TL;DR — Booking a wedding photographer is one of the first vendor decisions you'll make, and a lot rides on it. Below are the 10 questions every couple should ask — why each one matters, what to listen for in a good answer, and what my honest answers are after twenty years of shooting weddings in Austin, the Hill Country, and beyond.
Hey y'all — Caity here. Wedding planning is a marathon, not a sprint. The first miles feel huge, the to-do list looks endless, and your photographer is one of the first vendors you'll actually have to commit to. Get this one right and the rest of the day gets easier.
I get it from both sides — I'm a wedding photographer who's also been a bride. So this is the list I'd hand to a friend who was inquiring with anyone, including me. The format on each one is the same: the question, why it matters, and my honest answer. Skim it, save it, send it to whoever you're interviewing.
The list, at a glance:
- What is your photography style?
- Have you shot at our venue before?
- What's included in your packages?
- How do you handle low-light situations?
- Can we see full galleries from real weddings?
- What's your backup plan for gear or emergencies?
- How do you help camera-shy couples feel comfortable?
- How long until we get our photos?
- What rights do we have to our photos?
- Can we customize a package to fit our needs?
01.What is your photography style?
Every photographer sees the world differently. "Light and airy," "dark and moody," "traditional," "candid-first," "editorial" — these aren't just buzzwords, they're entirely different gallery experiences. If your Pinterest board is full of soft, dreamy, pastel weddings and you book someone whose work is high-contrast and saturated, you're going to be unhappy with a perfectly well-shot gallery.
Candid-first with a dash of intentional traditional. I'm not going to pose you. I'm going to coach you, then disappear into the room so the actual day can happen. From the engagement session onward, the working relationship is more "best friend behind the camera" than "photographer and client." If that sounds like your vibe, we'll get along.
02.Have you shot at our venue before?
Photographers who've worked at your venue already know the lighting at each hour, the best portrait spots, the dance-floor sightlines, and the back-of-house path to skip the cocktail-hour crowd. If they haven't shot there, the next question is: how will you prepare? Any pro should be willing to scout it in person.
I've shot at all twelve of our featured venues — Vista at Seward Hill, Stonehouse Villa, Camp Lucy, Springdale Station, Addison Grove, and the rest. I'll happily tell you which weddings, which couples, which vendors I love working with at each. If your venue isn't one I've shot, I'll scout it in person before the wedding day — and if it's a true destination, I'll arrive a day early to walk the space at golden hour.
03.What's included in your packages?
"Wedding photography for $4,000" can mean wildly different things from photographer to photographer. Before you fall in love with anyone's work, get specific: how many hours of coverage, how many photographers, is there an engagement session, what about an album, do you keep the original files. Surprise costs are the worst part of the wedding-vendor ecosystem.
Every Bohde Collective wedding package includes a complimentary engagement session, full reprint and sharing rights, planning + timeline consultations, and an online gallery. The three core packages — Austin Classic (flagship, 8 hrs, two photographers, 10×10 album), ATX 2026–2027 (most popular, 6 hrs, two photographers, 8×10 album), and the BYO Collection (5 hrs, fully customizable from $3,395) — cover the range. Add-ons include extra hours, second shooter, glam photo booth, rehearsal dinner coverage, day-after sessions, and same-day teaser galleries. Everything is itemized in writing before you sign.
Surprise costs are the worst part of the wedding-vendor ecosystem. Get the inclusions in writing.
04.How do you handle low-light situations?
Candlelit ceremonies. Dimly-lit barn receptions. The DJ's color-wash washing everything pink. Heavy thunderstorm. A good photographer should be able to talk specifics — fast prime lenses, ISO management, off-camera flash, bounce techniques — without hesitation. If the answer is vague, the photos in those moments will be too.
It's tough to throw a lighting situation at me I haven't already tackled twice. Twenty years in Texas means every kind of golden hour, every kind of weather, every kind of "the chapel is darker than expected." I shoot with fast primes (f/1.4 and f/1.8), carry off-camera flash for receptions, and we'll talk through your specific venue's lighting during planning. Rain or shine, candles or chandeliers — we'll be ready.
05.Can we see full galleries from real weddings?
Instagram shows a photographer's best frame from each wedding. A full gallery shows whether they can hold quality and emotion across the entire day — getting ready, ceremony, family formals (the unsexy but critical part), reception, the chaotic last forty-five minutes. Always look at at least one complete wedding gallery before you book.
Absolutely. I'll send a couple of full real-wedding galleries before our consultation, and we'll walk through more during the call. You'll see how I handle every part of a wedding day, not just the showpieces.
06.What's your backup plan for gear or emergencies?
Cameras fail. Memory cards corrupt. The flu happens at the worst possible time. A seasoned wedding photographer should carry backup camera bodies, lenses, batteries, and memory cards to every wedding — and have a vetted network of fellow photographers who can step in if a true emergency arises. "I'll figure it out" is not an acceptable answer.
Backup gear for days. Every wedding day I'm carrying two camera bodies, redundant lenses, extra batteries, dual-card-slot recording (so every image is written to two cards simultaneously), and off-camera flash with backups. As for the human side — I have a vetted network of Austin and Hill Country pros on call if anything ever happened to me. The Bohde Collective look would still be in good hands, because I'd still be the one editing your images no matter who shot them.
07.How do you help camera-shy couples feel comfortable?
Most couples are not models. Most couples feel awkward in front of a camera. The photographer's job is to make that go away inside the first ten minutes — through coaching, prompts, and a relationship that's been built before the wedding day. Listen for whether the photographer leans on rigid posing or active coaching.
I'm your Master's-in-Awkward cure. I have one too — that's why I'm good at this. I don't pose; I coach. I use prompts that create real moments instead of forced ones, and I treat the engagement session as a low-stakes rehearsal so you've already worked with me before the wedding day. By the time we get to the aisle, you know me, I know you, and the camera fades into the background.
08.How long until we get our photos?
Industry-typical turnaround is 4 to 12 weeks for a full wedding gallery, with sneak peeks within 24–72 hours. Anything longer than 12 weeks should come with a clear explanation. Anything shorter than 21 days is impressive — and should be in writing.
Wedding galleries in 21 to 40 days. Engagement galleries in 7 to 14 days. Same-day teaser galleries are an add-on if you want a few images to post the next morning. Every turnaround commitment is in the contract before you sign — no exceptions, no surprises.
09.What rights do we have to our photos?
Photographers handle image rights differently and the differences are big. Some retain ownership and require you to order prints through them. Some give you full personal-use rights but reserve commercial use. A few hand over everything. Whatever the setup is, get it in writing before you sign.
You get full personal-use rights to every edited image. Print them, share them, order albums anywhere you want, post them on social media — go nuts. The only restrictions: no additional editing (don't slap a different filter over my edit), and no commercial resale. If you ever want a gallery submitted to a publication, just follow the steps in the client guide you'll receive after signing.
10.Can we customize a package to fit our needs?
Weddings are not all 8-hour Saturday standard-shape events. Maybe you want an extra hour for late-night dance floor. Maybe you want rehearsal dinner coverage. Maybe you want a day-after session in the Hill Country. A photographer who's rigid on packages is a photographer who's going to miss something on your day.
Absolutely yes. The whole BYO Collection is built explicitly for customization — five hours base, then you pick the editing style, the add-ons, the shape. Even Austin Classic and ATX 2026–2027 can be modified with add-ons. And every wedding package qualifies for a 12-month payment plan so booking the photographer you actually want doesn't require a single five-figure check. The way to find your right package is to book a free consultation and just talk it through.
You're in the first seven miles of the planning marathon. Feeling good. Feeling confident. Eager to see the finish line. Asking these questions is how you pace yourself.
That's the ten. Save this. Send it to whoever you're interviewing. The right photographer should be able to answer every one of these in a discovery call without scrambling. If they can't — that itself is your answer.
You deserve nothing less than epic photos of an epic love story. Now go ask.
Be. Too. Much. — xo, Caity C. Jensen