Common Questions Wedding Photography Clients Ask – And How To Answer Them.

As a photographer, you have optimal confidence in your skills and how you can handle any event. You’ve got all your gear ready, and you’re prepared to face any event. However, a successful photography business doesn’t depend on just skills – there’s also the business aspect you need to consider.

One of the most critical parts of this business aspect is meeting with prospective clients. For wedding shoots, you need to remember that these people are preparing for the happiest day of their lives, and they want to ensure that everything goes smoothly. So, they’ll likely have quite a lot of questions for you. And this is totally fine, as long as you know how to handle them!

Let’s look at some of these questions and how best to answer them to ensure that you land the wedding photography job.

“What is your photography style?”

This is perhaps the most professional question your client might ask you. Most people know what they would like from their photography shoots, and they merely want to see if you can achieve that. So, they’ll ask about how you approach your job and whether you have any specific ideas for their project.

I’ve found that this question is particularly prominent with people who have had some experiences in photography. Considering how much they’ll be paying and how special the event is, this isn’t too much to ask. They may also have a some idea of what they don’t like, so it may just be a way to check that your style isn’t going to clash with that.

In my experience, I’ll say the best shooting style for a wedding is an airy and classy look. This style is sometimes referred to as a ‘natural’ style as it shouldn’t look overly staged or over-the-top edited and the poses and reactions should look natural and spontaneous. To do this, you’ll have to shadow the bride and groom all day and capture their every reaction. Things like kisses, smiles, and more are the most significant with this shooting style. You need to be attentive in both the small and big moments because people react differently.

It’s also worth noting that you may need to develop a skill of keeping your presence relatively un-intrusive so that the clients and subjects aren’t always thinking about how they look to the camera aimed at them. As the day progresses this generally happens naturally because people become comfortable and almost forget you’re there anyway. Having said that, if you miss a shot that could have looked great, don’t be afraid to politely ask the people in shot to do it again if possible. If the second attempt looks staged an unnatural then don’t worry, just move on. There will be other opportunities for great shots but at least you gave it a second chance!

However, if you want to answer, the best thing to say will be that you go for a classy, timeless look that the couple and their family members will love no and forever. If they’re even more meticulous and want the details, then feel free to divulge how your shoot will go and show some examples of your previous work. Which leads us to the next question…

“Do you have any previous project pictures?”

Nine times out of ten, your prospective clients will ask for past projects you’ve handled and how the pictures look. So, you’ll need to carry those along! Trust me; as a photographer, there are only a few things more embarrassing as not having a portfolio with you to show off your work.

Thankfully, you can save event photographs on devices now. You don’t have to take an actual photo album with you! An ipad or laptop with at least 20 of your best shots will suffice to show your quality of work. In most cases the prospective client has probably already seen your work online anyway, so they will either be trying to see more of your work or just making sure the quality is what they remember.

It’s also a good idea to have a second lot of photos to show them which aren’t available on your website, that way they can be sure it was actually you who was taking the photos, possibly even include a few BTS photos that have you in shot as further proof.

Just make sure you’re prepared and have the folders of images readily available. You don’t want the client hovering over your shoulder while you hunt through 20 different folders of work on your laptop etc.

“What types of edits will you apply to our pictures?”

Again, this is one of those uncommon questions that clients might ask. But, clients are also entitled to ask whatever, and this tends to come up from time to time – especially when the client has a background in photography or has worked with photographers before.

It’s a bit challenging to start going into detail when it comes to the editing process, and in all honesty unnecessary. I’ll recommend that you give as much basic information as you can, but just refer the clients to your portfolio or show them your website. When they see editing techniques that they like, you can note that and applying it to their wedding shoot. Talking about the entire process from top to bottom will only waste your time and can lead to them making extra demands like “ok well we want multiple edits of each photo to see how they look” etc.

To save yourself a lot of time, you can have 3-5 before and after photos. This is where you show them the unedited raw photos alongside the edited final photo. That way they can clearly see what edits you have made or you can explain the edits to them to put their mid at ease.

“How long will it take for the pictures to get to us?”

Clients will want to know how soon they can expect their product. Most of them want to have the pictures as quickly as possible to show it to their friends and show off on social media. Pics or it didn’t happen, right?!

Like the question about editing, it’s also quite challenging to give a definite answer to this. Primarily, it would help if you considered how many pictures you take, how many they would want, and the post-shoot work to go into the entire project.

However, I’ll recommend that you give about three to four weeks after the event. That’s a fair timeline for both yourself and the client. It also helps if you promise a great outcome at the end of the day. Hype yourself and the process you’ll be putting into the work, and make sure to deliver on time. Another trick I like to do is a couple of days after the event I try to send a few ‘sneak peek’ pictures of a few of my favorite shots to get them excited for the rest of the delivery. Just make sure they’re great shots though if you do!

I can’t stress the part about prompt delivery enough, make sure you deliver when you say you will deliver, ideally deliver in advance so that when you ask them for a review they are more than happy with your service.

I personally always try to deliver content to clients far ahead of schedule so that I don’t have the workload looking over me and I can focus on the next project.

“What does your package include? Can we customize it?”

Some clients might want to negotiate the package’s price. This is entirely fine. So, list things out for them.

At this stage, make sure you’re clear. Itemize everything that the package includes and any additional costs that you might incur. From there, walk them through if they want to take some services out.

Remember not to be too demanding. You can recommend that the clients leave some things on, even if they want to take them out. However, they have the last word.

“How many hours of coverage are included?”

This is another question that couples might ask if they want to negotiate your rate with you. It’s entirely expected since everyone wants to get optimal value for their money.

On average, wedding photography packages include about seven to eight hours of coverage. So, you can tell them that. If the wedding ceremony is a full-day event and they want to add more content, you can tell them how much it will cost. Please don’t be shy to let them know about that. 

“Can we get additional hours on the day, if possible?”

This is a tricky question to answer, especially if you think they might want to negotiate the price. I’ll recommend that you respond with your rate and include what it covers.

If you like the clients, then feel free to offer negotiation options. However, remember to be clear on why you’re charging you price and what a negotiation might cost them.

It is a good idea to have additional coverage package options or an hourly rate for extra hours of coverage so that they know in advance what costs will be involved.

“Do your packages include a second photographer?”

Here’s a quick tip for you: if the wedding ceremony’s event is pretty large, you should get a second photographer. Some venues are too large for one person to cover, and you might end up missing a lot of moments. So, if you have a second photographer, let them know and also know what the cost will be in advance.

Often they will want photos of the bridal party and groom party getting ready before the ceremony, quite often these will be at different locations so a second photographer will be necessary to cover this.

However, if you don’t have a second photographer, remember to assure the clients that you’re up to the task and be clear about what you can and can’t cover depending on their plans for the day.