Questions for meeting with photographer

If you haven't already, make sure you see some full wedding galleries from start to finish, so you have a reasonable idea of what you can expect to receive. Make sure you're seeing a full day, not just a highlights slideshow or blog summary.

That's the most important thing really- there are lots of "questions you should ask your photographer" type articles floating around online and to be honest, most of them are full of nonsense.

As long as you're pleased with the quality and standard of the photos, the main things to ask are clarifying the details of their package(s) how and when you'll receive your photos back, how many you'll receive and that kind of thing. Always get a written contract which states exactly what you get, what your and their responsibilities are.

Remember to also ask about deposits and when payment is due so there are no surprises

I met with 4 photographers and went armed with a load of questions lol.

Afterwards I did a comparison of their answers, whats included in their packages, value for money and how much I liked their style of photographs.

Here are the questions I brought along

- Approximately how many weddings have you shot? .........................................................

- Approximately how many weddings do you do a year? ………………………………………

- Do you do just one wedding a day? …………………………………………………………….

- What styles do you specialize in? …………………………………………..……………………

- What’s your favourite part of a wedding day? ………………………………………………….

- Have you ever shot at Orsett Hall Hotel before? ………………………………………………..

- How long after the wedding do we see the photos? ……………………………………………..

- Will the photos be retouched? Colour balanced? ……………………………………………….

- Is this done before we see the proofs? …………………………………………………………..

- What is included in the package? …………………………………………………………………

- Will you follow a shot list? Or do you prefer free reign? …………………………………………

- How many images should I expect? ……………………………………………………………….

- Will there be a second shooter / assistant? ………………………………………………………

- Do you bring your own lighting? …………………………………………………………………….

- What equipment do you use? ………………………………………………………………………

- What is the deposit and total fee? …………………………………………………………………..

- How many hours coverage? …………………………………………………………………………

- What is the charge for any overtime? ………………………………………………………………..

- Can you do an “instant” slideshow of the ceremony to play at reception? ………………………

- Do you have back up photographers if you’re sick? ……………………………………………….

- What type of paper is used for prints/album? ……………………………………………………….

- What are the restriction for sharing photos online or for publications? …………………………..

- Do you own copyright to the photos? ………………………………………………………………..

- Do you have liability insurance? ……………………………………………………………………...

- What is the refund/cancellation policy? ……………………………………………………………..

- Can I get a written contract? ………………………………………………………………………….

- Can we see full galleries from real weddings and complete albums? ……………………………

- Do you have any references from other couples? ………………………………………………….

Thanks for the help guys.

Wow that was a comprehensive question list Mrs Wallace (a bit like me when I was visiting venues lol)

We have decided we will book them, ive been following their page since they shot at a friends wedding a few years ago and so have a good idea of their style etc

A laundry list of questions pretty much kills the social interaction and turns it into a job interview.

None of my clients ever ask me such a long list. If I was greeted with such a laundry list I wouldn't book the couple. I wouldn't think we were a good fit.

Ask questions by all means, but perhaps ask the most mundane (sometimes almost insulting) questions in an email before the meeting if the answers are important to you.

One of THE most important things when booking a wedding photographer, is establishing if you like the photographer and feel comfortable with them.

The questions couples typically ask me, is...

How long do I typically stay?

How many pictures do you normally deliver, and are they all different or are some similar?

What happens if you are ill?

Will you need feeding?

How many pictures fit in an Album?

The rest of the time is spent getting to know one another.