Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer and Videographer Before You Hire Them

I have compiled the following list of questions to ask your potential wedding photographer or videographer before you hire them, whether you hire me or someone else.  I do this for a living and have drawn on my experiences to offer this advice to you because I have found that for most couples, this is their first time doing this and they may not have thought to ask some of these important questions:

How long have they been in business?

I filmed my first wedding in 2007 for a friend, by myself with a small camcorder, but it wasn’t until college that a professor encouraged me into filmmaking.  I have been filming weddings professionally since 2015, so about 8 years now.  Nobody is born knowing how to compose a photo or operate advanced features of today’s complicated cameras, it is a learned skill.  Unfortunately, we all had to start somewhere, so I don’t want to say anything bad about anyone who hasn’t refined the craft yet, but your wedding is not the place for someone who is still learning.  Always make sure you see their work and ask if what you are seeing is their work or “examples” from others that they are showing of what they can do (something some beginners do sometime).

Are they licensed and insured?

You are paying good money and you want to hire a professional.  Why do you care if they are licensed?  A business that is doing everything above board has an interest in upholding their reputation.  They want to make sure you are happy with their service and leaving a positive review.  These licensed business owners depend on future business to pay their bills and feed their families.  An unlicensed business means it may be very easy for that “company” or person to disappear if something goes wrong or the final product doesn’t meet your expectations.  Golden Hour Captures is registered with the state of California as a Limited Liability Company.  Part of the cost of hiring me includes insurance coverage for the wedding/event.  I purchase a plan shortly before the actual wedding (once the wedding is paid in full) that covers any accidents that may happen.  You don’t want a less experienced videographer bumping into your table with the cake on it or not properly weighing down a light stand and having it fall on someone.

Are they willing to prove their license and insurance status?

To make sure that someone is licensed and insured and not just telling you they are, make arrangements to verify this before your wedding.  It may be as simple as looking up their business in an online database and looking over their insurance contract pdf from an e-mail.  I am happy to help you verify this if you ask.  You can search for businesses registered with the State of California here: California Secretary of State Business Search Website and you can download my certificate here: Golden Hour Captures LLC Registration.  I was previously operating as a sole propietor using my full name and filing my self employed earnings on my taxes, but decided in 2022 to file for an LLC.

Are they actually going to be there or are they sending an “associate”? 

I have noticed a trend recently that couples book and pay for the photographer they want (often times one of the most popular ones in the area) only to have someone else show up to take photos and videos.  Some of the most popular photographers on social media are the busiest and some are double booking themselves knowing they can only be at any one wedding at a time.  They may send an “associate” or trainee out to cover the wedding for them.  There is nothing wrong with this if you know about it ahead of time, but you need to know to ask.  You don’t want to pay for their style and experience only for them to send a trainee out to cover it because they double booked and then your gallery or film doesn’t seem to match the examples you found on their website.  Questions to ask: “Are you actually going to be the one who shows up to my wedding to take the photos and videos?”; “Are you bringing an associate or second shooter as well?”; “Will you be there the whole time or do you turn it over to them and leave?”; “If you are not there, who is going to be there and where can I see their work?  Do they have an online gallery or social media?  Will it cost less since you are not going to be there?”

I never double book and am always there leading all of my weddings.  If you select a second photographer/videographer, I direct and manage them throughout the day and often provide training in advance if they are not someone I have worked with before.

Do you do all of your own editing or do you outsource it?

This is something you may want to consider.  With many photo and video editors all over the world, it is not uncommon to find that your wedding photographer or videographer has shared all of your files with someone halfway around the world.  There may be no issue with this, as long as you know about it.  You may want to ask what company they use and do some research into how secure your data is with these very low cost editors overseas.  As long as you understand this is happening and the risks ahead of time and agree to it, there is not a problem.  What you don’t want to do is find out your photographer sent your entire gallery overseas never to be seen again.

I personally edit all photos and videos myself.  When I have a second photographer or videographer, I provide them with memory cards before the wedding and take them with me at the end of the day.

Where are you located and are there any travel fuel or travel time fees?

It is important to ask this because although it may be in the contract, it may be easy to overlook.  If you hire local, you may save yourself some money by not paying someone's travel fees.  You don't want to find out the morning of your wedding that your photographer was expecting more money to show up and is now nowhere to be found.  If you ask your photographer to travel an hour and a half each way, this may add cost for the time they are driving as well as the fuel, make sure to ask the total travel fees including the time they will spend travelling.

I am based out of Turlock, California and generally do not charge any travel fees for venues within 20/30 miles or so (unless there are additional fees like hotel parking, admission tickets, etc).  Beyond 30 miles, I charge the actual reasonable amount that it will cost me to drive there (up to about 90 miles from Turlock) or drive to the airport, fly there, stay in a hotel for two nights, rent a car or take a taxi to and from the destination airport, and fly/drive back home.

Do they have a drone license?

I’ve recently learned of a few filmmakers in the area that are selling wedding films including drone shots, but they are operating without the proper FAA drone pilot license.  Don’t let them tell you that they don’t need a license for any reason like that their drone is too small to be required for FAA registration.  This is true that the FAA does not require registration of drones under a certain size and weight for recreational flying, but all commercial use requires a drone pilot license (regardless of size).  Another common tactic is for the filmmaker to allege that the drone services are included for free and therefore the pilot license requirement does not apply to them.  The FAA has been clear that any use of drone footage (even if the drone part of the video was free) published in a commercial project or posted online to an audience that may see your services is considered commercial use of a drone and requires a license. If someone reports the violation to the FAA, your filmmaker may be required to take down the video, and that can be difficult once it has already been published on multiple platforms and shared with customers to download.  It can be anything from a warning to a monetary penalty and messy legal trouble when the filmmaker is not able to take back all of the copies of your film that they have distributed.

I do not currently have a drone license, but I also have not yet included any drone footage in a wedding film.  There are many rules that must be followed to operate legally and some of those include the class of airspace, the height you can fly at, the type of event and how many people are in the crowd, and your venue’s location to an airport or helicopter pad (think hospitals).  Because I have been working as a filmmaker in San Diego, there is almost nowhere to legally fly a drone easily.  Now that I have moved to Turlock, I may consider obtaining an FAA drone pilot license over the winter off season.

I may be updating this list as I discover new tactics to make you aware of.  If you have any questions for me or suggestions to add to this list, you can reach me by voice/text at (209) 818-9599, by e-mail at: ron@goldenhourcaptures.com or by DM on Instagram: @goldenhourcapturesllc or on my contact page here.