Five Questions to ask your Wedding Photographer!

Five questions you should ask your Wedding Photographer...

It's the start of peak booking season for me right now and I am well aware that choosing your Wedding Photographer can be a daunting task. With so many choices out there, and so many different styles of work to choose from it must be very difficult for many couples to come to a decision on the photographer they would like to be present on their wedding day.

I have recently presented my work to a few couples who were very unsure of what they should be asking me during our meeting. So, with this in mind, here are five questions that I think you should be asking any photographer you might be about to hire to cover your wedding day.

Are you insured?

A very important question. Your photographer should have adequate insurances in place, including Professional Indemnity and Public Liability. Not only is it very important for your peace of mind, but it is likely that your wedding venue will need to see proof of such insurances before allowing your photographer to work there (this has happened to me on more than one occasion).

What happens if you are unwell on our wedding day?

No one ever asks me this! But it is something you should consider for sure...

My answer is that I am a member of a number of networking groups both locally and nationally that look to cover for one another should the worst happen and we can't shoot a wedding due to ill health. All of the members of these groups are experienced and working on a professional basis. We only want the best for you so if we are unable to work for whatever reason we will do whatever we can to make sure you remain as unaffected as possible, both photographically and financially.

I should say that this hasn't happened to me yet, but it could so it is important to have a plan in place just in case!

What about back up equipment?

Stuff breaks... and cameras / lenses are no different.

One of the most nerve wracking moments in my career to date was when the mirror in one of my DSLR's fell out of the camera during the bridal prep at a wedding. The panic I felt was unbelievable (my face went all sorts of shades of red), but because I had a second camera I was able to continue working and covered the wedding (albeit with a bit more lens changing than usual) without further incident.

Obviously with regular servicing and taking good care of our gear photographers do what they can to avoid this sort of situation, but it does happen so it is crucial to ask if your photographer is prepared for such an eventuallity.

Have you worked at our Wedding venue before?

This is a strange one for me, but I do get asked it a fair bit so I thought I would address it here.

Is it important whether your Photographer has worked at your venue before? Only you can decide that. For me, whilst going back to the same venue a few times a year is great (I have made some wonderful friends at some of the venues I go to regularly and it's great to see them every now and again), I do actually like to go to new venues as well. It is creatively challenging... you don't get sucked into taking the same photographs week in and week out which can happen if you work at the same venue all the time. It challenges you to look for light and helps you grow as a Photographer.

What I think is a better question is 'How will you prepare for our wedding as it is at a venue you haven't worked at before'?

Preparation is everything and if I can't visit a venue before the wedding (sometimes, geographically it is not possible), I will do what I can to learn about the venue ahead of time. 'I will just wing it' is not an answer you should be getting!

What about watermarks / usage restrictions?

Last question, but one that baffles me on a regular basis.

When I am asked if my images are watermarked my response is to ask why on earth they should be!? I am well paid to do a job I love and to provide my clients with images that I hope they will love as well. They are YOUR images (copyright notwithstanding), so I am not going to watermark them and ask for further payment for 'clean' images. Of course, this also means a little less 'Wediting' for me as well so that makes me happy! There is a lot of work involved in the editing of your images... to get a better idea of what goes into the editing process, check out this great blog post by the folks over at ShootdotEdit.

Of course, some photographers do watermark their work and that's fine... each to their own I guess and I would never dream of questioning how someone else approaches their work, but its not for me. You should make sure you know how your photographer will deliver your images.

Usage restrictions are a little different, and probably a little to long winded to go into here... but please please please ask any photographer that you are thinking of hiring whether there are any restrictions on the usage of your images. They should be able to explain things clearly and concisely and leave no room for confusion.

So... there are five things to ask your prospective wedding photographer. I'm sure there are more questions, but five is enough for now as I am rubbish at writing blogs and I have a wedding tomorow that I need to prepare for. Of course, if you have any questions or would just like to chat about anything I have noted above don't hesitate to get in touch.

Finally, if you would like to learn a little more about me and my work, clicking on the button below will take you to another post about why I work the way I do!

Thanks for reading!