How To Choose A Wedding Photographer
Recently, a debate among photographers in the wedding industry erupted about the state of wedding photography. It’s about a particular “system” that pretty much encouraged entering the professional field without the necessary skills needed to document your special day. The argument is that photographers can just put their camera on automatic mode and just pray to God they get something good.
At first I didn’t care too much about this hoopla. I’d rather spend my time working on my own business than worrying about how other people run theirs. And besides, if brides chose those “spray and pray” photographers, and later realized that they had made a mistake, then the only people they can blame are themselves. They should have done their research in the first place.
But then again, a wedding is a once in a lifetime event. There is no do-over, so to speak. You mess up the photographs and you are stuck with terrible photographs. I would hate for couples to spend good money on wedding photography and end up with nothing beautiful to show for it.
So I thought, maybe, if brides are educated on how to choose a wedding photographer, then at least they have something to work with. They are more informed. They know that the memories from their wedding day will truly be captured in beautiful and artful images.
Here are my tips:
1. Ask for a couple of complete wedding galleries from the photographer.
Looking through a complete wedding gallery will give you an idea on what your final product will look like. It will also let you see how consistent that photographer is in terms of their style and post processing so that you’ll know what to expect from them come your wedding. Wedding photographers are more than happy to share you complete wedding galleries so don’t be afraid to ask!
2. Ask some references from their past brides.
You want to make sure that the photographer has great customer service and that they have provided their brides with a wonderful experience for their wedding. Ask the past brides what it was like working with the photographer and if they were happy with the services they received. Think of it as like hiring a nanny for your child. You won’t just hire someone without references. The same thing applies to wedding photography. Don’t forget, there is no do-over. Wedding images will stay with you forever.
3. Ask for images from different lighting situations that the photographer has dealt with.
This will show you how skilled the photographer is. Photography, after all, is about light. You cannot create a photograph without light and great photographers are those who can interpret and transform light. You’ll need to ask the photographer for samples that were shot indoors, outdoors at high noon (harsh light), or after dark during reception (low light). Basically, anybody can take good pictures on a cloudy day when the light is soft and pleasing. It would be nice if the weather brought us cloudy days each time there was a wedding. Unfortunately that just does not happen. So by checking how the photographer deals with different lighting situations, you can weed out those whose skills need more work.
4. Is the photographer committed to education?
Anyone who thinks that they have nothing else left to learn is naïve in my opinion. There is always something new to learn. As a photographer, their job is to make sure that the services and final products they provide are current with the industry’s standards. That’s why it’s important that they make an effort to continually educate themselves. Ask the photographer what professional organizations they belong to such as WPPI, PPA, or WPJA (just to name a few.) These organizations provide support and educational materials for photographers. Also ask what workshops they’ve attended, or what books they have recently read, or even what photography videos they have seen. At least you’ll know that they are eager to learn and are striving to be better at what they do.
5. Choose quality over quantity. Two photographers is not necessarily greater than one.
Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against photographers working as teams. However it is important that both people from the team are capable photographers in their own right. Like Ben and Erin Chrisman; Davina and Daniel; and Dave and Quin of DQ Studios. The trouble occurs when someone on the team is…well…not really a photographer. Do your research. You might as well just have hired one.
Hope that helps!
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