10 Questions to ask before hiring a wedding photographer.

1.How many years have you been a working photographer?

A very important question to ask right from the start. Years of experience don’t necessarily mean better photography, but it does mean more experience with troubleshooting and being able to adapt to unique lighting situations and unexpected client requests. Years of work in the industry also indicate clients are generally happy with the photographer’s output of delivered work, in other words: bad client reviews have not sunk their business.

2. How many weddings have you photographed?

This is a variation of the question above, but super important. Almost all brides & grooms have zero experience with weddings, so it is very important that the photographer, along with their wedding coordinator, be the ones to lean on with questions or concerns. Someone working solely as a corporate event photographer has a much different set of skills than what a wedding demands. Another thing to consider is that a great wedding photographer can set the tone and mood of the day. One who appears frazzled, rushed or disorganized can unknowingly telegraph that nervous energy to the wedding party. The more weddings a photographer has documented builds their confidence and this confidence can really be an anchor for the bride & groom when things get stressful.

3. How many cameras/lenses will you bring?

One camera? One lens? Think twice. Quite simply, this is a disaster waiting to happen and I question any professional photographer who works with just one of anything in their toolkit.

4. Do you work with an assistant and or second shooter?

Something to consider if you are looking for total comprehensive coverage of all facets of your wedding. A second photographer will allow the lead photographer to focus their energy on those crucial moments. Photographer’s who work with assistants will more often than not be more efficient because they will not be burdened with the auxiliary tasks of carrying gear, finding parking, setting up lights etc..

5. Do your cameras have dual card slots/ How do you back up your images?

Backup memory card slots are so important. Memory cards have limited lifespan and with each wedding, the chances of them getting corrupted increases.

6. How and when will our photos be delivered?

Always find out how long it will take to deliver your photos. A professional photographer should always establish some expectations of turnaround times. From the photographer’s perspective, longer turnaround times are usually due to the time consuming process of pouring over hundreds and maybe thousands of images - culling, editing, cataloging, archiving and assembling albums or prints; For a busy photographer, this process repeats week after week month after month during the wedding season so it is typical for turnaround times to fall within 4-12 weeks.

7. What is your contingency plan in case you are unable to show due to illness/emergency etc?

This one should be answered to bring peace of mind knowing that in a worst case scenario your photographer has a plan in place to assure you will be delivered beautiful photographs by a competent photographer. Most photographer’s require a non-refundable deposit which may in some cases be used to hire a professional able to substitute shoot in a similar style.

8. Do your packages include the digital files, prints or a print release?

Pay special attention to packages. Some photographers do not deliver the digital files for download for free, but rather prefer a pay-per-image model to nudge clients toward printing and albums. Print release

9. On average how many images do you deliver for a full day wedding?

Establish this during the first conversations with your prospective photographer. For a typical full day wedding, photographers deliver between a couple hundred to just north of a thousand.

10. Can we see a full wedding gallery?

Anyone with a camera can take a stunning portrait of a couple during sunset. But what about low lit churches that prohibit flash photography? What about a couple who is extremely camera shy? What about rain or high noon sun? The images not featured on a photographer’s portfolio paint a clearer picture of a photographer’s value and are a much better indicator of the types of images your photographer will deliver.