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How to Choose a Wedding Photographer

Shopping for a local or destination wedding photographer isn’t like selecting outfits and bridal bouquets for one simple reason: you can’t see the pictures you’re buying until after you’ve made your decision. In the end, your decision will be largely a matter faith. For many, price ends up being the primary determining factor, which doesn’t make much sense when you consider that there are no second chances.

Remember again – the perfect photographer for your wedding is like playing Russian Roulette. You never quite know who you are getting or how good they are. You don’t know what can go wrong. A studio will charge £500 - £5000 or more for your wedding; the price of a decent vacation. Once the wedding is done, the photos and video are the only record of your important day. It is a one shot deal with no undo button. I don’t have a problem paying good money for someone who is best in their class. Your first task should be to plan your ceremony ending time and reception start time as close as possible, because you pay for the number of hours you have your photographer. Having fewer hours that you’ll have to pay a studio, DJ, and reception location can save you thousands.

 Carefully review his or her portfolio. Try to concentrate on photos and not on website design. Today anyone can get a beautiful template flash website for a few hundred bucks. Good photographers usually show plenty of their recent work online including full weddings – you will save time by pre-qualifying photographers who have comprehensive online portfolio for possible meeting.

Call or email each photographer on your list. A quick phone call or short email will give you a number of key pieces of information, such as the photographer’s availability on your wedding day, type of photography specialties (e.g., candid, traditional, photojournalism, combination, film or digital, etc.), and a rough idea as to how much they’ll charge you and what you’ll receive for that fee. It will also tell you a bit about the photographer’s personality. Remember, this person will be an integral part of the most important day of your life, so be sure you choose someone you feel good about.
Make appointments with the photographers who sound promising so you can view their portfolios and discuss details. These meetings should include both the bride and groom as well as the bride’s parents, and anyone else who will either be paying for the work or working closely with the photographer. Write down all your questions before you meet, and take notes during the meetings.

If you’re still interested in the photographer’s services at this point, I’d ask to see a complete coverage of a single wedding. That’s a lot more important than seeing a selection of beautiful highlights from many different weddings.

When looking through the album, evaluate the work by placing yourself in the position that this could have been YOUR wedding coverage. Ask yourself if the photographer has actually considered the individual characteristics and personality of each of the important persons in the photographs. Has the photographer caught the individual’s actual feelings of the moment, or are these just pictures of people standing and looking self-consciously into the lens. Do they look natural? Or even better than real? And, in fact, is that what you and they really want?

Choosing the Perfect Photographer for your wedding is like playing Russian Roulette. You never quite know who you are getting or how good they are. You don’t know what can go wrong. A studio will charge £500 – £5000 or more for your wedding; the price of a decent vacation. Once the wedding is done, the photos and video are the only record of your important day. It is a one shot deal with no undo button. I don’t have a problem paying good money for someone who is best in their class. Your first task should be to plan your ceremony ending time and reception start time as close as possible, because you pay for the number of hours you have your photographer. Having fewer hours that you’ll have to pay a studio, DJ, and reception location can save you thousands.