I hope everyone is doing well today! Today’s post is dedicated to 5 questions you should ask your photographer as these are questions I get most frequently and I think it’s important to have on your list of questions before you book them!
I’m sure that there are tons of questions that you may ask that will be super important to you as well, but here are 5 that I’ve come up with for this blog post!
1. Do you have insurance?
This is a major question that has started to surface more and more ver the last few years. A professional wedding photographer should have the proper insurance for their business. Business insurance protects the photographer against equipment theft, but more importantly, insurance provides liability protection in case an uncle or an aunt accidentally trips over a bag or a light stand and breaks something. Many wedding venues require that all vendors have insurance and when you tell the venue who your other vendors are, the vendors will be asked to provide a certificate of insurance. And if they don’t have one, they will not be able to provide services there, and we don’t want that to happen on your big day!
**Nancy Cole Photography carries general business, equipment and liability insurance through State Farm Insurance Company**
2. A complete wedding portfolio
Photographers show their best work online (because of marketing, of course)! Please do not book a wedding photographer solely on what you see on Instagram or Facebook or even their website. Your potential wedding photographer should be able to provide you will a full wedding gallery so you can see all images and know what to expect — getting ready, ceremony, in-between, reception etc. Of course, every wedding is different, but please ask to see a full gallery so you will know what to expect when you receive yours!
3. How long have you been photographing weddings?
Wedding photography takes a different approach from senior photography and family photography — even maternity photography! It is important to know how long your photographer has been photographing weddings. A photographer can re-shoot a senior, a family, or a maternity, but the photographer only gets one shot at the wedding day, and wedding days are intense.
Each wedding day will flow differently and the photographer must know how to adapt when the timeline may get off or something goes unexpectedly. Do they know that when the bride is walking down the aisle, to turn and grab a shot of the groom’s face? Are they able to corral potential tipsy groomsman for photos? The list goes on and on! Not every photographer can be great at weddings, and that’s why I believe it is important for you to ask them this particular question.
NOTE: this does that mean that a photographer with not as much wedding experience won’t be great!
4. What is included in your packages?
You must understand what you are paying for. Are you getting all digital files? Prints only? A print credit? An album or album design only? How many images to expect? Make sure that your package includes what you need!
5. Editing style
It is important to know what your images will look like once you receive them because there are so many editing styles among photographers. All of them are gorgeous! When you look at your photographer’s website, make sure that the images are all cohesive. The images on a photographer’s website will let you know their style and what you should expect in your gallery. If you get to a photographer’s website with multiple editing styles, make sure you explain to the photographer what you are looking for in your final gallery.
As you look through my portfolio, you will note that my work is on the light and airy side with a little bit of vibrance. A photographer may be able to adapt to a particular editing style, but please make sure that you find a photographer with the editing style that you want to see in your final images!
Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your lives! It needs to be documented and captured in the most correct way. These images will be heirlooms for you and your family for years to come. Make sure your photographer can capture the true essence of you and your significant other together!
Would you like to chat and ask me these questions and others for your wedding day? Contact me, I’d be more than happy to!
