A Videographer Who Can Work Well With Your Photographer
Consider asking your photographer for any videographer recommendations. Since these two will have to work in tandem, knowing they already have good chemistry and have previously captured weddings together can make a huge difference. While any professional should be able to work with well with the rest of your vendor team, a pre-existing rapport can’t hurt.
Cost Of Wedding Photography
The old saying you get what you pay for generally applies to wedding photographers, and the price for full-day coverage is wide-ranging. When meeting with photographers you are interested in, be sure to find the answers to the following questions.
– How many images are generally shot versus how many are delivered in the end? What is the average turnaround time to receive photos after post-production?
– Does the photographer offer back-up equipment, file storage, and album production?
– Are the images enhanced and edited in-house or outsourced?
– How many photographers will be covering the event?
– What is the rate should the day go into overtime?
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Determining how the answers to these questions fit your expectations and your spending limit should help you narrow down some choices. Once you have a few left to choose from, the next step is also of the utmost importance.
What To Look For When Hiring A Wedding Photographer
Planning a weddingyour wedding!is so dang exciting. Chances are, your dream day has crossed your mind a time or two, so to finally be planning your best day ever is so surreal. I remember being so excited to have all the people I love in one spotand then at the end of the day, finally getting to live in the same place as my best friend! So awesome.
Even though its crazy fun, hiring all the vendors and partners for your wedding is overwhelming. Youre investing hard-earned money in people youve likely never met, and youre trusting theyre going to show up on your day, months in the future. Um, freaky, right!? Having the right people in your corner not only on your wedding day, but also as you plan, is so important!
Ive had the opportunity to chat with so many brides before and after their wedding days and learn what worked, what didnt, and all their best advice for future brides. Ive put together this list to help you figure out what to look for when hiring a photographer for your wedding day.
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The Day Before The Big Event
- Confirm the time youll arrive with the bride.
- Charge all your batteries. This includes the backups and the battery inside the backup camera body.
- Clean your lenses, so lens spots arent creating extra hours of editing later.
- Confirm that you have all your gear packed. Include plenty of memory cards that are already formatted and ready for shooting.
- If this is your first wedding, shoot the rehearsal too. The only rehearsal I shot was before my first wedding. That helped me know where I should stand for what part of the ceremony. And what settings to use to get the best exposure inside the church. Once youve gotten the hang of shooting weddings, shooting the rehearsal isnt necessary. But it makes a big difference before your first wedding.
Best Wedding Poses For The Bride And Groom
Posing couples as part of the wedding photography session is a great way to break up images of single portraits of the guests.
The bride and groom, the parents of the engaged or even the children together. Family photos can have a powerful impact. They also help to keep the theme of togetherness which is what weddings are all about.
Think of the atmosphere you want to show, which show differ from the other couple of photographs. Do you want to show love and tenderness? Then holding hands, holding each other or kissing are great examples to show that mood.
The children could be having fun or friends could be laughing together.
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How Do I Pick A Good Photographer When There Are Hundreds Listed In My Area
First, look for a forum or blog that appeals to your style. Obviously, if you’re an Offbeat Bride, you’re in the right place I receive my best clients through the Offbeat Bride Vendor Guide. The photographers listed are both gay-friendly and accustomed to photographing offbeat weddings.
Once you’ve got a few favorite photographers, narrow it down to a handful of favorites, and set up a time to meet them. Make sure you’re meeting with the person who will be wielding the camera at your wedding, not a sales consultant or studio owner. You have to, like, trust and get along with your photographer that way you can leave the magic of photo making in the photographer’s hands. Not only should you like their images, you should also like them! You’ll be spending many hours with them during your wedding day.
Exploring Photography Talk With People You Trust
Talk with your friends who were recently married, your cousin who is planning a wedding, and your coworkers.
Ask them about their experience with wedding photography! Ideally, they might have some recommendations to share.
The most important part? Listen to what mattered to them was their photographer trustworthy, do they regret focusing on price,, do they love the style of photography they chose?
Ive never heard anyone wish they had spent less money on photography, but I do often hear about photographers that didnt listen, or that made people feel weird in poses think about what matters for you.
Mantra for this step: think about how you and your partner want to feel on your wedding day as well as the photographs you want to cherish when its all over!
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How To Choose Your Wedding Photographer In 8 Steps
1. Set a Budget
Image: Slawa Walczak Photography
No point finding a photographer you love and then discovering theyre well beyond your budget. Weve got our complete guide to wedding photography prices to give you a good idea of what you can get for your money the average is £1,500-£2,000.
Your first step is to discuss how much you can legitimately spend and always keep that in mind as you continue your search. Lots of photographers have starting prices on their website or you could ask a few in your area for a quick quote to see what the going rate is.
While £1,500 sounds a big chunk of your budget, your photos are one of the most important things to invest in. See if you can shave your budget somewhere else to give yourself as much money as possible for this. You get what you pay for.
2. Find Your Style
Image: Rebecca Carpenter
Now for the fun part of starting your search! Your preferred photography style really is one of the most important things to consider. Wed suggest you browse our wedding photographers section youll see the styles of hundreds of photographer and can easily work out what you do and dont like. Do you want candid, classic, a mix of colour and black-and-white, creative, contemporary? Normally one of the styles above will jump out at your straight away.
3. Ask for Testimonials
Image: Folega Photography
Get The Details For Editing Timeline And Deliverables
After the last toast and grand exit, the photographers work is far from finished. Knowing what to expect in the post-production process will help balance all that excitement and anticipation to relive your best day through photos.
Our couples can expect to get exactly what they see on our website, and nothing less. Our turnaround time in our contract says about 12 weeks to receive their full gallery of images, which includes roughly 1,000 images fully edited in color and in black and white. While we typically deliver galleries within just six weeks, there are photographers that take up to six months. Some couples receive instant downloads for hi-res images, and others tangible products and something to hold onto. Each package is different, so understand exactly what youre getting and when, up front.
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Scroll Through Social Media And Online Reviews
One of the easiest ways to choose a wedding photographer is to research online. Moesia Davis, owner of Mo Davis Photography, highly recommends checking our reviews to gauge whether or not this person will be a fit. “Before you hire a photographer, read the reviews to make sure their past couples consider them as trustworthy vendors,” she says.
Another tool you can turn to is social media. “Social media has become a popular and pivotal tool in the wedding industry,” Davis explains. “Searching hashtags and following wedding blogs can often lead to finding a great photographer.”
One of our favorite pro tips is to search your wedding venue and check out the tagged photos. Often, you’ll be able to discover many talented pros with a swipe of your finger.
Use The Engagement Photo Session As A Trial Run
An initial shoot with a photographer lets you meet each other in person, gauge chemistry, and see their style firsthand.
I love having an engagement session. I think of it as practice. Most couples arent used to getting their picture taken, so having a little session before the wedding gives you time to get used to it. It also helps me see how best to encourage you, find out what you are comfortable with, and makes me feel more like a friend the day of the wedding. Engagement sessions give people confidenceonce they get the photos back and they see that they are beautiful and lovely and take a damn good picture, they are typically less anxious about the photos the day of the wedding.
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Get Along With The Photographer
Ok, I say this to all couples when I meet them I spend more time with you that most of your guests.Its so important for you to feel comfortable around your photographer because theyll be following you around. ALL. DAY.
If you dont feel at ease with the person behind the camera, then youre going to look and feel awkward . Almost every one of my clients will say to me that theyre not photogenic, that they cant smile on cue or that theyre camera shy.
Getting a good photographer that you get along well with, laugh and be silly with is the best because your smiles will come naturally and youll have one hell of a fun day. Im a complete goose when Im shooting couples and often those smiles you see in the images is because the couple are laughing at my stupid antics.
But hey, if it gets you to relax and enjoy yourself, thats mission accomplished!
What Photo Editing Style Do You Like
Light and airy style became very popular in recent years because it is modern but timeless at the same time. It prints beautifully, and such wall art goes great with any interior. We chose this style for our photography because it provides a timeless aesthetic with accurate colors and flawless skin tones.
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Choose Photographer With Technical Expertise
Technical expertise is the basic but significant skill to check when asking how to choose a wedding photographer. It does not matter how great the photographers gear is when they did not practice enough with it and have a problem using it on the fly. Knowing the equipment and ability to adapt to many unexpected changes goes a long way in wedding photography. How can you tell if the wedding photographer is great on a technical level and can nail photos without technical mistakes?
Tips For The Amateur Wedding Photographer
These tips are designed to help you capture the best images at the wedding.
The initial communication is important, as you will find out about the couples ideas and wishes. This day is all about them and what they want to have captured.
Do as much research and scouting for light and settings as you need. This ensures you are prepared and confident on the wedding day. You are not a guest or a family member, you are working, so focus on the day at hand.
Read through a few more of our tips on how to ensure the day goes according to the plan.
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Understand Rights To The Photos
The permissions and legal intricacies around rights to wedding photos can often be blurry, so any clarification you can get before signing off will benefit both you and the photographer down the line.
For my clients, I typically own the rights to the images, while giving the couple/family personal use to them. They receive high resolution files so they are able to print and post on the internet for personal use as much as they would like, with the only modification allowed being cropping. Before using any couples imagery in a business portfolio, its best to check with them first. When it comes to any type of commercial usage or business usage with other vendors, it just becomes a conversation, but I am typically very flexible. I look at photo permissions on a case-by-case basis, and if you have specific desires for the images, just ask so we can work something out.
Tip 08
Consider The Lighting At Your Venues
Whether itll be a sunny, outside setup or low-lit, indoor ambiance, assessing the amount, source, and timing of light in your venue is key to making proper arrangements with the photographer.
Light is the one thing that can truly make or break a photo. A fall or winter wedding is going to look different than a sunny, summer wedding. Having a ceremony in the late afternoon can be much better for lighting purposes over a midday ceremony. So my biggest advice to couples is to just ask questions about light when chatting with a photographer. A true professional should be able to easily explain different lighting situations and outcomes, and help a couple structure a wedding timeline in a way that gives the best lighting possible throughout the day.
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Honesty About Timing To Do The Job Correctly Is The Quality You Need To Look For In Your Wedding Photographer
The same goes for the situations when the timeline is shifted early in a day. In this case, a great photographer would ask the bride to limit the number of family photos to the immediate family. Otherwise, they would have to rush through them all to accommodate a long shot list. This way, they would create carefully crafted portraits of the couples closest people. Later, during downtime at the reception, and theyd work with extended family groupings
