Choosing Your Wedding Photographer – For most couples their wedding photographer is one of the first suppliers to get secured. With most established photographers being booked a year in advance, finding a photographer early on becomes a priority secondly only to the venue. The photography sector is a market filled with choice and variety and this can be overwhelming, so what should you consider when finding the best match for you?
- First and most important, photography style. Most photographers will have their own ‘hand writing’ to their work – a certain way of capturing images that is unique to them. Whether that be the filters and editing tools they use, the way they choose to capture subjects or the cameras and lenses they use. Look around and do your research as not all photography styles will appeal to you. Instagram is a great visual tool to help you work out what image ‘look’ you like. Do you like soft and light imagery, atmospheric and dramatic or classic and timeless? There is no right or wrong style it is purely personal choice.
Also think about what type of photography style you like and get to grips with the jargon, traditional photographers will arrange a lot of posed classic shots. Documentary and reportage photographers tend to be very creative, whilst slipping into the background, with a mix of candid and posed shots working together to tell a story of the day. Illustrative wedding photographers, often go for the wow image, capturing not just a couple but the whole setting and background in very thought about, seemingly effortless shots. Fine art wedding photographers will focus a lot on the lighting and composition of their shots, full or romance and taking inspiration from the setting around them.
- Do your homework – research, research, research! Once you have found a few photographers you like the style of, start trawling through their websites and social media platforms. Do they have many recommendations? Do they interact with any other suppliers you are keen on? Have they worked at your venue before? A lot can be said for what you can find out on Social Media. Don’t be afraid to ask venues or other suppliers for recommendations and advice, most companies will have a list of go to photographers across many different styles.
- The couple shot, the image you will print and frame and share the most on social media, the image that captures all the love and emotion of the day? All weddings will have them, in some form or another. The shot that you see and it makes your heart sore, when you find it you will probably have fallen in love with a photographer.
- Get to know a bit about a photographer’s personality. Your photographer is going to be a big part of your wedding and the person you may actually end up spending most of your day around. If your personalities clash you can end up feeling resentful and generally not getting on. You are also putting a lot of trust in this person to perfectly capture all those special once in a life time moments. It’s now common to arrange meetings with your photographer before you sign a booking form, this is great opportunity to meet informally and get to know them, you want to feel excited walking away from a meeting, If it doesn’t click then they probably aren’t right for you.
- Make sure you see a few full galleries of a photographers work, you want to see that they can knock it out of the park for every wedding. What is their photography style like in different settings? For example a dark barn compared to a bright sun filled orangery. Ask if they have shot any weddings in a similar setting to yours?
- What is covered in your photographer’s fee? Don’t be afraid to ask questions about what their cost covers, expectations are best set at the beginning of your journey to avoid disappointment later on. Think about asking how many images will you get and how many hours shooting will they be providing? Do they stay to the very end of the night, will they be leaving after the first dance or do they work to a set number of hours? Know what happens after the wedding, what is their estimated editing time frame and how will you be receiving the images?
- What extras does your photographer offer? Can they provide a second shooter, to ensure both sides of the preparing wedding party are captured? Will you be able to add in an engagement shoot to build your relationship and help you relax in front of the camera ready for your big day? Are wedding albums an optional add on?
Finding a wedding photographer shouldn’t be stressful, there is now such a variety that the right photographer for you is definitely out there. If you find the process over whelming step away from it for a few weeks and reproach at a later date. A good photographer captures more than just people they capture atmosphere and emotion and produce images you will treasure forever.
Why not book a Chemistry Call with me to see if we connect.
