Wedding photographer’s can be found by the dozens these days. Although there are lots of very talented photographers out there, there are quite a few who could really break your wedding. This is why getting to know your wedding photographer and how they work before you book is so important!

As a wedding photographer, I want to make sure that you know some of the most important questions to ask me (or any other rad photog) before you book. So I put together a list of my top five questions to ask your wedding photographer before booking!

Pull up a seat. Let’s get this party started!

5 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before You Book

The first thing you should with a wedding photographer before you book is get on the phone with them. You need to chat with them and feel them out! This will be a great way for y’all to “meet” and get to know for one another. I personally hop on a Facetime or Zoom call with all my potential wedding couples so that we also get to put faces to the names!

This call is the perfect place to ask the following questions.

1. What do they consider their photography style?

Are they a candid photographer with bright and airy edit? Are they more editorial in their picture-taking? Do they have a dark and moody edit?

All of these things impact the final product you get and also how they interact with you on the day of!

I consider myself to be a candid photographer who prefers prompting you into poses. I’ll ask you to go hard for a 10-second dance party or for something softer to have you whisper why you love your person into their ear.

I have a true-to-color edit with crisp whites and a subtle warmth throughout. Peep my Instagram to see what I mean!

2. Do they photograph on dual cards and what’s their backup system? 

The only thing worse than an SD card failing? NOT HAVING A SECOND ONE IN PLACE. Although it doesn’t happen often, it can occur. So, make sure they have a dual card slot system in their camera!

For me, in-the-moment photographs are being recorded onto two memory cards and then when I get home, everything is backed up onto two hard drives. I also don’t clear memory cards until you have your final gallery. So there’s multiple places your photos live between shoot day and your gallery delivery in case something happens. 

3. What’s their COVID/Monkey Pox/End of the world cancellation and reschedule policy? 

Let’s be honest, we aren’t strangers to the world going to shit. Backup plans are important, and your photographer should have certain policies in place. These policies should not only be told to you upfront on that initial phone call, but they should also be reflected in their contract.

The following is my current end-of-the-world policy as of October 2023!

“If you’re choosing to reschedule your wedding, we can make that happen. You will have one calendar year from your OG date to reschedule your wedding. If you’re rescheduling to a weekday day (M-TH) there will not be a rescheduling fee. If you’re rescheduling to a weekend date (F-S) there will be a rescheduling fee of $500. Rescheduling fees will apply to all weddings/intimate weddings/elopements.

If you’re scaling your wedding down to an elopement, we’ll talk and switch up your package and coverage if needed, depending on where you’re at in your current payment plan and what package we’ve scaled you down to, we’ll either stop future payments or I’ll refund you the difference if necessary. 

If we’re canceling the big day, I refund you everything but the initial retainer if I have 30 days’ notice. If I have less than 30 days’ notice, I refund you 50% of the remaining balance after the non-refundable retainer.”

4. Do they include an engagement session in their wedding packages?  

Engagement sessions are such a great way to get to know your photographer and see how they work and it’s practice for you for the big day!

Some photogs include an engagement sesh, some don’t. I personally don’t include them, but I do offer you a 50% discount off your engagement sesh when you book a wedding with me!

Want to dive deeper into why you should do an engagement sesh with your wedding photog? CHECK OUT MY PREVIOUS BLOG!

5. Do they travel and are there additional fees? 

If you’re planning a destination wedding or love a photographer from a different area from where you live, knowing if your photog travels are essential! Some photographers have packages that include their travel costs and some tack it on as an additional fee.

I custom-build my pricing for you and your big day! So if we’re traveling for the big day or even your engagement session, I include the cost of my travel in your package. This cost includes all my transportation, hotel stays, and most importantly, food haha.

WANNA KNOW WHERE I AM TRAVELING NEXT? CLICK HERE. Not only do you get my custom packages, but you also get my base Lake Tahoe pricing! This means that there are no built-in travel costs if you book me while I am on the road.

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Elopement and Wedding Photographer Based in Lake Tahoe

Hi, I’m Dani!

I’m a popcorn-loving, rain-dancing, traveling wedding photographer based in Reno/Tahoe. I’m OBSESSED with plants & polaroids and I cannot go a day without listening to music.

When it comes to photography, I specialize in capturing love stories. So no matter who you love, however & wherever your love story is unfolding, I will be there in a heartbeat to document those memories with you.

From backyard weddings to adventure sessions on the edge of the world, I’ll go where your love takes me.

For real.

We could be traipsing through vineyards in Napa, dancing under waterfalls in Hawaii, or roaming around the hills of the Scottish Highlands; basically, where you go I go and I have no doubt that together we will make some unforgettable memories captured by some pretty epic photographs.

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