4 Questions to Ask before Hiring Your Wedding Photographer

Reasons to ask: Your photographer will land somewhere on the spectrum between “I’m ready for anything–I’ve seen it all,” to “What are these for?” (looking at the camera’s buttons).

Which extreme do you feel more comfortable at? An experienced wedding photographer knows that the day requires everything from mastery of technical matters to how to magically get into position at just the right times for crucial moments during the ceremony to how to get the most expressive candids on the dance floor. 

2. Are you the photographer who will shoot our wedding, and if so, will you have any assistants with you?

Reasons to ask: Some photography businesses have a stable of shooters, and the one you speak with to book may not be the one who shows up on your wedding day. Are you looking for a certain photographer’s individual style and vision? Better be sure that’s the same one who will capture your day. As for assistants, how many and will they be shooting as well? This can affect the feel of the day. If you’ve booked an intimate wedding space and the photographer’s team takes up half the capacity of it, you’ll want to know beforehand. Or if you’ve got a guest-list 500 strong, you might want to know that a second shooter is getting lots of great shots for you of the people you’ll barely see throughout the day. 

3. How well do you know the venue we’ve chosen for our wedding?

Reasons to ask: One, positioning. Your photographer will be able to get better shots for you if they know where to be and not to be at each important moment of the day. Two, aerial opportunities. They should know if/when an epic drone shot is possible, and at what angle. Three, lighting. Where and when to put you in the best light, and, just as important, how to avoid putting you in unflattering light, is essential. Knowing how light is and how it changes in different circumstances at each venue can make or break many important photo moments. (Check out top Oaxaca venues here.)

4. If your style is mostly candid, will I still get some formals?

Reasons to ask: Some candid or documentary-style photographers may be committed to unposed photos, and they may assume that if you’re about to choose them, then this is what you want, too. So be sure to clarify if you’re expecting some posed or semi-posed formals or editorial-style portraits, and to check not only if the photographer is up for it, but if they have examples they can show you. Whether a photographer shoots editorial is not really a yes or no question–you’ll want to make sure you vibe with their particular editorial style.