Finding Your Wedding Photographer – A Guide

One of the most important ways to remember your wedding after all is said and done are the memories captured by your wedding photographer. That being said, finding your wedding photographer can be daunting. We have compiled the most important questions and tips to help you with this task. Hopefully this guide will help you lessen the stress and steer you on the right path to finding the perfect wedding photographers for you and your partner.

Research Beforehand

It’s now easier and more difficult to find your wedding photographer than ever. The great thing about the internet is you can easily look up portfolios online, see their work on Instagram, and find out a lot of information on their website. The downside is you may be looking at amazing photographers from all around the world and narrowing down who you want to reach out to can be difficult.

With that said, this is why getting your feet wet and searching for photographers online is vital. With this research you should be able to narrow down the key things you want in your photographers and hopefully create a shortlist.

Style

• If you’re not into photography it can be very difficult to put into words what style you gravitate towards. By looking at examples of different people’s work, you will soon start to find out if you like light and bright, dark and dramatic, casual and in the moment, or editorial. Even if you cannot put together the words, you will look at a photo and know I like this! This will be the most important part of your research because you cannot make a photographer change their shooting and editing style, you need to find one whose style matches what you like.

Price

• Most people have not had photo shoots throughout their life. Therefore it’s difficult to know how much this service is. You need to set a budget, but part of finding out a realistic number is by seeing what rates different photographers are charging. You may think in your mind I am going to spend $500 and find out that is unrealistically low. Or you may have thought I need to spend 50% of our entire wedding budget and find out that is too high. Most wedding photographers will have a website and their prices are usually outlined there (or at least a base rate). After looking at a few you will start to get a sense of what is a realistic budget for you and your partner.

Travel

• Depending on where you are having your wedding, this is something to think about. Not only does it affect your budget, it also affects which photographers you can choose. There are many that are willing to travel, but there are also many who only stay local. Therefore, you will need to keep in mind, is this something you will need.

When researching, another major resource is if you have had any friends or family that were recently married. If they have recommendations for you, this would be a really great place to start. Recent is also key, that way whatever information you are receiving will be relatively accurate due to the fact that a photographers’ price and shooting styles can change and evolve over time.

Shortlisted, Now What?

Now that you have a shortlist of wedding photographers what are the next steps?

This is the time to directly reach out to photographers and try to set up an interview (either in person, online, or by phone). This is the time for you to ask questions and to get a feel for the photographer. Hopefully once you’ve gone through your list there is someone you vibe with and want to book!

Remember when asking questions you are asking for clarity so you know exactly what to expect on the day, however, also remember they are the expert. Of course, you should convey what it is that you’re looking for and what you want from the photos, but also remember to lean into their advice. There needs to be a balance of what you want, but also a level of trust that the photographer you have chosen will deliver. 

That is why it is crucial you look at as many examples of their work as possible. If there are a lot of examples and they are consistent and the photos are in line with what you want, it’s easier to trust they will get the shots you want.

Here are the important questions you want to ask during this time.

What is your working style on the day of the wedding?

• Do you usually have a plan?
• Are we allowed to request specific shots?

Besides your overall portfolio, are we able to see comprehensive photos from several weddings?

• If there are shots you liked, ask them if you can see more photos from that particular wedding
• Ask for clarification if you don’t understand something that they include in a package

When you say 8 hours – when does that start?

What do secondary photographers do?

• Do they normally work with you on weddings? How long have you been working together?
• Same if they have a videographer

Who will be the main photographer at my wedding, will it actually be you?

Have you shot at my venue before?

• Or something similar? Ask for examples.
• If not, will you visit my venue beforehand?

If my event runs longer, what is the contingency set in place?

• Is there a buffer time? 
• Will you automatically go into overtime (get charged after the fact)?
• Will they need to get confirmation from a designated person before proceeding?

What is your backup plan if for any reason you cannot shoot my wedding?

• In the same vein, what are your policies if my wedding is canceled or needs to be postponed?

What is your timeline for delivering the photos and in what format will I receive them?

• How do you edit your photos? Will you edit me or my partner in any way?

Ask what they will be using your images for after.

• Only their own website, blog, Instagram? Or do they work with other websites and blogs?

Ask about the contract, how to put down a deposit, and when you need to make a decision by.

• Remember to read the contract fully and to make sure anything you mentioned or decided on is in the contract (ie. Overtime – first 15 minutes are free, anything beyond we will get consent from Maid of Honor to proceed or not. Extra time will be charged.)
• If there’s anything that seems strange, remember to ask before signing.

Be prepared going into your meeting, that way you will know if they will meet your expectations as a photographer. If they tick all the right boxes for you, the last thing to know if they are the right photographers for you is the vibe check. Just like any relationship, sometimes you just have a feeling you know it’s going to work.

Last Tip in Finding Your Wedding Photographer

After securing your photographer for the big day, having an engagement session or pre-wedding shoot with them is a great low pressure way to get a feel of how they work. That way you and your partner can get comfortable in front of a camera and you can build a rapport with your photographers. This should help eliminate any anxiety (at least in regards to your photographers) for the big day and you can relax and just enjoy celebrating your love with your partner and your closest friends and family.

Final Thoughts on Finding Your Wedding Photographer

Don’t put too much pressure on yourselves in finding your wedding photographer. Yes it’s a big task, but also it should be fun. Just prepare as best you can, know what you want, and a great match can be made.