How to Shop for Wedding Photography
For a lot of people, budget is the first question in their mind when shopping for any services for their wedding, and it's simple to understand why. Costs can spiral out of control pretty quickly when trying to plan a massive celebration. When you're in the early planning stages, it's a good idea to sit down with your partner and pick two or three things each that matter the most to you.
If wedding photography makes the list for either of you, we hope our thoughts will help guide you to finding the right match for you (even if it doesn’t end up being us!).
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Photography Style
Consider which of the following appeal to you, and then look for photographers who show it through their work:
Dramatic portraits with interesting light and strong color
Light and airy portraits with soft colors
Candid, relaxed moments between the couple, wedding party, and guests
Fine art portraiture of the couple
Clean editing with sharp images and bold colors
Editing that is reminiscent of vintage film colors and grain
A focus on details and décor
A focus on emotion and moments
Many photographers can happily accommodate a couple’s specific tastes, but to know what that photographer loves in their heart, check their portfolios. This is how you can find someone who you can truly mesh with, you know?
Take your time in choosing. Think about what the different wedding photography portfolios show and say, the stories they tell with a single image, and think about what it is that you, yourself, want to have captured. As you’ll see, there are as many approaches to photography as there are photographers.
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Personality!
The personal connection and chemistry between the couple and the photographers is incredibly important. We're with you all day! We need to either be a neutral presence or make the day even better. We shouldn't, even to the smallest degree, cramp your style. Find someone you have genuine chemistry with, someone you could see yourself hanging out with and having a good time. That’s a person who will help keep you relaxed and laughing all day, which makes for awesome photos.
Posing
We often hear from couples that they don’t like posed, cheesy shots. Well shoot, neither do we! Come on now. What most couples don’t know is that the best wedding photographers in the world create beautiful portraits of couples with their friends and family that look candid and relaxed, but are actually carefully posed. It’s an art form. The pose helps everyone look their best, and the genuine emotion is what makes it a beautiful portrait. A thorough understanding of the importance of gentle direction and structure to a photo is the mark of a seasoned professional.
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Passion
The person entrusted with telling the story of your wedding day should be a person who is passionate about telling stories through their chosen medium. Look for this passion during your meeting. Ask them about the photo they're the most proud of, or which lens they love the most. Look for the passion and love in their face and voice when they tell you about those things.
Money
We need to talk price. When looking at photographers, comparing what one photographer or company can offer at one price to what another can offer at the same price isn’t the best way to go about it.
The first reason is that larger companies cut corners wherever they can to be able to compete on price. They often don't pay their employees as much as an independent studio owner can pay him or herself, and so those studio employees have to take a lot more jobs to make ends meet. The result is that the quality and clients suffer.
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When you're looking for artists who do this full time, the prices have to be higher. The reason is that we limit how many weddings we will personally take in a year and especially in a weekend to avoid being burned out. You want someone who is fresh for your day, not someone who is tired from shooting a 12-hour wedding the day before. To compensate for the limited bookings we take, the prices have to go up for us to support our families, stay passionate, and produce top of the line photographs for each and every client.
Of course, very few people are in a situation to say that price is no object. Knowing that, we implore you to try and consider other factors we've mentioned above beyond price when making your decision.
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The right choice for wedding photography really, truly depends on what kind of photography resonates with you the most, combined with a human behind the camera that you actually like.
Good luck with the search, and we’ll be here if you need us!
If you need a photographer who will tell your wedding day story artistically, creatively, and organically, say hello!