Short answer
A wedding photographer, booked on a written contract. Two things matter more than style: what happens if they cannot attend, and how and when you receive the images. Both are contract questions and both are the failures that actually occur.
What to do before anyone arrives
- Look at complete galleries from whole weddings, not portfolios. A portfolio is the best twenty images from five years.
- Check they have shot at your venue or at least in similar light. Dark receptions and harsh midday ceremonies are where skill shows.
- Work out your must-have shots and the family group list in advance, and give it to them.
- Read the contract before paying a deposit, particularly the clauses on illness, cancellation and delivery.
What to ask when you book
- What happens if you are ill or cannot attend — do you have a network of replacement photographers?
- Do you shoot to two cards simultaneously, and how are files backed up before delivery?
- How many images do I receive, in what form, and by when?
- What are the usage rights, and can you use our images in your marketing?
- Do you carry public liability insurance? Many venues require it.
What changes the price
No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.
- Hours of coverage.
- Second shooter.
- Albums and prints.
- Travel and accommodation.
- Turnaround time.
What you can do yourself
Is this licensed work?
Not licensed. A written contract, insurance and a backup plan are the meaningful distinctions.
There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.
- NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
- VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
- QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
- WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
- SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
- TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
- ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
- NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers
Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.
Common questions
- Who should I hire for a wedding to photograph
- A wedding photographer, booked on a written contract. Two things matter more than style: what happens if they cannot attend, and how and when you receive the images. Both are contract questions and both are the failures that actually occur.
- What should a wedding photography contract include?
- At minimum: the date, times and locations; exactly what is delivered and by when; the deposit and cancellation terms; what happens if the photographer cannot attend; backup and data handling; and the usage rights on both sides. The two clauses people wish they had read are the substitution clause and the delivery timeframe.
- How long should it take to get the photos?
- Wedding editing genuinely takes time and a season's backlog is real, so a period measured in weeks is normal and a period measured in many months should be agreed upfront rather than discovered. What matters is that it is written down, because 'when they are ready' is not a term.
Find a Photographer near you
2,463 photographers in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.
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General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.