22 Questions to Ask Before Booking Your Colorado Wedding Photographer
Truth time: your wedding photos will stay with you long past your cake, the gorgeous centerpieces and likely even past that stunning Hayley Paige Gown you’re going to wear. Photos are one of the most important elements of a wedding - they’re going to capture the best parts of your day, your personalities and your love story.
When its time to book your wedding photographer, you don’t just want to pick that guy you went to college with who “sometimes does weddings”—you want someone who really knows how to make any person in front of their lens look and feel amazing and comfortable. After dozens and dozens of weddings, we’ve found a number of questions that will help you choose the right photographer and help you feel confident and knowledgeable in what your wedding photography package will (or will not) include.
Pro Tip—we can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get things in writing when it comes to your wedding photography (and all of your vendors). If they’re not in writing, we definitely recommend requesting a contract edit. If a photographer isn’t willing to put these important details in writing, such as a date for when you’ll receive your gallery, we’d encourage you to consider finding another photographer.
the full list of questions you should ask a photographer:
Are you available for my wedding date?
Will you shoot more than one wedding on my date? If so, how do you manage that and what resources do you use to ensure you have enough time for my wedding? (This is a BIGGIE. You don’t want to sit around waiting for your photographer to show, only to have the golden hour lighting disappear or have your guests disappear because they had to wait way past the scheduled time to get a bite of food.)
Do you use or recommend a second shooter? What are the benefits of having a second shooter?
Have you shot at my venue? If not, will you do a site visit?
Do you have examples in your portfolio of weddings that are similar to my style?
Do you work from a shot list? If so, can I see the list?
Can I give you a shot list that I’d like you to work from?
What packages do you offer? What’s the investment for each package?
Do you have a sample contract I can read?
How do I reserve and book my wedding date with you?
What is your cancellation policy?
Do you have a limit on how many photos you’ll take at the wedding?
Approximately, how many images will you edit?
When will I receive a sneak-peek gallery?
When will I receive the full gallery?
Will I get a print release or do I have to order prints from you?
Do I need to provide a meal for you? (We always recommend, YES!)
Will you use my images for advertising or in your portfolio?
What is your contingency plan if you get sick or have an emergency on my wedding date? (Make sure this is in the contract!)
Do you provide videography as well or can you recommend someone?
Does my package include an album?
Does my package include engagement photos?
Download this handy photographer booking guide from us!
We put these questions into a handy PDF guide that you can print out or save to your phone and take with you when you meet with potential photographers. This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means, but trust us, getting at least these questions answered during your consultations will help you feel more confident in narrowing down your list.
Booking a wedding photographer that’s not just talented, but also excellent at covering the details, is imperative for getting standout photos that you can’t wait to share on Instagram or to frame for that gallery wall in your new home!
Not to freak you out, but there won’t be any second chances here! You don’t want to be left waiting for your photos for months and months—or suddenly find out that you won’t be getting as many photos as you hoped. Great wedding photos are the result of good planning!
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