Questions to Ask a Wedding Photographer at the First Meeting | Sarah Kane Photography

Choosing a wedding photographer just might be the most important decision you will make during the wedding planning process. After the wedding your flowers will wilt, only crumbs left from your cake, your dress will be preserved and packed away and you are left with nothing but your memories and photographs. You hope that you will always remember every detail about the day, but as time goes on and you encounter more life changing events, those details will begin to fade. It's imperative that you have someone you can trust to preserve those moments for you! It's amazing how one image can conjure up so many forgotten memories.

You've got to love more than just your photographer's images.  Someone can take breathtaking images, but a personality type that does not mesh well with you and your fiancé is a disaster waiting to happen. Your wedding photographer will be spending a lot of time with you and your guests, so you want to make sure he/she is not going to offend anyone or make anyone feel uncomfortable.  You can tell a lot about a person in the first 30-60 minutes of conversation.  Meeting with a potential photographer is an important part of your decision making process, but contrary to what you might think the first initial meeting is not a time to ask all of the technical questions like, what are your prices, what is your style, or how many images can I expect to receive? Those questions should be answered BEFORE you schedule a meeting. Email all of your questions to your top 3 or 5 photographers and after reviewing their responses you can narrow it down to those you'd like to meet. (READ MORE: Essential Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer).

Now you're wondering, if I've already had my questions answered what is left to talk about at the meeting? Good question!  The meeting is nothing more than a final interview to see if you will be comfortable with the photographer as a person. Do you like their communication style, are they easy to talk to, are they a good listener?  These things are going to be very important when the wedding day arrives and essential when trying to wrangle in your friends and family for portraits. Don't forget they will be mingling about the dance floor and tables with their camera.  You don't want someone who is awkward around people to make your guests feel uncomfortable. 

To ensure the day runs smoothly and efficiently your photographer  will need to communicate and coordinate with other vendors and will need to be able to handle themselves in fast paced high stress situations.  I've put together some questions and topics you can ask your photographer that will allow you to really get to know them beyond the technical stuff!

Questions to Ask a Wedding Photographer During Your First Consultation

1. What made you choose wedding photography as your focus area?

2. What do you like most about photographing weddings.

3. How do you handle organizing the formal portraits, especially if family members are not cooperating?

(this will give you an idea of how they would handle themselves in a high paced stressful situation)

4. Have you ever had a guest drink too much and do or say something that was inappropriate?  If so, what did you do?

(this may seem like an odd question, but there is a lot of drinking that occurs during the reception and with drinking comes bad judgment, so it's likely a guest may cross the line.  This answer is important because you certainly don't want your photographer to be upset or feel uncomfortable, causing them to be distracted during your wedding, but you also don't want them to make a scene and become confrontational (even if the reaction is warranted).

5.  What do you like least about wedding photography?

(if they say" nothing" they're not being truthful! I LOVE shooting weddings, but there are parts of it I like less than others. This will tell you a lot about your photographer. If they say having to work with a lot of different people , well that may be a red flag!)

A photographer who is more service based  is probably going to ask you a lot of questions about your wedding and work on getting to know you which speaks volumes for how they will treat you if you book with them!  This shows that they are more than just a "show up and shoot" photographer.  They are going to make your experience more personalized rather than just showing up and taking pictures. 

If you absolutely cannot schedule a meeting with a photographer at least try and Skype or speak with them on the phone before you book with them! Spend some time on their blog searching for more personal posts. This can also tell you a lot about them! 

Essential Questions to Ask a Wedding Photographer Before You Meet | Sarah Kane Photography

You've got the ring, you've got the date, you've got the venue, now you need a photographer!  There are a lot of photographers out there, but not all of them are a right fit for you. It's so important to meet your photographer before you book with them.  Someone who is not willing or is too busy to meet shouldn't even be considered. You want someone who is going to take time to get to know you and develop a relationship with you. It will make things so much more comfortable on your wedding day!  If your schedule is full or you are planning an out of town wedding promise you'll at least arrange to Skype or phone conference before you book your photographer.

Before the meeting

Most brides/grooms contact a few photographers they like and ask for prices. The photographer emails them back with a list of packages or collections and if the couple likes what they see a meeting is scheduled. During the meeting the bride and groom bring out "the list" of questions they've been told to ask and begin frantically writing down all of the answers. This approach is ok, but what happens if in the first 5 minutes you realize the photographer has a traditional style of photography when you are really looking for a more creative/artistic style? You've just wasted your  Friday evening and unless you are bold enough to end the meeting right then and there you will most likely end up staying longer than  necessary.  

Consider this approach, before you even schedule a meeting email the photographers you like your list of questions. If you're happy with the answers then  schedule a meeting.  This way you can spend time getting to know each other without the distraction of trying to process all of their answers. You may be so distracted that you never really get to see the photographer's true personality. Your photographer will be in "output" mode and will be concentrating on giving you all of the information you're asking for unintentionally masking their true personality. If you ask your questions ahead of time and use the meeting to get to know your photographer and tell them about your wedding you will most likely leave the meeting with a good idea if they are the right fit for you! (READ MORE: Questions to Ask a Wedding Photographer During the First Meeting).

Questions to ask BEFORE you meet   

 1. Please explain your photography style(s). (traditional, photojournalistic, editorial etc.) Photographers may have more than one style. Make sure you know the difference between the styles as well as knowing what style you are looking for. Don't just ask what their style is, ask them to explain it. Their definition of traditional may look very different from yours or mine!

2. Do you have a contract?

Whether your photographer is $200 or $7000 make sure you sign a contract! If you are ready to meet with a photographer ask to see the contract before hand and read it carefully. This way if you have any questions you can ask during your meeting.

3. What Equipment do you use?

This is important to know. The more megapixels a camera has the sharper the images will be. Also some cameras handle better in low light settings. This would be the ISO setting on a camera. Google search the equipment a photographer uses and read about them. For Canon users stay away from someone using a Rebel kit. This is the lowest end camera.

4.  Do you use backup equipment? (what is the make and model etc)? Equipment fails so make sure they have a backup camera, flash and lenses.

5. Who is your second shooter?

Make sure the second shooter is an actual photographer. Believe it or not I've heard stories of photographers bringing along spouses or friends who have no idea about lighting or how to shoot in manual mode!

6. What is your plan if you are ill or if there is an emergency and you cannot photograph my wedding?

7.  How many miles are included for engagement/wedding travel?  What is the travel fee beyond the included mileage?  

8. What is your procedure for finalizing the details before the wedding?

You don't want a "show up and shoot" photographer. Find out what their plan is in making sure formals run smoothly and efficiently. Be leery of photographers who don't ask you a lot of questions. This may be a lack of experience or interest. A thorough photographer will have an extensive questionnaire for you to complete before the wedding and will want to know every last detail!

9.  Are you photographing other events on the same day as mine?

This may not matter as much  if yours is the first event photographed, but if yours is the second believe me he/she is going to be exhausted about 2 hours into your event! You want them completely rested and focused for your wedding!

10. Do you have liability insurance?

This is essential! Many venues require it.

11. How will you deliver the images from my wedding? (Ex: digital download (fastest way to receive your images), disk, USB drive, prints only etc.)

12. How many images can I except to receive from my wedding?

Generally you should expect around 100 images per hour shot. 8 hours = 800 images

13. Will the images from my wedding be edited?This is important. Unedited images can be over or underexposed o the white balance could be off. Don't fall into the trap of "shoot and burn" images to save money.

14. How long after the wedding can I expect my images?

This will vary among photographers. Just make sure you know a head of time so you know what to expect. You will be very anxious to see them, so if you know you're going to have to wait a few weeks you can be prepared.

15. Will I get to see ALL of the images from my wedding?

Typically a photographer will take between 2000-4000 images during a wedding and narrow it down to the keepers. That's a whole lot of pictures to go through! Trust me when I say you DO NOT want the burden of doing this. If you trust your photographer than you can trust that they are giving you the best of the bunch! 
 

 16. Can you provide me with a list of references to contact?

Don't be afraid to ask for references. Do be afraid if they are reluctant to give them! Any respectable photographer should be more than willing to provide these (see "Questions to Ask a Wedding Photographer's Reference)

17. Can I have input into how the wedding is photographed?I think it's important to discuss your vision with your photographer so you are getting the images you want.  Someone who is willing to listen and plan with you is a must, but remember, unless you are a professional photographer, your wedding photographer has way more experience with this than you.(here's where the trust comes in again) Trust that they know what they are doing and let them do their job! 

18. Do you require a deposit? How much? Is it refundable should we change our minds or cancel the wedding?

Most wedding photographers require a deposit to reserve your date anywhere from 20% to 50% of  your total cost. Most deposits are non-refundable do to the time they've spent with you and other possible weddings that they've passed up for your date.

19. When is final payment due?

This will vary among photographers. Some may require full payment 30 days before the wedding while others are a bit more flexible.

20.  What are you prices/packages?

If you are looking for the lowest priced photographer then the questions in this post are probably irrelevant. You can find photographers out there as low as $200! You can probably even find someone who has never shot a wedding and will do it for free to build their portfolio. Quite a deal!! Be warned though , you get what you pay for! When looking at prices and packages figure out everything you want included (no. of hours, digital files, editing, prints, album, second shooter, experience, are they insured, equipment, how much time will they devote to you etc.) Compare what each  photographer has to offer with their prices and you may find that the lower priced photographers are offering a lot less! Don't be so quick to dismiss someone because their prices are out of your budget. Many photographers are willing to customize a package for you if what they offer is not quite what you want.

 I promise this approach will make your life so much easier! You will spend less time meeting photographers that aren't a good fit and find the right one quickly before they are booked for your date! Good luck!

 READ MORE: What to discuss with your photographer at your consultation

To save time simply copy and paste the list of

questions below into an email

 1. Please explain your photography style(s).

 2. Do you shoot film or digital?

 3. What Equipment do you use?

 4.  Do you use backup equipment? (what is the make and model etc)? 

 5. Who is your second shooter?

 6. What is your plan if you are ill or if there is an emergency and you cannot photograph my wedding?

7.  How many miles are included for engagement/wedding travel?  What is the travel fee beyond the included mileage?  

8. What is your procedure for finalizing the details before the wedding?

9.  Are you photographing other events on the same day as mine?

10. Do you have liability insurance

11. How will you deliver the images from my wedding? 

12. How many images can I except to receive from my wedding?

13. Will the images from my wedding be edited?

14. How long after the wedding can I expect my images? 

15. Will I get to see ALL of the images from my wedding?

16. Can you provide me with a list of references to contact?  

17. Can I have input into how the wedding is photographed?

18. Do you require a deposit? How much? Is it refundable should be change our minds or cancel? 

19. When is final payment due?

20.  What are you prices/packages?

21. Do you have a contract?