Choosing your elopement photographer can be such a daunting and overwhelming task. Making sure you choose the right person to tell your story and share your day is kind of a BIG deal! While I’m sure you have a list of questions ready to go here are 5 things you may not even be thinking about asking, that I think are critical!

1. Will you be the actual photographer on our elopement day, or do you have a team?

It’s becoming more and more common for photographers to be working as a team. Meaning multiple photographers working under one name. Knowing who is going to actually be there to shoot your day is definitely something you’re going to want to know.

Another reason this can be an important question is some photographers in recent years have adopted an associate shooter business structure. This is when a photographer doesn’t always totally block out a date when they are booked. They may even take more than one wedding or elopement for each date. When this happens the lead photographer will often hire an associate to shoot your day. This may not be someone you would get to choose.

2. How Many Weddings/Elopements Will You Take This Year?

Sometimes more is not always better! The average photographer is taking anywhere from 20-50 weddings or elopements per year. In my time as an elopement photographer, I have grown into a level of elevated customer experience, and value each and every client. I have found that there is a sweet spot for the number of weddings to take in order to still allow myself the time to dedicate to each and every client.

I choose to limit the number of Wedding/ Elopements that I will be taking to ensure I am able to take the time to create custom vendor lists and location lists, research locations for my clients, and provide the top-notch client experience I am known for!

3. How do You Prepare For Elopements?

Check with your photographer to see what their prep work looks like. Some photographers do more than others when it comes to researching and prepping clients for Elopements. Whether I am taking you to a location I’ve been to a hundred times, or a location neither of us has been to before, I will extensively research your location. I will check rules and regulations for elopements, and scout for locations and local vendors. Also, I will even arrive a day or two early so that I can explore the area and the ceremony site ahead of time.

I think it’s super important to lead with confidence when taking clients into the wilderness for an elopement. The best way to build that confidence is to prep them. You should expect your elopement photographer to send you lots of resources for the general area as well as specific info regarding your ceremony location. They should also send ifo for any activities you will be engaged in on your elopement day. This is provided as a baseline service by good elopement photographers.

4. What is Your Gear Setup for Elopements?

It doesn’t really matter if your photographer is shooting on a Cannon or a Sony. It does matter what specs their gear has. Not everyone with a camera is a professional working with professional gear. Though the gear doesn’t make the photographer these things can affect the image quality, and the security of your “best day ever” images.

You should be looking for a few key things in an elopement photographers gear list

• 2 camera bodies – this ensures they have a backup in case something fails on the main. Also allows them to work with 2 lenses at once giving your gallery more variety.
• Duel memory card slots – this allows us to save images to 2 cards at once as an added security in case one card fails.
• full frame camera – though some photographers are still using crop sensor cameras, a full frame offers higher image quality.
• back up batteries – having multiple batteries on hand is crucial
• back up memory cards – again these things crap out sometimes

5. Can You Send Me a Full Gallery

It’s so easy to take what you see on an elopement photographer’s Instagram and think that is what your gallery will look like. In reality, an elopement day is made up of so much more than just “hero” shots. In fact, your gallery is made up of all the small moments in between the big ones.

Understanding a photographer’s style and approach is going to give you a much better sense of what your final gallery will look like. A documentary approach is going to have more candid and relaxed images. A traditional photographer may have a more posed approach and the gallery will reflect that.

_{Click the images below to view the full gallery.}

With these 5 questions on your list, you will have a much easier time vetting your elopement photographer. You will also be making sure they are the right one for you! Take your time and take a deep breath. Though choosing a photographer for your elopement is probably the hardest choice you will make, choosing the right one will ensure your planning process is smooth, and your elopement day is everything you hope it will be.

To Book Me as Your Elopement Photographer Click Here