1. The aesthetics of the photographer
There are many different approaches to wedding photography. When searching for images by photographers that have caught your eye, ask yourself what it is about the images that you like. Some photographers create highly posed, formal photographs, while others prefer a more spontaneous approach. You’ll also notice that some photographers use bright colors while others have a more muted palette in their images. Also, some photographers like their photos to look light and airy, while others prefer to create images with lots of dark tones. What style do you prefer? The reason it’s important to keep this in mind when looking at wedding photographers is that while it’s great to discuss your preferences and tastes with potential photographers, it’s not advisable to ask a photographer to completely change their style for your wedding. . Instead, it’s best to choose someone who has images on their website that resemble how you’d like your wedding to look. So, for example, if you like a lot of candid photos, make sure the photographers you choose to meet include a lot of those images in their portfolios.
2. Customer Service
How quickly does the photographer respond to your emails and phone calls? Does he or she take the time to listen to you and understand what you are looking for in your wedding photos? Planning the photography side of your wedding is a complicated process that requires careful attention to detail to ensure proper scheduling and execution. You want to make sure you have a photographer you can reach by email and phone, who will get back to you right away.
3. Personality
I definitely recommend meeting your photographer in person before the wedding if possible. If not, ask if you can at least set up a Skype call to talk virtual face-to-face. You want to make sure you enjoy this person’s company! It’s someone who will probably be with you from when you get ready in the morning until the last song at the end of the night. If you don’t feel comfortable with him or her now, chances are you won’t feel comfortable with him or her on your wedding day either. In my opinion, a good wedding photographer has a sense of humor, smiles a lot, cares deeply about you and your fiancé’s needs, and loves what he does so much that it radiates from his very pores. What you feel for your photographer, believe it or not, will show up in your photos, so he chooses someone you have fun with on your big day.
4. Deliverables
What are you really getting from the photographer? It can be overwhelming to compare different packages and plugins. Prices can vary greatly. It can also be a challenge to decide what you want. For most couples, I recommend having a copy of the digital files, a small selection of copies, and an album. At my own wedding I ordered too many prints and two years later I still don’t know what to do with all of them as I only framed three but I show my wedding album to everyone who comes to visit me at my house. I recommend telling the photographer what he’s looking for in terms of albums, prints, and digital files, even if it’s different than what’s on his list of packages. It’s also good to check and see what the digital files will be. Will all colors be corrected and enhanced, or will you only receive digital proofs and incur additional post-processing fees?
5. Trust your gut
Last but not least, your instincts will usually lead you in the right direction. A wedding is a matter of the heart, so don’t forget to include her in the decision process!
