Questions To Ask A Wedding Photographer

There are so many questions to ask a wedding photographer. You may be at a loss as to where to begin. What questions are most important?

There are so many great wedding photographers out there in the world. Will you ever be able to choose? How will you find the right one? What can you do to find that perfect fit! Ask questions, lots and lots of questions.

A Wedding Photographer’s Style

The very first thing to be concerned with is a wedding photographer’s style. There are so many styles out there. Light and airy, dark and moody and true to life and color to name a few. Styles that are more candid in nature, documentary, or posed styles. Timeless styles and those that are trendy in the moment. What do you love? A wedding photographer’s portfolio should speak to you. It should keep you coming back to view more. If you are not in love with their style, I guarantee you will not love your images.

My imagery is known for being timeless, true to life, vibrant, rich in color and strong in contrast. I am a visual story teller first. A natural non posy fine art portrait creator second. I love it when your images are full of emotional moments. One by one, each moment will tell an authentic, beautiful story of your day. I look for candid moments that unfold naturally through direction. You will never see me actually pose you that is just not my style.

A Photographer’s Personality

You will spend a lot of time with your wedding photographer. A wedding photographer spends more time with you then any other vendor before, during and after your wedding day. It’s so important that your personalities mesh together. Take the time to meet with as many photographers as you can. It’s a huge decision that you don’t want to get wrong.

I am a very even keeled, calm and patient person. Well known to get giddy when capturing amazing emotional moments. You will see me jump up and down when that happens. Organization is my middle name. My ducks need to be in a row. Helping you build your timeline, guiding you through your wedding day is important to me. Building a formals image list is also important to me. Making sure not a single image you want is missing from your day matters to me. Everything we build lives on a google drive which you have direct access to. I prefer to look at things in a collaborative way with my clients. Show me your Pinterest wedding boards, I want to see them. Visit my about me page to learn more about my personality style.

Are They A Registered Business?

This is a question that really is important. There are so many wedding photographer’s in today’s market. Everyone who has a camera is now a photographer. How do you tell the experienced from the inexperienced? How long have they been in business? Are they a registered business? Do they have insurance? What is their education and what kind of equipment do they own?

These are questions that are very rarely asked. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been asked this. My business has been registered with the Nova Scotia government since 2008. It is also in good standing. Yes, I have insurance. Nova Scotia wedding couples can find out if a wedding photographer they are considering is registered and in good standing by visiting Access NS and follow the promps.

If you are out of province, check with your provincial government’s website page. The links below should lead you in the right direction.

Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
New Brunswick

Wedding Reviews & Galleries

Past performance is indicative of future behavior. All wedding photographers should have atleast one full wedding gallery online for you to view. Ask for reviews from their former clients. Even better ask for an email of one of their former clients and contact them yourself.

My website is full of past reviews from clients. Every page has a testimonial from a client. Read more detailed testimonials on my wedding photography.

I prefer to send full galleries of the venue you’ve chosen if I’ve photographed a wedding there. If not, you can view as many galleries as you like. Also take some time to browse my favorite wedding photography stories below my main portfolio gallery, mini galleries of around fourty images of my favorite weddings right here on my website.

Wedding Prices, Print Releases & Delivery Times

Most wedding photographers have hourly based packages. A wedding couple’s budget may indicate how many hours they receive for coverage. What else is covered in those packages? What size are the images? How long will you have to wait until you get your images?

I am not an hourly based wedding photographer. In the beginning I was but it hurt to watch couples struggle to get into the coverage they wanted at a price they could afford. I have one base package. You can have me at minimum 3 hours up to 10 hours for wedding day coverage. I want you to have all of the time you feel you need. You will receive a print release with JPG files large enough to print up to 24X36 inches. Copyright remains with myself. My contract states three months for delivery but the longest I’ve ever been is five weeks. On average if you only choose wedding photography, delivery will be two to four weeks.

Wedding Contracts

Always, always ask your wedding photographer if they have a contract for you to sign. This contact is meant to set expectations and protect both of you and the photographer. If they don’t have a contract for you to sign, keep looking.

Second Photographers

What will your wedding photographer do if they can not be there on your wedding day? Do they work with a second photographer? Is that important to you? Get more information on whether or not you need a second wedding photographer.

I prefer to work with a second photographer whenever possible. When video is added to a package, there are three of us. I’ve had a team of three in place since 2017 when I decided on adding video as a service.

I’ve never missed a wedding for any reason. I once shot a wedding with no voice and a chest infection. It was the worst 14 hours of my life! But I always have a second photographer I can depend on so she picked up my slack that day. If something more serious happens, I have a team of three girls. My clients will always be covered. I also have a network of over 400 photographers in Nova Scotia so it isn’t something I worry about.

Education, Experience & Equipment

Are they educated? Do they have the right equipment. Will they have a backup if their camera fails or a lens get’s damaged? How will they handle your files after the wedding day? Do they have the necessary skills not just in taking the image, after all anyone can push a shutter button. What about their editing experience?

Education

Education isn’t the be all end all. There are many photographers who have been self taught. We all start somewhere. I am a SMU graduate with a bachelor of commerce and a Professional Photography Certificate from the New York Institute of Photography. Continuing learning is important to me so I also take seminars online. I am very educated. If you don’t have an eye for photography though, I believe all the education in the world isn’t going to help you.

Experience

My career with wedding photography started in 2006, my business began in 2008. Not only do I have the education behind me, but I also have a lot of wedding experience behind me. Have a look at my wedding photography post production skills.

Equipment

I am overloaded with equipment and crazy about backing up everything on four external hard drives. I don’t ever want to go to a wedding couple and say I’ve lost your images. That is why all four of my full frame cameras have dual card slots. Every image is written to both cards. Knock on wood, if one card ever fails, I have that second duplicate card. Ask me about my lenses and speed lights during a consult, there are too many to mention. View more information on my wedding photography education and equipment.

Conclusion

It’s very important to think about questions to ask a wedding photographer before you have your wedding consult with them. Ask as many questions as you can. Take the time to get to know the wedding photographer you are considering. Think about having an engagement session with them to get a feel for their style and how they work. This does help prepare you for the way they will work on your wedding day. No question is irrelevant if you are talking to the right photographer.

wedding advice on the blog…

Wedding Resources

1. For great wedding planning ideas visit the knot and weddingwire!

Capturing your L❤VE story is my passion…let’s chat!