NAVIGATION
Before you book a wedding photographer you should get on a video call or meet them in person to make sure they are a good fit for you and your fiancé. These 7 questions are a good starting point to ask before you book a wedding photographer
The best way to gauge how experienced a wedding photographer is is to ask them how many weddings they’ve photographed. A beginner has less than 10 weddings under their belt, a more experienced photographer has 50+ weddings under their belt. And if a photographer has shot more than 200 weddings, they could probably photograph a wedding in their sleep. An inexperienced wedding photographer isn’t necessarily a bad photographer, and if you give a less experienced photographer a chance, you might be able to get your wedding photography at a discount, although it does come with some risk. Wedding photography is a very specialized type of photography and there are so many moments that can be missed if you aren’t prepared. It’s best to hire a photographer that has at least some wedding photography experience, even if it’s just some second shooting experience.
A styled shoot is a portrait session of two people, sometimes paid professional models, dressed in wedding clothes, but not on a real wedding day. A lot of photographers use styled shoots to add to their portfolio especially if they haven’t photographed a lot of weddings themselves, or they haven’t photographed a specific type of wedding. Styled shoots aren’t bad and still show what a photographer can do, but it’s best to get clarity if the photos in a photographer’s gallery are from real wedding days or if they are styled shoots.
When you are deciding on a photographer and a specific package, it’s best to ask for clarification on exactly what is included in the packages. Do the digital files come with printing rights? If you are getting an album, how big is the album and how many images are included with the album?
Some photographers hang back and only capture candid moments, making sure to keep the experience of the wedding more natural for you and your guests, while other photographers are more involved and will tell people exactly how to pose and set up specific shots. Neither are good or bad, you just want to make sure their shooting style fits with your values and how you see your wedding day going.
There are a lot of moving parts to a wedding day and asking a photographer how they approach preparation should give you an insight on how prepared they are for each wedding. If they go over the wedding timeline with you a month before the wedding day and ask for shot lists, they are more prepared than a photographer that shows up the day of and wings it.
Each kind of wedding is different and comes with their own expectations and limitations. A Catholic wedding in a dark church is very different from an adventure elopement on the top of a mountain. A good photographer can take amazing photos in almost any situation, but if they have experience shooting at your specific venue or kind of wedding they will be more prepared with the gear they will need to bring and will have a better idea where the best photo spots are.
This is the most important question you can ask before you even look at different wedding photographers. If you really value wedding photography, you’ll want to make sure you find a photographer that is experienced at photographing weddings like yours and goes the extra mile to make sure they are prepared for your wedding day. If wedding photography is lower on your priority list, you might look at taking a chance on a less experienced wedding photographer to save some money. Just remember that the two things that you will have after your wedding day are a new spouse and your wedding photos.
I’ve photographed over 50 weddings, and I have a decade of professional photography experience.
None, everything in my portfolio is from real couples on real wedding days.
I tend to hang back during the ceremony and reception. I'm very conscientious of your guests’ experience and I want to stay out of the way as much as possible while still getting beautiful coverage. I do step in and give more direction during the getting ready photos, family formals, and couple portraits when people are unsure of how to pose. This also helps family formals and couple portraits go by quicker so you and your guests can return to the party.
I want to make sure I am as prepared as possible for your wedding day. About a month before your wedding we will have a meeting to go through your wedding timeline. I will ask for a shot list of family formals you want to get to make it as quick as possible. And I’ll make sure I know the names of the important people at your wedding.
There's a good chance I have, I’ve photographed many different types of weddings, and I’m confident that I have the skills to create beautiful wedding images in almost any situation. But I mainly photograph church weddings and weddings that show off Colorado's beautiful mountain scenery.
When my wife and I got married, our photographer was the thing we spent the most amount of money on. Our day went by so fast, and we are so glad to have great photos in a beautiful wedding album to remember our special day. These photos are priceless to us and we look forward to sharing the story of our wedding with our children one day.
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