Finding the perfect wedding photographer: what you need to know
Planning a wedding can be stressful. With so many moving parts you might be sitting there wondering what you need to be looking for in a vendor. The purpose of this blog is to help you find your perfect wedding photographer, and what questions you should be asking photographers that you’re considering.
First things first you need to have your exact date in mind . Some photographers book up to two years in advance, so it’s important you know your date before you start trying to lock in your photographer.
if you don’t already have a wedding photographer in mind do not post to a wedding group looking for a photographer “that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg”. Not only will you get a million different responses, but you’ll also get photographers outside of your budget. What is expensive to some might not be for others, and that’s okay. Everyone has a budget, but you need to let your vendors know what that is upfront. And any vendors that try to budget shame you aren’t vendors you should work with anyways.
You should also know what style you’re looking for. A good way to figure this out is to search Pinterest, Instagram, or even scroll through Google to get a feel of what vibe/style stands out to you. Once you find a vibe you like see what words those photographers are using to describe their work Examples include: dark and moody, light and airy, etc. once you have a budget and a style in mind THEN it’s time to put out that wedding post on Facebook.
“Looking for available Golden hour Photographer for March 12 2023 for 5 hours with a budget of $2500.”
A post like that will significantly lower how many photographers outside of your budget and style are responding to your posts. Instead of wading through hundreds of comments and portfolios it’ll be just a handful.
Once you have these options it’s time to review the portfolios. At this point there’s three main things you want to be looking for in their portfolios
Do they HAVE any portfolio? If not move on. It’s not worth the risk on such an important day.
Is their work consistent? Is their editing style all over the place? Are some photos super in detail but others look like they were taken with a flip phone? Do they just do posed/candid photos? IS THIS THE WORK YOU WANT?
Do they have a wedding portfolio? Now don’t get me wrong I am all for supporting someone starting out. But weddings are a once in a lifetime event, and if your perspective photographer doesn’t have any wedding experience they might not be ready to shoot your whole wedding by themselves. While this isn’t necessarily a deal breaker it is something you should consider. If you love their work and they haven’t ever shot a wedding before maybe reach out to them and ask if they have any wedding experience, or if they’d be willing to get wedding experience before your date. Do they think they can handle a wedding?
Once you’ve gone over those three factors your list of perspective photographers will be cut down significantly! At this point it’s time to reach out to the remaining photographers and schedule your meetings with them. If a photographer does not want to meet with you, whether it be just a phone call or an in person meeting, before booking that is a red flag. You need to know who is going to be shooting your wedding and have the ability to ask any questions you might have. AND you should definitely be asking questions!
Once your meeting is set here are some important questions to ask
What is your turn around time?
Do you use dual cards? If not what is your plan in case of card corruption?
Are you insured?
Do you work with a contract?
How do you collect payments?
Do they have a full wedding gallery you can see?
Who will be shooting my wedding?
Now using dual memory cards is not a requirement to be a wedding photographer. However card corruption can happen to anyone at any moment, so I always advise photographers that if they’re going to take on weddings they need to be shooting dual. Losing someone’s wedding to card corruption is an absolute nightmare for all involved so it’s better to have that backup even if you never have to use it.
If your photographer does not have a set turn around time, does not work with contracts, or collects payments through friends and family only payment methods it might be time to move on. While contracts are not the end all be all, it would definitely be a red flag for me if they didn’t use one. For such an important event you as a client and them as the business should want some sort of contractual protection. An important thing to remember when it comes to payment is that friends and family Payments, and payments through some Apps, cannot be refunded or disputed. To protect yourself from scammers always ask for an electronic invoice and pay with a credit card/Debit card. Never pay over the phone or with cash*. It’s not worth the risk.
by viewing a full wedding gallery of the photographer’s you’re able to see the exact amount of effort they put into a wedding. You should once again be checking for consistency during this time.
By asking who will be shooting your wedding you’ll know whether it’ll be them or an associate shooter coming out the day of. Associate shooters are a common occurrence as photographers do get sick, injured, or have things come up that make them unavailable to physically shoot the wedding. If they are using an associate ask for the associate’s portfolio. While your main photographer will probably be the one editing the images, the associate will be the one capturing them so you want to make sure their work isn’t weird angles and blurry shots. If they say an associate but don’t have one in mind that could be a red flag.
And don’t forget this is just a quick guide! If you have more questions by all means ask them. Your photographer should be completely transparent with how it’s going to be to work with them.
So you’ve found a photographer that hits those points. Now it’s time for the contract. Always read and sign your contracts BEFORE making payments. The contract should outline the exact timeline you’ll receive your wedding photos, what you’ll be receiving (I.e. 300 images, 6 hours of coverage, two shooters), what happens if your photographer cannot attend the wedding, what will result in a refund, and what your payment plan is. If the contract doesn’t state any of these factors talk to your photographer again. Remember if it’s not in writing it’s not enforceable.
I hope this guide helps you narrow down your search for a wedding photographer, and ask them the important questions. Remember it a vendor sounds too good to be true they probably are.
*cash payments cannot be tracked like electronic payments can. While cash is a legal form of tender it becomes a lot harder to dispute cash payments in the event your vendor doesn’t show.
