Choosing your wedding photographer

“Ok, this is not a post aimed at anybody specific but more so to help future brides and grooms!

I have seen recently a lot of suppliers- especially photographers (I am one myself) take one hell of a bashing (I’m not taking sides because I don’t know the full story to any of them)

PLASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH ON VENDORS!!!!

When choosing a photographer please don’t just choose based on price (deals or freebies)that all means nothing, equally you can have a really expensive photographer or a very cheap photographer and either one can disappoint you if you don’t do your research on them. At the end of the day people value themselves and their work however they wish- but that doesn’t determine their quality or the work that you may or may not like .

Too many people book based on price (either super cheap or super expensive) which compliments their budget but never really look into the photographer and how they work .

Just a few things to think about before booking a photographer :

Does their business look sustainable? Will they be working in years to come when you often book in advance ?

Do they have insurance? Some venues will turn you away without it.

Have you looked at multiple photographers work to be able to consider all different styles?

If you find a photographer you like have you checked out enough of their work for consistency?

Do you have a contract with them if it all goes wrong?

Have you made sure you have actually read the contract you have been given?

Do you understood exactly what you will be getting?

Do you get along with them?

Do they contact you often?

Have you checked out their editing style?

Is their style of work really for you?

There are plenty more things I could write down but these are just a few.

Some of the common questions we get asked:

Most photographers want to protect their artistic style and have a certain shooting/editing style. We sometimes get asked if we can edit in a different style- if you are asking this then they may not be the photographer for you!

Can you recreate a photograph I have seen on Pinterest or the same as someone else’s work. Some may agree, some may not and say it won’t compliment their shooting style. Others may say yes and not let it see the light of day and then others may put their own spin on it.

Telling a photographer how to work often crushes their creative brain, doesn’t make them perform well and hinders the images (yes I understand you want to work together but telling them exactly how to shoot and what to shoot all the time doesn’t always work) We fully understand that you would like certain shots but try not to demand to much.

Giving a photographer a list of lots of photographs(groups) doesn’t always work. Try keep it to immediate family initially and grab some other groups later in the evening this well help the day flow better.

Please don’t edit over a photographers work as it really upsets them and is often in the contract. Nobody wants a snapchat filter over their art work after they have spent so long editing the image and spending money on editing equipment!!!

Raw images (originals) will often not be handed out because its not a finished product and in the wrong hands can reflect bad on the business of the photographer (you wouldn’t ask your wedding chef to give you raw meat and eat it)

Turn around times are often stated in contracts but can often take a while depending on how busy the photographer is. Some photographers shoot 3 weddings per weekend which is thousands of images and in the summer time it does get super busy! Don’t forget we do need to eat, sleep and spend time with our families hence the lack of communication sometimes.

As stated at the start of this mini essay 😂 this is not aimed at anybody, this is not a rant, this is a post to help future bride and grooms take into consideration how suppliers- especially photographers do work and it really is essential that you do lots and lots of research rather than just booking on deals. So often I see in here “has anybody got any deals on etc etc” Now I’m not saying cheap means bad or good but just do your research as you could spend thousands and still be disappointed.

Literally-take everything that I have said above into consideration and fingers crossed it helps you out.

Oh and one more point! photographers please don’t book Suppliers- when you know your style won’t suit them just because you want money this will only end up with yourself and the clients been disappointed 🙂

Thank you if you got this far! 👏👏