Finding the right wedding photographer can be a daunting task. Now more than ever, the industry is oversaturated with newer photographers, so the options seem endless. Luckily for you, I’ve compiled five tips on how to choose a wedding photographer for your big day. But first, I think it’s important to discuss what goes into being a good photographer.
What makes a good wedding photographer?
It may seem obvious that what separates a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ photographer is the quality of their work. While this is mostly true, there’s a lot more involved when it comes to being a wedding photographer than just taking photos. Right next to the quality of a photographer’s work is the client experience. Think about it. Why does everyone love shopping at Amazon and Apple? Simply put, their customer experience and ease of use is second to none.
When you’re spending your hard earned money, you want your experience to be as easy and as smooth as possible. From communicating with their clients, helping them plan their wedding day, shooting their wedding etc, we as wedding photographers have to make sure every step of the process is not only simple but enjoyable. Beyond that, on the day of the wedding, your wedding photographer should be able to interact and communicate with your guests in an easy and professional manner. While the main focus of the wedding day is the bride and groom, the guests are also important. Simply put, providing a memorable experience for both the couple and their guests should always be a priority.
Now, let’s get to the fun stuff!
**The photos featured below have been photographed by Fadi Mawagdeh Photography**
1. Find Your Style
When talking about how to choose a wedding photographer, you’re going to want to define how your wedding photos will look and feel because, what differentiates photographers from one another, is their style. The most important aspect of choosing your wedding photographer is finding and falling in love with a certain the right style of photography.
There are a plethora of wedding photography styles that range from light and airy wedding photography, dark and moody wedding photography, traditional, photojournalistic etc. Brides ALWAYS have an idea of what they’re looking for but sometimes these styles can be a little confusing. To help, I’ve broken down these styles to help build an understanding of how they would look.
Light and Airy Wedding Photography
Light and airy, synonymous with bright and airy, is a style of wedding photography that is easy to describe. It’s simple, beautiful and timeless. The key characteristics are beautiful bright photos with pastel-like colors that are often muted. It’s very pleasurable to the eye and is a style that will never go out of date. Natural light is a light and airy photographer’s best friend. In addition to this, light and airy photographers typically tend to stay away from darker backgrounds. As a light and airy photographer, I always recommend couples pick neutral and earthy tones for their engagement sessions, as opposed to bold dark colors. Click here to check out my featured light and airy galleries!
Dark and Moody Wedding Photography
Dark and moody photos tend to be very dramatic and is the exact opposite of light and airy. This has been the latest trend (and often described as a fad) in the wedding industry. It’s dim, dramatic and contrasty; similar to renaissance photos. The way most couples describe it is as if there’s an orange filter on top of the photos. Dark and moody photographers will typically photograph against any background or color, with an emphasis on dark/neutral colors to enhance their look. This style loves dark scenery and foliage. Golden hour/evening photos often look the best for a dark and moody look, so make sure to tell your photographer you want those sunset photos!
Traditional/Neutral Wedding Photography
This is your classic style of photography where colors are natural. Whereas contemporary wedding photography focuses more on artistic shots with the “epic” factor, this style of photography leans towards the more traditional posed and candid photos. It’s simple and straightforward. Light and airy photographers also love this style of work during the reception when it comes to flash photography.
Photojournalistic Wedding Photography
A photojournalistic approach to wedding photography is a very minimally posed method of photography. It heavily relies on a visual narrative of a wedding day by capturing organic and unstaged moments. It’s a fairly unique approach as you have to rely on your timing, as moments happen within split seconds. Similar to a traditional style of shooting, many describe it as being very timeless.
Each style of wedding photography impacts the way your photographer shoots. From the lenses we choose, the locations we recommend, and even the poses we put you in. Once you’ve selected the style of work you’re into, the next thing on the list is to look for your vendors.
2. Decide your budget
Great news! You defined your style of photography and you’re ready to book your wedding photographer. Now it’s time to set a budget aside for your wedding photographer. This is a very case-specific aspect as some people have smaller and larger budgets than others. When it comes to paying for a wedding photographer, this is an industry where you definitely get what you pay for. From the quality of work down to the professionalism of your photographer. The sweet spot is the $3000-5000 range where you’ll have great photos and an unbelievable experience. On the lower end, it tends to be a little hit or miss ad the experience simply isn’t there. This leads us to step 3!
3. RESEARCH!!!!
Now that you found your style, you’ve determined your budget and narrowed down a couple of photographers, the process gets much easier. There are a few things you’ll want to look into before going ahead and booking your photographer.
Review the photographer’s work online and don’t be afraid to ask for full galleries to make sure the work they advertise is consistent with the work that they don’t post on their social media. In a lot of scenarios, photographers publish only their best photos, which can often be very misleading as the rest of the gallery may be sub-par. Take your time and review a photographer’s full wedding day.
4. Contact Prospect Photographer
If there’s one thing I love about my job, it’s when I receive an inquiry from an enthused couple. When you reach out to ask for availability and pricing, be sure to include any details about your wedding. For example, tell us how you met and why you want to work with us. We LOVE a little backstory (and complimenting our work!). If that photographer is available, set up a call to get to know each other.
The consultation is incredibly important when discussing how to choose a wedding photographer. This is where you and the photographer find out if you’re a right fit for each other. This, in my opinion, is the most important thing to look for in your photographer because you can see their professionalism and if you vibe with them. The reason I rank this as the most important factor in choosing your photographer is that you will be together for 8-15 hours on your wedding day(sometimes even 30 hours if it’s a multi-day South Asian wedding). You’ll want to make sure your personalities match and that your photographer’s presence will enhance your wedding experience. Most of our day isn’t necessarily photographing your wedding, it’s managing the day, talking to the two of you and your guests, and problem-solving. Make sure you’re fully comfortable with your wedding photographer!
During the consultation, you might wonder what to ask a wedding photographer… Well, talk about your vision for the wedding, what you love about their work, and what you expect of them. Be open and honest because this helps us advise you in the best possible way. Some photographers specialize in certain cultural weddings. If you’re having a South Asian wedding or a Jewish wedding, for example, ask if they have experience photographing them. Knowing this is important so you’ll be confident in your photographer skillset. Don’t worry too much about how long that photographer has been around, the biggest sign is their professionalism and their work.
If the photographer doesn’t have experience in your culture, it isn’t a huge deal-breaker as we tend to pick things up quickly and we often do our own research. If you love them but they’re out of your price range, it isn’t rude at all to ask if there is any leeway with their pricing! I’m always open to working with my couples if we’re a little over budget.
5. Book your photographer as soon as possible
This is the shortest step when about how to choose a wedding photographer. Simply put, book your photographer as soon as possible. I always hate following up with couples who decided to book too late and having to tell them that another couple secured their date. So be sure to book them asap!
I hope you enjoyed reading about how to choose a wedding photographer, and I hope this helped you in choosing your photographer! Feel free to check out my blogs here for more tips and to view some of my work!
