I believe that hiring the right wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you can make during the wedding planning process and so I wanted to share some advice. Regardless of your wedding location, or photographic style you’re interested in, I’m breaking it down so you can find the most talented and professional photographer that fits into your budget.
Ultimately you want to hire a photographer that you can trust, that you feel really comfortable with and enjoy being around. If you don’t feel relaxed or trust your wedding pros your photos are absolutely going to reflect that AND you’re investing a lot of money and deserve to have the best experience from beginning to end.
Step 1.
Search on google/ pinterest/ friends weddings albums online and find out what type of photography you’re drawn to and excited about. You don’t have to create a board or anything but just really think about what you like.
Step 2.
Decide on your budget range and set the date. There is no point contacting anyone until your date is set in stone.
Step 3.
Gather all the photographers your planner, friends, and wedding venue have recommended and spend some time on their websites. From those select the ones who’s images you’re drawn to. Do you like the way they edit? Are you drawn to their style? Maybe more importantly does their website look consistent, show work at multiple venues and do their clients look comfortable in their photos?
Step 4.
Send out inquiries and find out if they’re available on your date and learn about their pricing. Notice how long it takes for them to reply and how they respond, you’re trying to hire a professional that you can trust.
Step 5.
If they’re available and fit into your budget set up a phone call or meeting in person. Remember these people are going to be right there in your personal space on the day, you need to get along. Get to know each other a bit, make sure conversation is easy and you have a good connection, they’re confident in their own abilities and find out about what they’re passionate about.
5 Important questions and 1 Request
to ask during the initial meeting that will weed out the less experienced.
How many years have you been a wedding photographer and can you tell me a little bit about your approach on the day.
This helps gather information about their team and how you and your guests will feel around them.
How many camera’s do you shoot with and what type of lighting do you use?
They should have back-up cameras, that shoot to multiple card slots so that they are prepared if something goes wrong or anything gets damaged. They should also be able to use a flash and know what ‘off camera’ lighting is.
Do you have insurance?
Most Venues require up to a million dollars of liability insurance.
What will happen if for some reason you can’t shoot my wedding due to an emergency? Has this every happened before?
You have to have know what would happen to your money in these scenarios too.
What do you do with the files after you shoot?
This is kind of a loaded question but … Do they back everything up? Will you have access to them for a year or more? How do you get your photos? Are they hosted in an online gallery and when will that be delivered? Can you download them?
Request to see 2-3 full wedding galleries!
This is literally the most important request as anyone can put their best work on a website. You need to see a full gallery to see how they handle all types of light, bright sunny situations and dark receptions spaces etc.
The last piece of advice I will share may be obvious but READ THEIR GOOGLE REVIEWS, do they have a great reputation? Ask other vendors that you’re working with if they enjoy working with them and are you investing wisely?
Bottom line spend the time and do your homework a bit and you’ll be so glad you did!
Happy Wedding Planning!
Rachael
XO