A wedding photographer's website shows you their best twenty frames, which is exactly what a website is for. What you need to know is what the other two thousand look like, how this person behaves when the ceremony runs forty minutes late and the rain starts on the seawall, and whether you'll be glad to have them beside you for ten hours. These seven questions get you most of the way there.
1. Can I see a full wedding, start to finish?
Not the highlights. One complete gallery, ideally from a venue or light similar to yours. Look at the family photos, the dim reception, the moments in between. That consistency is the thing you're paying for. If they'll share two or three full galleries without a pause, that tells you something too.
2. How do you work on the day?
Some photographers direct; others hang back and wait for things to happen. Some you'll forget are in the room, and some are the loudest person at the party. None of that is wrong, but the wrong match for you will show in the pictures. Ask how they handle the family photo list, what the getting-ready hour looks like with them in it, and what they do when the timeline slips. Vancouver timelines slip.
3. What’s your plan for rain?
If you're getting married between October and April, this is the whole interview. Where have they shot portraits in a downpour? What do they bring? Will they scout a covered spot near your venue ahead of time? You want an answer that's specific and, ideally, a little cheerful about it.
4. Who’s actually shooting, and is there a second?
Studios sometimes send an associate. Make sure the person whose work you fell for is the person who shows up. Ask whether a second shooter is included, when they'd recommend one, and what happens if the lead wakes up sick that morning.
5. What do we get, and when?
How many edited images, the full gallery or a curated one, print rights, an online gallery, an album. Then the timeline: a sneak peek within a few days is common, and full galleries can take weeks or months in the busy season. Get it into the contract.
6. How do you handle tricky light?
A backlit outdoor ceremony at four in the afternoon in July. A candle-lit reception in a Gastown loft. A hotel ballroom with three kinds of lighting going at once. Ask to see examples shot in the conditions you'll actually have. Flash is a skill; some photographers have it and some quietly avoid situations that need it.
7. What’s included, and what costs extra?
Hours of coverage, travel within Metro Vancouver, overtime, a second shooter, an engagement session, albums, and the deposit and payment schedule. Ask about cancellation and rescheduling too.
Make sure the person whose work you fell for is the person who shows up.
If they answer all seven with specifics and without getting defensive, you're most of the way there. Then ask yourselves one more thing on the drive home: did we enjoy talking to them? You'll be standing next to this person for ten hours, and the pictures show whether you were relaxed.
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