10 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before Booking
Being a busy South Wales Wedding photographer we have been asked all sorts of questions from our couples during our chats with them. So we thought it would be a great idea to highlight the top 10 most commonly asked questions when booking a wedding photographer to help all new wedding couples that are just starting their wedding planning journey. And we provide answers to these popular wedding questions that are specific to us.
1. What is your wedding photography style? and do you have examples
We have a documentary wedding photography style with a modern twist, however we don’t quite fall into the category of editorial wedding photography; as we like to make our images timeless and less about following trends.
Capturing those candid, un-posed moments is what is truly important to us as it embraces the raw emotion of your wedding day and removes all of the stereotypical awkwardness associated with posed wedding photography.
Throughout our website and Instagram page there is a plethora of our work for you to take a look at. If you want to have a closer look at a full wedding day then we would love to arrange a zoom call with you to show you a full wedding gallery.
2. How long have you been a wedding photographer?
We have been capturing weddings for the past 5 years now, and I still love having that excited feeling before each and every wedding. I’m passionate about telling unique stories and capturing those once-in-a-lifetime moments, because as the saying goes… The flowers will die, the cake will get eaten but the photos will last forever. We love getting to know our couples, putting them at ease and making sure they have their dream wedding day.
3. Have you photographed at our wedding venue before?
This is a brilliant question to ask when looking for your dream wedding photographer but our answer is mixed. Let us explain…
Having a wedding photographer who has worked at your chosen wedding venue prior is a good thing because they will automatically know the best places for wedding photos. They will know the staff and the overall structure of how the venue likes to operate, ensuring you have a seamless wedding day.
However, working at the venue before isn’t always a good thing because your wedding photographer may fall into the trap of becoming a “Cookie Cutter Wedding Photographer”. This means that they will have a set routine that they will follow because it worked for them before. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but your wedding may look similar if not identical to another wedding that they have shot there before.
So this question isn’t necessarily essential to ask your wedding photographer but is one to think about during your wedding planning journey.
4. Our wedding venue is dark, how will you deal with this?
Great question! As an experienced wedding photographer, we are no strangers to shooting in low-light conditions (Especially in sunny Britain!). We have the experience and the equipment needed to capture stunning wedding photos in even the poorest of lighting situations. We will work closely with you and your wedding venue to ensure that I have the right equipment and lighting to capture every special moment in the best way possible. If you’re worried about the lighting in your venue, let’s have a chat and work through some scenarios to ensure you get the best wedding photos.
5. Do you offer second shooters?
If you havent already then we would highly suggest you take a look at our “Why you need a second shooter” Blog. Because second shooters add so much value to large wedding days and theres simply too much to talk about here.
Back to the question in hand… It is important to ask your wedding photographer if they offer second shooters. If you have read the above blog and decided you do want a second shooter for your wedding, then you don’t want to find out that your wedding photographer doesn’t offer them after you’re already booked.
We offer second shooters as an additional extra and think they are the perfect fit for large wedding days.
6. Do you have any reviews from past couples?
The strongest form of advertising for any business is word of mouth and a good reputation. If you think you have found your dream wedding photographer make sure to check their social media and google reviews.
Positive and current words from previous couples is always a good indication that your wedding photographer is providing a high-end service with couples sharing their love for them and their work.
7. How long will it take for our wedding photos to be ready?
The time taken for a wedding photographer to deliver your wedding gallery depends on multiple things including workload, style, how many staff etc. This topic can be read in more detail Here.
This question is a very important one to ask your wedding photographer before booking them. Because depending on how quickly you want your photos to be delivered, this can be a massive deciding factor on the wedding photographer you choose to capture your wedding day.
Currently we work on a 6-8 week turnaround time with a quick preview gallery delivered within 24 hours of your wedding day.
8. What wedding photography packages do you offer?
The modern era (look at us at the age of 24 sounding like our grandparents!) have adapted to a less tactile and more virtual world. Wedding photographers have followed this trend and things have definitely moved on from the 24 shot film that your parents had on their wedding day.
However, some wedding photographers, including ourselves, still massively value print/albums. Theres no pop-up notifications to distract you whilst looking through your album like there potentially would be whilst looking through your online gallery on your phone (although we do offer both!).
Make sure to sit down with your partner and discuss if a wedding album is important to you or not. and then begin looking at different wedding photographers who offer the wedding packages you want.
Here are some of ours…
9. Do you take a deposit and when will the final payment be expected?
Boring!!! Ok we get it, talking about money isn’t the most exciting thing in the world but it is very important to discuss this with not just your wedding photographer but all of your chosen wedding suppliers.
You need to have a budget in mind for your wedding day and when you will have the funds available to pay off those suppliers leading up to your big day.
So make sure to chat with your wedding suppliers and ensure that they are within your price range and you know how much and when payments will be due.
10. Our dog is going to be at our wedding, are you ok with pets?
I mean theres only one real answer for that… YES, YES AND YES!!!
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If you have found this blog useful and you have enjoyed looking through some of our work, then get in touch and lets have a proper chat about your wedding day plans!
