Wedding planning can feel overwhelming, but choosing your wedding photographer shouldn’t be. Keep reading this guide to learn all the tips and tricks you need for selecting the perfect wedding photographer for you.
Choosing Your Wedding Photographer
Part One: Honing In Your Wedding Photography Style
Pretty Poses or a Candid Feel?
As you begin this process to choose your wedding photographer, step one is to think about the images and what kind of photography you’re looking for.
Option One – Editorial Photography: This is one of the biggest things to take into account when selecting your wedding photographer. Some couples love the idea of playing model on their wedding day and want strong, editorial poses to show themselves off in the best light. Sound like you? Look for photographers who are great with formal posing, oftentimes calling themselves fine art or editorial wedding photographers. Some key words to look for in a photographer’s website that match this style are things like: classic, fine art or editorial.
Option Two – Lifestyle Photography: If you’re someone who is looking for some direction and posing, but you don’t like being posed or often feel awkward on camera, perhaps a more candid style is for you. This style of posing is more about directing you to move and do things with your partner. This helps photos feel natural, because you’re responding to the prompts in a way that feels natural to you, but still gives you a helping hand. (And it’s my specialty!) If this sounds like what you’re looking for, look for photographers who emphasize helping you feel natural in front of the camera on their website. Look for keywords like lifestyle, emotional or candid in photography websites and social media bios if this is what you are leaning towards.
Option Three – Photojournalism: And then there’s a third option. If you are someone who wants events captured as they are, with little to no photo-specific time, look for a photojournalistic photographer. This is what it sounds like essentially: choosing a wedding photographer who is simply going to document your day like a journalist would. That mean very little if any direction and your photographer playing the role of a fly on the wall more than anything.
And of course your answer can be anywhere in between these options, but communicating what you value most will really help you find exactly what you’re looking for in a photographer.
Light & Airy? Dark and Moody? Bold, but True to Color?
These are all editing styles for photography and probably one of the first things you notice when you’re looking at a photograph. A wedding photographer’s editing style will impact what colors look like, how much contrast is in the photos and generally what the images feel like.
If you like the very light, white look of wedding portraits that feel dreamy and soft, try searching for wedding photographers that describe themselves as fine art or light & airy. If you are the opposite and like rich blacks, lots of contrast and moodier photos, search for photographers who call themselves dark and moody. If you, like me, are someone who likes images that feel warm, but still look like your real skin tones and the colors you’re seeing in real life, look for true tone photography or a warm editing style. (Or hire me as you choose your wedding photographer ;), this is my jam!)
Part Two: Choosing your wedding photographer based on Experience
Not all wedding photographers are created equal. Each comes with their own unique style, personality and assets they bring to the table for you. They also come with different levels of experience. Some are brand new to the industry, which might be great if you’re on a budget or are more open to photographers who are still honing their craft.
On the other hand, if you have a specific vision of your day or want to ensure that you have a seasoned professional who can handle all different lighting situations, wrangling family members and wedding party and who is a general pro at all things wedding day, you may want to someone with more experience. Generally, those of us who have been in the industry for quite a while have seen it all. We know how a wedding day flows best, how much time we really need for your family portraits and your first look. We’re used to shooting in all kinds of weird lighting situations that pop on a wedding day and generally are more well-equipped to give you the best possible outcome in your final gallery.
But how can you tell how much experience someone has? Often times, seasoned photographers have much larger portfolios filled with tons and tons of different couples. They often list how many years they’ve been in the industry or how many weddings they have worked. If that extra level of experience and client care is important to you, it’s also completely fair to ask your photographer how long they’ve been in the industry or about any specific concerns you might have.
I also want to note that there is nothing wrong with hiring someone new to the photography world! I have met so many young, brand-new photographers who are insanely talented and clearly going to be huge successes. Just know who you’re hiring and what else you might need to plan for (like hiring a wedding planner, etc) to be safe. To be safe, just be sure whoever you work with has a contract to protect you and your wedding savings!
Part three: DECIDING YOUR BUDGET (AND HOW FLEXIBLE YOU CAN BE!)
This is one of the first conversations you want to have before booking vendors. Once you have an overall budget in mind, it’s time to diivy up the budget between your vendors. Unless you have an unlimited budget, this also mean setting up your top priorities and spending accordingly. If you’re reading this, I assume you value wedding photography and so I’d recommend setting aside at least 10-15% of your budget for photography. It sounds like a lot, but you really do get when you pay for. Is it really worth the risk to trust capturing every memory from your wedding day to someone you’re not confident can do the job?
Part Four: Making Sure You Like Who You’re Hiring
You will spend more time with your photographer than almost anyone else on your wedding day. Yes, even your spouse.
We’re with you from getting ready all the way to dance floor. One of the most important parts of your wedding photographer’s job is to guide you and make sure you feel confident on your big day. So you really need to think about who you are hiring and whether or not you mesh. Spend time during your interview process to get a feel for who your photographer is as a person. After you get off the phone, are you left smiling, at ease and/or feeling like you could hit up a happy hour with this person? These are all great signs you’ve found the perfect wedding photographer for you.
Part FIVE: Questions You Should Ask When You as you Choose Your Wedding Photographer
This is a general list, so please don’t take it as an end-all, be-all here. But as a photographer who’s been in the industry for years and years, these are questions I had to add to this Ultimate Guide to Choosing Your Wedding Photographer.
- How do you back up client photographs? You want to make sure they have multiple backups and a system in place to make sure your photos are safe if a card or hard drive dies or goes missing!
- What is included with my photography collection? They should be able to send you a full list of how long coverage lasts, whether an engagement session is included, if there are any prints or albums included and other items, like storage, delivery method, etc.
- Would you have any travel fees to photograph our wedding at our given venue? Hopefully, your photographer is up front with any costs, but it’s always smart to ask to avoid any surprises later on!
- Do you help with building our photography timeline? This is a big one! Your photographer should be able to help you decide how much time you’ll need for your couple’s portraits, wedding party photos, family formal photos, sunset photos, etc. This is something I do for every one of my clients and think it’s an absolute must-have no matter who shoots your wedding!
- What can we expect in terms of communication? Knowing when your photographer will reach out, what their process is for all things communication can help you stay on the same page. It also gives them a chance to tell you what they expect from you!
- Can you send us a couple of wedding galleries from weddings you’ve photographed in the same season as ours or at the same/similar venues? This can help you to visualize how your wedding will look through their lens and decide if it’s what you’re hoping for in terms of tones, framing, etc.
