How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Photographer for You
Planning your wedding day is no small task. Between finding the ideal venue to host your celebration, creating a timeline including all the events of your day, and crafting the perfect vendor team to make your dream wedding a reality, this only scratches the surface of the effort that goes into bringing your wedding day to life. It can be pretty daunting to think about when you first start planning your day, as this is one of the most important moments of your lives. Thankfully there are articles like this to help guide you through the different aspects of wedding planning, such as choosing the perfect photographer for your day! That’s what we’re here to cover today, so without further ado let’s get right into it.
Things to Consider Before You Choose a Wedding Photographer
As we work our way through these different questions to ask yourselves when choosing your wedding photographer it’s important to note that there’s really no one right answer for any of them. Every wedding day is different, just like how each and every couple is totally unique. Your love is one of a kind, and so are your tastes, styles, and preferences. This means that the perfect photographer for you is something only YOU will know. While reading through this article be open and honest with your partner about your expectations and what your vision for your wedding day is like. By doing this you’ll be able to choose the photographer that’s best for you and your day!
Their Photography Style
The first thing you’ll likely notice when looking for your potential wedding photographer is their unique photography style. Just as each couple is totally unique, so too are us wedding photographers as we all have our own style to our work. Some photographers excel with taking more formal and posed portraits, where others document more candid moments throughout the day, and some strike a balance somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.
Here at Forest City Photographs for example we have a keen eye for documenting your day and the moments that make it special as they happen naturally, while also being able to beautifully and artfully capture a variety of portraits for our couples. Be sure to pay close attention to the work your photographer showcases on their portfolio and Instagram, and once you inquire with them you’ll also want to ask how they personally describe their photography style.
Their Editing Style
Every wedding photographer’s editing style is equally as unique as their photography style, if not even more so. Two photographers could be given the same photograph to edit, after which the final images would each have their own distinct style and feel to them. One photographer could have a warmer, more dreamy style to their editing, while the other may have a cooler and more grounded style. Both appeal to different people for different reasons, so it’s important that you’re in tune with what appeals specifically to you as a couple. After all, everyone sees things differently, so make sure your wedding album is edited in a style that YOU personally enjoy!
Their Experience Level
One thing that may not be as easily apparent, but is just as important as the other areas we’ve covered so far, is the experience level of your potential photographer. Finding and choosing an experienced photographer is a fantastic way to drastically elevate your wedding day experience in a number of ways. For starters, they’ll be able to make adjustments and decisions at the drop of a hat to help ensure your day runs as smoothly as possible. An experienced photographer will also be comfortable in documenting your photos in different types of lighting and weather scenarios.
When inquiring with your potential photographer ask about their experience and if you can see a full wedding gallery of theirs, ideally one at a venue similar to yours. Pay close attention to how their photos look throughout the day, especially in low light scenarios. You want your album to be beautiful front to back, not just during the time they’re most comfortable with.
The Experience They Provide
Another area that you’ll need to dig a little deeper to learn about when choosing your wedding photographer is the experience they provide to their couples. How often do they reach out between when you book them and the wedding date itself? What (if any) planning assistance do they provide for their couples? Do they act more as a fly on the wall, or are they interacting with the couple and their guests throughout the day? The experience provided for your wedding day is a huge factor in finding the right wedding photographer for you.
At Forest City Photographs our priority, in addition to providing stunning photographs to our couples, is to elevate the overall experience while keeping things as simple and seamless as possible. One of my favorite examples of this is our implementation of Polaroid photos throughout a wedding day. It adds an extra bit of flair and a personal touch to any wedding album, and we find that our couples absolutely adore this. This is just one small portion of the stellar experience we strive to provide every one of our couples.
The Connection You Feel with Them
You spend a lot of time throughout your wedding day with your wedding photographer, sometimes even more so than with your spouse! With this being the case it is crucial that you not only love the style of your photographer and the experience they provide, but also that you enjoy simply being around them. Before any of our clients book with us we have them fill out an inquiry form to get an idea of what they’re looking for. From there we set up a discovery call where we can chat a bit and get to know one another, to see if we’re the right fit. This is common practice for most photographers, as it’s a great way to find out from the very start whether the couple and their prospective photographer mesh well together.
One thing we always suggest to our couples is for us to have an engagement session prior to their wedding day, and we do this for two main reasons. First is that it gives you more photos of your relationship, all in the same style of your wedding album. The other, and probably most important reason, is that it’s the perfect way to get to know each other prior to the big day itself. This means there’s no awkwardness at the start of your wedding day as we won’t be strangers, and we’re able to get a low stakes trial run of what it will be like to work together.
Their Contract
The last three points I want to make center more on the logistics side of choosing your wedding photographer, and while not quite as exciting as the previous sections these are equally important. First and foremost is your photographer’s contract. When you decide to book with a photographer they’ll then send over your contract for your wedding coverage. If this isn’t the case and the photographer operates without a contract that is a HUGE red flag. Steer clear of situations like those, as contracts exist to protect the photographer as well as the couple. Once you do receive the contract be sure to read through it completely. This may be a bit boring and tedious, but it can be a literal lifesaver at times. Be on the lookout for anything suspicious or odd in the contract, and don’t be afraid to ask questions to your photographer.
Their Turnaround Time
One thing that should be mentioned in your photographer’s contract, and if not this is another red flag, is the turnaround time for your wedding album. This should be listed out as well as whether or not they provide sneak peeks and what the turnaround time of those is as well. When looking through the contract keep an eye out for concrete delivery dates/timeframes. Most photographers will deliver the final gallery somewhere between 8-12 weeks, but this varies greatly from one photographer to the next. If the time frame varies greatly from this, for example an estimation of 20+ weeks for delivery, you may want to reconsider booking that photographer.
Their Pricing and Payment Schedule
Finally, let’s talk about pricing of your potential wedding photographer. We’ve actually put out an in-depth article covering the cost of wedding photography for you to reference. The important thing to note is that wedding photography is an investment, and one that is VERY worthwhile. Documenting one of the best days of your lives so you're able to forever look back on and relive it is one of the most important investments that you’ll make into your wedding day. That being said, everyone’s budget is different, so be sure that your photographer’s price falls in line with the budget of your day.
You’ll also want to ask about their payment schedule and requirements. Do they allow credit card payments? Are you able to pay for your day in its entirety up front, or do they require split payments in the months leading to your day? Knowing these things is crucial for ensuring there are no surprises when it comes to investing in your photographer.
Now that you know what to look for and what questions to ask when choosing your wedding photographer, it’s time to start sending out inquiries to some that have caught your eye. I recommend only reaching out to at most 3 at a time so that you can keep track of who you are talking with, and as a rule of thumb the sooner the better for contacting them. Generally photographer's schedules start filling up 12-18 months in advance depending on the popularity of your date! If you’re looking to book with Forest City Photographs make sure you send us an inquiry via our contact page so we can get the ball rolling today!
