Photographer shopping

The photographer will still own the photos and typically they don’t give “raw” aka unedited photos but here are some I asked:

If you’re unable to make it the day of the wedding for some reason, what happens? (Make sure this is IN YOUR CONTRACT) my photographer said it’s up to her to find someone else if she’s unable to come

If there’s a second shooter, who edits? Our photographer edits all photos, both hers and he second shooters.

If we want an additional hour, how much is the charge?

Do you prefer free shooting or would you like a shot list?

Can we meet up in person sometime? This way you can be sure y’all both like him/her

When do we get the photos? We were told we’d get 5-10 in about a week, maybe one the next day for a sneak peek, then the rest 6-8 weeks after the wedding.

How do we get the photos? We get ours through an online gallery

Do you have a traveling fee? Our photographer is close so there’s no fee

Will you bring a meal or would you like one provided? We will be serving our photographers the same food and drink everyone else is offered

Can we make copies of the photos for friends/family/ourselves? Typically the answer is yes



Hope this helped! I probably have my full list of questions somewhere, there were about 50 haha

Thank you so much for this! I only thought of about 2 questions on your list. This is great help. Thanks again!!

View Quoted Comment Any time! I did find the full list if you’d like that I can message you

Sorry -- after I finished this stream of consciousness, I realized how LOOOOONG it was....

Be sure you ask to see examples of "full galleries," and if they've shot a wedding at your venue ask that it be included in the gallery links they send you. (A full gallery would be every edited photo they provided for a wedding. You want to see what they provide, start to finish, so you have a good idea of what you can expect.) A photographer can have gorgeous photos on their website, but keep in mind, they've strategically chosen what they want to display there and they likely represent photos from dozens of weddings. Daughter's venue had a photographer who was a "preferred vendor" with them. We met him at their open house, and the photos he displayed there and on his website were gorgeous. However, when she asked him for a couple of full galleries shot at her venue? WE WERE SOOOOO DISAPPOINTED.... Yes, he got some good shots, but there were a lot of others that were so bland and uninspired. Thankfully, daughter kept looking, and she found an AWESOME photographer. Also, ask if they can provide you with names and phone numbers of past clients you can talk with directly. (You want more than their Yelp/WW reviews....)

With a photographer, "fit" and "comfort" are super important, so take time to meet and talk with them. Is this someone you find engaging and comforting? If you're feeling anxious and stressed the day of the wedding, are they going to get you laughing or will they further stress you out? Tell them about how you envision your day, and see how they respond. Do they "get" your vision? Daughter and SIL knew they wanted to do a first look. They met with one photographer who adamantly tried to talk them out of it -- her vibe was definitely, "I KNOW WHAT'S BEST and what you want isn't it." I happened to be at that meeting, and I knew right then there was no way in hell daughter was going to hire her. Yes, you want a photographer who can offer you good advice, but you don't want someone so set in their ways that they are going to disregard your preferences/requests.

Clarify that you will have complete rights to all the images, to do with, print, upload, etc., as you see fit. Some photographers may seem much cheaper, but then they are going to charge you and your guests for every photo downloaded or printed. Ask for a complete breakdown of all charges, and the costs of options/upgrades. Some photographers will nickle & dime you to death. Make sure you know WHO will actually be shooting your wedding (some larger studios have a whole group of "photographers" and the "right" to assign whoever they want to shoot your wedding). Also, ask about who will be doing the editing and what processes they use. Ask about the minimum number of fully edited photos you are guaranteed. Ask about their back-up plans/equipment and how they store and back-up their images. (Daughter's photographer and his assistant were each working with at least two cameras all day, and the files from every camera were backed-up to cloud-based storage at least every 30-minutes, so if something awful happened, they'd never lose more than 30 minutes worth of pictures from one of 4-5 cameras.) Ask about how long until you get "sneak peeks," and your full gallery. Ask how you will have access (e.g., web-based downloads, a flash drive, etc.). Ask if any prints or albums are included, and/or how much extra those are. Ask how much assistance the photographer provides in constructing the album pages, what's the editing process (you should get final approval before the book is sent for printing). What's the time frame on album production? Ask about their contingency plans, in case of an emergency/illness/whatever. Ask how long they've been a wedding photographer, full-time, and how many weddings they've shot. What are some of their favorite weddings, why? What are some of their favorite shots, and why? What have been some of their most challenging/difficult experiences, and how did they overcome them? What's their preferred balance of posed vs. candid shots? What's their preferred way of planning for the posed/group shots? (Daughter's photographer definitely wanted a list of her "must have" group shots and asked her to provide a "photo wrangler" -- in her case two aunts -- who would help ensure the right people were in the right family group shots. It was super efficient that way, we had 40 family members on our side alone, and our "wranglers" made quick work of moving people in and out of pictures.) How obtrusive will they be? (How do they get "great shots" without getting in the way? Daughter and SIL went to a wedding where the guests literally watched the entire wedding from behind the photographers because they were always standing between the guests and the couple.) How do they work with other vendors, especially videographers? What are their thoughts on "unplugged weddings"? How do they deal with guests who get in their way? How do they deal with challenging family members/dynamics? What is their total cost/price options? What is their payment schedule? Do they offer any discounts? (Daughter's photographer offered both a paid in full at booking discount and a discount for paying by check or cash -- not credit card; those two discounts were worth 33% off her package.) What "packages" options do they offer? What do they recommend to get you as much as you're hoping for at a price point you can live with? Are they insured? May you have a copy of their insurance certificate? (Many venues require this; some photographers charge you for a copy....) When can they send you a complete contract to review?

It's a lot, but this is one of the most important vendors you're going to hire. Trust your gut regarding their personality and professionalism; it has to be a good match for your needs. Good luck! (And, when you get the contract, make sure EVERYTHING talked about is included in it!)

View Quoted Comment If it's easy to send, I would love to see your list. If it's not, no worries. Thanks!

View Quoted Comment I am very thankful for your"stream of consciousness". There is so much to think about!