Questions To Ask Potential Photographers
Hi friends! I hope you’re as proud of me as I am that I’m blogging for a reason other than simply sharing our latest work. You may be witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime event right now (though if the quarantine prevents us from taking photos for many more months, this good fortune could strike again)!
Over the years, we’ve talked with many potential clients. Some come with long lists of questions, and others aren’t too sure what to ask! You can find a lot of opinions and suggestions about this by searching around on the internet, but we wanted to weigh in with our two cents on the most important things to ask and to look for.
First things first: before you even reach out to a photographer, do a little research. Read the information they have on their website, check out what they share on social media, scroll through their blog posts, and read their reviews. Do you love their work? Can you envision yourselves as one of their couples? Do they seem to value things that are important to you? Do they seem approachable and comfortable to be around? Instagram stories can be helpful for this, since they tend to be a bit more casual/less scripted than other more structured posts. It’s never too early to start following photographers you like on social media, since you can start getting to know them before you even officially have a reason to reach out to them.
Fast forward- let’s say it’s time to reach out to your favorite photographer (s)! If you’ve already set a date, be prepared for the fact that they may already be booked. If that ends up being the case, there’s nothing wrong with asking for a few names of their favorite photographers. Google results can be very limiting, and wedding planning websites often require vendors to pay to be part of them, while professional photographers will typically only pass along names of other reliable, established photographers. You may end up falling totally in love with a photographer you’d never even heard of!
If you have your heart set on a particular photographer, consider reaching out to them before you even set a date for your wedding. That way, you can find out some of their available dates and make sure those dates work for your venue before signing any contracts.
As you set up meetings with potential photographers, we highly recommend choosing to meet in-person if at all possible. If that’s not an option, go for a video call. This way, you can easily answer the most important question to ask yourself as you search for a photographer: how do they make you feel? Your photographer is literally going to follow you around on your wedding day- you may even interact with them more than your new spouse. That doesn’t mean they’re going to be talking your ear off or intervening all day, but their presence will surely be felt. Do they seem like someone you can relax and be yourself around, or do you feel pressured to act a certain way when you’re talking with them?
Now, onto the content that inspired our catchy, pin-worthy blog title…Questions to ask potential photographers! We highly recommend focusing your initial meeting on personal interactions and getting to know each other, but these questions will also help you determine if this photographer is the perfect fit for you.
Gear Related Questions
Does their camera have dual-memory card function?
We’ve seen many “must ask” question lists that suggest asking what type of camera your photographer uses. Unless you know a lot about cameras, their answer probably won’t mean very much. Instead, we suggest asking whether or not they shoot with dual memory cards. Professional-grade cameras record files simultaneously to two memory cards instead of one. No matter how fancy or expensive they are, memory cards can unpredictably corrupt, leaving files unreadable, so using a camera that immediately records two copies of every image is imperative.
Do they have backup equipment?
The answer here should very clearly be yes. It’s likely anyone who you’ve gotten to the point of meeting with will be able to give you a well thought out answer to this, but it still can’t hurt to ask. It’ll ease your mind, and give them a chance to share with you something they probably think about often!
How do they handle your files between the wedding and the time of delivery?
This question is majorly important. There are so many variables with file storage that can go wrong- corrupt files, equipment failures, fire, flood, theft…Yikes. All totally unpleasant, but all totally possible. Your photographer should be able to tell you clearly how they back up your files and keep them safe during the editing process. Retaining at least three copies (not all in one place) is advisable. If we’re on your list of photographers to talk with, ask Trevor this question. He’s spent DAYS worth of time setting up and organizing our file management, resulting in us not losing sleep over the fear of losing images.
Worse-case Scenario Questions
In an ideal world, every part of your wedding day goes off without a hitch and unfolds as planned. However, life does not always go as planned. There’s probably not a perfect answer to any of these questions, but it’s important to ask anyways. The way your photographer answers should hopefully make you feel reassured - not that things will be perfect, but that they’ve thought these things through and are prepared with a plan in case the unexpected happens.
What happens if they get sick or injured and are unable to make it to your wedding?
Again, there’s no perfect answer here! Hopefully, your photographer can speak to how they’d help you find an alternate photographer and what they’d do with the money you’d already paid them.
What happens if you (the couple) have to postpone or cancel our wedding for any reason?
The current pandemic situation is a great example for why this conversation is important. It’s another answer that might not be enjoyable- it’s possible that you may lose payments- but it’s important to know ahead of time so you’re prepared if the unthinkable happens.
Assorted Extra Questions
These questions are totally just for fun, but might be a great conversation starter and help you get to know your photographer (as a photographer) a little better.
What’s your favorite part of a wedding day?
Aside from weddings, what are your favorite things to photograph?
What can we do to be your best couple ever?
We’ve been asked this and it made us laugh and feel silly but also really made us think and helped us know we were a perfect fit for each other.
What are your favorite places to shoot?
If you’re a photographer with other questions that you think are just pure gold, let us know! We’d love to hear other people’s favorites. And to all the couples out there, we hope you found this useful!
Now, let’s cue a nice long round of applause for what is, by far, our longest blog post yet. Ha! Much love everyone!
Byyyyyyyyyyeeee!