Choosing the right wedding photographer

There’s lots of choice out there, so how do you know who the right wedding photographer for you is?

So here is what I tell all my inquiries and potential clients about choosing their wedding photographer.  First thing is, meet up with (if possible) anyone you are considering.  Your photographer is the one vendor who will be with you and your guests all day so you want to make sure you get on with them.  

It’s also important to think about what kind of photographer you want.  Do you want someone who will blend in with your guests and capture your day from an intimate point of view?  Or do you want someone who will organise shots and set things up for a more magazine look?  The main difference between these two types of photographers aside from image style is time.  The former will need very little time to do a few group and/or couples shots if any at all.  They will focus more on documenting things as they happen, looking for emotion and candid moments.  The latter will require that you set a side more time during your day for group shots, couples shots and detail shots.  They will also do candid moments but generally only during the drinks reception and some dancing in the evening.  

The other thing to establish is if things run late, will you be charged for extra hours.  Some photographers have packages with very set hours and charge extra for extra hours.  Some photographers, like myself don’t charge extra if things run late or if the dance floor looks like it’s on fire and its worth staying to capture it.  

Also its good to ask if a second shooter is included or if it will be extra.  Not every wedding requires a second shooter but if you have a large number of guests, or if your cocktail reception is very short or if you would like prep images for both members of the couple, a second shooter is good to have. My husband, and business partner, Julian, is my second shooter, and we work as a team.  Also if you want a highlights video (like an extended music video showing the best parts of the day) ask if this is a service that can be added by your photographer or if you need to find another vendor.

A few other things you might want to know from your photographer, but may not be essential, are about delivery and downloading.  Most photographers will do an online gallery delivery with the ability to download images directly from it.  Check that these will be high resolution and unlimited download.  Also check and make sure that your friends and family won’t get charged to download images from the gallery as well.  Some photographers will charge per download.  Some photographer will also give you a USB drive with your images.  This isn’t totally necessary and ultimately costs the photographer more so they will build this into their cost but not take any money off for skipping the USB drive.  I believe that just having the gallery and backing up your images on your own computer or hard drive is more effective.  

If you are interested in print and album purchasing ask about that as well.  Most photographers will do an album a la cart from packages.  Trust me, this is what you want.  Packages with albums included tend to be lower quality products because it saves the photographer money and improves their profit margin.  Ordering an album later gives you time to sit with the images and also generally gives you more customising choices.  Some photographers charge for album layouts, I include a complimentary one in all my packages.  The main reason for this is that I am a firm believer in having something physical to remember your wedding day, an heirloom of sorts.  Giving my clients a layout means they are more likely to order an album sometime in the future and therefore enjoy their images regularly instead of letting them hide in folder on their computer.  Albums are an investment.  I work with a brilliant company that delivers quality at a good value.

One thing that people often think is important is if a photographer has worked at your particular chosen venue.  This is actually not important at all.  In fact it can be a negative.  A good photographer will make amazing images no matter where they are and often are happier to exercise their creative brains with a challenge of a new space.  If a photographer has shot at a particular venue lots of times you run the risk of your images looking just like every other couple’s who have been married there, and being potentially uninspired images.   Again, these are all just extra bits that shouldn’t make or break but are good to know.

Now here is the part where I plug myself ;) Julian and I are the kind of photographers that blend in.  Every wedding we have shot we have been asked how we know the couple because everyone just assumes we are friends.  This gives us the unique ability to capture your day from the point of view of an insider.  You and your guests will be more relaxed around us and therefore be more themselves.  We don’t take you away from your party for ages to take pictures.  We do recommend that you do some family groups but we get them done quickly so that everyone can get back to the party.  Also we don’t take you away for ages to do couples shots.  If you want couples shots we work out the best time and place to do them so that it doesn’t disrupt your day.  We always aim to get loads of pictures of you and your new spouse together throughout the day so if standing in front of a camera for 40 minutes isn’t your bag, that is fine with us, you will still have images of the two of you together.  Julian and I always work together so you get a second shooter no matter what.  We have also been married for 14 years so aside from having experienced all the emotions of a wedding day as a couple we also know how to work together seamlessly throughout the day (not always the case with a hired second shooter).  We shoot for our couples and their family and friends, not for a blog, or for awards, or industry acclaim, or social media.  It’s your day, we just want to help you remember it.

J and J x