Congratulations! If you are reading this blog posting you are probably engaged and getting ready to marry the love of your life! The big moment final came and you said YES! After answering that life changing question, the planning soon begins, and it can certainly feel a little overwhelming. After all, a wedding is a very big, important day in your life ! It could be a ballroom gala, a winery brunch, a backyard party or a destination wedding. So many decisions to make! I thought I would write this blog to help couples choose the right wedding photographer for the big day, because as many choices there are for venues, flower and decor, there are just as many options for photographers. For many people a wedding is their first experience with a professional photographer, so it is important to know what to ask, what to see, and what to expect when meeting with potential photographers. It’s very easy these days to look at an instagram and decide they are the one for you, but I am here to tell you to please not do that! So please ready this through and by the end you will have a great start to finding the perfect fit for your day!
How to find a wedding photographer….
This is where we need to start you off on the right path! For some people they simple go to google and look up wedding photographers in their area and there is nothing wrong with that at all! In fact it is a great way to start your search. Make sure you are searching for people in your specific area, unless you are willing to pay extra travel fees for a photographer to come from out of town. Most photographers will charge mileage and if needed, accommodations if they need to stay overnight, plus a travel fee. A professional photographer will always have a website! Yes social media platforms such as instagram, tiktok and Facebook are wonderful for photographers to showcase their work, but if a photographer doesn’t have a professional website, that could be a potential red flag. You will also find most photographers will link their socials from their website.
Book a consult in person…
I cannot stress this enough. As Sabrina Carpenter would say, Please, Please, Please meet with your photographer in person. First of all it is very easy to post your very best work on socials and online, but when you meet with a photographer in person, they should be able to show you an extensive portfolio, full galleries and also work in print! . Also meeting them in person gives you a chance to really see if you connect with them. You literally spend all day on your wedding day with your photographer and its important that you share a good vibe. The photographer should be able to take you through a typical wedding day and how they work and shoot. They should show you examples of their work and also be able to answer all your questions. In fact a really good photographer will answer your questions before you even get a chance to ask them. Remember this is a wedding professional and they have so much more experience at weddings than you do. Use this time to gain their insight on how to best get the most out of the time you will have with your photographer. They also should be able to show you products such as albums, wall art and prints.
Questions to ask your photographer…
Here is a list of a few important questions you should ask any potential wedding photographer
- Do you have back up equipment in case of failure? Every wedding photographer should have back up equipment. Things break, get knocked over, just stop working and it is essential that they have a back up to turn to to keep the day going. If they say no, move on!
- Ask about their experience and history of shooting weddings? There isn’t a magic number of weddings a photographer should have photographed to make them the best one for the job. By asking this though you understand who you are hiring. Are you hiring a seasoned pro with hundreds of weddings under their belt? Are you hiring a newer photographer that is building a portfolio? Are you hiring someone who does this full time or just dabbles of the weekend for extra money? Just make sure you are comfortable with their experience and history and to balance your expectations accordingly.
- What is the cancellation policy? This will be outlined in a contract and should be very specific for terms of cancellation. Most retainer are non refundable and should state so in the contract
- What are my rights regarding printing? Most photographer give printing rights to the clients and some restrict printing up to certain sizes of prints. Make sure the terms fit what you need
- Ask to see full galleries of weddings. Your photographer should be able to show you a wide variety of images throughout a wedding day. If they cannot produce that move on.
Ask to see a contract and actually read it…..
Every wedding photographer will have a contract that you both agree to before proceeding with the job. It is extremely important that your photographer go over this with you in detail. Please read it thoroughly and if there is something you don’t understand ask them to explain the terms to you. I often go over my contract with my clients in detail so they understand exactly what they are and are not getting. A contract will cover things like coverage time, cost, responsibilities of the photographer, clauses for loss of photographs, regarding editing, copyright and printing rights, in case of clauses, such as sickness, cancellation etc, as well as delivery date of photos and retainers.
Make sure you are choosing a photographer with the style you like
These days there are many types of styles of wedding photography. Not only in how the photographs are taken, but how they are edited in post production. By viewing a photographers full body of work you should get a really good idea of their cohesive style. These days most photographers have a specific style that they stick to and when you hire them, you are hiring them to produce images in that style. Some photographers adapt a film type look , some a darker moody style, some a light and airy style, and some true to colour styles. Some photographers are more candid based, and some are more posed or directed. Don’t hire a photographer and expect them to produce something other than what their body of work shows.
Don’t get caught up in trends…..
This is also an important one because wedding trends come and go as fast as Nick Cannon having a new baby. Back in my day when I was a bride selective colouring was a huge trend. You know when the whole picture was black and white and the flowers were in colour……..yeah that one. Well certainly now we look back and think ….”what were we thinking?” Don’t get me wrong not all trends are bad and sometimes they are a style choice, and that is ok, but if I were to give any piece of advice to my potential brides and grooms it is to stay away from trends for the most part. The only reason is we want to enjoy our wedding photos for a lifetime and trends will date them. Its always best to opt for a timeless look for your wedding photos. I also think some trends are okay to use for selective creative photos within a wedding gallery. For example we are going through a very big blurry trend in wedding photography at the moment and that can certainly be cool for a few creative shots, but you certainly don’t want that for your entire gallery.
Do an Engagement Session with your wedding photographer…..
A great way to see if you vibe with your photographer is to do an engagement session with them first. Now sometimes your simply pay for an engagement session first and if you are happy with the results you can proceed to hire them for your wedding day. It gives you a chance to see how they shoot, what the final product will be like and also see if your personalities vibe. After all this should be fun! now sometimes engagement photos are included in a wedding package and you have to hire them first for the wedding. In this situation you can still use the engagement session to address any issues with your photographer ahead of time. Also it is really nice to have some casual pictures of yourself to use for invites, at the reception or for a signing guest book.
Consider the lighting for your venue…..
Are you getting married in a ballroom? Is it dark with high ceilings? Are you getting married outside under a tent? These things are lit very differently and a good all around photographer should be able to light a variety of situations. Some wedding photographers are more versed in off camera lighting techniques than others. I highly recommend hiring a photographer that is familiar with both natural lighting and artificial lights ( using flashes and strobes). Sometimes wedding days can change of a dime due to weather etc and we are sometimes thrown into a situation where we need to shoot mostly indoors and that often requires additional lighting equipment and knowledge.
Consider your budget
There is a range of photographer charging a range of prices for weddings. You can find one to shoot a full day for $1000 and another in the same town charging $10,000. ; not going to say one is better than the other. However, a good rule of thumb is to remember the saying you get what you pay for. If the price seems too good to be true it likely is. Some lower priced photographers may be just starting out so you need to consider their experience and portfolio. A wedding photographers job doesn’t stop when the wedding is over. In fact that is the least of the work. The majority of the work happens after the wedding which involves hours and hours of culling, editing and delivering images. I also tell my clients to remember that your wedding photos are one of the only things you take home after your day is done ( besides your spouse lol). The decorations go back to the decorator, the cake is eaten, the flowers die and the dj goes home, so look at your wedding photos as an investment. Also be realistic with your budget and tell your photographer your budget up front so if they are out of your range you don’t waste each others time. Most photographers are happy to refer you to others they know within your price range.
Love the photos…..
Overall just love the images you see. These are the images you will show your children and grandchildren. They will be displayed in family homes and serve as reminders of not only a wonderful day but of family members and friends. Choose a photographer that will give you those images that you are proud to show your family and friends and to cherish all your memories.
If you have read this far then you will certainly be off to a good start with choosing your wedding photographer. Do your research, take your time. Browse website and social media and connect with people. Don’t be afraid to meet with several photographers, as well all have something slightly different to offer and just make sure that fits what you want for your big day!
