12 Questions to Ask a Wedding Photographer Before You Pay the Advance

Every photographer’s Instagram is their best twenty frames from three hundred weddings. It tells you what they are capable of on a good day, not what you will receive. These questions get at the second thing.

About the work you will actually get

• Can I see one complete wedding gallery, start to finish, not a highlights selection?
• Who specifically will shoot my wedding — you, or a team member? Can I see their work?
• How many edited images will I receive, and in what timeframe, in writing?
• Do you shoot a similar venue and light situation to mine? Can I see it?

About risk and reliability

• What happens if you fall ill on my date? Who is your backup?
• Do you shoot with dual card slots, and how do you back up on the day?
• How long do you retain my raw files?
• Have you ever missed a delivery deadline, and what happened?

About money and rights

• What exactly is excluded from this quote — drone, album, second shooter, travel?
• Who owns the copyright, and can I use the images freely?
• Can I ask you not to post my photographs publicly?
• What is your cancellation and date-change policy?

The answer to the backup question is the one we would weight most heavily. A wedding is not repeatable, and a solo photographer with no contingency arrangement is a genuine risk regardless of how good the portfolio is.

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