A wedding is nothing without gorgeous photos to remember your special day. But with the average wedding photographer charging more than £1,500 for their professional services, it’s important to choose the right one for your Big Day. You only get one shot at photographing your wedding – so Dakota Murphey has provided you with 6 tips to help you make the perfect choice.
Obviously, your wedding photographer has to be a professional, someone with superb technical ability, expertise and, preferably, many years of experience in couples photography. But, just as importantly, they need to be able to work closely with you, gain your trust and be on the same wavelength.
The ideal scenario is that you both feel very relaxed, at ease and confident with each other. Trust is vital because the photographer is the one person who has to take charge of positioning and directing people at the wedding in an effort to capture those exquisite moments.
If the wedding date’s set and the venue booked, now’s the timeto arrange to meet with three or four photographers to discuss your wedding arrangements and plans. By spending just an hour or so with them, talking, sharing ideas, having a laugh together, you should be able to tell if you click.
There are literally thousands of wedding photographers around and each one of them has their own individual style – some are traditional in approach, some artistic, and some aim for a documentary feel. It’s important to find the style that works for you, a style that you think will best suit your wedding theme. Listen carefully to the ideas the photographer has and see if they match yours.
You’re also looking for a photographer who edits pictures in a style you really love – your pictures should be natural, vibrant and fun, and capture in every way the spectacular and moving moments of your day.
Most photographers are more than happy to show you a range of pictures that they feel represents their best work. It may be some beautifully-lit posed shots or a selection of moody black-and-white or even sepia photos. But remember these are their choice of pictures, ones that make them look like award-winning photographers – which indeed they may be.
If you like what you see, you should then ask if you could take a look at a few complete wedding albums, albums that have been presented to clients. Study the albums to make sure you still love their work and style. You’re not just looking for a few amazing pictures, you want pictures of the highest quality throughout, an album that tells a beautifulwedding day story. If you’re happy and they take your breath away, you may well have found the perfect wedding photographer.
OK, so you like the photographer and really enjoy the work you’ve seen. Were all your questions answered, no matter how silly they may have sounded? Do you feel confident and relaxed in the photographer’s abilities? Can you trust them implicitly?Are you certain they will get on and do what they does best on the day?
If you don’t feel comfortable, or something doesn’t feel right or you’re not completely won over, then make an appointment to meet with another photographer.You can’t be worrying about how the photographer’s doing on your day. It’s not your job to take the lead and make sure all the pictures you talked about beforehand are going to happen. You’ve got to trust that everything will be taken care of while you’re enjoying all the special moments of your day.
Think about whether you would feel comfortable recommending your chosen photographer to your friends. If, after meeting and getting to know one another and viewing a few wedding albums, you have no hesitation in recommending them, you may have found the ideal photographer.
If you’re not sure that you would recommend them, ask yourself if they’re the right choice for your Big Day.
Finally, once you’ve chosen your photographer, don’t delay, book today! The really good photographers are often booked up months in advance, some even years. Meeting with photographers should happen as soon as you’ve set the wedding date and booked the venue, so don’t leave it too late. There’s nothing worse than spending time finding the right photographer and then discovering he or she is already booked elsewhere for your big wedding day.
XOXO
Debbie
This is a collaborative post.