When we are talking to couples about booking a wedding photographer, we know it can be a really large decision and we try to be as understanding and patient as possible because we get it! Choosing a wedding photographer can be a large expense. If you’ve never booked a wedding photographer (and most people haven’t), you aren’t sure what you should be looking for, what to expect, or what you should ask.

So, regardless of who you choose (obviously, we suggest Katie Jaynes Photography), we wanted to arm you with the knowledge you need to make the best decisions for choosing a photographer.

Do I Get Access to Digital Files?

This is one of the questions that we get the most. It’s something a lot of people ask about, but might not fully understand. Before anyone signs our contract, we want them to know exactly what they are getting. This is a huge question to ask regardless of who your photographer is. Please ask this question, you don’t want any surprises down the road.

What does it mean to have printing rights? Well, with some photographers, after your wedding, you don’t technically have the access to your digital files or even printing rights to your photos. You may have to get special permission to print a photo, or pay an extra fee for digital file downloads.

With us, the price you pay for us to photograph your wedding DOES include full access to download, share, and print your images!

Before you sign a contract or make any agreements with a wedding photographer, ask about access to your photos! For us, our clients have full 100% rights to all of the photos. Download them freely, and PLEASE, print them and display them everywhere! We LOVE when our clients are in love with their images and want to display them.

How Many Hours of Coverage Do You Offer?

For us, we work very hard to ensure we provide exactly what the couple wants. While we have three main wedding collections, we make them flexible and offer customization. We don’t want our photography to ever be one-size-fits-all. We know that each couple is different and has different needs.

When you’re talking to a photographer, ask about the coverage hours they offer. Some have minimums or maximums which may not work for your needs. You want to make sure you find this out in the early stages to save yourself and the photographer some frustration. Another tip here, you can ask your photographer in the early stages of inquiring with them if they know how to make the most of the hours they are at your wedding. For example, we will send you a sample timeline of the flow of your day, as well as a sample gallery, since we know about how long it takes us to shoot certain things.

Interested in seeing our sample timeline? We will adjust this timeline based on your needs!

Do You Have a Second Shooter?

This is something that is a MUST for us for average to large weddings, but not something every photographer does. If you want to get every angle during the big day, then you should consider having a photographer that has a second shooter.

Now, a lot of photographers don’t use a second shooter, which is perfectly fine, but you want to make sure that you’re getting exactly what you want.

When you’re having the initial conversation with a photographer, ask if they use a second photographer and if they have a consistent second shooter they always use. Sure, they won’t be the main shooter or may not be editing the photos, but you still want to know that you can trust both of the photographers.

When Can We Expect A Finished Gallery?

This is a question that a lot of people don’t think to ask. Now, when we are talking about editing turnaround, there is no “right” amount of time that a photographer should have the photos delivered by. But, you should have an expectation going into the relationship.

There are a lot of factors that go into turnaround and delivery time for photographers. How long the wedding day coverage is, how many photos they take and deliver, are they using a second shooter, how many other weddings do they have to edit, etc. So, having some grace is always good, but you should know the average time it takes and when you should follow up if you haven’t received anything.

We’ve heard stories of photographers taking several months, even up to 6 months or longer to get their finished gallery. If that’s what they agreed to in the contract, then that’s perfectly fine, but if not, that should be addressed about follow up and what the next steps should be.

We deliver all wedding within 4 weeks after the wedding day, no questions asked.

What is Your Shooting Style?

This is a loaded question. Firstly, you want to ask a photographer about their photography style. Do they consider their work to be dark & moody, light & airy, bright & vibrant, etc? You want to be sure they have a consistent style and one that you’re happy with!

The second part of this question refers to the style of shooting. Is it more photojournalistic and detail-oriented, or more carefree? For example, we shoot a mix of editorial and detail photos, posed shots, and also lots of candids as the day unfolds. Our goal is to tell the full story of your wedding day by using a mixture of types of shots so that someone who did not attend your wedding could look at the photos and feel as if they were there!

Hiring a South Carolina Wedding Photographer

How can you know if you’re getting everything you want if you don’t know what questions to ask? We hope this little guide to hiring a wedding photographer will give you everything you need to make a perfect choice. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us.