Twelve Questions

Large studios book you with the owner and send an associate. That is not always a bad outcome, but you should know whose portfolio you are actually buying. Ask to see the specific photographer’s work, not the studio’s.

Light behaves differently in a barn, a cathedral, and a hotel ballroom. Someone who has worked your venue already knows where the sun sits at five o’clock in October.

There is one correct answer: a named backup photographer and a written plan. If the answer is a shrug, that is a real risk you are absorbing for free.

Many venues require a certificate before they let a vendor through the door. A photographer who cannot produce one has not worked those venues.

Ask for both numbers. On our full-day collections we deliver 200 to 300 edited sneak peeks in the first week, and the complete gallery within two months.

A single camera body means one mechanical failure during the vows ends your coverage. Two bodies is a professional baseline, not a luxury.

You should be able to print them, post them, and hand them to family without asking permission. Read the licence section before you sign anything.

One person cannot be at the aisle and on the groom’s face at the same moment. If a second shooter costs extra, find out before you compare quotes.

Ask for a time estimate. Ninety minutes of grouping relatives is ninety minutes you are not at your own reception. Twenty is achievable with a list.

A photographer who has not asked about your timeline before quoting has not thought about your day. Coverage hours are a starting point, not a plan.

Portfolios are highlight reels. A complete gallery shows you the ordinary frames, which is most of what you will actually receive.

Get it in writing. Deposit, balance date, and what happens if the date moves. Weddings get postponed, and you want to know the terms before that conversation.