When planning a wedding, there are so many decisions to make. One of these includes wedding photography. To help start the process, here are six things to consider when choosing a wedding photographer that will help ensure you capture your day exactly how you envision it.
Wedding Photography Style
When you’re considering what wedding photographer to choose, it’s important to consider their photographic style. This includes how they use light, how they edit photos, what kind of poses they prefer, what styles of weddings they specialise in and what types of venues they photograph most often. Understanding the style you’re looking for will help narrow down your choices and make the search less overwhelming. It will also guarantee you find a photographer you love.
Wedding Photographer Personality
Your photographer spends the majority of your wedding day by your side, so it’s important that you like their energy. It should feel like you’re hanging out with a friend. This is also important for your partner, family and vendors. Everyone plays an important part in ensuring your day goes off without any issues, so you should feel like your photographer would get along with other people involved. Of course, this will look different for everyone, but it will alleviate any stressors on the day of.
When you get along with your wedding photographer, and trust that they have your it will translate into your images. The best way to get to know your photographer is to have an initial call or meeting with them.
Wedding Photography Experience
A wedding photographer’s experience can sometimes reflect the quality of their work. You might prefer a wedding photographer that’s only shot destination elopements or a photographer that’s been in the industry for over ten years. Whatever the case, make sure you do your research and look at their reviews, about page, social media and FAQs to get a better understanding of their experience. You can save any outstanding questions for your discovery call.
Wedding Photography Packages
Finding the right wedding photographer also involves looking at different wedding photography packages. Not all wedding photography packages are the same, and some might suit different styles of weddings or budgets.
For example, suppose you’re looking for a video and photography package. In that case, you can either ask your photographer if they offer videography services as well, or if they have any recommended wedding videographers. Wedding photographers work with videographers all the time and you’ll want to ensure that the photographer you choose works well with your videographer.
If you’re planning a micro-wedding or an elopement, you should also ask photographers if they have any packages that suit this style.
Some photographers offer luxury wedding albums, film photography, engagement or pre-wedding shoots or prints and packages will vary in price by the photographer depending on the inclusions in their packages and their experience.
Local knowledge
It helps to know that your photographer has local knowledge of your wedding location, venue and even vendors. Whether you’re doing a destination wedding or something nearby, understanding the weather, the best spots for portraits and referring any local vendors that you might still need can be really helpful. Although this local knowledge isn’t always possible, it’s nice to have, especially if you’re having a destination wedding and are not too familiar with the area. I work with my couples every step of the way;
Wedding Photography Budget
Finally, when choosing your wedding photographer, you’ll want to consider your photography budget. High-end wedding photographers can be more expensive than photographers just starting their careers. If you’re interested in a wedding photographer, discussing your budget in the initial discovery session is best. This way, you can decide whether or not you want to move forward shortly after.
Most importantly, try to keep the decision-making between you and your partner. If you start sharing the photographer’s Instagram or portfolio with friends and family, you might welcome opinions that make the decision harder.
At the end of the day, your wedding photos are a special part of your wedding day and choosing the right wedding photographer can feel daunting. But when you consider these six things, you can guarantee you’ll find the perfect person to capture your day.
To learn more about my services and my approach to wedding photography, you can fill out the form here!
xo, Sonya
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