Questions to ask a wedding photographer before booking

How many hours of wedding photography do you need?

Start with your timeline, not the package names. List the first and last moments you want photographed, then ask how the photographer counts covered hours and whether travel between locations uses them. For example, with hypothetical coverage of eight hours from 1:00 p.m., coverage ends at 9:00 p.m.; a 10:00 p.m. send-off needs one hour of overtime or a later start. A clear answer gives the hours, how the start is set, and the overtime rate.

• How many hours of coverage are in each package?
• When does coverage start and end, and must it be continuous?
• Does travel between getting ready, ceremony and reception use covered time?
• Will you help plan the photo timeline, including family photos?
• Is an engagement session or rehearsal coverage included or available?
• What is the overtime rate and billing increment?
• Can we add hours after booking, and at what price?

Who will actually photograph our wedding?

If you are booking a studio, the person whose work you liked may not be the person assigned to your date. Ask who the lead photographer will be and whether that name can go into the contract, and ask the same about any second shooter. A clear answer names each person, their hours, and who you will speak with between booking and the wedding.

• Will you personally be the lead photographer on our date?
• Can the lead photographer's name be written into the contract?
• Is a second shooter included, for how many hours, and who are they?
• Who is our contact between booking and the wedding?
• Have you worked at our venue, and if not, will you visit beforehand?

How do wedding photographers edit photos, and in what style?

A portfolio is a selection; a complete gallery shows what one wedding looks like from start to finish, including dim rooms, group photos and the dance floor. Ask for two or three full galleries, ideally from a venue or light like yours. Then ask what editing each image receives and what costs extra. A clear answer describes the editing in plain terms and names any retouching fee.

• Can we see two or three complete galleries, not only highlights?
• How much do you pose people, and how much do you photograph as it happens?
• What editing does each delivered image receive?
• Is detailed retouching available, and at what cost?
• Will we receive color and black-and-white versions?
• Do you use flash or added lighting during the ceremony and reception?
• Do you plan around venue or officiant rules on ceremony photos?

When and how will we receive our wedding photos?

Ask for a delivery timeline measured from a clear date, and for the format you will receive. For example, "within eight weeks of the wedding" for a hypothetical June 13 wedding means August 8. If the online gallery stays open for 12 months after delivery, note the date by which you need to download your own copies. A clear answer gives a preview date, a full delivery date, a format and a gallery end date.

• When will we receive a preview set, and about how many images?
• When will the full gallery arrive, counted from what date?
• Is the image count an estimate or a minimum?
• What file format and resolution will we receive?
• How long will the online gallery stay available?
• Can guests view or download images, and can we control that?
• Do you keep a backup copy after delivery, and for how long?

Who owns the wedding photos, and how can you use them?

Who owns wedding photos, and what you and the photographer may each do with them, is set out in the photography contract together with the law that applies to it, so start by asking what the contract says. This guide lists questions; it does not say what any answer means. If you have a particular use in mind, such as a printed book, a business announcement or sharing images with other vendors, describe it and ask the photographer to confirm in writing whether it is permitted. For the meaning of the wording, rules vary by state and by contract; a qualified attorney licensed in your state can explain it.

• Who holds the copyright in the images, according to your contract?
• What does the contract allow us to do: print, share, post online?
• Can we print anywhere, or only through your lab?
• Do you want a photo credit when we or our vendors post images?
• Can our other vendors use images, and on what terms?
• Will you use our photos for your portfolio or ads, and can we limit that?
• What do albums and prints cost, and when must we order?

What happens if equipment fails or the photographer is ill?

You are asking about two risks: losing images and losing the photographer. For the first, ask about spare equipment on the day and how files are copied afterward. For the second, ask who would replace them, who chooses that person, and what happens to your payments if nobody can. A clear answer describes the steps and is written into the contract rather than given as reassurance.

• Do you bring spare cameras, lenses, flashes and batteries?
• Do your cameras record to two memory cards at once?
• How and where are files backed up after the wedding?
• Who would replace you if you are ill or injured, and who chooses them?
• Can we see a replacement photographer's work in advance?
• What happens to money we have paid if no replacement is found?
• Can you provide a certificate of insurance if our venue asks for one?

What do travel, lodging and meals add?

Travel terms can add a line you did not budget for. Ask where a travel charge begins and how it is calculated. For example, with hypothetical terms of 100 free round-trip miles and $0.70 a mile after that, a 180-mile round trip is charged on 80 miles: 80 x $0.70 = $56. Then ask what the photographer needs on the day, such as a meal and a short break, so you can add it to your vendor meal count and timeline.

• Is travel included, and past what distance does a charge begin?
• Is travel a flat fee or actual cost, and when is it billed?
• Will you need lodging for our date, and who books and pays?
• Do you need a meal, for how many people, and at what point in the day?
• How long a break do you need, and where should you take it?
• Is parking needed at each location, and who pays for it?

What are the payment and cancellation terms?

Ask for the retainer amount, what the contract calls it, and each later payment with its date. For example, on a hypothetical $4,000 package with a $1,000 retainer, the $3,000 balance might be due 30 days before the wedding. Then ask what happens if you cancel or postpone, and what happens if the photographer cancels. Whether any amount is returned depends on the contract and state law, so ask for the terms in writing.

• How much is the retainer, and what does the contract call it?
• When is each later payment due, and how can we pay?
• What happens to money paid if we cancel or postpone?
• If we postpone, is a new date offered at the same price?
• Can the price change between signing and the wedding?
• What happens if you cancel?

Photographer question log

Use one row for a decision or deliverable. Keep unanswered items visible. Download the blank worksheet to open in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.

On a small screen, swipe the worksheet sideways to see the remaining columns.

A message you can make your own

Add your document reference and the questions that apply. You decide what to send and send it yourself.

Thank you for sending your packages. Before we book, could you answer a few questions in writing? Could you share two or three complete wedding galleries, ideally one from a venue like ours? For our date, who would be the lead photographer, and is a second shooter included? How are coverage hours counted, and what is the overtime rate? When would we receive a preview and the full gallery, and in what format? We would also like to know how we may use and print the images, your plan if you are unable to attend, any travel or meal needs, and the payment and cancellation terms.

Common questions

The next decisions

• What should be in a wedding photographer contract?
• Wedding vendor overtime charges: how overtime works
• Do you have to feed wedding vendors? Meals and breaks