Ten Questions To Ask Your Wedding Photographer

Choosing your photographer is one of the big ‘must haves’ for every wedding, and with so many photographers out there it can be difficult to narrow down the field! Your wedding photographs are one of the few things from the day that you can hold in your hand and look back on in years to come, so it’s important you choose the right person for you.

Not only that, each photographer will have their own style, ways of working and personality, so it’s important to know that you’ll work well together as well as receiving an awesome gallery, so to help you in your quest, I’ve put together this list of ten questions to ask your wedding photographer… which will hopefully be me!

1. What is your photographic style?

It has many names: documentary, reportage, relaxed, natural… lots of buzzwords that you’ve seen before! I like to capture photographs as organically as I can, so that your image gallery is full of relaxed people and natural expressions. I work with you to get the kind of pictures you’ll love, and there will be times where I’ll pull you away for a short while to capture some gorgeous portraits of just the two of you.

2. Can we give you ideas for photographs to take?

Of course you can! I may have my own style and way of shooting, but if there’s any particular images you have in mind that you would like me to capture just let me know!

3. Are we able to see a complete recent wedding gallery?

Absolutely! My recent favourite images are on my website but obviously that doesn’t tell the whole story, so if we’re able to sit down for a chat over coffee (or a glass of wine…) I’m always more than happy to show how I capture the whole day in a full gallery.

4. Do you have insurance?

I do! Not only am I fully insured, I’m insured to a level higher than I probably need to be! Some venues, particularly ones of historical importance, can ask for Public Liability insurance to quite a high level, so I’ve got that in place just in case.

5. How far in advance do we need to book?

As far as you can. Absolutely, take your time to shortlist the photographers you would like to consider – you need to be sure that you like their style, that they can fit around your budget, and that you like their personality. But wedding dates fill up fast, especially around the spring and summer months, so you may need to act fast to secure your date with the photographer you want. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to book one at short notice though, so you just need to ask!

6. What happens if your camera breaks on the day?

Well, firstly you’ll probably see a thinly veiled flash of panic appear on my face while I break out into a cold sweat! Happily it’s never happened to me, and in reality equipment failure is very rare if it’s well maintained, but it does happen – which is why I always carry at least two camera bodies, several additional lenses, and more memory cards that I could probably get through in a week. This security continues on well past the wedding too: once copied onto my computer, your images are backed up onto at least two additional hard drives, and the memory cards used on your wedding are filed away and not used again or over-written until your gallery is safely in your hands.

7. What happens if it rains?

We get wet! Unless it’s raining sideways, rain gives us opportunities for some truly gorgeous images that wouldn’t otherwise be possible – but only if you’re comfortable doing it. If the weather is against us, then we make the most of the interior spaces at your venue to still deliver you a beautiful gallery of wedding photographs, but even then, if I hand you an umbrella and say “follow me…”, just go with it…

8. How long does it take to do the family and couple shots?

I like to allow 30-45 minutes for your couple shots, and around 30 minutes for your group shots, depending on how drunk/co-operative your guests are by that point in the day! If conditions allow, I like to drag you back outside in the evening for 20 minutes or so in order to take advantage of any gorgeous sunset colours in the sky.

9. How long before I see my pictures, and how will I receive them?

Following your wedding I aim to give you a sneak-peak within 24 hours, although that can be 48 hours during busy times. I aim to deliver your full and final gallery within 8-12 weeks, but if I can do it sooner I won’t make you wait! Each one of my packages includes a downloadable digital gallery, and my highest tier also includes a USB presentation box as standard.

10. How will I know if we’ll get along on the day?

Your wedding photographer should deliver more than just photographs – they also deliver an experience. They are with you all day on one of the biggest days of your life, so it’s vital that you get along with them and feel comfortable. Whenever I can, I like to suggest meeting up over a coffee or something so we can actually meet each other, and have a proper chat about your plans for the wedding, and get to know each other a little bit to help see if we’re a good fit. If you happen to be on the other side of the country though, we might have to settle on a Zoom chat or a phone call to begin with!

And because ’11 Questions To Ask Your Photographer’ isn’t as catchy a title…

11. We would like to book you – how do we move things forward?

Excellent! The easiest way is to use the contact form on my website, and then I’ll be in touch within 24 hours to let you know if I’m available, and we can get the ball rolling. If you’re more of a social media kind of person, feel free to message me through one of my profiles below, or you’re more than welcome to just go ahead and email me direct at martin@martinhavensphotography.com

Bonus question… is there anything special about the tree in your logo?

Actually yes, there is! For a few years I volunteered as a photographer for the National Trust at one of their locations in Kent, while we lived in that neck of the woods. In a thousand acres of woodland, this tree stands alone close to the house and it always acted as a focal point for me. The house – Knole, in Sevenoaks – is very special to me, and I hold some personal photographic accolades because of it, so when I was thinking of what I could use as a logo it seemed only natural that I used the very tree that drew my attention on every visit!

And there we are! If you would like to make an enquiry to ask for availability for your wedding, or would like to know anything else about I might capture it for you, please use one of my contact forms or email me directly.