Portfolio and Work Issues

Before anything else, look at the actual work. A photographer's portfolio says a lot.

🚩 The photographer doesn't have a full wedding gallery. 

There are two reasons you want to look at full wedding galleries.

First, any photographer can look great based on their highlight reels, but what does their full wedding gallery look like? The full gallery will give you an accurate representation of the overall feel of their wedding coverage. 

Second, if they can't provide a full gallery, there is a chance that the images they have listed are not their own.

🚩 There is an inconsistent editing style. 

This can mean a few different things:

First, your photographer has a lack of technical consistency. While lighting throughout the day will change and can be shown in photos, if the overall feel changes, it can mean the photographer doesn't know how to adapt quickly to changing lighting. 

Second, your photographer hasn't developed a consistent editing style yet. While photographers' styles are always evolving, big changes in a short amount of time often points to a beginner photographer. 

Third, your photographer is outsourcing their edits. If they're outsourcing edits, you're not looking at their personal editing style. Outsourcing isn't wrong if it is disclosed and you feel comfortable with it, but the photographer's source should be the same one each time to provide consistency. 

Fourth, the photographer's images may not be their own work; they might be from other photographers' portfolios.

Professionalism and Trust Issues

How a photographer runs their business matters just as much as the photos.

🚩 There is no contract, or the contract is vague

You need to have a contract with timeline, deliverables, and cancellation terms. Contracts are essential. 

Stay far away from any photographer that tells you a contract isn't needed or tries to pass an invoice off as the contract. An invoice is a record of a payment; it is not a record of the terms of service you are paying for. An overly-comfortable photographer that brushes off your concerns around a contract is rarely a good one.

🚩 The photographer doesn't have any reviews.

If all reviews sound the same, there is a good chance that they are not real. Reviews should include at least some specific details from the writer. The photographer doesn't need a ton of reviews, but the reviews that are there matter.

Social proof is important--the photographer's followers on their page should have at least some of their friends from their personal profile. 

🚩 You are facing pressure tactics.

These can be used in a few different scenarios. 

First, early payment tactics are a big one. Discounts for paying way early should be viewed with extreme caution. 

Second, decisions should never be rushed. If your photographer is being overly pushy, there is a good chance that they should not be trusted.

Third, they don't give you time to review your contract. A photographer can help summarize the contract for you to give you an idea of what you are reading, but it should not be used in an attempt to skip contract review.

Communication and Experience Issues

How a photographer communicates before your wedding is often how they will show up on your wedding day.

🚩 Their communication is poor or slow.

You should not go weeks without a response from your photographer. Most of the time, you shouldn't be waiting days for a response, either. 

Your photographer should not avoid giving you direct answers. That's usually not a good sign.

Emails shouldn't feel chaotic and repetitive. They should feel personalized. 

AI responses are ones to use extreme caution with. These are generally fluffy and repetitive. AI can be a great tool, but it shouldn't be used in place of personal communication. If a photographer is responding to you with AI generated responses, you aren't getting to know them, you're hearing a robot. The AI is also not going to reflect how they deal with situations in real-time, it will only reflect how AI tells them to respond. It doesn't automatically mean someone is bad, but it is something to pay attention to.

🚩 They don't have wedding experience.

A photographer may very good in their field, but weddings are very different than typical sessions. Things move quickly, moments can be missed, and camera settings might not be adjusted fast enough. Your photographer should have wedding experience. If you are taking a chance on a new wedding photographer, you will want to stay on top of your own timeline for the day and may need to check in to make sure they haven't missed anything. 

Process and Preparedness Issues

A lot of couples don't think to ask about what goes on behind the scenes.

🚩 They don't have a backup plan.

Your photographer should have a backup plan for everything. 

Be cautious of photographers without a clear data backup process.

If there is any emergency that prevents them from attending the wedding, will they send backup, and will the backup be trustworthy? Their plan for a backup photographer should be as specific as possible. 

They should have backup gear. Even the best of cameras can fail, and the best photographers are prepared for the worst. 

🚩 They don't have a clear wedding day process.

Be cautious if they are unable to help with your timeline. An experienced wedding photographer will have an understanding of how long different events take. They are some of the few vendors present for the entire wedding day. 

If they don't have a plan for family photos, lighting changes, etc, this is a sign that they may not be prepared.

Checking Credibility and Experience

🟢 Search their personal and business name on Facebook and Google. 

This is a great way to make sure your photographer hasn't appeared anywhere in a negative way. 

🟢 Check reviews, tags, and websites.

There's a few great ways to do this.

Go to their Instagram page (if they have one), and check their tagged photos. This will show you posts other people have included them in, not just what they choose to share.

Use a hashtag to search their personal name and business name across platforms. This will pull up any post that has mentioned them in a hashtag and can show positive and negative experiences outside of their own page. 

Check their Facebook page for reviews, and click into a few reviewer profiles. Legit reviews should come from active accounts with history and friends. Brand new or generic accounts are usually not trustworthy.

If your photographer has their business registered on Google, you will see their Google reviews when you look them up. Not all photographer's have their businesses registered on Google, and that's okay, but it's a great resource if available.

🟢 Check bride groups/bride beware groups.

Facebook has so many bride groups and bride beware groups. Search "Bride Beware" + your area or "Bride Group" + your area and you'll see several pop up. Click on these groups to open a search bar specifically for that group and search your photographer's personal name and business name. 

🟢 Look for the same couples across multiple images.

It's not bad to have the same couples posted in several places, but it's not good if the same couple is posted in several different wedding galleries.

🟢 Look for consistency across platforms.

If they have Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc, their business name should mostly be the same. Their content should reflect the same style and voice. If one platform has a lot of negative feedback and another has really good feedback, that's usually not a great sign. The age of their social media platforms matters, too. 

🟢 Ask to see full galleries.

If you can't find a full gallery on their website, ask them to see one. Sometimes they aren't easy to find on a website, but a photographer can usually send you a direct link to one. 

🟢 Reverse image search if something feels off.

You can screenshot an image and add it directly into a search on Google. If that image is anywhere other than their website, it'll show up in a Google search. This is a great way to check for stolen work. 

Questions to Ask the Photographer Before Booking

• How many weddings have you photographed?
• Do you have a full gallery I can review?
• Do you bring backup equipment?
• What happens if you're unable to attend?
• How long until we receive our gallery?
• Do you help with timeline planning?