Top 5 Questions to Ask Before Booking a Maui Wedding Photographer
You’re getting married on the majestic Valley Isle of Maui, Hawai’i, and now you’re looking for a wedding photographer to capture your epic day. How exciting! Of all of the things that you purchase and vendors that you hire for your wedding, it’s the photographs that will remain for generations to come, so it’s not a decision to be made lightly. Most couples understandably don’t have a lot of experience with what to look for in a wedding photographer. Liking the photos that you see posted on the photographer’s website or social media is a great first step, but there are several questions that you should ask to dig a bit deeper and make sure you are hiring someone that is a good fit for you and the vision that you have for your wedding. Here are my recommendations for the top 5 questions to ask before booking your Maui wedding photographer.
1. Do you have a business license and are you insured?
Just about anyone with a smartphone these days can capture a beautiful image every now and then, but when it comes to your wedding day, it’s important that you hire a professional that is running a legitimate business. Professional photographers that are operating a business are more likely to care about their reputation and strive for excellence and consistency in the photography services provided. A professional should have systems in place that covers everything from the booking process, to signing a contract (which is crucial to protect both you and the photographer), accepting payments, maintaining professional camera gear, backing up and protecting your images, and ensuring smooth delivery of your wedding photos.
Making sure that your photographer has business insurance is important just in case anything unusual should happen on your wedding day. For example, if a guest trips and falls over the photographer’s camera bag and injures him/herself, the photographer’s business insurance would cover this. Also, many venues on Maui require that a photographer have business insurance before allowing them to photograph a wedding at the venue.
2. What will working with you on our wedding day be like?
This question will reveal a lot about the photographer’s approach to capturing a wedding day, as well as a bit about their personality. A wedding photographer should be able to describe how they interact with clients and what to expect during key moments of the day. There are not necessarily any right or wrong answers here, but you want to make sure that the photographer’s described approach aligns with the vision that you have for your day. For example, I tend to have a documentary/photojournalistic approach to much of a wedding day. As much as possible, I allow my clients to experience moments as they unfold. When you and your lover see each other for the first time on your wedding day, I want to capture that special moment shared between the two of you rather than directing a particular reaction to happen (although I will position you to optimize for lighting and angles for the camera). I want you to be able to look back on your wedding images and remember these genuine moments. I am completely hands-off during the ceremony, but during family formal portraits, I do give very specific posing guidance. During the bridal portrait session, I use a mixture of gentle directing and prompts to elicit moments that appear candid and natural (often referred to as a lifestyle photography approach).
It is very important to me that my clients feel as comfortable and at ease in front of the camera as possible. It is common for people to feel nervous when being photographed, and I let my clients know that this a completely normal reaction. Sometimes just acknowledging that helps people to relax a bit. I invite my clients to share their insecurities about being photographed, and when possible, I try to make adjustments in my shooting style that might help to alleviate those insecurities. I don’t want to put clients in situations that make them uncomfortable, so I always ask couples how they typically express affection with each other. If a couple isn’t comfortable with a lot of public displays of kissing or hugging, I adjust my prompts to reflect this. I strive to keep things low key and fun on your wedding day.
3. Can we view one or two galleries of similar weddings that you’ve photographed?
With Hawai’i being such a huge destination wedding location, it’s not uncommon for wedding/elopement planners or venues to refer couples to a specific photographer without the client first viewing the photographer’s portfolio. I cannot stress enough how important it is to view a potential wedding photographer’s work and make sure that you love their style. You deserve to love your wedding images!
Asking to view a complete gallery or two will give you a solid idea of what to expect for your own wedding images. Most photographers display only their favorite images from weddings on their portfolios and social media, so a complete gallery will give you a glimpse into what an entire gallery of wedding images will look like. You want to make sure that the editing style of the photographer is consistent, and that you enjoy the type and overall look of the images that are captured.
4. Do you have a back-up plan in place in case something happens to you or your photography equipment?
A wedding day is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it can’t be delayed or rescheduled. Your photographer should have a plan in place in case he/she is terribly ill on your wedding day or some other type of unfortunate event happens. Although there is never any 100% guarantee when it comes to technology, a professional wedding photographer should be able to describe how they maintain their camera equipment to help prevent issues from occurring (or address issues if they do occur), and the plans that they have in place to back-up your images.
I have several Maui-based photography colleagues with similar shooting styles that are able to serve as my back-up in case something should happen and I am ill or unable to attend your wedding (it’s extremely unlikely, but important to have a plan). I maintain my cameras on a regular basis, which means routine cleanings and maintenance check-ups. During weddings, I shoot with two cameras. I have a main camera body, and then a back-up camera body in the event that something happens to my main body. I also bring a third camera body to larger weddings just in case! To protect the images themselves, my cameras have dual card slots which means that there are two copies of every image that I take. Immediately following the wedding, I download the images to an external hard drive. A copy of all of the images are also uploaded to cloud storage, and finally, a third copy is uploaded to my editing software.
5. What can we expect regarding photo delivery?
Every photographer has specific practices and policies around photo delivery. This information should be included in the photography contract, and it’s important to clarify this up-front so that there are no surprises when you receive your wedding photos. Some wedding photographers provide you with access to all of the images from your wedding day, while others might charge additional fees upon delivery to access the photos or you might receive a certain number of images with the option to purchase more. My policy is to provide my clients with access to all images from their wedding day. The high resolution, digital images are included in all of my wedding photography packages, and I do not charge additional fees to access the photos.
It can be challenging for a wedding photographer to give you a specific number of images that you will be provided. It’s not that we are trying to be evasive, but every wedding is different. The total number of photos delivered will depend upon the hours of coverage, locations, and type of events included in the wedding (for example, getting ready images, a first look, a reception, etc.). While an exact number might be tricky, it’s reasonable to ask the photographer to give you an estimate of the number of images that you might expect. For example, my one hour elopement packages will generally include a minimum of 75 images.
The timing of the photo delivery might vary based on the hours of coverage, and the month of your wedding (some months are busier than others for weddings in Hawai’i). The average time for wedding photo delivery ranges from 6-12 weeks (and usually less time for elopements). The important thing here is that the photographer’s contract addresses the timing of delivery. What you don’t want to happen is six months to pass, and you still haven’t received your wedding photos. I deliver most wedding galleries within 6-8 weeks, and most elopements within 3 weeks.
It’s also important to ask about the rights that you will have to your wedding images, and if you will be able to print and share your photos. My policy is to retain the copyright to the photos (which means that clients cannot sell or make a commercial profit off the images), but all clients receive a print release and they are able to reproduce and share the images however they wish. I offer a full range of professional print products, but couples are under no obligation to print through me and my lab partners. Although there are definite advantages in using a professional lab, I honor my clients’ right to choose where and how they would like to print their images.
I hope that you found this list of questions to ask before hiring your Maui wedding photographer helpful! If you have any concerns that are not answered here, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to help make your day as fun and smooth as possible! Let’s create some epic images together!
