Ask a wedding photographer fifteen questions before you book: five on the work, five on the day and five on the business. I'm Paul Hickey of Once in a Lifetime Photography, a Worcestershire wedding photographer. I have photographed more than 150 weddings since 2014. Below are the questions I'd ask, what a good answer sounds like, and my own answers.
You don't need a list of fifty. Most of those are answered on a photographer's website. These are the ones that separate photographers from each other.
The short list
The work
Can we see two or three complete wedding galleries?
How would you describe your style?
How much of the day is posed?
What do you do when the light is bad?
Have you worked at our venue?
The day
Will you be the photographer at our wedding?
What time do you arrive and leave?
What happens if it rains?
How do you handle family group photographs?
What do you need from us beforehand?
The business
What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
How many photographs will we receive, and when?
Are you insured, and do you carry backup equipment?
What happens if you are ill?
Can we see the contract before we pay?
Questions about the work
1. Can we see two or three complete wedding galleries?
This is the most useful question on the list. A portfolio shows a photographer's twenty best photographs. A full gallery shows the whole day, including the dark church and the rainy family groups.
A good answer: yes, straight away, from weddings like yours.
My answer: yes. Tell me your venue or season and I'll send the closest matches.
2. How would you describe your style?
A good answer: a clear one that matches the photographs you have seen.
My answer: documentary during the day, with creative night portraits after dark. I've explained the difference between documentary and traditional wedding photography.
3. How much of the day is posed?
A good answer: a number of minutes, not "it depends".
My answer: family groups take 20 to 25 minutes for ten groups. Couple portraits take 10 to 30 minutes, and you choose. The rest of the day I photograph as it happens.
4. What do you do when the light is bad?
Weddings happen in dark rooms, at night and in the rain. Ask to see photographs made in all three.
A good answer: examples, not reassurance.
My answer: off-camera flash is my specialism. Some of my strongest photographs were made after dark.
5. Have you worked at our venue?
It helps, but it is not essential. A photographer who arrives early and walks the venue will do as well.
My answer: I'll tell you either way. If I haven't, I arrive early to look round.
Questions about the day
6. Will you be the photographer at our wedding?
Some studios send an associate. Ask for the name of the person who will be there.
My answer: yes, always me.
7. What time do you arrive and leave?
A good answer: clock times, in writing.
My answer: full-day coverage starts up to three hours before the ceremony and runs through to the dancing. Here is a guide to how long to have a photographer.
8. What happens if it rains?
It rains at a lot of British weddings. A photographer should have a plan and photographs to prove it.
A good answer: where groups and portraits would move to, and examples from wet weddings.
My answer: family groups move indoors or under cover. Portraits wait for a dry spell. Rain after dark often makes my night portraits better, because wet ground reflects the light.
9. How do you handle family group photographs?
A good answer: a method and a time.
My answer: ten groups, largest first, with two helpers from your families fetching people. Here is the family photo list I work from.
10. What do you need from us beforehand?
A good answer: a questionnaire or planning call, well before the day.
My answer: a questionnaire in your client portal, open from the day you get your quote. There is no rush to complete it. This is what to tell your wedding photographer.
Questions about the business
11. What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
Ask about travel, albums and extra hours. Those are the usual extras.
My answer: my wedding photography packages list what each one includes, with prices.
12. How many photographs will we receive, and when?
A good answer: a number and a number of weeks, both in the contract.
My answer: around 700 edited photographs from a full day, in an online gallery. Delivery is within eight weeks as a rule. If a busy summer makes it nine, I tell you in advance.
13. Are you insured, and do you carry backup equipment?
Both answers should be yes without hesitation. Many venues ask to see a photographer's insurance.
My answer: yes to both.
14. What happens if you are ill?
A good answer: a specific plan.
My answer: I would first contact a small number of photographers I know and trust completely, and give you options. If none were free, I would ask within a professional group of experienced photographers I belong to. You would hear from me straight away, and you would choose.
15. Can we see the contract before we pay?
A good answer: yes. It should cover the date, hours, price, payment dates, delivery time and cancellation.
My answer: yes. Your contract is in your client portal from the moment I send your quote, so you can read it before you pay anything.
Five warning signs
They won't show a complete gallery.
There is no written contract.
They ask for the full fee at booking.
They are slow to reply before you have booked.
Their reviews exist only on their own website.
Questions to ask a wedding photographer: common questions
What is the most important question to ask a wedding photographer?
"Can we see complete wedding galleries?" It shows how they handle a whole day, not their best twenty frames.
How many photographers should we speak to?
Two or three. More than that and the answers blur together.
When should we book a wedding photographer?
As soon as you have a date and a venue. Popular Saturdays go a year or more ahead.
Should we meet a photographer before booking?
Yes, in person or by video call. They are with you all day, so you need to like them.
How much does a wedding photographer cost?
It varies widely. I've set out what wedding photographers cost in the UK and why.
Ask me
Send me any of these questions and I'll answer them for your date and venue. Once in a Lifetime Photography covers Worcestershire, the West Midlands, Herefordshire, Warwickshire and Shropshire. My work has earned several Wedisson Awards and a Flashmasters Gold Award.
Paul Hickey, Once in a Lifetime Photography · paul@onceinalifetimephotography.co.uk · 01905 900911
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