Questions To Ask A Professional Wedding Photographer Before Hiring One

Your wedding is one of the most important moments of your life, which is why you’ll exert time and effort to ensure that everything is perfect during the day. Often, you’ll save money for years just so you can afford the best suppliers to help you prepare for and execute your perfect wedding day.

The wedding photographer you’ll hire plays an important role in your wedding. Since this magical moment only happens once in your lifetime, it’s crucial that you hire a wedding photographer who’s experienced and worth the price. Working with a photographer who doesn’t even know how to take breathtaking pictures will only cause you and your partner stress.

Make sure that such an unfortunate incident will never happen by asking the following questions to a wedding photographer before hiring one:

  1. What Styles Do You Specialize In?

When choosing a wedding photographer in Miami and anywhere else in the world, it’s important to know what their specialization is. This is an important question that should be asked first as this will help manage your expectations.

If you want your wedding photographer to take portraits during the event, make sure to hire someone who actually specializes in portrait shoots. If you want them to shoot different types of photos on your wedding day, inquire if they already did the same in the past. Choosing a wedding photographer who has sufficient experience in your preferred shoots will surely give you the best results.

wedding photographer takes pictures of bride and groom in city.
Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.
  1. Are You Available On My Wedding Date?

For you to end up hiring the right wedding photographer, always ask their availability on your wedding date. Regardless of how short or simple your ceremony is, you should never hire a wedding photographer who has to cover other events on the same day. You have planned for your wedding for months or even years, and you would never want to work with a photographer who shows up late during the ceremony, or one who doesn’t have enough energy to finish the event.

Working with a wedding photographer who has to cover other events on the same date will likely cause stress and put your money down the drain.

  1. What Is Included In Your Packages?

You’ll have to pay for many things when you get wed. Often, you’ll have to pay for your invitations, dresses, venue, and giveaways. If you don’t want to experience financial stress before, during, and after your wedding day, it’s important to ask what is included or not in the wedding photographer’s packages. This information will help you set an ideal budget, and ensure that you don’t compromise other elements of your wedding just to afford a wedding photographer.

Aside from the fees, you should also know if prints, albums, and extra coverage, like engagement shoots, are included. If not, inquire how much it will cost you to add these services.

Moreover, you should know what other fees are included in the package and if these fees change because of certain variables. When hiring a wedding photographer, will their rates change depending on your number of guests?  Will the location and duration of the wedding matter?  The more information you know about how their fees are calculated, the better.

  1. Will You Be My Actual Photographer Or Will It Be Someone Else?

Finding out that your wedding photographer isn’t the same person you were talking with weeks ago can be very frustrating. You might have expected that Alex of Alex Photography will take your wedding photos, only to realize that one of their associates is going to do the job instead.

Before hiring a wedding photographer, don’t forget to ask who will take your photos. There’s nothing wrong if the owner of the photography business won’t be the one to take your wedding photos, but it’s important to know whether these associates are just as good as the business owner. Make sure to ask samples or portfolios of the associates who will be taking your wedding photos.

  1. Will There Be A Second Shooter?

A lot of things will happen on your wedding day. Photographers have to take pictures when you walk down the aisle, and at the same time capture your parents’ and the guests’ reactions.

If you want your wedding photographer to cover more ground and provide you with two different perspectives on your wedding day, look for someone who works with a second shooter. It’ll be easier for your wedding photographer to capture more emotions and photos if they’re not working alone.

  1. Are Quality Wedding Photo Books Provided

You might know whether or not you’re getting photo books included in the package, but are they of good quality? How many photos per book and how many photo books are you getting in total? You need to ask because wedding photo books can vary completely in style and appearance. They also differ in photo quality, paper thickness, and cover. If you want a wedding photo book that’s going to last a long time you need to ask your photographer about them. Ask for samples too, because they’ll be able to give you examples of what they’ve done before and you’ll be able to see what yours will look like.

Ask First  

You can easily find wedding photographers in different parts of the globe today. However, if you want to end up with someone who’ll take amazing shots of your wedding and make these memories last forever, it’s essential to ask the right questions first. The more you know about a wedding photographer, the easier it’ll be for you to choose the best.

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