The right questions turn a nice Instagram feed into a photographer you can actually trust with the one day you can't reshoot. Tick the ones that matter to you below, add your own, then copy or print the list to bring to your consultation.
You don't need to ask all of these — a wall of questions makes a meeting feel like an interrogation. Skim the categories, tick the handful that genuinely matter for your wedding (a dark barn venue makes low-light questions matter; a tight budget makes the deposit terms matter), and add anything specific to your day in the box at the bottom of each section. Then hit Copy my list or Print and bring it along.
The four categories most worth confirming in writing are coverage hours, what you actually receive, backup and insurance, and the deposit and cancellation terms. Those are the ones that cause real regret when they're assumed instead of agreed.
A lot of these questions — hours, inclusions, deposit, what's extra — should already be spelled out in the photographer's written quote. If a photographer sends you a clear, itemised quote where you can see exactly what's included and what the deposit holds, that's a good sign: it means they've thought about the things you're about to ask. If you're a photographer reading this, that clarity is the whole idea behind quolby.
At your first consultation or discovery call, before you pay any deposit. Everything important should then be confirmed in the written quote or contract you sign.
Only the ones that matter to you. A focused list of the questions you actually care about is far more useful than reading out every possible one.
No. The whole tool runs in your browser. Your ticks and custom questions never leave your device — that's why they disappear if you refresh, so copy or print your list when you're done.
The ones that protect a day you cannot reshoot: how many hours of coverage you get and when the clock starts, whether the photographer you meet is the one who shows up, whether they carry backup cameras and liability insurance, how and when you receive your edited gallery, and the exact deposit, payment and cancellation terms — all confirmed in a written quote or contract before you pay anything.
Bring them to your first consultation or discovery call, before you pay any deposit. A good photographer answers all of them happily, and the important ones — coverage hours, deliverables, backup and cancellation terms — should then appear in the written quote or contract you sign. If a photographer resists putting the basics in writing, treat that as a signal, not an inconvenience, and keep looking.
You do not need all of them — a wall of questions turns a friendly meeting into an interrogation. Skim the categories in the checklist above, tick the handful that genuinely matter for your wedding, and add anything specific to your day. Coverage hours, what you actually receive, backup and insurance, and the deposit and cancellation terms are the four worth confirming in writing every time.
No — always read the contract first, then pay. The deposit reserves your date and is usually non-refundable, so you want the hours, deliverables and cancellation terms written down before any money moves. Increasingly, photographers send a single link where you review the quote, e-sign, and pay the deposit in one step. With a tool like quolby, that deposit is a Stripe charge straight into the photographer's own account — quolby takes a 0% platform fee and never holds the money.
A clear, itemised quote answers half of these questions before you ask them: it lists coverage hours, what is included, what costs extra, and exactly what the deposit holds. If a quote is vague, ask for the details in writing — this interactive quote example shows what a complete one looks like. Photographers can build their own with quolby's no-signup builder and confirm every point in a single branded link.
Yes. The checklist runs entirely in your browser, needs no signup, and nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere — that is also why your ticks disappear if you refresh, so copy or print your list when you are done. quolby itself is free to start for photographers, with an optional Pro plan at €15 per month for those who want the full quoting and deposit toolkit.
These are the exact things couples want spelled out. Answer them once inside a clean, branded quote link — and let couples accept and pay the deposit on the spot.
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