How to Choose a Wedding Photographer
If you’ve just got engaged you might be wondering just how to choose a wedding photographer? Selecting the ideal photographer for your special day is one of the most important decisions you will make when planning a wedding. Your photographer will capture all of the memorable moments, the emotions, how it felt to be there on the day and do it all in a creative and artistic way, ensuring your images remain forever in your memories.
As well as perhaps one or two group / posed shots for the mantel piece, your wedding photographer should be able to capture natural, relaxed shots that represent all of the joy and energy of your special day. Additionally, they should be skilled at capturing the quiet moments, the dance floor images, detail shots and looking out for those special storytelling moments: the holding hands, the tears in the eyes, the first kiss, even Grandpa John who has nodded off in the corner for a moment. Your photographer needs to be on their toes and alert for the whole day, capturing a wide range of images to create a well-rounded, beautifully meaningful story of your wedding day.
Ask for Referrals
Finding a wedding photographer that matches your style is easy if you ask around for referrals. Your wedding planner, DJ, makeup artist and other vendors may know some great photographers that you should take a look at. Also make sure you check out their reviews online such as on Facebook or Google.
Check Reviews And Set Up A Meeting
An experienced photographer will have a good number of reviews that you can read through from over the years.
In addition, be sure to ask your potential photographer if they are available for a chat before making a decision. Speaking with them will give you insight into their personality and the way they communicate with clients. After all, your photographer will be such a key part of your day and you will want to feel comfortable around them.
Check Out Their Work
Before booking any vendor, be sure to thoroughly check their portfolio. It can be challenging when looking at the many options that are available but make sure they capture the kind of images that reflect the style that you are looking for, for your wedding day. There are many types of photography that you can choose, from highly styled (lots of posing) to documentary wedding photography (totally unposed and relaxed).
Have a google of wedding photography in your area, wedding photography at the venue you have chosen or even famous wedding photographers and their work and see what grabs you. You will likely be drawn to a certain style – whether that is images that take a while to achieve using set up flash scenarios, specialist posing, impressive landscapes, or whether it’s images that reflect your relaxed nature: candid photographs of the emotional, humorous or quirky moments that tell the story of your personal wedding and all it’s special touches. See which photographs catch your eye and have a think about why. Then find a photographer whose style matches yours, within your budget. Make sure you have a good look through a number of photographers portfolios before settling on your favourite, to make sure they have the necessary skills, experience and vision for your special day.
Turnaround Time
It’s worth bearing in mind that wedding photography is not just a case of turning up on the day, taking photographs and then going home and sending the images. After the wedding, typically, a photographer spends a good few days, if not a week, reviewing their entire library of images taken throughout a wedding day (potentially 3 – 8k images), choosing the best ones to edit (getting rid of identical shots / those with closed eyes etc), culling again for the very best images, then skilfully editing this selection and putting together a gallery and perhaps a slideshow ready for a client. The photographer then presents this very best selection to the client so that they are delighted with the memories that they have of their special day.
In order to do a good job, especially in busy peak season, your photographer will likely need a number of weeks, potentially a couple of months to process your wedding photography, but you don’t want to be waiting 6 months or even a year for your photos to be ready. Don’t be afraid to ask your potential photographer what their typical turn around time is for a gallery to be ready.
Check Out Their Pricing
When searching for a wedding photographer, you will probably want to compare their prices and packages. Doing this will help narrow down your search and locate a photographer within budget. Even if you end up increasing your budget to hire the photographer whose work you have fallen in love with.
Most photographers list their pricing on their website, but it’s wise to reach out directly to make initial contact and inquire about their services and prices, to make sure their website is up to date and there are no surprises.
Packages typically consist of a certain number of hours of coverage and digital files or prints. They may also feature an album or selection of framed photographs.
Travel: If the photographer needs to travel, you may have to pay a per-mile fee and add on accommodation if they need to stay the night before or after a wedding, to ensure they are there on time, or if you want them t stay late on the day. They may already include this cost in their packages. If you are looking or a destination wedding photographer there will be an additional cost for airfare and any other travel or accommodation above the normal UK costs.
Experience: Professional-level photographers possess more expertise than amateurs, which will ultimately translate into better quality photographs. This will be reflected in their pricing. So if you are not concerned about having high quality photography and someone who knows what to expect on a wedding day, then a student or beginner may be enough for you. However if you want the assurance that your photographer will be able to deal with anything that is thrown their way on your wedding day and capture beautiful, artistic imagery, noticing the small moments as well as the key moments, then you will probably need to be prepared to invest much more into your wedding photography.
Equipment: Photographers with top-of-the-range cameras and lenses tend to charge more for their services because they have invested in their equipment which will enable them to cope with any conditions thrown at them and produce very high quality work.
You may wish to research the average price for a wedding photographer in your area to decide what your budget should start at or perhaps pricing is not as important to you and you prioritise having someone whose style and experience you really resonate with.
Check Out Their Packages
Wedding photographers typically offer packages with increasing numbers of hours of photographic coverage (perhaps 8, 10 or 12 hours) for your wedding day. They may also offer albums, prints and wall art. You need to think about how many hours photography you are looking for and if you only want a short number of hours of photography, are there particular parts of the day you would like captured over others? You will be paying for the number of consecutive hours that the photographer is present, so this could be just the ceremony and a few group shots afterwards. It could be from preparation to speeches, preparation to the first dance or even all day coverage if you want the complete story of your wedding day captured.
At the beginning of planning your wedding it is hard to know how long each part of the day takes, so you may not know how many hours photography you would like. The right photographer will be able to advise on how a wedding day generally flows, how long you are likely to need for each part and how many hours photography might work best for you. Most people tend to opt for a package of around 8 hours of photography.
Sometimes packages can also include a second photographer (second shooter) or you can add one on as an extra. This is ideal if you wish to capture preparations for both partners if they are not getting ready near each other. It also enables a wider variety of shots from different angles throughout the day, such as from the front and back of the aisle during the ceremony and more storytelling imagery. The downside to a second photographer (same as having a videographer) could be that you will feel more of a presence of the photographers, so if you want a laid back approach, or to keep costs down, you may prefer to stick with just the one photographer.
Before making a final choice, be sure to review a photographer’s pricing and packages. Ultimately, you will want to look for a photographer that is within your budget but you may also want to bear in mind the level of quality, service and experience that comes along with that level of budget. If you fall in love with a particular photographer’s style, you feel that their personality fits well with yours and their pricing is within reach, then get in touch with them to ask for that Zoom or phone consultation.
