So how do you go about to choose your wedding photographer? Personality? Location? Experience? Style? Number and Quality of Online Reviews? Referral? Price? Amount of time on the day of the wedding? Hopefully, it’s a combination of all these factors. But let’s go through what I feel are some of the more important, from a photography perspective.
PRICE
Let’s get straight to it, we all work hard for our money and we want it to go a long way. But to be honest, price should be the least of your concerns. There’s a saying that “You get what you pay for.” Meaning, if you pay a budget price, you’re going to get a budget product. And if you pay a luxurious price, you should be getting a luxury product. And after all is said and done with your wedding, the only thing you will have left from your big day are your memories and your photos (and maybe a video). So if you’re going to spend all of that money on your wedding (flowers, dress, catering, lighting, design,etc), don’t you want to remember all of the amazing moments that made the day so special and serve as a reminder and great memory as to why you married your partner.
And as you’ll see from the items below, price should not matter. If your photographer hits these major points, you’ll be happy with your decision regardless of price.
PERSONALITY
This is a big one for me. When I’m on the phone or in a consultation with potential clients, I’m reviewing them, as much are they are reviewing me. At some basic level, we all need to get along and like each other, right? Not all photographers are as professional as you’d like them to be, either. Ideally, the couple and the photographer are people that I would invite to a weekend BBQ at my house or at least maybe grab a drink with during happy hour. The point is that the photographer is the only vendor that is with the couple the entire day and will be there for all the ebbs and flows of the day. We, photographers, wear many hats and have many responsibilities on the day of wedding, in addition to making beautiful photos. If you don’t have a day of coordinator or planner and something goes wrong, we have to be a stand in therapist and problem solver. If you’re running behind schedule, we have become the coordinator and become more efficient and get you back on schedule. During portraits, we become a stylist and maybe even an emergency hair and make up person. And depending upon the photographer’s personality, they can either be a pain or a great help on the wedding day.
For me, there are some clients that I really want to work with and others that I would not go near. After about 10 minutes of chatting with most clients, I can gauge what type of bride/couple they are going to be. Bride-zillas really do exist! But thankfully none of my previous clients have been one.
And bad personality (jerk / a–hole) photographers also exist. Some photographers can be real divas and care more about their portfolio than delivering a complete wedding day story, to you, in your album and web gallery.
Don’t select one that will make your special that much more stressful, either. It should be as if your photographer is just a cool guest at your wedding, that enhances your experience on your special day and makes it that much more fun.
STYLE
Do you want more staged portraits? Do you want more candid? Do you want more photojournalism? Do you want a film look? Do you want more B&W? These days with digital photography, everyone is a photographer with a camera on their cell phones. And with Instagram everyone knows how to use filters. But not everyone has the right eye. And while each photographer may be pretty similar in look, their styles are always a little different. Some things that you may notice is that some photographers are more about the big scene and less about the intimate emotion. Can you spot the difference when looking a the different websites? Or are you just in awe at the pretty photos and getting really excited about your wedding?
Today, you like a certain look to your photos, meaning a kind of filter, style, or process on your photos; but how will they look in 20 years? Will the filter/look feel dated and super old-fashioned in the future. This to me is the very important. Much like fashion, imaging trends come and go, but certain things will always be classic. The heavy photoshop and/or Instagram look is cool now, but I can bet your $5 that it will feel dated pretty quickly.
Whether you choose us or another photographer, I always advocate for a more classic look that will stand up better over time. That way, the only thing you will criticize in the photos is the poor fashion choices you made for the bridesmaids dresses. 😛
EXPERIENCE
I think this kind of goes without saying, you want your photographer to have photographed at least a few weddings. Yes, they might know how to use a camera or read a book on how to operate one. But that does not mean they are able to handle all of the little things that come up in a wedding day. Will they be able to think on the fly and become an active problem solver? An experienced photographer means that they will not contribute to the stress on your wedding day and actually help to make things run smoother.
Now, what about experience at a particular venue? This is not a big deal to me b/c photographers, at least in a local area, can always scout a location ahead of time and do their homework, so that they are prepared. On another note, if a photographer has worked a venue before, they may not be as creative, they may just snap back to what they have done previously and not look for that amazing photo. Whereas, a photographer that is new to a venue may try new angles and perspectives that no one else has seen before. it can go either way, really. It all depends on how your photographer sees the world through their camera.
ONLINE REVIEWS
Obviously, the more positive reviews, the better. But be wary of the photo studios that have 1000s of reviews. Those are more usually just the cookie cutter studios that don’t provide personal attention and in some cases they just outsource the photography. You should be looking for photographers who have anywhere from 10-200 reviews. Those are the individual photographers or studios that are doing well and running a reputable business.
LOCATION
Generally you want a photographer in your general geographic area, but it’s not a deal breaker. If you love a photographer from another state or even another country, that should not prevent you from booking them. You may love their style or their personality. Chances are they will arrive a day early, scout the locations and deliver amazing photos and go that extra mile for you, just b/c they are traveling. Photographers like to travel just like everyone else. And when I get a wedding outside of NY, it’s great! And just like any business trip, they employer should be prepared to cover the travel expenses.
