Choosing a wedding photographer should be an exciting process as it is all part of the amazing journey leading up to your wedding day. Whilst recommendations may come your way from friends or family, there is no guarantee that you are looking for the same style photos that those photographers offer. Nor does it mean that the recommended photographer is available on your given date or within your price range.
For those of you that are struggling to know how to choose your photographer, or what questions you need to ask, then look no further!
Hello, I’m Georgia, a wedding and lifestyle photographer and I want to share my experience and knowledge to help you lovely couples in all of your wedding planning and preparations. I am sure that my tips, inspiration and advice will help relieve some of the stress and help answer some of those questions you may have. Many people have no idea what to expect when it comes to the booking processes, prices and payment plans, insurances, etc. and to be honest, a lot of people just don’t know where to start and who’s advice to listen to – family and friends are happy to share advice but often it is what THEY like/dislike and think you should do, and it often contradicts what another person has told you. On this blog, I cover all things weddings and not only the photography side of things and I include interviews with other suppliers (check out my post with DJ Mike Readings and Flore House) so that you get to learn from their expertise as well.
So with that said why not subscribe to the blog and receive my free wedding checklist bundle to help get you started. If you are looking for a photographer you can find all of my prices on my website and there are contact forms if you wish to enquire about my availability. Also, feel free to connect with me on Instagram.
So without further ado here are some questions that you should ask your potential wedding photographer – some of these questions naturally lead into other questions but I will give an abbreviated list at the end as a recap/checklist for you.
Do you have my date available?
I have already mentioned this above, but it really is the first question to ask. You will naturally book your venue first, at which point you now need to know if the wedding photographer is available. There is no point falling in love with them and spending time asking to see their work and for a consultation if they can’t be there anyway.
What's your style?
To some extent, you may already have an idea of the wedding photographers style because you have seen some of their photos on their website and social media pages. But it is still definitely something worth talking to them about because the photos don’t necessarily always portray the reasons behind their style or how else it will benefit you and your photos. For example, I am a light, bright and natural wedding photographer and you will see that in my photos.
Check out my website portfolio and Social Media to see more of what I do!
But when I say natural that doesn’t just mean natural lighting. I also love to capture natural moments because they always feel the most genuine and are the moments that truly represent my couples. But what you may not realise from looking at my photos is that my natural style makes a difference to those who are camera shy and would find it awkward to pose and put on a smile. So whilst my photos capture people smiling and laughing, someone like yourself may still be thinking "well my photos will never be like that because I couldn’t put a laugh or a smile on like that." And that is because whilst my photos capture the moment it doesn’t tell you whether the person in them was camera shy or naturally photogenic. It doesn’t tell you whether they were able to do magical looking formal photos, or whether they were dreading their photos being taken.
I have had numerous couples where one of them had dreaded their photos being taken but came away not only loving the photos but actually enjoying the fun experience of having them taken.
Does this sound like the experience you want to have for your wedding day? Pop me a message and let's see how I can make this a reality for you, on your special day!
The other reason to ask about their style is it just gives you a chance to listen to see if your photographer is passionate about their work. The last thing you want is someone who is counting down the days until they put their lens cap on for good or no longer loves being a part of such special moments. It’s your wedding day after all, and whist you want professionalism, you don’t want a moody or miserable photographer who is just doing the bare minimum all day and making the experience dull and awkward.
How much do they charge?
This may be a deal maker or breaker for you. If you are on a restricted budget then you may not be able to get the photographer on the top of your list, or you may need to try and recoup some of your budget from elsewhere. On the other hand, you may prefer to pay the premium to make sure that not only do you get the photographer that you want, but also that you get one who does this professionally as their full-time job, and that comes highly recommended.