The pictures are what you keep from the day. A clear brief helps you find the person who will take them well. Here is the trade as the ABS counts it, and a brief for every call.
Who you'll be hiring
Photography and event video businesses in Australia trading at the end of June 2025: 9,355, by how many people they employ.
Choosing your wedding photographer. Have the first half ready before you call. Put the second half to every business you speak to.
Tell them
Your date, and where each part of the day happensGetting ready, the ceremony, the photos after, the reception.
How many hours you'd like coveredFrom the first frame you want to the last.
The size of the dayRoughly how many guests, and any family groups you want together.
The moments that matter most to youA grandparent's arrival, a first dance, a quiet minute together.
The look you loveA few wedding pictures you keep coming back to, from anyone.
Ask them
01Who will take the pictures on the day?And whether a second photographer comes too.
02What happens if they're unwell on the wedding day?Ask who they would call, and whether you can see that person's work.
03What does the price include, and what costs more?Hours, travel, a second shooter, albums, prints.
04When will the pictures arrive, and how many will there be?A rough number and a rough date are both worth knowing.
05How long will they keep the files?So you know when your own copy is the only one.
06What will the booking say about who owns the pictures, and how each of you may use them?Including whether they may show the pictures on their website or in ads. Ask for what you agree to be written into the booking.
07What does the booking say happens to the deposit if either of you cancels or the date moves?Ask for it in writing before you pay.
From wedding-photography.com.au, a concept page.
Seeing a whole wedding
A highlight reel shows the strongest moments from many days. Ask to see one wedding from start to finish, so you can judge the quiet parts, the group photos and the dark reception room as well.
Meet before you book if you can. They will be close to you on one of the biggest days of your life, and feeling comfortable with them shows in the pictures.
Taking the brief to every call
Send the first half ahead, so each photographer can tell you straight away whether your date and your day suit them. Then ask everyone the same questions, so the answers sit side by side when you decide.
The brief prints on a single page, with a line to write on under every item.
Shows whether a business's ABN is active or cancelled, its business type and its GST status, and the Register says the public can use it to check a business before buying.