The time has come! You want to get some new portraits taken, and you want to hire a photographer – amazing! So you look up ‘Hutto ___ (occasion e.g. maternity, engagement, or family) Photographer’ and, “Oh. My. Gosh. Why are there so many?!” Yeah.. There’s a lot of us! So, how do you find the *perfect* photographer for you?

Searching for the perfect photographer, wether it’s for a lifestyle family session, maternity session engagement session (or really *any* kind of session), can feel like an overwhelming experience because there are so many options. There are a ton of factors that you should take into consideration.

Do you connect with their editing style?

Do you like their composition?

Are they in your budget? (This is a big one!)

These are all very important questions that you are probably asking yourself. But when it comes to asking your photographer questions, there are some important ones that you might be forgetting to ask, or don’t know to ask. So let me help you out with that!

Lets start with the basic questions:

First and foremost, ask for their prices. Most photographers have multiple packages, wether they are separated by duration (how long the session is), or by type (such as a family package, maternity package, etc) If they aren’t in your budget (or your budget isn’t flexible) they are probably not the right fit for you. So to save yourself some time (and the photographers), and ask for their pricing upfront. You can also check their website! Some photographers having pricing posted to their site, and some require you to send an email asking for their prices!

With pricing, comes payment. Ask what forms of payment they accept, and if they require a retainer. Is the retainer a portion of the session fee, or is it a separate cost? If the retainer is a portion of the session fee, ask what percent is due. Your retainer will most likely be required to secure your session date and time, so keep that in mind. Just remember, not every photographer is the same. Different photographers ask for different amounts at different times, so be sure to know the schedule of the photographer you choose.

Those two questions will probably be your first questions, that I doubt you will forget to ask, but are so important that I couldn’t not mention the. But these aren’t the *only* two questions you should be asking. So what are those other questions? First I’ll list some general questions you should ask, then I’ll tell you some questions you should ask for a specific session occasion (e.g. maternity, engagement, or family)

1. Does the cost of the session include edited photos? If the answer is yes, how many photos will be delivered. If no, what is the cost of each image, and they offer bulk pricing?

2. Do they offer an online gallery or prints? (or both?) If it is an online gallery, does the gallery expire?

3. Do they allow you to choose which images are edited and delivered, or do they do all the culling themselves?

4. Will your final photos be watermarked?

5. Can you print the images on your own?

6. Can you post your images to social media?

7. Will your images be posted to *their* social media, website, and portfolio?

8. Can you use your images for advertising purposes? (e.g on your own website, ads, etc.)

9. What is the average image turnaround time?

10. Does this photographer offer posing help?

11. Do they capture 100% candid moments?

Now lets talk about occasion specific questions.

For a maternity session I recommend you ask your potential photographer how far along you should be for your session. I (Riley) typically prefer my future mommas to be anywhere between 28-32 weeks. 28 weeks might sound early, but it all depends on the bump! Some mommas-to-be have a picture perfect bump by 28 weeks, and some don’t until later on… and that’s totally fine! Just be sure to ask your photographer what they think would be best for you.

For a family session (especially with younger kiddos) I recommend you ask how your photographer how they plan to execute a session with potentially fussy little ones. (P.S I have will have an entire blog post about how I get authentic smiles from kiddos very soon, so keep an eye out for that!)

Finally, for a proposal session, (this is a BIG one) ask if engagement photos are included. Some photographers offer separate proposal and engagement packages, so it is very important that you ask. (I have an entire blog post dedicated to proposal sessions right here! https://capturedbyrileymarie.com/2025/06/17/so-you-want-to-propose/ )

Okay, I know that I gave you a lot of questions to consider asking… But when you ask these questions you are able to determine if you and this photographer are truly a perfect match! I hope at least a few were helpful and maybe even made you say “Woah, I never even considered that!”

My only wish is that you are informed, and have all the skills and knowledge to make the best best decision possible. No matter who you choose to be your photographer – wether it’s me or someone else – I want everyone to get the best images they can, and have an amazing experience as well.