Quiz your photographer

The three questions you should really be asking your wedding/elopement photographer

Elopement in Edinburgh

When it comes to booking your wedding photographer, there’s some essential stuff you should be aware of. This simple micro guide will help you decide how to hire the perfect wedding / elopement photographer. 

There are a lot of talented photographers out there. Look at the work of the photographers in your area. What are you immediately and instinctively drawn to?

One of the easiest ways to know whether a supplier is experienced and trustworthy is to have a look through their website, check out their reviews and social media feeds to get a feel for their style, personality and reliability.

This will help narrow down your choices.

Once you’ve got your top list, go meet them for a beer or chat over Skype and talk all things wedding. What you’re looking for is a connection, which means that you are likely to work well together. From ‘boring’ logistical questions to ensure everything is taken care of professionally, to creative questions to help you strike up a good conversation and connect with the person you’re trusting to capture your day.

We've narrowed it down to our absolute top three:

1.How many weddings/elopements have you shot so far?

Experience is no barometer of talent, but it helps if they have 'been there, done that' a few times.

Styled shoot in Glencoe

It is essential to understand how experienced your photographer is in shooting the type of wedding you are having. Whether it is an elopement, big traditional wedding or a smaller one in the local venue, you only get one chance to click striking wedding pictures, so definitely want somebody who has some experience at hand in shooting for example big busy events (group shots, challenging light, certain rituals specific to your culture, time limits set by the wedding schedule) or elopements ( capturing sunsets and stars, safety awareness and outdoor orienteering skills, knowledge of terrain, busy touristy spots and ability to skilfully alternate these).

A photographer’s experience can make a difference to the final result. For example, even an award-winning sports photographer may have a hard time shooting a wedding, whereas someone who has shot dozens of weddings knows exactly what to capture and when.

Every wedding is a bit different. So the more weddings your photographer has under their belt, the better off you are because you know they’ll be able to handle your own day like a champ.

2. I love that shot on your website/insta feed/FB post. Was it from a real wedding/elopement?

Wedding/elopement photographers often have lots of beautiful photos of the work they’ve done. Some of their photos might be from a styled shoot designed to build a content for their website.

Kat and Stuart’s micro wedding in Glencoe

These shoots are curated to look perfect and will often involve models (rather than real couples). They are managed in the same way as product marketing photoshoots for adverts. Shoots should and will look like the stuff of your wedding dreams, because they are coordinated, orchestrated photo sessions.

Styled shoots aren’t real weddings therefore that beautiful looking couple posing in a stunning coastal location is a result of a precisely set by a professional photographer photo-session. He chose the spot, the angle, the pose, lighting. Attendees of such shoot then display the produced images on their website and social media to promote their business. Will your photographer or his experience be able to work with a shy couple under the unpredictable weather conditions, taking into account the available light or difference in couple’s height for example?

Does it mean you shouldn’t book someone? Probably not. But it’s good to see a good selection of images from a real wedding covering the whole day, to ensure there’s consistency throughout. Don’t by shy to ask about those images if you want them, and what it would take to be able to reproduce them on a wedding day.

3. Have you ever shot a wedding/elopement at venues or location similar to mine before?

Weddings/elopements are very different to organised shoots or staged shots as they are dynamic, it is a live event.

Tara and Deena on their wedding day on Isle of Skye

If your photographer hasn’t shot at your wedding/location venue before, it is important that they make plans to visit to look at the different lighting scenarios and to familiarise themselves with the layout of the venue.

A good wedding photographer will be able to adapt to any situation, even in a venue they’ve never been to before and - whilst not imperative – it can be reassuring to know your photographer has experience working at your venue and knows all the best places for photos, or where to do group shots.

Think : location, location, location. It is important, but be realistic on how long it takes to get there and back, especially if it’s a separate location to your wedding reception. When photographing elopements he/she must know where to go, sometimes find a faster way, or what is the alternative spot in case of rain, how to work around busy with tourists places?

Seth and Pearl’s elopement in Torridon

Each photographer is only going to show their favourite photos online. Even their individual blog posts that give a bigger idea of each wedding with 50-100 photos are going to be curated to show only the best photos of the day.

To really see if you like a photographer’s work, they won’t mind you asking to see a couple of full wedding galleries. Looking through a full album will tell you if they are able to capture the story of the day, how they handle different lighting conditions and if they are consistent in terms of quality and style.

If possible, you could ask to see weddings in similar venues to yours like: barn venue, dark indoor venue or open space venue. You also want to know that your photographer can work with any body type, not just “pretty-model” types of couples, so ask if they can share with you weddings of people who look similar to you.

We hope this guide has been of some help. 

Please also check out our blog on :

“Do we need a videographer for our elopement / wedding in Scotland?”.