Questions for photographer

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Good point - Under what circumstances are they responsible for finding a new photographer? Also - What is their policy if there is bad weather and they can't provide their services?

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Peggy hit it right on the nose. #1 question that's usually not spelled out with their package is: What's your cancellation/emergency policy.

We are getting married on January 19... on a mountain. Granted it's Vancouver, but on the chance that it's a snow storm... what is she going to do? We now have those stipulations in our contract.

SO many questions - First one that really helped me narrow down the right photographer - Ask to see a FULL wedding they shot recently, not just the highlights/best shots. As my wedding photographer pointed out - it's easy to get one good shot out of 500. It's not so easy to get 100 good shots out of 500.

Other important questions -

How many weddings do you shoot in a day/weekend/year?

How would you describe your photography style?

What is your working style? IE: Do they prefer to blend into the background and get candid shots, or do they prefer formal posing of shots. Will they give you suggestions on poses, or do they like to just capture what comes naturally?

Do you have any past clients we can speak to?

What are the/how many are hours included in the package we are interested in? What if we need you to stay for an extra hour, what is the cost?

Are you the photographer who will shoot my wedding? (There are some networks that will send whoever they have available that day and it may or may not be the specific person you spoke with)

Does the package include retouching/editing? If so, how many images?

Do you guarantee a minimum number of usable images with your package?

Have you had experience shooting weddings of a similar size/style as mine?

Have you ever photographed in our event venues before? Do you have any tips for us?

Do you accept payment in installations, or does it have to be all at once after the initial deposit? When is payment due?

Do you carry backup equipment?

What happens if you suddenly can't photograph our wedding?

Make sure to ask if they will need a meal during the reception. They likely will, so just consider that budget wise. I would also ask when you should expect to get some photos back. My photographer edits some photos that night and sends a few to the client to fill the craving for pictures

Ask if you have full rights to the photos (ie you own them and can get reprints anywhere/anytime you want).

Do you get all the photos from the day and how? On a USB? Online gallery?

If the package includes an engagement shoot and you don't want it, is there a discount? Can you put the extra time towards the wedding day?

Travel costs?

Will they require a meal during the reception?

Well obviously you will want to know pricing

But some popular questions are: how much time to take pics, turnaround time to get pics back, make sure that if they cancel that they are responsible for finding you a replacement, etc.

I find that Pinterest has quite a few lists that are helpful too