There’s little argument that booking in your wedding photographer is a key element to check off your wedding planning to-do list.
Given the big bucks involved, and considering the fact that this might be the first, or only, time you have ever needed to hire a photographer, it makes sense that you might need a little help with the process.
Hiring your wedding photographer is an investment in the quality of the photos (digital copies, prints, albums, etc) that you will look back on for many years to come. But what is often overlooked, knowing that you’ll be spending up to 12 hours with them on your wedding day, choosing the RIGHT ONE FOR YOU will also affect the way your wedding day feels.
Alex Szczesniak of Time With Alex
So I asked a friend of Unbridely TV, wedding photographer and high five enthusiast, Alex Szczesniak of Time With Alex, to help pull together this handy checklist of what to ask your wedding photographer - BEFORE YOU BOOK THEM.
As with any wedding planning tool, this checklist is designed to be used with a big helping of intuition, common sense and trusting your gut instinct. There is never a ‘one size fits all’ solution, but hey, this is an excellent place to start.
We hope it helps you with some of the less-thought-of, but still important, points of booking the perfect wedding photographer for you. Good luck!
Before you start your search, ask yourselves:
What’s really important to us on the day?
Do you love the fine details of a wedding, or are you more family-focused?
Is it all about the party or is the ceremony especially important to you?
These are important questions to ask as it allows you to tell your photographer where you want them to concentrate their efforts and time. What kind of memories do you want to be captured the most during the day?
What exactly do we need in terms of package inclusions?
Are you a little uncomfortable in front of the camera? Then a pre-wedding or engagement shoot might be important to you.
Do you need full-day coverage from getting ready in the morning to the dance floor at the end of the night? Or do you only want the ceremony captured with a handful of portraits taken for an hour or so afterward?
Before you begin creating a shortlist of the photographers you like, you'll need to decide what coverage (the number of hours or key components of the day you want them there for) you’re looking for. This will make it much easier to narrow your search down to a few prospective suppliers.
What do we value more?
Have a chat about how you might like to view, experience and enjoy your wedding photos in the future. This is something that, surprisingly, not many couples consider.
Do you only want the digital files or would you prefer something more tangible that you can keep, treasure and pass down to your children?
Would you love to own a beautiful album of your favourite moments to keep on your coffee table or would you prefer to display several small photo frames around your home?
Are you hoping to get a large canvas print or wall hanging in your family room or do you want a slideshow set to music to share with your interstate/overseas family and friends – or both?
There are photographers that offer all of these inclusions in a package and some who will offer them individually. Or, if you're on a tight budget, you can ask for only the digital files to be printed by a trustworthy supplier later!
What’s our budget?
There’s no right or wrong answer to this, and it’s always different for everyone. But please know that no matter what wedding photography budget you start with, you’re going to find one (or more) incredible wedding photographers whose fees are above your magic number.
This doesn’t make them ‘expensive’ and likewise, this also doesn’t make your budget low – it’s all relative to what you want and where your needs and values lie at this point in time. So now the question becomes: “if we find someone who blows us away, can we stretch our budget a little?”
If your answer is ‘no’ and your budget is firm, you’ve got a choice to either:
a) respect your wedding photography budget number and keep looking, or
b) rethink your needs – can you drop back the coverage (the number of hours you require your photographer to work on your wedding day) or the inclusions (e.g. could you forego the album and just have the digital files or hire one shooter instead of two) to bring the costs down?
Whatever you decide, remember that your wedding is a very personal thing. There’s no need to ever feel envious of others’ endless budgets, or ashamed of your own.
Who do we know through family or friends?
Asking your friends and family (or your venue, or other wedding suppliers that you like and trust) for a referral for a great wedding photographer is an awesome place to start. Generally, they are likely to have similar values to you and can send relevant recommendations your way.
When you start your search, find out:
What does their online presence say about them?
One of the easiest ways to know whether a supplier is experienced and trustworthy is to have a look through their website and social media feeds. Check out their reviews to get a feel for their style, personality and reliability.
See if people have generally had great business dealings with them in the past. If they have bad reviews, see what they were about so you can find out whether this may be a warning sign.
To see if you want to hire a photographer, be sure to ask:
How does it all work?
Some of these points may be covered by looking through a wedding photographer’s website (especially the FAQs) or their social media feed. Other points, you may need to ask directly. But these are all important questions to ask so that you know what to expect when working with a particular photographer:
How long after the wedding will we receive our photographs? Who will own the copyright?
Do you offer online access to our photographs for us and our guests?
Do you arrange meetings or an engagement shoot prior to the wedding?
Do you require a meal and/or drinks to be provided?
Will you visit our venue(s) beforehand if you’ve never been there before?
Covering these questions will help you to find a few photographers that you’d prefer to work with. It’ll also help you to avoid photographers who might prove difficult to work with, as well as suppliers who may take their time giving you your finished photos.
It’s understandable to want your photos as soon as possible, so if the photographer themselves gives you a long time frame (and if their reviews say they take a year+), you might want to look elsewhere.
Are they a good fit?
The best way to find out if a photographer is a good fit for your personalities is by meeting them face to face (if possible) or on a video call. What you’re looking for is a connection, which means that you are likely to work well together.
It should be easy to chat with them. They should listen to you, you should feel comfortable asking questions, and they should seem like they care about the outcome of your big day.
There are a few questions you should be asking your photographer when you initially meet with them:
1) Can we see an example of your typical wedding timeline?
2) Can you give us an idea of the kinds of photos you’ll be taking at different stages of the day?
3) What do you love about what you do? Why weddings? (Find someone who is passionate about their job!)
4) Do you have recommendations for other suppliers that you love to work with and know will take great care of us?
5) Can we see one or two other couple’s highlight reels from their wedding day?
Plus any other questions you might want the answers to. Remember, this is your big day, so you should be 100% satisfied with the suppliers that you book!
Bonus Wedding Photographer Enquiry Template
The flurry of stress and busyness that goes with trying to plan a wedding can really take its toll. But when you know what kind of questions to ask, it becomes easier to come up with a shortlist. And once you have that list, you can start sending out your enquiries!
Here’s a sample Wedding Photographer enquiry email template:
Hi <photographer’s Name>,
My fiancé, <Name>, and I've seen some of your wedding photography work on your website/Instagram/Facebook and we would love to find out if your approach and services match what we are looking for.
Our wedding will be on <DATE OF WEDDING> at <VENUE>. Our budget for wedding photography is $ <XXXX>. We're looking for a wedding photographer who will capture the most important aspects of our big day, which for us is <our ceremony/the reception/our families/the details/our story>.
We'd like to receive our photos <in digital form only/with selected prints/with an album/with a large canvas print/with an engagement shoot/with a second shooter>.
Please get back to us with your availability, packages and pricing.
Thank you,
<YOUR NAME>.
