Hey, I am Gwen, with Vivid Memories by Gwen Photography. As being named one of the best wedding photographers in North Carolina with over 10 yrs experience, I wanted to help all of you couples find the perfect wedding photographer for you.

When planning your wedding you have numerous things to choose like the venue, food, cake, dress and much more, but one of the most important things is choosing a photographer. The photographer will be with you all day and is the one who will be capturing your memories for you to enjoy for a lifetime. Choosing a photographer can be tough with so many options.

With me being a wedding photographer, I know how difficult it can be to weed through all your options. I have created a list of questions to ask the wedding photographer before you book with them. 

It is always important to meet the photographer in person and do research on the photographer before meeting with them. Before you meet with them, make sure your wedding date available in their schedule. Ask if they will be the one shooting my wedding. If not, ask if you can meet the photographer who will be on-site. 

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out,  I would love to help. 

Questions to ask a Wedding Photographer with answers:

1. How many other weddings will you photograph that weekend? This is important because an extremely busy photographer might not make you a priority and wing your wedding. I don't shoot but 2-3 weddings a month so I have time to get to know my couples and know exactly what they want on the wedding day and it helps them be comfortable with me. 

2. Will you have any assistants with you on our wedding day? It is important because if the photographer is working alone, he/she may need to take time away from taking pictures to set up lights and stuff. I always take an assistant that sets up all my stuff so I can be focused on my couple and shooting the entire time. 

3. How long have you been shooting weddings? How many weddings have you photographed? This is very important because you always want a very experience wedding photographer who has experience working in many different light conditions and know how to adjust to make your photos perfect. Make sure to see full wedding gallery's and of weddings not only bride, groom, bridesmaids and groomsman in the photos. There is a thing called styled shoots that are setup to look like weddings for photographers to build their portfolio and that is not the same thing as shooting a real wedding. Real weddings are much different and a lot of different lighting all day.

4. What type of equipment do you use? They should use only full Frame camera and be very verse in off camera flash. If not, you will extremely grainy photos that cannot be fixed. No camera can make beautiful photos without flash in a almost completely dark reception. I always say if they tell you they are an all natural light photographer, runnnnnnn. If you don't, ask to see a few all wedding gallery with dark reception lighting and then make your decision to hire them if you want. 

5. Have you ever shot a wedding at our ceremony and reception venues? If not, do you plan to check the venues out in advance? It is a good idea for a photographer to know or visit the venue before the wedding so they can be prepared for the wedding day and know the lighting needed for the day. I would never wing going to a venue I do not know and guess the lighting needed. 

6. How would you describe your photography style? Make sure the photographers style is important to make sure you vibe with each other. it makes the day go by so better. I have a blast with my couples and keep them laughing, whereas, other photographers are more serious. 

7. How would you describe your working style? Are is the photographer very serious and posey or do they capture the natural fun moments. I am not a posey photographer myself. I try to make it as fun and enjoyable as I can for my couples. 

8. Do you shoot digitally only? This is for the people who like film. 

9. What is included in your standard package? Bundling can save you a bunch of money. 

10. Can I customize a package to fit my needs? This is important because every wedding is difference. 

11. Do you include engagement photos in your packages? This is important, because engagement sessions are a way for you to get to know each other and know what to expect on your wedding day.

12. How many hours are included in each package? Knowing how many hours can help you determine how much you will pay for their services. 

13. Do you offer retouching, color adjustment, or other corrective services? Are those included or an additional charge? This is important because it helps you know what your photos will look like and how much editing goes into your final photos. 

14. When will we receive the contract? You should never pay anything before you see and read the photographers contract. With my business you read and sign the contract and pay retainer the same time. You will get a copy of the contract sent to your email as soon as you submit it. 

15. Can we order prints or albums directly from you? Some people love using the same service for ordering albums so they don't have to do the work of designing it or trying to make the photos fit the pages. It is work, trust me. If the photographer offers it, it is definitely worth paying for. 

16. What type of album do you offer? You want to make sure the photographer has plenty of options to chose from.

17. Are albums or prints included in your packages? How many pages or prints are included, and what is the turnaround time?  This is important because you don't want to be waiting months or a year to receive your prints or album. 

18. How long after the wedding will we receive the images? How will they be delivered? This is important because you do not want to be waiting months and months for your photos.

19. Will we have the rights to the images? This is important because without having the rights to print you will have to order all your prints through the photographer. 

20. Will we receive the negatives and/or high resolution digital images? Is there a fee for that? This is important because if you get low resolution photos you will not be able to get larger prints on your own.

21. Will the images be accessible online? For how long? Knowing how long your gallery will be up is important to know how long you will be able to download them. 

Payments:

1. How much of a deposit/retainer do you require? Knowing how much up front you will need to pay is important also. That normally is the part that is non-refundable if you cancel or any reason. 

2. Do you accept payments in installations? Payment plans are always great to help couples pay the cost down in pieces. 

3. What is your refund or cancellation policy? Very important for obvious reasons. 

4. Do you have liability insurance? Important for the photographer to have legal business and have insurance in case anyone gets hurt due to direction of photographer. If the photographer damages property, you can be liable for it if they don't have insurance. Most legal business photographers have business insurance and if they don't remember the risk of hiring them. 

5. What is the backup plan if you are unable to shoot my wedding for an unexpected reason? Worse thing is having your photographer cancel on you last minute and you don't have one for your wedding day. Make sure they have a plan for if they cannot make it.   

6.Do you charge a travel fee? For what distance? What does that cover? A bunch of photographers are like myself and love to travel. if it's difficult to find the right photographer in your area, look at a different location. Sometimes it's cheaper to pay travel for someone who lives away to come depending on the market you live in. I do destination wedding on islands sometimes just for travel cost because I love to explore and travel. 

7. Can we request a list of specific shots we would like? You always want to make sure you can add your wants and thoughts to show the photographer what you want. If they don't allow you to, runnnnnnn.

8. Will you be posting about our wedding on your website and social media? Will you be submitting our photos to magazines or blogs? This is important if you are a private person. I always ask normally before posting a blog or other information about my couples, but some photographers do not. 

These are all very important questions to ask your wedding photographer before booking. Knowing the answers to these questions, seeing the photographers work and reviews can help you determine if they fit what you need on your wedding day. Professional photographers do not have a problem with you asking these questions and actually welcome them. Make sure that you are comfortable with he photographer.

The amount you spend on a photographer can make a big difference. A photographer that cost $400 is probably not going to give you the same type of work a $2000 photographer will. 

I know as a wedding photographer myself how important it is for me to make sure I know exactly what my client wants and make sure to capture every special moment for them to keep forever.