How to find your Wedding Photographer- Part 2

colourful bridal bouquet for strike house wedding

How to find your Wedding Photographer – Part 2 will focus on some useful questions to ask your wedding photographer before booking. Last week, we looked at the different styles of wedding photographer so by now you should have more idea of what to search for.

There’s so many wedding photographer’s out there, so let’s just say for arguments sake you’ve decided to search on Google, you’ll get millions of options from one search so you need to start narrowing it down. It goes without saying (i hope) that the first thing you should be looking at is their style and shortlisting those whose work you love. Then there’s the obvious, price, which will narrow it down further. Once you’ve got to this point you’ll probably be feeling a bit bewildered, a lot of the packages will vary and we all work in a slightly different way so there’s a few things that you need to either ask or find out by reading up on the photographers website

1. Are all high resolution (print quality photographs) included within the price? 

This is usually the case nowadays but there are some photographers still out there that charge extra for the full set of images, so make sure you clarify exactly what you’ll get for your money.

2. How many photographs will i receive?

I clearly state on my website that couples will receive a minimum of 400+ images. The number of photos i deliver can vary quite a lot depending on the number of guests, how much was happening on the day and the light etc so its a good idea to get an estimate

 3.Are you insured?

All Wedding photographers should be insured and have both public liability and professional indemnity insurance, this protects both of you if there are any issues with the photographs.

4.Do you have a back up photographer who can attend if you are ill on the day?

This is a biggy. It sounds super serious and scary to think of this but it CAN happen. If your photographer can’t make the wedding at the last minute you need to know that they will be able to send a suitable replacement. Someone as qualified as them who can shoot your wedding without you sacrificing quality or style. I work closely with a network of professional wedding photographers in order to be able to provide this sort of cover should it ever be needed.

5.Can i see a full wedding gallery?

Some photographers will wince at the mention of this, but when i was looking for a wedding photographer for my own wedding this was something I asked for. It’s great looking at galleries and blogs but these rarely show a full wedding from start to finish. I found it really helpful to see a wedding all the way through, it helped me to get a better idea of the photographers style and reassured me i had found the right person to photograph my wedding!

6.How long does it take to get the photographs?

This can vary hugely, I tell my couples they will receive their images within 6 weeks but it’s usually more like 3 weeks when they get the whole set. It’s nice to have something to look forward to so find out then you can get excited as you’re coming back from your honeymoon to a special package awaiting you!

7.Do i get a contract?

All professional wedding photographers should provide you with a contract/booking form with terms so that you know the cancellation terms and a breakdown of your package before you pay your booking fee.

8.Can we meet you?

9 times out of 10 my couples are too busy to meet before booking, but for couples who want to meet for coffee and a chat first I love being able to meet them and find out all about their wedding. This meeting gives you chance to get to know your photographer and check you actually like them! Your photographer will be with you all day so it’s important to feel comfortable around them. If you don’t meet before booking i’d highly recommend meeting before the wedding as this really helps the flow on the day and they’ll be able to get better, natural photos because you’ll be more relaxed around them.

So that’s it, I hope you’ve found these tips useful when looking for your wedding photographer . Keep your eyes peeled for next weeks wedding planning blog!

Kathryn x