I’m a wedding photographer, but this doesn’t mean I’m the right wedding photographer for you.
Choosing the right wedding photographer can be overwhelming because there are so many of us to choose from. Wedding images these days can be crazy, quirky, formal, romantic, serious… the question is “what style do you want?” Unfortunately I can’t answer that question, but what I can do is give you a couple of tips for choosing your wedding photographer and hopefully make the process a little easier for you.
Photo by Thorson Photography
1. Look first, listen second. I was married in 2004 and at the time, photojournalistic wedding photos were just starting to gain popularity and this was the style I wanted. We met with a photographer (a friend of a friend) and I explained to her what I wanted and she replied “sure, no problem, I can do that”. We booked her and you can imagine my disappointment when I got the photos back seeing that 95% of them were formal and posed. Looking back I can see that I made a big mistake – I listened to the photographer’s words instead of looking at her work. At our meeting I looked over her portfolio and it was formal, but silly me locked in on a few natural shots and gave her the benefit of the doubt, thinking she would shoot my wedding in the style I asked for.
What I should have done and what I suggest you do, is to really look closely at a photographer’s portfolio and if what they’re saying doesn’t match up with their work, then don’t book them. This might sound obvious, but beware because sometimes it can be easy for a photographer to fudge a portfolio, so make sure you see a lot of their work. Clients who meet with me see at least two full weddings and then I have over 50 weddings on my blog for them to look through. This is to make sure my expectations and the couples’ expectations are the same.
Photo by Thorson Photography
2. Look for consistency. Something you can look for when you are examining a potential photographer’s portfolio is consistency. Make sure the photographic style looks similar at every wedding. It’s a huge red flag if one wedding is soft and romantic and the next overly saturated and vibrant. It shows that your photographer doesn’t have a definite style and that means you won’t have a definite idea of what you’re getting!
Photo by Thorson Photography
3. The photographer’s personality. Many couples forget that their photographer is with them for a large portion of their wedding day. Remember that this person is going to document one of the most important days of your life. He/she will meet your family, photograph your tears and maybe even see you in your underwear when you’re getting ready. So go with your gut. If you meet a photographer and they give you the creeps go with someone else. You may think this is crazy advice especially if you’re in love with the creepy photographer’s style, but if you want to look natural and happy in your photos you need to be comfortable with your photographer.
Photo by Thorson Photography
The trick is to find the photographer who matches your wedding’s flavour in both style and personality. It’s bad for both parties involved (the client and the photographer) if you pick the wrong person. Your photographer wants you to love your photos, to yell from the rooftops that your wedding photographer is the best in the world and so it kills our soft, creative hearts if you’re disappointed with your images. So do your research and choose wisely. Thankfully, these days doing research doesn’t mean meeting with 30 different photographers. You can usually get a pretty good idea from a photographer’s Facebook page and blog if they’re going to be right for you. This narrows the choice to one or two, then a short meeting with them should make your decision clear!
Ms Gingham says: This is probably one of the best posts on this topic that I have read and I really wish I knew this stuff before I booked my photographer!
About Amanda of Thorson Photography: Relationships are the most important thing we have in life. The people we surround ourselves with love us, even if we are big nerds. I want to capture these relationships either by portrait or on your wedding day. Not as insincere, fake images that don’t even look like you, but as honest refections of your love and connection to one another.
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