Finding Your Wedding Photographer
When choosing a photographer to capture one of the most important days of your life, there are many more things to consider than just the cost.
While budgeting is definitely a key factor throughout the entire wedding planning process, price should never be the sole determinant for such an essential part of your special day.
A wedding photographers experience, style, equipment, and editing skills should all be well-examined before making a decision-as should their character and personality.
Here is an in depth list of things to consider before handing over that security deposit.
Style While every photographer will have their own unique style, most can be defined either as photojournalistic, traditional/classic, or fine art.
With a photojournalistic style, the photographer strives to capture the day as it unfolds and tends to capture more candid photos than other styles.
This documentary style has become a very popular term in the wedding photography industry, but only those photographers who can truly tell a story through their images should make this claim.
A traditional or classic styled photographer will concentrate on the weddings milestone events like the first dance, cake cutting, and bouquet toss.
The photographer will also spend more time on posed, formal portraits of the newlyweds and their family members, with less of a focus on candid or action shots.
Wedding photographers who describe their work as fine art will take a more artistic approach to capturing weddings.
Their portfolio will include a selection of dramatic photos of the bride and groom, as well as detailed shots of table settings, flowers, and other wedding décor.
Their style is often considered "modern" or "progressive," but often includes a mix of traditional and documentary styles as well.
Cost When calculating your budget, keep in mind that the cost of a professional wedding photographer and videographer usually accounts for about 10% of the total wedding budget.
The price can depend on what deliverables and services are expected, including time length of shoot, number of photographers, an engagement photography session, rights to reproducing images, professional editing, and portfolios.
All of these factors can drastically change the package price, so it is important for you and your fiancé to decide on what's most important to you before meeting with a photographer.
Personality and Character No matter how much you like the style or the quoted price, if you are not comfortable with a photographer's attitude, do not hire them! We have heard horror stories of snobby photographers who just do "their thing" and don't really care about what the bride and groom want.
Your wedding day will bring its own whirlwind of excitement and chaos, so make sure the person you select to follow you around all day long is personable, stress-free, upbeat, and maybe even funny! Whether or not you are comfortable with your photographer will really show in your wedding photos-the more comfortable you are, the happier and more beautiful you will look in your photos.
Reviews and Referrals One of the best ways to find the perfect wedding photographer is to talk to your married friends and read online reviews.
When it comes to the photographer, it is important that you trust the person to be on time, have reliable equipment, work professionally, and deliver all of the edited (if in the contract) images within the agreed upon time frame.
Listen to what others have learned from the wedding planning process, and take note of what they would have done differently and what vendors they recommend.
Keep in mind that all artists feature their "best work" online, in their portfolios, and/or in their studios.
Even though all of the sample images you have seen are amazing, not every image will turn out frame-worthy.
The goal is to capture your big day in a way that evokes feelings of joy and happiness, and with a thoroughly evaluated photographer, you will have beautifully-captured, quality images of your wedding day to cherish for the rest of your life.
While budgeting is definitely a key factor throughout the entire wedding planning process, price should never be the sole determinant for such an essential part of your special day.
A wedding photographers experience, style, equipment, and editing skills should all be well-examined before making a decision-as should their character and personality.
Here is an in depth list of things to consider before handing over that security deposit.
Style While every photographer will have their own unique style, most can be defined either as photojournalistic, traditional/classic, or fine art.
With a photojournalistic style, the photographer strives to capture the day as it unfolds and tends to capture more candid photos than other styles.
This documentary style has become a very popular term in the wedding photography industry, but only those photographers who can truly tell a story through their images should make this claim.
A traditional or classic styled photographer will concentrate on the weddings milestone events like the first dance, cake cutting, and bouquet toss.
The photographer will also spend more time on posed, formal portraits of the newlyweds and their family members, with less of a focus on candid or action shots.
Wedding photographers who describe their work as fine art will take a more artistic approach to capturing weddings.
Their portfolio will include a selection of dramatic photos of the bride and groom, as well as detailed shots of table settings, flowers, and other wedding décor.
Their style is often considered "modern" or "progressive," but often includes a mix of traditional and documentary styles as well.
Cost When calculating your budget, keep in mind that the cost of a professional wedding photographer and videographer usually accounts for about 10% of the total wedding budget.
The price can depend on what deliverables and services are expected, including time length of shoot, number of photographers, an engagement photography session, rights to reproducing images, professional editing, and portfolios.
All of these factors can drastically change the package price, so it is important for you and your fiancé to decide on what's most important to you before meeting with a photographer.
Personality and Character No matter how much you like the style or the quoted price, if you are not comfortable with a photographer's attitude, do not hire them! We have heard horror stories of snobby photographers who just do "their thing" and don't really care about what the bride and groom want.
Your wedding day will bring its own whirlwind of excitement and chaos, so make sure the person you select to follow you around all day long is personable, stress-free, upbeat, and maybe even funny! Whether or not you are comfortable with your photographer will really show in your wedding photos-the more comfortable you are, the happier and more beautiful you will look in your photos.
Reviews and Referrals One of the best ways to find the perfect wedding photographer is to talk to your married friends and read online reviews.
When it comes to the photographer, it is important that you trust the person to be on time, have reliable equipment, work professionally, and deliver all of the edited (if in the contract) images within the agreed upon time frame.
Listen to what others have learned from the wedding planning process, and take note of what they would have done differently and what vendors they recommend.
Keep in mind that all artists feature their "best work" online, in their portfolios, and/or in their studios.
Even though all of the sample images you have seen are amazing, not every image will turn out frame-worthy.
The goal is to capture your big day in a way that evokes feelings of joy and happiness, and with a thoroughly evaluated photographer, you will have beautifully-captured, quality images of your wedding day to cherish for the rest of your life.
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