What to ask your wedding photographer
before you book.
Most couples ask the same three questions: What's your style? How much? Are you available? Those are fine starter questions. They're also not enough.
Here are the questions that separate a real wedding photographer from a portfolio that looks great on Instagram. Ask any photographer you're seriously considering. The answers will tell you a lot.
1. What happens if your camera fails on the day?
Real answer: a working wedding photographer carries two cameras at all times. Backup bodies, backup batteries, backup cards. If they say "that's never happened to me," that's not the answer you want — gear fails. The question is whether they're prepared.
Bonus: ask if they shoot dual-card. Pro cameras write the same image to two memory cards simultaneously, so a corrupted card doesn't lose your wedding. Most pros do. If yours doesn't, that's a flag.
2. Are you fully insured? Can you provide a Certificate of Insurance?
Most venues require this. If a photographer can't produce a COI naming the venue as additional insured, the venue may not let them shoot. We've seen this at the door — security holding paperwork, photographer scrambling.
A working pro has insurance. Period. Ask explicitly: Are you fully insured? Can you provide a COI for our venue with at least 7 days notice? If the answer is anything but a confident yes, look elsewhere.
3. Who's actually shooting our wedding?
Some studios book under a brand name and send whoever's available. You meet the lead photographer at the consult, you book based on their portfolio, and a stranger shows up on the day. Make sure you know exactly who is showing up — and that their portfolio is what you're paying for.
For us, this is simple: both Manuel & Alma shoot every wedding. Our work is our work. There's no second-string.
4. How do you handle backup of our images after the wedding?
The answer should involve at least three steps: download to a local drive, upload to cloud backup, and a working delivery system. The cards should not be wiped until the wedding is delivered to you.
If they say "we just keep the cards" — that's a single point of failure. If they say "we delete the cards within a week" — that's reckless. The right answer is layered backup with redundancy.
5. When will we get our photos, and in what format?
Industry standard is 4–8 weeks for a full gallery, often with a sneak peek within 7–14 days. JPEG delivery is standard — most pros don't release RAW files because RAW is a working format, not a deliverable. If a photographer promises a 1-week turnaround, ask how — that's either an exception or a red flag.
Also ask: How long does the gallery stay live? Most are 30–60 days for downloads. Plan to download everything to your own storage as soon as you receive it.
6. What's your contract policy on cancellations and rescheduling?
Look for: a non-refundable deposit (this is normal — it secures the date and means we turn away other bookings), a clear rescheduling policy with reasonable timelines, and an emergency clause that flexes with real life.
Run from: vague verbal agreements, "we'll figure it out," or contracts that hold all your money for any cancellation including events outside your control.
7. Have you shot at our venue before? If not, will you scout?
Photographers who've shot a venue before know where the light hits, where to stage portraits, where the indoor backup is, where the family formals work even if it's running 30 minutes late. If they haven't, ask if they'll scout — a real pro will say yes, often for free.
8. What's your style if conditions don't cooperate?
Sun glare, midday harsh shadow, rain, dust storms, ceremony delays — every wedding hits something. Ask walk me through what you'd do if [scenario]. The answer tells you whether they think on their feet or only know how to shoot in golden hour.
The questions you don't actually need to ask
"What kind of camera do you use?" — Doesn't matter. Every modern pro camera is good enough. The photographer makes the photo, not the camera body.
"How many photos do we get?" — A red herring. Quantity is not a quality indicator. 600 mediocre photos are worse than 250 great ones. Ask about delivery philosophy instead — moment-based vs. quantity-based.
"Will you Photoshop us thinner / clearer skin / etc.?" — A working photographer should retouch tastefully. Ask to see unedited examples on request.
What we do
We're Manuel & Alma — a husband-and-wife team based in Indio, California. Both of us shoot every wedding. We carry redundant gear, dual-card backup, and we're fully insured with COIs available on request. Collections start at $2,800.
If you have other questions about hiring a wedding photographer that we didn't cover here — ask us directly. We'll give you straight answers whether you book us or not.
— Manuel & Alma · Wedding photography for the Coachella Valley