Welcome to the world of wedding planning! A very important decision you’ll need to make is choosing your wedding photographer. Did you know that out of everyone you’ll interact with on your wedding day, you are most likely to spend the MOST time with your photographer! So you want to make sure you enjoy their company. The photos they capture will also be the ones that live on forever. These will be the photos that you frame and display in your home for years and years to come. So you want to choose somebody whose style speaks to you.
Today I’m joined by Wassim from faceandlens who will pop in throughout the episode and help us with expert advice on how to choose your wedding photographer. There are six steps so let’s get started!
Episode breakdown
Work out your budget
There’s no point in choosing your dream photographer and then realising you can’t afford them. So first, work out roughly how much money you’ve got to spend on your wedding and then allocate an amount to your photography budget.
Know your vision
What do you want the end result to be? What kind of style are you looking for when it comes to wedding photos?
I asked Wassim from Face and Lens Photography to help us understand some of the different wedding styles and what they mean:
- Documentary (it’s like storytelling – the photographer captures the day as it naturally goes)
- Fine art (wedding photography with an artistic touch)
- Classic (timeless and traditional, the focus on shots of the couple and family, often in a formal way)
- Natural (the goal is to capture people as they are, with no poses)
- Vintage style (to capture photos in a retro style)
- Fashion (this style makes you and your partner look like fashion models)
You don’t have to choose just one – many photographers can blend multiple styles!
Ask for recommendations
Want to know what other couples are doing? Here are a few ways you can find out:
- Check out the real wedding features on the weddingsonline blog – those are real couples who have gotten married recently. Look through their wedding photos and see what you think.
- Join the HIGM Facebook community and ask couples in your area who they’ve chosen and what their experience has been like.
Look through full galleries
It’s easy to spot the best of the best photos that a photographer has taken, but you want to see what a whole wedding of theirs is like. Wassim explains why:
A full gallery will show you what a photographer’s work is really like. Instead of seeing just a handful of great photos, you’ll see the whole gallery. This will help you to see if their style and quality matches what you want. Don’t be afraid to ask a photographer for high-res images if they aren’t readily available.
Meet up with your potential photographer
Out of all the people you will spend time with on your wedding day, the person you will interact with the most is your photographer – shocker, right? So you want to make sure you get along with them well!
Wassim shares some questions you can ask your photographer when you first meet up with them:
- Discuss their photographer style and make sure it matches your vision.
- Ask about the price and what’s included.
- Ensure they have the right photography equipment and a backup plan in case of technical issues.
- Discuss the timeline for your wedding day.
- Talk about the logistics like travel, setup and how they handle different lighting conditions.
- Share your ideas and vision for the wedding, ask for their input and interesting ideas.
- Ask for references and reviews, to see what past clients to see what they’ve said.
It’s not just about their skills, but how you connect with them. You want a photographer who makes you feel comfortable.
Use the weddingsonline service finder
Back in my day, we had to use Google for everything. These days, couples have the weddingsonline service finder available to them – all you have to do is put in your wedding details and choose the services you’re still looking for (such as photography). The suppliers who meet your criteria will be in touch! Super simple.
I asked Wassim if there’s anything else you should keep in mind when choosing wedding photographer:
- Is there more than one photographer? You’ll get more variety, and angles.
- How many photos will they deliver?
- Ask if they will use drones.
- Find out how many photos they will edit to the highest standard.
- Ask if the photographer will create a highlights video (sometimes this is included).
- Focus on the style you like and make sure it suits your vision for your wedding day!
