In the midst of planning your wedding, you come across your “to-do” item that tells you it’s time to find a wedding photographer. “Simple,” you think, “I’ll just hop on the good ‘ole interweb and find one.” Then you get hit with the 1.783 trillion Google results and you begin to realize that this may not be as easy as you thought it would be.
So how DO you find your perfect wedding photographer? As someone who has had her own wedding and also works for a living with other people’s weddings, I’m going to tell you what you should look for in a wedding photographer.
Style
As you’re scrolling through those Google results, the FIRST page you should go to on a photographer’s website is their portfolio. Every photographer is different, including their shooting and editing style. You also probably have a vision in your head of what you want your wedding photos to look like. Make sure their style and your vision align.
Price
More than likely, you have a budget that you’ve made for your wedding — including what you want to pay for the photography. Wedding photography prices range drastically, and naturally, you’re going to want to choose someone who fits within those parameters. That is a fantastic way to filter down your list of photographers.
Word of advice: You should never be uncomfortable with the price you’re paying, or have to eat ramen for a month to be able to pay off your photographer. However, it is important to remember that PRICE REFLECTS QUALITY AND EXPERIENCE. So if you want a top-notch photographer, it may be worth it to look at other areas of the wedding budget that you can cut down on.
Responsiveness
So you’ve found a photographer and you love their work and their price tag works wonders for you. You excitedly reach out to them asking to chat more….then all you hear is crickets. Now what? GIRL, MOVE ON!!
As a wedding photographer, your clients and potential clients are your biggest priority. If it takes longer than a day for someone to get back to you, you do not want to hire them.
In the process of planning a wedding, you will have many questions, concerns and details to throw at the photographer, and you want to make sure you hire someone who you know is going to be there for you.
Personality
Guess what: the person you choose as your wedding photographer will be with you ALL DAY. Not only that, you will have conversations before and after the wedding. Needless to say, you need to make sure you get along.
If you’re outgoing and sarcastic and your photographer is quiet and sensitive, that might not be a good match. If your wedding is Star Wars themed because you’re a total comic freak and your photographer doesn’t even know who Anakin Skywalker is, you two might not jive well together.
The more comfortable you are with this person, the better and more natural your photos will turn out. So make sure that as much as you like their work, you actually like them as a person as well.
Transparency
This is true of any and every encounter you have with your photographer, but especially price. You need to know exactly what you’re getting and how much it’s going to cost. On top of that, you need to know what the process will be like, what information you need to give to the photographer, what you can expect of them the day of the shoot and after.
If your photographer can’t answer these questions honestly, openly, and with ease — you may want to reconsider hiring them.
Adaptability
I have a value that I stand by for every photoshoot, and that is “your shoot, your say.”
Yes, I am here to guide you and offer suggestions (I’m not going to leave you like a fish out of water). BUT if there is a pose or location or specific photo you want — awesome! I’ll get that. You are the boss, and what you say goes.
If you find a photographer that is very rigid about details and following a photoshoot schedule THEIR way, that’s a red flag. Weddings can change in an instant, and unexpected things happen. You need a photographer who is going to stay calm, adapt to the situation and still get a beautiful shot.
Bride/Groom-focused
When a bride and groom book a wedding me, I do EVERYTHING I can to make sure they feel like the most important person in the world. A mentor of mine once told me, “When you sign a contract, that is the LEAST amount of work you should do for someone.” And I LOVE THAT!
If your photographer makes you feel second-rate or not a big priority; if you discover they treat higher-paying brides better than lower-paying ones; or if they are so booked they don’t remember your fiance’s name, DITCH THEM.
This is YOUR day, and they should realize that. They should be right beside you, putting in the work to make your wedding magical.
These are the things I suggest you look for in a wedding photographer. You want to make sure your wedding is perfect, and your photographer should help — not hinder — that.
If you can’t tell if the photographer you’re interviewing has these traits, I have a list of the top things you should tell and ask your wedding photographer before you hire them.
Also, I want to hear from YOU! If you’ve already had a wedding or booked a photographer, I want to know what that one thing was that made them stand out against the rest. You may help out a future bride and groom!
Drop a comment below :)
Want to know more about Bethany?
Meet the owner of BB Photography AZ here.
