Navigating the road to finding your wedding photographer
I’ve been in the wedding industry long enough to have heard all of the horror stories. My goal today is to ensure the only story from your wedding day is your LOVE STORY!!! Knowledge is power. Informed and educated couples are the happiest couples!
A photographer is not only one of the first vendors you’ll hire for your wedding, it’s also one of the most important. It’s a sizable financial investment, and these are the images you’ll have for the rest of your life. No second chances, no do-overs, and no excuses! Your photographer must be experienced and knowledgeable in their carft, and equally as adept to riding the roller coaster that a wedding day is with ease!
How to (and not to) find your photographer.
Do your research. Social media and Google reviews are your friends. If you find someone on social media or a referral from a friend, do your due diligence and look them up. Do they have great Google reviews? Heck, do they have a website? Ask about them in private bride groups, too. You’ll get the skinny for sure. Vendors aren’t in these groups, so brides have free reign to speak the truth.
Make sure you meet your actual photographer.
This may have you scratching your head. Here’s the deal. Some studios have multiple photographers, or even outside contractors that they don’t have a personal relationship with. Long story short, know exactly who’ll be spending your day by your side.
Beyond style, what should you look for?
This is uncharted territory for you, and it can be overwhelming. Personal connection, vibe, great communication, overall professionalism and reputation are big!
Professionalism seems to be something too many brides overlook when planning their photography decisions (and budgets). Think about it this way: When choosing your florist, would you go to a farm/garden that sells beautiful flowers or would you go to a florist that specializes in weddings? Just because someone can show you some nice pictures does not equate to the bigger picture of what it means to be a professional wedding photographer. Keep reading below and you’ll find all of the questions you would never know to ask…and then ask them!.
Will your photos and albums look like what you expected?
Here, I can only speak for myself. I hand-edit each and every photo myself to ensure every moment captured feels authentic and represents the style of mine you fell in love with. The flow of your photos are cohesive because the editor (yours truly) is the same person that was right there experiencing the joy and love that surrounded you. I also meticulously design your Visual Inheritance Album layout in a storytelling fashion. Outsourcing the design of your album to someone who wasn’t there on your epic day just wouldn’t yield the same feel.
My colors are always bold, vibrant, and cohesive.
How do you know what red flags to look for?
Ask these questions!
Security and redundancy, and a legitimate, registered and insured business are the most important thing. If you were looking for a pre-school for your child or a wellness living facility for your parents, you would leave no stone unturned making sure your loved ones are beyond taken care of. You owe it to yourselves to treat your most epic day with the same diligent care. Brides, get your pencils ready, I’m going to give you the questions you wouldn’t even know to ask. Ready?
Are you a registered business in the state of New Jersey (or whichever state your photographer is from)? Almost no one thinks of this, and it’s so so important! I’m personally an LLC.
Do you have insurance? What’s your liability coverage? My liability coverage is $2,000,000. Venues at times ask to be added as an additional insured for the day. It costs your photographer nothing to do that. Your venue may also require a higher liability amount, and most insurance companies charge nothing or next to nothing to do that.
How many cameras do you bring? Two minimum should be their answer. I bring three.
Do your cameras have multiple card slots? Do you save RAW files to both cards? Multiple card slots ensure that each snap of the shutter is written to and saved on two separate cards; in case one card corrupts, your images are still safe on the second card.
How do you back up our images? Do they live on your computer (wrong answer) or do you have multiple backups in case one corrupts? Redundant external drives and cloud storage are what make it possible for my Mac to take a leap in the lake without me missing a beat.
What happens if you get sick or hurt on our big day? This is why I personally work with second shooters who understand the way I approach caring for my couples and the style of work my couples love me for. I’m sure you’d rather still have a photographer than receive a partial refund from your photographer’s insurance company for the portion of the day they missed, right?
Can you show me complete wedding galleries? Request to see complete galleries, as this will obviously contain images from the second shooter as well. It’s incredibly important to not just focus on the 10 or so images that are being heavily curated and you should be able to see what an entire day looks like.
Are you equally proficient in all scenarios (inside, outside, daytime, nighttime…)? For me, my mastery of lighting techniques ensures that I can handle any lighting environment. Being prepared to shoot and shoot well in the dark is a must. Nighttime portraits? Gotcha! Dark reception rooms? Gotcha! Ask your photographer to show you photos from all parts of the day. If reception photos aren’t on their social media, that might be telling you something.
My proficiency in working with off-camera flash is what lead MagMod to invite me to be a brand ambassador.What is your contingency plan for the unexpected? I’ve heard these horror stories, and I’m sure you have to: “My photographer only had one camera and it broke!” “My photographer’s computer died and lost my photos!” And so many (too many) more. Do not let this happen to you. It will stay with you for the rest of your lives.
Instagram. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Start by looking at their Instagram. If all you see on a photographer’s social media are couples that look like models, if they are on a horse surrounded by flowers and candles, if every moment feels staged or just toooooo good to be true, you may be seeing photos from a styled shoot, not an organic hustle-and bustle day (no pun intended haha!!!). No pressure and no time restrictions is cheating when posting these photos as implied wedding work, because those ARE NOT wedding photos.
A photographer’s social media should be consistent. The skin tones should feel the same. The leaves and the grass shouldn’t be boldly vibrant in one photo and washed out in the next
If you like what you see on social media, ask to see full wedding galleries. Check that everything looks and feels stylistically cohesive.
Thanks for sticking with me until the end. And thank me again after you choose your perfect photographer!
