provide printed wedding albums?
Can we customize the designs of these albums?

And, don’t forget to ask your wedding DJ these questions.

6. Contract and Rights Of The Wedding Pictures

Review the contract thoroughly. Ensure it outlines the services, payment terms, cancellation policy, and the rights to the photos. Above all, clarify whether you’ll have full rights to the images for personal use.

When do we need to deposit the booking amount?
Do you accept payments in installments?
Will you be providing a detailed contract mentioning the cost of all deliverables discussed?
Will we have the rights to the images for sharing with friends, family, or third parties?
Would you be posting our photos on your social media pages and website?
Will you submit our photos for third-party features?

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7. Questions To Ask Wedding Photographer About Backup For Unplanned Moments

Inquire about their backup plans for unforeseen circumstances. Ask about the equipment they use and whether they have backups in case of technical failures. Also, it is best to discuss cancellation and refund scenarios too in case of unforeseen situations.

What happens if the main photographer falls ill on your wedding day? Do you have a backup team ready?
What is the cancellation and refund policy?
Do you provide any insurance?
Do you have a backup service if you lose any wedding coverage due to technical defaults?