Ways to Choose the Right Wedding Photographer

Is there anything more stressful and more wonderful than planning a wedding? At the same time, you are on the verge of breaking down and jumping with joy. The pressure is on, and while struggling to get everything on time, from the venue to the guest list, the thing which is driving you forward is the feeling that eventually everything’s going to be worth it, and it will be an absolutely amazing day.



Darin Collinson

Since this is (usually) once in a lifetime kind of event and you will be your most romantic and best self, it’s essential that it is to properly documented, i.e. photographed. We all wish to look back at our photos and sighs with delight rather than disappointment. For this reason, here are several ways how to choose the best photographer for your wedding.

The vision
There are plenty of artists out there, each with his/her unique style. In order to truly grasp their philosophy, look carefully into the “About” page on their website. See where they were engaged and what kind of weddings they used to take photos of.

Next, take a good look of their portfolio. Do not focus just on the wedding photos of a celebration that resembles yours the most. Take a look at their work in total and then you will be able to say whether you truly love their philosophy, or not so much.

Lighting
This is especially important if your wedding ceremony is taking place inside a poorly lit space. For instance, some churches cannot boast great lighting fixtures. Therefore, feel free to ask about their experience with the venues you had in mind for your wedding, and make sure to mention all the places you wish to have yourselves photographed. Also, always ask to see examples of previous similar work experiences.

See the full picture
By that, we mean a full album. Plenty of couples make a mistake of looking only at the photos that the photographer is showing them from a certain wedding. To really understand his/her way of work, ask to observe the whole file, i.e. the whole album to see precisely how everything could look like should you decide to hire them.

Darin Collinson

What’s included?
In short, do not be shy to ask in detail about the price. You can get a certain impression by looking at the types of venues where previous weddings took place. Nevertheless, you can only be absolutely certain if you have clearly enquired about everything. Of course, you wish to have your wedding album and the video recording but bear in mind that a lot of photographers charge extra for the file with the photos.

Word of mouth
Naturally, you are going to get plenty of recommendations from your friends, or even friends of your friends. However, the people you must speak to are the ones who are already in the wedding business. Ask your florist or your baker for the recommendations. They have probably dealt with hundreds of weddings and certainly know the masters of the trade, i.e. art.

Trust your gut
In the end, follow your gut feeling. Having taken everything into consideration, think hard whether you two would like to spend a whole day in the company of your photographer. Why is this relevant? Taking wedding photos is nothing like posing for Instagram or a fashion photo shoot. You wish for your intimate emotions to be shown, and they will hardly emerge if you find the person using the camera extremely annoying, no matter how great an artist he/she is.

The last word of wisdom: timing. Once you have decided on the venue, start looking for the photographer as soon as possible. Just like everything else about this glorious event, they too have to be booked well in advance.