Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hiring Your Wedding Photographer
Hello and happy Monday! This is the first post that I have on my giant list of (hopefully) helpful things to do and to think about before your wedding day. There are endless lists on the internet about questions to ask your wedding photographer and to be honest, most of the ones that I’ve seen aren’t that helpful. There are some relevant questions here and there but a lot of it is just filler – does anyone really need to know what type of shoes we will be wearing? I mean, I’ll tell you if you really want to know! If not, here are some important questions to ask yourself before hiring your wedding photographer.
1. Do I like this photographers style?
Anytime I see someone searching for a photographer on a forum, they usually have ‘bright and airy’ or ‘dark and moody’ somewhere in their search. There are many more descriptive terms but these seem to be the most popular, and it is definitely important. You can love a photographers personality and love their words, but if you don’t love their photography style you probably won’t be happy with your photos in the end. We’ve had people ask us to photograph and/or edit in a style that is different than what we do and we always say no. Could we do it? Yes. But then it’s not what we love and what we excel at, so you’re not getting the best and you deserve the best! We have no problem referring couples to other photographers if we feel that they will be a better fit for them and their wedding day.
2. Is this photographers style consistent?
Look at their website, look at their Instagram, look at their Facebook page. Make sure that the editing and the look of the photos is consistent because if it’s not, that could be an issue later. You could fall in love one of their photos and then when it’s time to see your wedding photos, it could be nothing like you expected. That’s not the kind of surprise that you want!
3. Does this photographer include a second shooter?
This may or may not be important to you but if it is, make sure they have one! We personally think it’s important so all of our weddings have two photographers included, but sometimes a second photographer is an additional cost so just be aware of that if you want one.
4. Are there any unflattering photos on this photographers website/social media?
Everyone’s style is different so what we may view as unflattering might not be the same as what another photographer views as unflattering, but if you see something on their website repeatedly that sticks out to you, chances are they will deliver something similar in your gallery. Make sure you like what you see! That’s not to say that you shouldn’t book a photographer because of one bad photo, just make sure that there aren’t a bunch of them.
5. Do I get along well with this photographer?
You can find a photographer whose photos you love, but if you talk to them and you don’t click with each other, you may want to think twice about hiring them. If you don’t click but you can’t imagine having anyone else photograph your day then by all means, hire them! Just keep in mind that out of everyone at your wedding, you will be spending the most time with them so don’t be afraid to schedule a phone call or a coffee date to get to know each other.
6. Does this photographer have a variety of lighting situation on their website, including indoor and outdoor photos?
Many photographers consider themselves natural light photographers, which is not a bad thing, but occasionally it can mean that they don’t use any flashes. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t hire them, it’s just something that you should be aware of. Generally when flashes aren’t used, the camera settings have to be changed in a way that winds up showing more grain in the photos. I personally love grain but I do know some people that don’t like it at all so if you’re one of those people, you might not want to hire someone that doesn’t use flashes in dark rooms. When we started our business we loved photographing bright, sunny wedding days and would be a little worried if the forecast wasn’t ideal, so we decided to make sure that we were capable of photographing in any lighting or weather situation. Although we do love to be outside, we have photographed weddings start to finish entirely indoors and entirely with flashes and it is no problem for us.
8. Does this photographer have real weddings on their website?
This is something that I definitely consider important. Cameras are easy to buy and if you read your manual, they’re pretty easy to use! Styled shoots are very common these days and they are a good way to build a portfolio. While they’re beautiful and fun to photograph, they are definitely not like a real wedding day. Weddings are fast paced and sometimes unpredictable and if you miss something important there probably isn’t a do-over. Styled shoots don’t have a timeline and allow you to move around wherever you’d like and to photograph something as many times as you’d like. Make sure that your photographer has photographed actual weddings; even a blog post is just our highlights of the day and shows the best of the best, so don’t be afraid to ask to see a full wedding gallery. Real wedding experience can make your day run more smoothly.
Hopefully some of these questions to ask yourself before hiring your wedding photographer are helpful – let me know if you have any other questions or if we can write about any other topics that you’re curious about in the future!
Daphne and Dean Photography is a studio of Connecticut Wedding Photographers run by Erin and Peter Krol, specializing in intimate weddings and elopements. They love all things Disney and spend most of their time adventuring on bicycles and someday hope to travel the US in a camper. They are also destination wedding photographers – contact for more details!
