Top 10 Things You Should Ask a Wedding Photographer Before You Book Them

Top 10 Things You Should Ask a Wedding Photographer Before You Book Them

When it comes to finding a wedding photographer, several questions are obvious. “What is your rate?” and “Are you available?” are the standard questions for most people. Although these are very important, are these really the questions you should be asking?

missy-grover.jpg

North Carolina-based photographer Missy McLamb was chosen to photograph Grover’s wedding because both he and his bride felt comfortable with her personality and style. (Photo by Jock Fistick)



I interviewed a panel of trusted and experienced wedding planners. I wanted to know what types of questions they ask when helping a bride and groom evaluate a wedding photographer.


My panel of expert wedding planners is:

Laura Weatherly, Engaging Affairs, Inc.
Janie Medley, The Bride’s Cafe
Heidi Baumgart, heidzillas
Andrea Villarrubia, Sayulita (Mexico) Dream Weddings
Jennifer Ramirez-Jasiczek, A Regal Affair
Candice Dowling Coppola, jubilee events


Elizabeth G. Dunderdale, Gracie Lou Events

10) How are your people management skills?
While the bride and groom are busy exchanging vows, stuffing cake in each other’s mouths, or trying to talk to as many guests as possible, the photographer is usually off on their own trying to navigate a sea of friends and family members they’ve never met. For this reason, it is important that the photographer be able to manage people in a friendly, effective way.

Ask a photographer to describe any particular wedding photography challenges they may have encountered in the past where their people management skills played a positive role.

Recently, I’ve been encouraging clients to inquire about a photographer’s people management skills. While it may not seem all that important at first, if a client has a large family and bridal party — or just people with low attention spans — it’s absolutely imperative that they hire someone who knows how to manage people.
– Candice Dowling Coppola

9) Are you familiar with my type of wedding ceremony?
Not all wedding ceremonies are the same. In fact, it is common for the bride and groom to customize the events of their ceremony to match their individual personalities or interests. Describe the ceremony to the photographer, and then ask them if they have ever shot a wedding with a similar structure.

Have you ever shot my style of wedding before? This is especially important if you are having a particular type of ceremony like Hindu or Persian because the photographer needs to know what’s going on and what’s important to capture!
– Laura Weatherly

8) Can you show me a complete, unedited wedding shoot?
This can make some photographers cringe, but it is a really great way to get an idea of how they work, and what you should expect after the day has come and gone. Keep in mind that photographers tend to take a lot of pictures, and then edit them down to only the best. Don’t freak out if you see some out of focus images, or many images of a particular moment.

By looking at a complete shoot, you can get a sense for how the photographer thinks and moves. And, while you’re at it – ask the photographer if you will have the opportunity to see the full shoot from your own wedding.

Be sure to ask for a complete wedding. Many photographers have sample albums to showcase their best work. While those albums are beautiful, be sure to get an image of you a whole wedding will look like so you are not disappointed, and so you can completely and accurately relay your wants to the photographer. They aren’t mind readers.
– Jennifer Ramirez-Jasiczek

7) Are you comfortable with providing direction?
The bride and groom, and many of their guests, aren’t usually professional models, and may get uncomfortable in front of the camera. They may hold themselves in an awkward position, and the resulting images may look unflattering.

Ask the photographer if they are willing to coach people into more flattering poses, and ask if they can show you some images where their direction played a large role.

While images on blogs and in magazines may look “natural” and “un-contrived”… they are often times poses set up by the photographer. If you are anxious in front of the camera and feel like you could benefit from some direction– ask your photographer if they are comfortable providing it. I’ve worked with many photographers on events, weddings, and photo shoots and based on my experience, a photographer who provides direction on what to do gets the best pictures. Period.
– Candice Dowling Coppola

Can you share some ideas for creative engagement/portrait/trash-the-dress shoots? How do you work with clients to come up with something that represents them and breaks the typical mold?
– Andrea Villarrubia

6) Can we arrange to do an engagement shoot first?
If you can set up an engagement shoot first, you are essentially giving the photographer a trial run before the big event. Assuming all goes well, you will both get to know each other better, become more comfortable with each other, and the results will likely show in your wedding images.

If the photographer offers engagements as an addition, please buy them. It is a great way to continue to build the relationship, spend time together doing what you will do on the wedding day. Relationships matter and we all want to spend the most important day with you, but only if you really want us, not just to take your money.
– Jennifer Ramirez-Jasiczek

If you can swing it, do an engagement shoot with your photographer prior to your wedding, so you can get to know each other, and see their work and shooting style in action.
– Andrea Villarrubia

5) What is your turn-around time?
It’s important to know how long it will take to get to see the pictures once the event is complete. The time will vary based on many factors (film will take longer than digital, and amount of retouching involved are a few) so ask a photographer to give you a time estimate based on what you’ve requested. An experienced photographer will be able to provide you with an estimated timeframe.

What should the B&G expect after the wedding as far as seeing online album, getting proofs on a disk or in a book and album turnaround.
– Heidi Baumgart

What is the timeline on getting the proofs back to you?
– Janie Medley

What is your turnaround time? This is just so you have a realistic idea about when you’ll see your images. Some photographers have images for you to see in a few days and some take a few weeks. Don’t start calling your photographer a week after your wedding if you know he usually takes 3-4 weeks to deliver.
– Laura Weatherly

It’s really no great surprise that people love instant gratification. A deciding factor for many brides is turnaround time. If she loves your work but won’t see so much as a teaser for 6 weeks she’ll probably pass you by.
– Elizabeth G. Dunderdale

4) Are you easy to get along with?
You can’t really ask this question directly, but you need to get the answer anyway. Unless you spend time with each other, in person, it will be difficult to figure this out. When interviewing the photographer, don’t limit your questions to just weddings and photography. Ask about their interests, try to get a feel for their sense of humor, and try to find some things that you have in common.

If you end up having a great time talking with the photographer, and you feel like this person would fit in well with your family and friends, then congrats – you will get along just fine.

We are building a team that will be with you all day long, so personalities matter. Great work is great work, but if the personalities don’t mix well, then the relationship won’t grow organically and it will show in your pictures.
– Jennifer Ramirez-Jasiczek

You also want someone that you can relate to, that you are comfortable with, that you like and want to open up to. Talk to them on the phone, and ask as many questions as possible via phone or in person, to really get a sense of their personality, as well as to get their honest and off-the-cuff answers (as opposed to email where responses are more “crafted”).
– Andrea Villarrubia

Don’t hire someone you don’t like (no matter how great their work is). You will be spending a lot of time with your photographer on your wedding day and if he or she annoys you or irritates you, the day will seem very long (and it will show in the photos).
– Laura Weatherly

Do you feel we’re a good fit for one another? Honesty is the best policy here. If the couple chooses you to shoot some of the most intimate moments of their lives, they deserve your honest opinion. If you don’t click with them be courteous yet blunt. Be sure to make some recommendations as well. They’ll respect your professionalism and probably refer their friends to you.
– Elizabeth G. Dunderdale

3) How long have you been shooting weddings?
In most cases, you don’t want to hire a total rookie to shoot a wedding. You want someone with experience. During your questioning, be sure to ask questions that will cause the photographer to reveal their experience. How many weddings have they’ve shot in the past year? What camera gear are they using, and how long have they been using it? (You want someone who is very comfortable with their gear, and not experimenting with some strange new gadget during your big day.)

Some photographers may not have a ton of weddings under their belt, but they may be experienced photojournalists who have worked under the daily pressure of a newspaper. The point is – ask questions that will give you an accurate account of their experience shooting weddings and/or similar events.

What events stand out in your memory as the most fun to photograph, and why?
– Andrea Villarrubia

If I’m unfamiliar [with the photographer] I like to hear about their approach to the wedding day as far as what they like to shoot, when they arrive, etc.
– Heidi Baumgart

How long has he/she been shooting weddings? And please remember, if the photographer has only been shooting weddings for a short period of time, please don’t think that they can’t do the job. We all are “beginners” at some point in our lives. Knowing that the photographer hasn’t been shooting weddings for as long as you may like, will let you know that there maybe a few shots that you may want to ensure that they get.
– Janie Medley

2) Do you work with an assistant?
Shooting a wedding is a lot of work for a photographer, so it is common for them to bring an assistant. It is also common for the assistant to shoot some of the pictures. You should ask the photographer if they plan to bring an assistant, and if so, ask what role that person will be playing.

It’s perfectly acceptable to ask for sample photographs from that person.

Is there an assistant? Do they ever split up in order to cover multiple locations such as girls and guys getting ready or formals during cocktail hour?
– Heidi Baumgart

Will the photographer have an assistant with them on day of the wedding? This is most important, especially if you are having a large wedding and there are a lot of detail shots needed. One person can’t do it all and you want to ensure that there are photos of everything. Also, will you be able to meet the assistant shooter before the wedding.
– Janie Medley

Who will be there on my wedding day? Make sure the photographer you’re meeting with is the same one who will be at your wedding. If you’ll be working with an associate photographer, be sure to meet him or her.
– Laura Weatherly

Do you work with an assistant? What is the assistant responsible for shooting? Can you share images shot by your assistant while working with you?
– Andrea Villarrubia

1) Can you describe your photographic style?
Asking a photographer about their personal photographic style is probably the best way to start a conversation that will reveal what makes them tick. This is one of the things that makes photographers unique. It’s like a fingerprint – every style is different.

In short, their style should match your personality. The way the wedding images are shot should be be a subtle reflection of the couple’s personality.

Ask a photographer about their influences. Which photographers and artists did they admire most when they were just starting out? If they give you some names, go home and look them up – you may end up being inspired too!

What is your shooting style? Don’t try to fit a round peg in a square hole. Don’t hire someone for their photojournalist style and then hand them a list of 50 groups shots. If you like the photographer’s style, give him or her the freedom to do what they do best.
– Laura Weatherly

What are your top ten key shots that you make sure you get at each wedding? How do you personalize them for each couple?

What inspires you? What do you like to photograph on your own time? What are your favorite locations?

– Andrea Villarrubia

What is the photographer’s style of shooting? Traditional, candid, posed, photojournalistic? You want to make certain that their style of shooting is a “fit” for your style!

Will they shoot the wedding mostly in black and white or color? This is very important to know, I had a client a few years ago and when they received all the proofs from the photographer, 80% of them were in black and white…needless to say, the couple wasn’t happy!
– Janie Medley

Describe your style in three words. If those three words are posed, soft focus and traditional it may be time to retire.
– Elizabeth G. Dunderdale

What questions do you think are the most important when it comes to choosing a wedding photographer? Please contribute to this story by adding your comments below.

A large directory of wedding photographers from all over the world with many different styles and abilities is available on in the PhotoShelter photographer directory. You can search by geographic region, see examples of their work, and contact them in one easy place.

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There are 24 comments for this article
  1. Jim at 3:17 am

    A Complete Unedited Wedding….sorry but that is stupid. How about viewing all of the photographs that are given to a client instead of the slideshow of 50. That way you can actually see the amount of coverage you will get. Unedited….that will never happen and you shouldn’t be putting such a comment out there for the bride’s to add to their list. They pay for our expertise and that expertise doesn’t just involve pushing a button but also involves editing and toning… Top Questions you should ask a wedding planner. Do they require the vendors to pay them if you recommend them to your clients. Sadly a large portion of wedding planners don’t have their customer’s self interest in mind when they push vendors. Double-dipping kickbacks that they never tell their clients about.

  2. Nicole Chan at 9:55 am

    I agree with Jim up above. I’m not sure how I would feel about showing a completely unedited wedding. I don’t even know how they would go about taking all x,000 images! I’d be more inclined for them to have a look at the albums and then take a look at the images pre-photoshop to show that my skills in photoshop do not manipulate, but enhance my work. A question that I get asked relatively often bounced off of #9 and wedding traditions. I’ve been booked for a large number of weddings with heavy Asian cultural influence and so, it requires me to be in tune with the traditions. Not only is awareness of the key things to photograph important, but also the understanding of traditions and WHY each act is being performed.

  3. summerbl4ck at 10:30 am

    I agree that viewing an unedited shoot is ridiculous. Someone who is not a photographer will not understand what they are looking at. And as a photographer, you’re a fool to show anything that isn’t good work. But viewing all the coverage from a wedding, instead of just a handful of highlights, would be helpful to see how the photographer works the event.

  4. Jennifer at 2:55 pm

    Jim – I totally agree with you. No one wants a client to see a complete unedited wedding and that’s not what I said. I do however want the client to see a whole wedding, that you post for the client to review to select their album images. not the 1000’s (literally I’ve seen over 2k images sometimes) you all take. and Yes, clients and photographers should ask and disclose if they have to pay the wedding planner for a referral. I don’t require one. I only recommend you if you are a fit for the client – I don’t need your money, I charge enough myself. If you guys are paying for the referral, unless it is nominal and worth the clietele base you are getting, I would STOP immediately. I don’t like this practice and you will see so many of professional planners don’t like it either.

  5. Brian at 9:32 am

    a complete unedited wedding? that is ridiculous. as an artist / photographer, you only want people to see your absolute best work. It’s the end product that matters, not the hundreds and hundreds of shots it may or may not have taken to get there

  6. Jason at 4:01 am

    This article has a number of problems beginning with the “entire wedding” request mentioned above. As in any job interview, you should never ask the prospective if they are going to do a good job. The answer is always going to be yes. This means numbers 10, 7, and 4 are invalid because any wedding photographer with any experience will always say “yes.” Can you seriously imagine someone saying “no?” You might as well just ask the photographer “do you want to shoot my wedding?” If you are seriously shopping for a good photographer, not just “going fish” so to speak, the best way to determine if someone is good with people is a gut level reaction when the three of you sit down to meet and discuss your plans. Your decision should begin and end with the finished product. What are you getting for the price you are paying? Don’t ask “can I see a wedding”; ask “can I see your last wedding – all the photos delivered.” When I first get a chance to speak with a prospective couple I usually direct them to a full wedding I have posted on Photoshelter. I volunteer this information and tell them that this gives them the benefit of knowing, as closely as possible, what they will get. Then they will know my style or whatever else. A good and experienced wedding photographer asks alot of questions. Questions like “is this a traditional ceremony?” “Is there anything I need to know about your family relationship?” Good photographers lay down alot of groundwork – they ask to see the church, they request a firm timeline, ect. A good photographer isn’t pushy but will request your cooperation. Inexperience photographers won’t make demands on their clients because they are afraid they might not get the job if he or she appears to demanding. They do this because they genuinely want the day to go well and the pictures to look good. As much I like the idea of educating the public on how to shop for photography service, this article misses the mark almost completely. Another example, #2. In my experience, when I tell a couple that I have an assistant it is often, not always, perceived as an added expense. They sometimes request that I come alone – which I won’t do except in exceptional circumstances. They do this not only because they want me to reduce my price, but because they don’t want to pay for another plate at dinner. I usually end up having to justify the second shooter as a reason that my coverage is so good. A better way to educate the public on this crucial point is not “it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for a second shooter” but rather “stay away from a lone gun.” Couples should know what a good value is. When a couple is uneducated they often exhibit behavior which suggests they can negotiate important aspects that should be appealing because they add so much value.

  7. Robert at 6:25 am

    How about “What sort of back-up plan do you have in case of equipment failure of photographer error? Do you have insurance?”

  8. MD at 12:39 pm

    Another one would be make sure they are the one shooting the wedding. A lot of studios these days are contracting out. So make sure they will be shooting the wedding and if not meet with the person who will.

  9. Rebecca Pizzo at 10:51 pm

    If my prospective bride wants to see a full set of wedding images…. I will show a complete post processed wedding … as a matter of fact they can see any event or portrait session I have ever done from beginning to end if they need that to make a decision to choose me or not.

    I would never show the raw images, unedited. It just does not make any sense to do that.

  10. Erika Szostak / PhotoMadly at 7:19 am

    Seriously, why on earth would you advise a bride to ask to see unedited photos? (i.e. “Don’t freak out if you see some out of focus images, or many images of a particular moment.”) That’s terrible advice! There’s no reason a client would ever need to see out of focus images, which in most cases get deleted immediately in the initial edit process anyway? Unless you’re talking about a commercial client for whom you will be shooting tethered or a picture editor who’s getting your journalistic pictures straight from the field, I can’t see any reason to ever allow any client to see unedited work. Sure – photographers should absolutely be willing to show potential wedding clients whole weddings from start to finish, but there’s a big difference between advising brides to ask for that and advising to ask for raw, unedited images.

  11. Briana at 4:43 pm

    I have had brides ask to see unedited images from a wedding and request that after a wedding she be able to purchase a disc of unedited images. The answer is alway no for both. I dont go to a restaurant and ask to see the raw food or ask the chef for his recipes. To put this on here as a suggestion is ridiculous. I have a business to run and a high set of standards to uphold. I only show edited images for a reason.

  12. greg at 9:42 am

    What a bunch of whiny, pretentious babies you all sound like. Seriously.

    There is absolutely nothing wrong with clients asking to see a complete wedding. NOT A THING.

    The wedding photography industry is ridiculously over-saturated with MWACS and no-talent/ almost no technical competence having photographers. This is a fact of life for the wedding photography indsutry. There’s no way around it. Deal with it.

    Expecting a client to casually drop $3,500-12,000 on your services, without your willingness to prove your skill, technical proficiency and talent is absurd.

    Do this– look at 30-130 of your competitors (or even your own) websites. This is what your clients are doing.
    How many sloppy crops do you see?
    How many toes are cut off?
    How many feet are cut off?
    How many arms are cut off?
    How consistent are the exposures?
    What percentage of the images are simply run through the latest actions?
    How many sloppy horizon lines do you see?
    How many times do you see heads in the middle of the frame?
    How many sloppy, unintentional Dutch angles do you see?
    How many images do you see that show a complete lack of basic depth-of-field / aperture / lens selection knowledge?!

    There are far, far more F- to B- photographers out there charging far, far more than they’re worth than there are skilled and talented photographers.

    The percentage of wedding photographers who have talent and an appropriate working knowledge of composition, lens selection, depth of field, dodging and burning, cropping, etc, is in the (scary) minority.

    If you have nothing to hide, showing a potential client some complete weddings is one of the best things you can do to make them comfortable with their decision to spend a sh!t ton of money on you.

    Of all the complete wedding galleries I’ve seen, over half of them are filled with inconsistent & improper exposures, minimal mastery of composition, minimal (if any) knowledge of depth of field, etc. It is very easy to tell who simply puts their camera in “P” and and who knows what they’re doing. The results are not reassuring.

    Asking photographers to see complete weddings is the most important part of selecting a wedding photographer.

  13. Angela at 11:01 pm

    I think they should have the right to see unedited pictures… If you know what you are doing you get it right in camera anyway. Love this. I agree with all of it

  14. Karen at 8:27 am

    I know I’m very late to this party but I have to say as a bride shopping for a photographer I am appalled at how you all have responded to the idea of showing an unedited shoot. I am a scientist and I probably know as much about the art of what you do as you know about the details of what I do. However if you were going to pay me for my skills and wanted to see some uninterpreted or ‘raw’ data I would absolutely show you. I am confident enough in my skills that I can show you where they have been demonstrated without polishing it up to be perfect, and I would expect my wedding photographer to be able to do the same thing. If I were to ask for an unedited shoot it would be because I want to know that you’re the kind of photographer who will take three successive shots to catch my smile at the right moment or instead held off and only caught one image, or that you tried a few different angles on that moment to make sure you captured it exactly how you wanted it. You don’t get that from seeing a collection of perfected images in an album and since I know that I’m paying for the polished perfection I really don’t need you to try and make it look like magic.

    Great tips, found this very useful thank you.

  15. Keecia at 1:58 am

    Karen, I totally hear what you are saying, but images have an effect on people that they don’t realize. A bad image, once seen, can’t be unprocessed by the brain. What the photographers are freaking about about is that in some conditions, you may take 10 test shots to make sure the exposure is right, or you may have caught the MOH walking down the aisle with her eyes closed, and it gives a bad impression of your ability. In regards to your uninterpreted data, if you give that data to a layman, they aren’t going to understand it, and may make conclusions about the validity of your work without knowing that there are steps the data has to go through for a hypothesis to be thoroughly proven. It’s the same here, but with art, so the client’s brain handles it in a way that’s detrimental to the process. If I took 3 photos of you at a different angle, likely you may get all 3, but only one is going in the “album” category. I have a full wedding that clients can access, but they have been culled … to 1100+ photos. Why 1100+? It was a long, long, long event.

  16. Helen Batt at 10:12 am

    These are some great points you have raised here. It’s understandable that many couples may be apprehensive when looking into finding a photographer, and what to ask when they do find one. You have provided a comprehensive account of the most important questions to ask, giving the couple a firm understanding of what the photographer is offering, as well as getting to know the photographer themselves.

    Great work.

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  18. Jon at 6:18 pm

    This post is absurd. Unedited files? That’s like asking to see someone’s underwear. How long have you been shooting weddings? Again, absurd. If they are booking someone for less than 1k then they are either rubbish or just starting out and could be a really good deal. Describe your style? Look at the bloody photos and you’ll see. At the end of the day photography is subjective and that connection should be to the work, not the person or their attributes. Bullshit post this is.

  19. Oscar at 12:33 am

    A complete unedited files?
    First of all I won’t show a complete wedding because I have to defend my clients privacy.
    Second, I will never show what I don’t think is worth not showing and there’s where I am respecting myself as a professional. I will only show my good work always because that is what is worth to show.

  20. Jay Farrell at 10:52 am

    Those are some good questions, but who would actually say that they are hard to get along with or have poor people skills? Not that some don’t. The problem with most of these lists, are that not that many questions need to be asked if a discerning client pays attention in the process. If I was to meet with a bride, and she didn’t even know my style of capture is photojournalist / documentary, how would that meeting be productive? It takes time to explain my process, and how my approach is less intrusive, but different. Of course I am friendly, but do not talk much during weddings, nor do I orchestrate much of anything except the posed group shots they want, those are minimal with me.

    Seeing an unedited wedding, is out of line, and I would never agree to that. How about more common sense and less redundant one size fits all lines of questioning?

  21. Chris at 7:13 pm

    Agree with Jim. Wedding photographer sells a product, which is a photograph. Asking to show an unedited shot is like asking a food factory to show the ingredients that the food is made of. If someone asked me this question, I’d say ‘I shoot film, do you want to see the negatives?’

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