We have been talking with allot of brides lately and they all say the same thing “I am not sure what I should know or ask about wedding photography” We might be a little biased, but choosing your wedding photographer is one of the most important decision you will make when planning your wedding. “WHY?” well, I am glad you asked! Your wedding photographer is not only with you and your family all day, but after the wedding, the photographer is the only vendor you continue to work with. Your wedding images allow you to relive the emotion of the day, a day that goes by fast. With this in mind, we hope you enjoy our advice on things you should know, ask, and consider when choosing your photographer.
1.CHOOSE WITH YOUR HEART.
Your wedding photographer is the only vendor you will choose with your heart! Connecting with the person who will be there to capture the emotion of your day is #1 on our list. Photography is much more than just clicking a button. It is an “Art” that comes from the photographer’s heart and skill. The more the photographer connects to you as a person, the more they will be able to capture your personality and emotion.
2. Editing Style.
With the many photographers in the area, comes the variety of editing style. It is important to look at the colors and composition (angle) of the photos. Never hire a photographer and then tell them you like a certain “look” of another photographers work. Also, check to see if there editing style is consistent. If their style is not consistent, you may end up with photographs that does not suit your style.
3. Qualify your Photographer.
The wedding market is currently flooded with photographers, making the industry competitive. It makes it more important than ever that you “qualify” who you hire. {Fun Fact, the State of Florida qualifies a photographer as a professional by whether or not they charge money. If a photographer charges money, they can call themselves a “professional”} Here are some important questions to ask a photographer…
{1.} Ask to see a full wedding gallery and make sure that it is a wedding that they were hired to photograph. Being a guest at wedding and taking pictures is COMPLETELY different than when you are hired to do the job.
{2.} Ask WHO your photographer will be on the wedding day. This is especially important if you package includes 2 photographers.
{3.} Award Winning. If they are award winning, ask how they received the award.
{4.} Ask them to describe their style. As explained above.
{5.} Back-up Equipment. Heaven forbid that something happens during the wedding! Having back-up equipment is a must in this industry.
{6.} Education/experience. Talk to them about your venue and make sure they have experience and can deal with venue’s lighting situation. Many churches do not allow flash which can be tricky to deal with. Also, many receptions have dimmed lighting.
{7.} How long do they keep your images. With many photographers including the digital images, the need to store your images may not be important to them. If you lose that disk of images, they may be lost forever.
There are many questions to ask, these are just our top favorites.
4. Creating a “Picture Perfect” wedding day.
Our recipe for “Picture Perfect” wedding…
{1.} Ceremony time. Choosing the ceremony time can be key in getting the best pictures. We encourage our couple’s to book their ceremony time about 90 minutes before sunset. Click HERE to see the sunset time on your wedding day.
{2.} Wedding Coordinator. A Professional wedding coordinator allows you, your family, and your bridal party to enjoy the day without worrying about all of the details. We love this because the people you love are they with you enjoying the day and are not off working on the details.
{3.} Details. We love the personal touches that brides bring into their wedding. Heirloom items can make the day that more special and meaningful.
{4.} Photo Opportunities. Creating photo opportunities is a great way to get more images without being “posed” This can be anything from bringing props for the bridal party to having fun entertainment for the guests. Our favorite photo opportunity is the moment when the father see’s his daughter dressed as a bride. Although we set up the location for this, the moment between father and daughter is real and very emotional. View some of these beautiful moments HERE.
{5.}Attire. Make sure your attire fits you and that you are comfortable. This is true for the groom as well. Constantly fiddling with your attire can be annoying for you and interfere with the moment.
Make you attire fun! Shoes are a great way to show off personal style!
{6.} Engagement Session. This is a perfect time to test drive your photographer! Not only will you get to see how you look in the images, but you will get to experience what it is like to work with them.
5. Let’s talk Budget and Fast Food.
With the array of photographers you will notice an array of prices. While we think that it is very important that you choose your photographer with your heart, we understand that the cost of the photographer may be a deciding factor. You may often you hear “You get what you pay for” but what does that really mean? The best way I can describe it is this…. ” McDonald’s serve salads for around $5. The nice restaurants on the beach serve’s salads for around $15. Although the salads are just about the same, the salads on the beach are three times the price! So what are you really paying for? The experience, the ambiance, and the customer service. You are paying for a nice evening out as opposed to sitting at a drive though talking through a little speaker. Your wedding is a special moment in your life. You are not likely to choose Mcdonalds to have your reception at. Are you likely to choose a photographer just because they are cheaper in price?
I would like to end this with my favorite quote
“If you think itโs expensive to hire a professional photographer for one day, the emotional cost of hiring an amateur lasts forever.”
6. The JOY of loving your wedding images.
We recently renewed our vows for our 10 year anniversary. Before even knowing exactly what our plans were, we booked our photographers! Our time in Jamaica was the best day ever! The day went by so fast and it is just a blur until I look at the pictures. Every time I look at our photographs from that day, I relive the emotions from that moment! It is an amazing feeling! I just can’t imagine it if I didn’t love my images. If instead of joy, I felt sadness. Unfortunately, this is a story that I hear too often. This is why choosing your photographer with care is important. You cannot go back and re-capture those moment.
We hope that you enjoyed our little tid-bits and hope this helps you to find the photographer of your dreams! If you have any other tid-bits to share, please feel free to leave a comment ๐
