5 Questions To Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before Booking
“What kind of photographer are you?”
Why you should ask this: I would personally put all photographers into two main categories—people who are artists first and foremost, and people who are service providers first. Photographers who would consider themselves artists are more likely to prioritize “getting the shot,” which means they might be less attuned to your emotions and your experience. They’re going to pose you more, and they don’t necessarily value authentic smiles differently than forced smiles. On the other hand, photographers who are service providers first will reguarly check in to ensure you’re having a good time. They “read the room” more readily, and will pause photographing if you’re not having a good time, hype you up, and then get back to work. They’re the sort of people who make sure you’ve had a snack to eat, that you drink water on a hot day, and their personalities are more malleable to your individual experience. There are pros and cons to both! An artist photographer is going to have a very set-in-stone reliable shot list, a system that works to get the photos no matter what. A service provider photographer is going to
Possible answers:
“My background is in editorial photography. My style is curated, and every couple who hires me gets a reliably perfect gallery.” You know exactly what you’re getting with this photographer. They might be less flexible if your day isn’t traditional, but you’re going to get photos that look just like their portfolio!
“I started out in photography as a journalist, and my style is documentary. I go into every wedding with an open mind, and each couple gets a totally unique gallery.” This photographer isn’t easily surprised! They adapt easily when something goes off script. They will deliver more candids than posed photos, and your gallery will be an honest reflection of your experience.
"I am whatever kind of photographer my clients need me to be.” While not necessarily bad, this answer would concern me as a client. People getting married are hiring vendors they should be able to trust to make quality decisions every step of the way. You don’t know what you don’t know, and unless you are a wedding photographer too, your photographer should have enough experience to know what they excel at.
“How would you describe your style?”
Why you should ask this: If you look online for kinds of photography styles, you’ll see a buzz words for the images themselves, like “dark & moody,” “true-to-life color,” “bright & airy,” or “cinematic.” You’ll also hear words for the photography approach like “photojournalistic/documentary,” or “editorial/fine art.” You should know enough about these terms and their definitions to be able to picture the result when a potential photographer answers this question. Go through their galleries on their websites, social media, and also search beyond just them to see what other styles exist. Pinterest is a great resource for this!
Possible answers:
“Dark & Moody.” This is a color grading scale that leans into deep shadows, darker palate, and often cooler tones like blues (though you can also find dark and moody photographers who lean more into warm colors like brown and green). A dark & moody photographers can also be editorial or cinematic, though this style is more popular amongst documentary-style photographers.
“True-to-life-color.” This is self-explanatory in so many ways, but often misunderstood as a style of photography where minimal edits are made to the images. In reality, cameras will not always capture photos that represent colors the same way our eyes see them. A lot of work goes into matching color between photos, and restoring colors from file to file to try and make sure the end result is a gallery that looks the way you remember the day looking.
“Bright & Airy.” This style of photo is going to focus more on the subject than the surroundings, because the person photographed is going to stand out while the backgrounds are often whiter, brighter, and less detailed. This image style was wildly popular for decades, especially for weddings, but has recently become more dated as couples prioritize darker styles that incorporate the surrounding environment. Photographers who still shoot bright & airy tend to be more editorial, and more posed.
“Cinematic.” This style is marked by a strong focus on composition, placing the subject of the photo into a scene in a way that could be clipped from a dramatic film. Cinematic photographers mix editorial and documentary styles with intention, telling stories focused on strong emotions and stylized color choices.
“Photojournalistic/Documentary.” This is a shooting style that can be applied to any color or editing choice, though it leans more into true-to-life-color naturally because it’s a style that comes from documenting moments with minimal interference. If you hire this photographer you will get a lot of candid photos and fewer posed images.
“Editorial/Fine Art.” This style is all about getting the perfect images, which means lots of posing. These photographers will place you in the perfect spot, in the best lighting, and will tell you how to look and what to do with your hands. The images are often more serious expressions and perfect smiles.
“Can you show me a full gallery of a previous real wedding you’ve shot?”
Why you should ask this: I put only the highlights from each wedding into the portfolio section on my website. Social media is another place I showcase my work, but there’s no way to display a full gallery on Instagram, Pinterest, or TikTok. It just wouldn’t make sense to upload 500+ photos from a wedding when I could send direct links to full relevant galleries when asked. You should see what is actually being delivered from any one photographer, rather than just loving the highlights they choose to put online. See what else fills the gallery, and judge whether it’s all similar quality or whether the photographer actually only delivers a handful of great images—can they maintain the same level of quality across 500+ photos taken over 8 hours in wildly different lighting scenarios? Usually, couples portraits (which are most of what end up on websites and social media) happen during the easiest part of a wedding day—make sure you’re hiring a photographer who can also maintain the highest quality work during the ceremony, the reception, and all your other special moments.
Possible answers:
“Yes, I’d be happy to pass some along! Are you more interested in seeing weddings just from the venue you’re booking, or would you also want to see examples from other locations that perhaps were the same time of year you’re getting married?” Maybe you’ve booked a venue a photographer has shot at many times, but they’ve never been there during the month you’re getting married—if you’re getting married in July, your gallery will look totally different than an October wedding—seeing other galleries with different weather, a mixture of indoors and outdoors, and natural vs. flash photography will tell you a lot about what a photographer is capable of.
“No. I don’t send full galleries from real weddings because those images are only for the couple who booked me. The portfolio of work on my website and social media pages is representative of a gallery you would get from me.” This answer isn’t great, but doesn’t mean the photographer is bad at their job. Maybe they give their clients the copyright to their own images, so they literally can’t share the whole thing. You’ll have to decide if what is on their website and social media is enough to determine whether they will do a good job documenting your day.
“I would be happy to send you a sample gallery! It is from a styled shoot, not a real wedding, but it is a good representation of my best work.” This answer raises some red flags because a styled shoot is not the same situation as a real wedding. Photographers have a lot more time to get creative, ask for moments to repeat, and they aren’t navigating the pressures of a real event. This would indicate to me that the photographer might have a lot of great photos in their portfolio, but not a lot of real-world work experience in the wedding industry.
“Can you describe to me exactly what you do to prepare for our wedding, and also how much planning assistance you usually provide your couples?”
Why you should ask this: I am a photographer who spends half my year prioritizing elopements and microweddings. While I shoot big traditional weddings often, I am fully prepared to be the main vendor leading couples from start to finish as they build their plans. Many photographers do not opperate this way, and it’s important you have all your bases covered if you want a lot of planning assistance. If you want someone who will offer advice, and boldly recommend what they know is best, you’re asking for a lot more effort than to just “show up and shoot.” Hire a photographer who is going to offer you exactly as much help planning as you want, but if it’s a lot you should figure out early if that is included in their packages.
Possible answers:
“I offer enough planning assistance that you theoretically don’t need to hire a planner or coordinator if you’re able to delegate tasks to the respective vendors, and the guides I send in the months leading up to your date have enough information that you could plan your full day from start to finish.” Your photographer is the one vendor who is actually present with you all day, and if they’re involved in planning your day (building the timeline, suggesting details like attire and accessories) then your photos will be even better coordinated. When a non-photographer vendor builds your timeline, they aren’t necessarily making sure you’re free for portraits during the best moments of natural light.
“I am familiar working big, traditional weddings with a large vendor team. I don’t have usually add my input into the timeline. I’m here if you have any questions, but otherwise just let me know when your schedule is set, and send over a shot list for group photos. If you need my input on the shot list, I’ll happily give some suggestions.” This photographer is ready to show up and shoot. They have the experience necessary to answer any photo-related questions, but they’re used to tasks delegated in such a way that they stay in their lane and don’t overstep on other vendor’s jobs. They’re not the ideal photographer for microweddings or elopements where there is no planner.
“When should I expect to hear from you in the months leading up to our date?”
Why you should ask this: You don’t want to be misinformed or waiting. Set communication boundaries and expectations early so that you can move forward confidently and not end up surprised. I tell all of my couples, “if you haven’t heard from me on a certain subject, that means it doesn’t need to be finalized yet. I will reach out to you when something needs to be finalized, but if you’re worrying about it early then don’t hesitate to jump ahead.” I have a very open-door policy when it comes to planning and advice, but I also have a process that means as soon as you’re booked a series of planning emails are drafted on my calendar—half those emails go out in the first month after you book, the rest are spread out (depending on how far in advance you booked) from 4 months out to 1 week before your big day. You should know when to expect emails, so you’re not waiting for something. But also, if you don’t want to be contacted much it would be helpful to know if your photographer is someone who regularly checks in.
Possible answers:
“You’ll receive all the advice you need immediately upon booking, and then you won’t hear from me again until about a month before your date when I check in to finalize the timeline and make sure everything is still going smoothly. If anything comes up in between booking and one month out from your wedding, please feel free to email me.” This kind of photographer isn’t ideal for someone who needs a lot of guidance, but they are perfect for someone who hates seeing a new email notification pop up. They’re going to give you what you need, but nothing extra. Having an open-door policy to answer questions is essential in my opinion, but if you have other vendors helping with planning then this is often ideal.
"Once you’re booked, I send out regular check-ins. Booking is just the start of the process and I’m here every step of the way to offer reminders or advice when you need it.” If you’re planning an elopement or microwedding, this is perfect! You don’t know what you don’t know, and a very hands-on photographer is going to be very helpful in making sure you don’t miss something important as you plan what might be your first big event with a tiny vendor team. For a big wedding, this might actually end up being more confusing than helpful—especially if you’re working with multiple people who have “planning” in their role descriptions.
"When do you want to hear from me? What kind of advice are you looking for?” While it might sound great in theory, if your photographer isn’t confident to tell you what you need, or experienced enough to know their own prefered communication boundaries, then you might end up shouldering most of the work. If you’re planning a very unique DIY-style event and want full control, this might be ideal. But not having a set process for communication leading up to your wedding is also a sign that this photographer might be less experienced. If this is their answer, I recommend following up with some clarifying questions.
