Best Wedding Photographer
Finding the BEST Wedding Photographer
With so many things to do before the wedding, you might be worried you’ll rush through the planning process and make a few mistakes along the way. Hey, it happens, but you want to be extra careful when choosing a photographer. At the end of the way, the pictures are all you’ll have left to remember it.
Finding the best wedding photographer takes time.
We’ve put together this guide to show you have to hire a photographer that matches your style and budget. Make sure you keep reading below for some helpful tips!
1. Don’t Put It Off
When it comes to planning a wedding, finding the best wedding photographer might not be at the top of your priority list. But don’t get so distracted booking the venue or buying your dress that you put off hiring a wedding photographer until it’s too late.
If you wait too long, you’ll have trouble finding a quality photographer that’s available on your wedding date.
It’s a good idea to start looking for a photographer a year in advance. This will give you time to “shop around” and find someone you like. Do your best to have your photographer booked at least nine months before your wedding.
The last thing you want is to end up without a professional photographer on your special day. After all, you can’t just give your uncle a camera and expect to get good pictures.
Wondering Why You Should Hire a Professional Wedding Photographer?
2. Pick a Style
A photographer does so much more than capture the memories of your wedding day. The pictures they take should portray the feelings of love, happiness, and excitement that went along with it. In order to feel the emotion in the photos, you need to pick a photographer that encompasses your style.
For example, do you like beautiful, candid shots, or are you looking for more classic, portrait-type pictures? Spend some time looking at wedding pictures on websites like our Pinterest account to get some ideas. There are also huge differences in how photographers edit. Some are Bright & Airy, some are Dark & Moody, while most tend to provide Classic Photos that look natural and capture the day.
If you have a hard time pinpointing the exact style you like, that’s okay. You can search for photographers with similar styles so you get what you love.
Need a little more help? Check out our Guide to Wedding Photography Styles.
3. Make a List of Potential Photographer Choices
You shouldn’t just pick the first photographer you come across online. Instead, do some research and put together a list of your top three to five favorites.
Spend some time looking through their websites, visiting their social media pages, and reading reviews on third party sites like Google. Check out this blog to figure out which review sites are best: What Wedding Planning Sites Can You Trust? This will help you learn more about them and give you a better idea of how they conduct their business.
Stay away from anyone that has a lot of negative reviews or doesn’t respond well to negative reviews. Things like blaming other people or worse, the client, can be a red flag. Your wedding only happens once, and you don’t want to run the risk of hiring a bad photographer.
What exactly does the Best Wedding Photographer do for you? Find out: Ultimate Guide to Wedding Photography
4. Schedule Interviews
Now that you have a list of photographers you like, set up an interview with each one. You should do this in person if possible, but if that doesn’t work out, give them a phone call. You can use this time to introduce yourself and tell the photographer about your partner, your wedding day, and what you’re looking for. Don’t be afraid to ask plenty of questions. It’s better to ask than to run into miscommunications or problems later.
You should also ask to see albums of their past work. If you’re talking to them over the phone, see if they can send you their portfolio over an email instead. It’s also a good idea to find out if they will bring any backup equipment to the wedding with them. This way, if something goes wrong, they will still be able to catch beautiful photos of your special day.
Keep in mind, cost shouldn’t be your main concern. Price reflects quality. It’s better to invest more money in a reputable photographer than to get blurry, unflattering pictures.
Some of the questions you shouldn’t forget include:
- “Are you available for my wedding date?”
- “Will you photograph any other weddings that week/weekend?”
- “Will you have an assistant?”
- “How many weddings have you photographed?”
- “Have you worked at our venue before?/Will you visit the venue in advance?”
- “What is your photography style?”
- “How much do you charge?/What packages do you have?”
- “Can I customize your photography package?”
- “How long will it take to get my photos after the wedding?”
- “Can I order the photos directly from you?”
5. Consider Their Personality
The best wedding photographer will be with you at all times on the more important day of your life. Because of this, you’ll want the photographer to be someone you get along with well. Otherwise, your wedding can quickly turn into an unpleasant experience.
Trust your gut.
If your instincts are telling you a photographer isn’t the one, take your business somewhere else. Don’t hire anyone until you find a photographer you enjoy being around. In fact, scheduling an Engagement Session with your photographer will help you decide if they gel well with you. Find out more here: 5 Reasons to Have an Engagement Session
You can also ask friends and family who have already gone through a wedding for their experience with certain photographers as well as check out online forums. Avoid red flags. And really think about who you are. If you are super shy and get uncomfortable with someone really outgoing they aren’t the best fit for you. On the other hand, maybe you need someone outgoing to pull you out of your shell.
6. Set up a Test Shoot
When searching for the Best Wedding Photographer this is the MOST crucial step…and it’s why we’re kind of mentioning it twice. This is a good way to work with the photographer in person so you know if they have good chemistry with you and your partner. It can also show you if the photographer has everything you’re looking for, such as posing skills. Once you get the photos back, you can see if you like them and if they’re good enough for your wedding.
If you still haven’t done an engagement shoot, this is a good way to do it. Even if the photos don’t come out well, you’ll have time to redo the shoot with a different photographer.
Your wedding photoshoot will leave you with some of the most important pictures of your life, which is why it’s so important to find the best wedding photographers in your area.
