Guides for wedding photographers and videographers
Practical, plain-English answers to the business questions every wedding photographer and videographer runs into.
What to include in a wedding photography contract
A good wedding photography contract states who is booked, exactly what is covered and when, what it costs and when it is paid, what happens if plans change, and who owns the photos. Here is a practical checklist.
How much deposit should a wedding photographer take?
Many wedding photographers take a non-refundable deposit of roughly 25% to 50% of the package price to secure the date, with the balance due shortly before or on the wedding day. The right figure depends on how far ahead you book and what you would lose by turning other couples away.
The questions a wedding photography inquiry form should ask
A good inquiry form asks for contact details, the event type and date, times and venue, guest count and the service wanted — and for weddings, getting-ready locations and any pre-events — so you can quote without a second round of emails.
How to deliver wedding photos to clients
Deliver wedding photos in an online gallery the couple can view on a phone, share with family and download in full quality — and keep large files, such as films, on a transfer link that does not expire.
How to manage second shooters and a wedding team
Keep your team in one place, assign people to each booking ahead of time, give them only the details they need, and have them check in on the day — instead of running everything through a group chat.
How to price wedding photography
Price wedding photography from your real costs and time, not from what others charge: add up the hours a wedding really takes (including editing and admin), your yearly business costs and the income you need, then divide by the number of weddings you can realistically shoot.
A wedding day timeline for photographers
Build the wedding day timeline backwards from the ceremony: getting ready, details and first look before it; family photos straight after; couple portraits around golden hour; and the reception moments — entrances, speeches, first dance, cake — at times agreed in advance, with buffers between each.
How to get more wedding photography inquiries
Most wedding inquiries come from being easy to find, easy to trust and quick to reply: a clear website with your work and a short inquiry form, a complete Google Business Profile with reviews, listings where couples search, referrals from past couples and vendors — and replying within hours, not days.
What to include in a wedding videography contract
A wedding videography contract needs everything a photography contract has — schedule, price, deposit, changes and cancellations — plus the parts that are specific to film: what will be delivered and how long it runs, music licensing, drone and audio conditions, raw footage, and delivery times for each film.
How to connect your own domain
To use your own domain for your client pages, add one DNS record at the company where you bought the domain: an A record whose name is the part you want to use (for example "clients" for clients.yourstudio.com) and whose value is the address shown in iwopo under Settings → Web address. iwopo checks it every few minutes, adds the padlock and emails you when it is live.