Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer and Videographer

The food gets eaten, the flowers wilt, the dress goes back in the wardrobe, and the photographs remain. That is why choosing a photographer deserves a proper meeting and clear questions, not just admiration for a social media page. The questions below are ordered so that you leave the meeting knowing what you will receive, when, and for how much.

Before the meeting: bring three things

1. Your date, venue and rough guest count. The photographer uses them to decide team size and equipment.
2. Examples of photos you love. Ten saved images on your phone explain your taste better than any description.
3. An approximate photography budget. Say it plainly, so that they can suggest what fits instead of showing you everything.

Style and experience

• Can we see one complete wedding, start to finish? The highlights on a page are the best twenty frames out of hundreds. A full gallery shows how they handle dinner, relatives and a crowded hall, not only the sunset portrait.
• How would you describe your style? Some photographers lean towards candid moments, some towards posed portraits, and many mix the two. What matters is that it resembles the images you saved.
• Have you worked at our venue? Someone who knows the place knows its angles and its light. If they have not, ask whether they will visit beforehand.
• How do you handle low light, or an outdoor party at night? Ask for examples shot in conditions like yours.
• Who will actually be shooting on the day? At larger studios, the name on the door may not be the person who turns up. Ask for the photographer's name in the contract, and look at that person's own work.

The wedding day

• How many hours of coverage, and from where? From the bride getting ready, from the portrait session, or from the zaffa procession? And what if the party runs an hour late?
• How big is the team? One photographer cannot be with the bride and the groom at once. Ask about a second shooter and assistants.
• Does the package include a session before the party? Where: at the venue or at an outside location? Who pays any location fee or permit?
• Do you use a drone? Drone use in Egypt is subject to rules and permits. Ask how they handle that at your venue, and do not assume it is always possible.
• What backup equipment do you carry? A second camera, batteries, memory cards. A professional will not mind the question.
• Shall we send a shot list? Family photos in particular need a list, and a relative who can call out names.
• Does the team need meals? Usually yes, so add them to the count you give the venue.

Video in particular

• What will we receive? A short highlight film of a few minutes, a full-length film of the party, or both? Roughly how long is each?
• How is sound recorded? The words of the marriage contract ceremony and the speeches need a dedicated microphone, not the camera's own.
• Who chooses the music? Can we ask for a particular song?
• Is there a same-day edit? Some teams screen a clip of the preparations during the party. Ask about the cost and what they need from the venue.
• Do we get short vertical clips for social media?
• If photo and video come from different teams: have you worked together before? Two crews that do not coordinate end up in each other's shots.

Delivery

• When do we receive the photos and the film? Ask for a specific period, written into the contract. Turnaround gets longer in the summer season.
• Roughly how many edited photos? Do we receive every image or a selection?
• In what form? A download link, a USB drive, a printed album? How many pages is the album, and who selects the pictures?
• Can we request changes to the film? How many rounds?
• How long do you keep the originals? Whatever the answer, make two copies of your own in two different places as soon as you receive them.
• Will you publish our photos on your pages? That is your decision alone. If you would rather they were not published, or only certain images, have it written clearly into the contract.

Price and contract

• What exactly does the package include, and what are the usual extras and their prices?
• Are there travel costs if the wedding is in another governorate or on the coast?
• How much is the deposit, and when is the balance due?
• What happens if the wedding date changes?
• What happens if the photographer cannot attend because of an emergency? Who is the replacement?
• Is the price final until the wedding day?

Prices vary widely with experience, team size, governorate and season, and they change over time. Compare at least three quotes, and compare what each one covers, not only the final figure.

Signs that should slow you down

• They decline to show a complete wedding and offer only highlights.
• There is no written contract, or only a WhatsApp message.
• They ask for the full amount in advance.
• They give no clear delivery date.
• The style on their page varies so much that it looks like the work of several people.
• They are slow to reply before you have paid anything. Someone who is slow before the deposit will be slower after it.

Once you have agreed

• Send the running order, the addresses and the number of your family's contact person.
• Point out the people who matter most: parents, grandparents, siblings.
• If there are family sensitivities about who stands with whom, mention them beforehand.
• Give photography real time in the schedule. Twenty stolen minutes between the procession and dinner do not make an album.

How Gawazy helps

On Gawazy you can browse wedding photographers and videographers in your governorate and see their latest work on their pages, then contact them directly by phone, WhatsApp or chat to check your date and ask for a quote. The agreement and the contract are between you and the photographer.

• Photographers
• Videographers
• Photo and video teams
• Photo session venues
• All photography services

Take these questions to your first meeting and note each photographer's answers beside them. Comparing becomes far easier.