How to Choose the Right Wedding Photographer

Written By StillNation Photography
 
 
 

1. Look at the full wedding galleries, not just at a display of the best shots from different weddings

You might have noticed that most photographers post a selection of their favorite shots from different weddings on the main page of their websites. This makes sense — it gives clients an instant idea of the photographer’s style and gives the photographer a perfect opportunity to show off their best work!

While each of these images could have a wow factor, make sure you look at the examples of full galleries that the photographer posts because looking at the collection of best shots gives absolutely no perception of what you can expect as a final result from your wedding day. 

If there are no full-day sample galleries, this might already be a red flag — the chances are that the photographer does not have decent examples of their full-day work. Also, beware if they post 10-15 images from a single wedding because chances are these might be the best images they’ve got from the whole day of shooting.

When looking at their galleries, look for things like consistency in quantity and quality of the images from each event, variety they provide, and moments the photographer manages to catch.
Are all of the photos staged? Beware of the styled/staged wedding shoots – these are not real weddings, they are created in artificial environment, usually with professional models, so it does not give you a real idea of what you can expect to get.
Do they do a good job capturing candid moments? Keep in mind that it’s easy to take a good photo when you’re in control of the environment, but most of the wedding day consists of natural and uncontrolled moments. First look, ceremony, first dance, father-daughter and mother-son dances, toasts from your loved ones, cake cutting, bouquet/garter toss, and so on – all of these moments are crucial and cannot be repeated, and it takes proper skills and knowledge to capture those moments properly.

 
 

2. Do you like the picture or what’s IN the picture?

When looking at the photos you like, ask yourself “What do I like about this picture”? You might be surprised how often you will find out that your attention was grabbed by something that’s in the picture, and not necessarily the photo itself.

For example, it might be an astonishing $30k dress, expensive setting/décor, majestic venue, or breathtaking background from the top of the mountain or tropical beach. All of these things make a stunning picture, but are not accomplishments of the photographer. Yes, a lot of time that’s what the photographers post on their social media because it grabs people’s attention and when people look at these photos they say “Stunning!”, “Such a beautiful picture!”, without realizing that they are actually impressed by the attributes shown in the picture.

To get a better understanding of the photographer’s actual skills and creativity, try checking out the galleries of smaller weddings, elopements, or engagement shoots. See what results they manage to deliver in a more simplistic environment, especially if this is a one-location shoot. Is there a good variety of photos? Do they focus on one type of shots, such as close-ups only, or only full-body shots? Do all poses seem to be super generic/classic? Do they include some unique, more creative perspectives? If such sessions still look appealing overall and have some outstanding shots, that would indicate the photographer’s ability to provide consistently good results no matter the environment.

 
 

3. The mastery of lighting! Look at their evening/night shots, as well as indoor shots

You might have heard some of the photographers positioning themselves as “natural light” or “available light” photographers. This is a very tricky topic. The truth is, that most of these photographers simply do not know how to use both on-camera and off-camera lighting properly.
During daylight, pretty much every photographer only utilizes natural lighting, but when it comes to night or indoor shots, the problem is that… well, there is no natural light!

For most weddings, many important moments happen during evening hours and/or indoors: first dance, father/daughter and mother/son dances, toasts from friends and family, cake cutting, bouquet and garter toss.. and, of course, dancing!

In order to capture those moments properly, the photographer has to possess the right lighting skills and equipment. None of the reception rooms are lit up like stadiums. Of course, you could technically set up any type of lighting, but who would want to have their party in harsh, bright lighting? Evening celebrations are usually all about this cozy and magical ambiance, with soft, gentle, non-disturbing lighting (oh, and don’t forget the candles!). And partying time usually includes a combination of minimal lighting + all sorts of dance floor and party lights.

When it comes to these surroundings, the photographer needs to add their own source of lighting. Without doing this, you end up relying solely on luck to get some decent shots from your reception, or you will end up with a lot of blurry, out-of-focus images, especially for those moments that include movement. 

When talking to the photographer, ask how comfortable they are working in dark environments and if they have the right equipment. Specifically, ask is they are proficient in using off-camera lighting, as on-camera flash is not always suitable for all environments, and a lot of photos could end up looking “flat”, meaning there will be little to no color or texture to it.  

We all know how expensive weddings are, and when you invest so much into one of the most important days of your life, you definitely want to make sure that every moment and detail is captured properly.

 
 

4. Don’t fall for “free stuff” offerings

This might surprise you, but having free things such as albums or prints included in your package doesn’t add that much value. In most cases, the stuff that is offered for free is very generic and inexpensive, something that everyone can order online themselves nowadays. If we are talking about something more high-end, this will definitely come as an add-on option for an additional price, but not for free.

So it’s more of a psychological trick to make clients think they are getting a really good deal by choosing a photographer that already includes prints/albums in their package, so you won’t have any additional spending later.

Let’s look at the following example: If you have 2 photographers in mind and the style of the first one appeals more to you, but the second one offers a free album and some prints, look at what kind of album and prints they deliver and estimate how much of a “bonus” you’re really getting. Most likely this will not be a groundbreaking amount of “savings” ($50? $100? $200 tops?). Now, is this difference worth choosing this photographer vs. the one you liked more? Probably not!

Also, keep in mind that prints and albums can be obtained at any point after the wedding, so you do not have to invest in them right away. You can get to them at a later point, when you have financially recovered from all the wedding spending.
Your day, on the other hand, cannot be recreated, and there will be no second chance to capture those moments, so put an emphasis on choosing a photographer who will complete this important task well!

Every couple has different priorities – some invest more into flowers and décor, some choose to concentrate on food, and some splurge on entertainment..  but no matter what the size and scope of your event is, one could argue that having good photos from your special day might be the top priority. Even if it’s an elopement with just 2 of you, it’s your special day, and in the end, the photos will be the only memories you have! Even if you have a strict budget, it might be a better call to hire your dream photographer for less amount of hours than you would hire another photographer for. Because if it’s someone really great and you totally love what they provide, the chances are that even for a shorter period of time, they will be able to provide you with some very impressive shots that you will cherish forever!

 
 

5. It doesn’t matter if a photographer has shot at your venue before

To put it simply, choose based on the style you like and based on the photographer’s knowledge and skills.
A real professional will thrive anywhere, an amateur could struggle even in places they are familiar with.

The best example would be world-famous photographers (whether it’s weddings, fashion/modeling, or any other kind of photographer), whose clients pay to have them fly to different destination countries and cities. Do you think they get hired because they’ve already shot at a certain location before? No, they get hired because their track record shows that they can produce amazing results anywhere!

If you are concerned about the photographer knowing “the best spots” around the venue, don’t worry about that: first of all, it’s a common habit for photographers to scout the area before they get to work, and second of all, a lot of them do research beforehand (shoutout to the wonder of 21st century called internet!). 

Also, no two weddings are alike!
If you are looking at the photographer’s previous work from that place and are hoping they’ll recreate identical shots for you, there is something important to understand: every wedding is different; every wedding is unique!
If we talk about indoor shots, everything can be different: different setup, different décor, different lighting.
If we talk about outdoor shots, keep in mind that there are a variety of factors that could make the same place look completely different: time of the year - think about trees and greenery; weather - affects lighting greatly; and even time of the day – the shot that you loved on the internet could have been taken at midday when that spot gets the perfect shade, but if your schedule differs and you get to the spot when it’s in direct sun, it will look totally different. Don’t set your mind on copying someone else’s shot – if circumstances will allow it – great, you will be able to recreate it, but if not – don’t worry, the professional photographer will be able to come up with alternative ideas and deliver great results nonetheless!  

 
 

6. Only hire an actual wedding photographer

Don’t hire a friend-of-a-friend who has a camera and photographs nature/food/puppies and can do it practically for free.

The number of times couples have gone with a more “budget-friendly” option and ended up hating their wedding photos is more common than you’d think (which is always devastating to hear, because your wedding is one of the most important and memorable days of your life, and cannot be re-photographed).

Also, do not hire photographers who specialize in other fields, such as modeling, or portraits. Shooting weddings is VERY, very different, and we cannot stress it enough. This is probably one of the most difficult fields in photography as it is very eventful and requires the photographer to be always on the go and be familiar with the flow in order to be ready to photograph the important moments and details.
In most of the other types of photography, the photographer is fully in control of the environment and people – you choose the spot for the photo, you can move the decorations, and you can position the people properly. And most importantly, you can re-take the shot. Most of the wedding day, on the other hand (except couples sessions and family shots), is uncontrolled and consists of candid moments. You can’t control the ceremony or the first kiss, dancing, toasts, and so on. These things just happen “naturally”, and the photographer adjusts accordingly. But in order to adjust, you have to know what to do and do it quickly, as many moments do not last long, and most importantly, there is no chance for a re-take.

 
 

7. Don’t ask, “How long have you been doing this”?

Ask, “How many weddings have you shot”?

Unlike other professions, wedding photography is not something that happens on a daily basis, so it’s really hard to judge a photographer’s experience based on how many years they’ve been doing that.

Someone might tell you that they’ve been doing it for 10 years, but what if this is more like a side gig for them, and they only photograph 2 weddings a year? That would bring them to having done 20 weddings in total.

On the other hand, there might be someone who has been doing it for 5 years as a main business, photographing multiple big weekend weddings every month, plus taking on smaller weddings/elopements during the week.. the number of their experience in years will be half less, but their real experience will be 100x greater because they’ve covered many more events, have been exposed to different environments and circumstances, and so on.  

Ask how many weddings they’ve shot, the sizes of events they’ve covered, ask what were the most unusual/difficult/stressful moments they’ve had to deal with?

These questions will work much better for determining the photographer's experience and their ability to work under different circumstances.

Bonus question: Ask what makes them a good photographer. What makes them better than other photographers in their area? And no, this will not be a weird question to ask, as you can provide a perfect clarification for asking it: you know nothing about professional photography yourself, so you are trying to understand what aspects of this field distinguish beginners from professionals.

Ask it, and see what answers they provide. Like in any field, there are beginners and professionals. Beginners will most likely provide very generic answers, like “I have professional equipment”, or “I have been doing it for X amount of time”, while professionals will be able to give more unique answers and share some interesting perspectives regarding this field, that might not be obvious to others.

 
 

8. Ask how many photos will you get and if all of them will come edited and in high-resolution

Unfortunately, there are some photographers who choose to follow a not-so-transparent approach when selling their services.

For example, after your wedding has been photographed and your gallery has been delivered, you might find out that there is a very limited number of pictures, and some moments are missing, even though you know they’ve been captured.
Or there might be all pictures present, but when you download them, they are in really low resolution and won’t even be suitable for printing.
Or, your photos could have watermarks on them.

This is because these photographers could put a limit on how many photos will be given to you, or only provide you with “proofs” (low resolution files), and if you want more photos/higher quality, you have to pay additional fees.

So, always be sure to ask if there is a limit on how many photos they deliver as part of your package and if all of them will be delivered in high resolution, with no watermarks.

Talking about this, ask if there are any additional fees you can expect at all. The above examples of hidden fees are the most common in the industry, but you never know what people can come up with in an attempt to make an extra buck. Be sure to get as transparent and detailed information as possible about what you are getting as part of your package. 

 
 

9. Make sure you know who will be photographing your wedding

There are single-person or couple-owned businesses, and there are also bigger companies with lots of different sub-contractors and associates.

Be sure to ask if the person you’re speaking with will be the one photographing your wedding.

Or, if they have multiple photographers, be sure you have a chance to review their work/portfolio to make sure their vision and style match yours. Ideally, speak with them too so you could evaluate their professionalism and see if you feel comfortable with their vibe and personality.

But beware of the companies that can’t even tell exactly who you will get as your photographer – it means they have a lot of contractors coming and going, and you cannot know for sure what quality to expect. They might show work samples of their best photographers displayed on the website, but that doesn’t mean that you will get the same quality.

Weddings are very personal events, and they deserve a personal approach.

 
 

 

StillNation Photography https://www.stillnation.com