Hi Everyone!
My good friend, Margarette Sia, is an up and coming wedding photographer; and I asked her to help me out with today’s post! 🙂 You can check her out on her website: margarettesia.com! She’s done several weddings and engagement photo shoots, so I’d thought it be fun to ask her “what are the top 10 things you should look for in a wedding photographer?” I hope this helps you bride-to-be’s!
10 Things to Look for in a Wedding Photographer & Do Once You’ve Found One!
- Are their collections within your budget? Always know your budget, and always know how much a photographer charges before you invest too much time into talking with them–this saves you time and also helps you not get too attached to a photographer that might be out of budget! They should have it on their website, and if not, make sure to ask for it in an email! Make sure that their price also accommodates how long you would like them to cover your wedding! Compare their collections!
- A photographer who fits your style. How a photographer edits their photos and how they angle most of their shots consists of their style. Some are more traditional, others are more dramatic, and some are more artsy and angled. Other than the price, and the personality of a photographer, their style is extremely important and it’s what differentiates them from other photographers! Be sure to look at their portfolio and try to envision how their style of photographs would work with your wedding theme! Some examples of different styles may be: edgy and bold (high contrast, darkened images), portraiture (very posed and proper), documentary (more candid and unposed), vintage (blue-tint or bright, think hipster), etc.
- What type of wedding coverage do they provide? Definitely take time to look at if the photographer takes pre-wedding/getting ready photos, or “first-look” shots, or if they cover the dance floor for at least some time! What photos are you looking for? If they don’t take pre-wedding or getting ready photos and you would really appreciate those, talk to them and see if they do it, and if not, if that’s important to you, find another one! See what services they provide during a wedding and see if it fits with what you find important in being captured for your big day!
- Look at their post-production details! How long do they usually take to edit and when do you want them? How will they be given to you? Will they be printed? Will it be given to you by CD, flashdrive, or will they downloaded? Will they be High Resolution? These are things to consider and work out and ask while you’re looking.
- Look for a wedding photographer with good communication. Like with most things in life and in relationships with others, communication is always key. Once you have contacted a photographer, see how well they are at communicating with timeliness! As wedding times get closer, you will need a photographer who will be good at communicating and responding to make sure everything is set for your big day!
- Set up interviews. Set up a meeting with photographers to get to know them better and to also ask to view full albums if you can, and ask other questions that you might have in person. This is also helpful to seeing how they work and how you are able to work with them! Set up a couple of interviews with your top three to four photographers that you have found and be ready to discuss your venue, wedding style and how you envision your photos to be taken.
- Look for a photographer who you get along with! I haven’t been married yet, but as a photographer, I am certain that I would definitely want a photographer I could get along with and talk with for my wedding. This person will be capturing a momentous day for you in your life and it’s important to get along with them during the process! You don’t need to be best friends (if you are, that is AWESOME & I’m all in for being good friends with the photographer), but to at least enjoy working with them is something that is good for both the photographer and the bride and groom! 🙂 Most of the time, a photographer at least has a second shooter. Or if you are working with a larger photography company, they may have different photographers. Get to know and confirm who the photographers are and make good communication with them to make sure you and the photographers are on the same page.
- Read the contract. Understand what liabilities the photographer has and what rights you have with the photos BEFORE you sign the contract. This seems easy enough, but I’ve seen many people just sign paperwork without taking a glance at what they’re signing for–in fact, I’ve been guilty of this. But in this case, be sure to read it and understand it! This can help clear things up and assure that there is no sticky underlying mess throughout your process! Discuss them with your photographer if you have any questions! Just ask and clarify! 🙂
- Make a list of all the people you want photos with. Start this out early because you will find yourself growing the list longer and longer. This helps assure that you will get these photos taken, or at least most of them! This gives you and your photographer a clear understanding of what you want and expect. (Ex: Photos with parents, whole family, each reception table, bride & groom solos, bride and each bridesmaid, etc.) Discuss this list with your photographer too, to see how reasonable it will be with the given time frames of your wedding! 🙂 Communicate! A photographer will usually ask for one, but if they don’t make one anyways!
- Give a schedule of the wedding to the photographer as soon as you can. Once you, or your wedding planner, have a set itinerary, make sure to give a copy to your photographer. This way they can understand where they have to be and how much time they have allotted to take photos! Make sure to set aside some time for bridal party and family portraits! Most people set this time between the ceremony and the reception! 🙂
Well, there you have it! Wedding photographers are responsible for capturing not only the moments of your wedding, but the story behind it as well. So, make sure you find someone that you TRUST!
Anyhow, thanks for reading the post! Hope it helps! Don’t forget to check out Margarette’s work on her website 🙂
Happy Wednesday!
<3,
Hannah
Sweetly Blushed 