How to choose a wedding photographer and what to look for

Wedding

The celebration of the newlyweds is an exciting event for which a couple of lovers begins to prepare long before the appointed date. However, the preparatory stage can bring not only pleasant emotions, but also a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety. The question of whether everything will go well at the highest level is quite justified.

Surely each of us has at least one married couple whose wedding photos are gathering dust in the closet and there is no desire to open the photo album. I don’t want to look at pictures that didn’t live up to my desires. And there are also friends whose photos resemble a fairy tale.

Therefore, choosing a professional should be taken responsibly. How to get exactly those shots that will delight and leave a worthy memory for many years? How to find a specialist on the same wavelength as you? In this article, we will understand the nuances of choosing a photographer for a wedding.

Communication

We call “our” photographer. The first thing you should find out is whether the photographer is available on the day you are planning your wedding. After that we will find out the approximate price. Surely, you have in mind the amount you are going to spend on a photographer. If you approximately fit into the allotted budget, then such a photographer is worth meeting.

Where to look

Among the abundance of offers from photo masters, it is easy to get lost and confused. What specialist will not let you down and meet your expectations? To avoid disappointment, do not choose at random.

Wedding agencies

Specialized wedding agencies will take care of everything. All you have to do is choose from several proven professionals. The disadvantage of this simple method is the percentage of the cost that the manager will take for the agency’s services.

Advice from friends and acquaintances

Your friends have already become a married couple, and their photo album made you squeal with delight? Take the master’s contacts from them, provided that the style, cost and quality of his work suits you. Be sure to meet in person and make sure that this is exactly your person who understands all your desires and can translate them into photographs.

Internet

Have you decided to search on your own? Then social networks, thematic forums and photographers’ websites are the best places to search. Browse through entire albums of photographs of celebrations. Find works that impress you, and then arrange for live communication.

The disadvantage of this selection is that it takes a significant amount of time, because you can spend more than one day searching for the photos that catch your attention.

Choose a photographer not only based on the website

Pay attention to the quantity and quality of photographs on the photographer’s website - this will allow you to understand the professional’s style. But don't forget that the best shots are presented there, and some photographers even hire assistants who select and edit images for the site. This means that all the photos you receive after the wedding will not necessarily be of the same high quality.

On a note:

When creating a complete picture of the contractor’s skill, don’t limit yourself to just photographs from the website - find the opportunity to watch all the series, and it’s better that these are series from real weddings, and not stylized photo shoots and workshops.

Photo by: Alexandra Savenkova

What's next

So, what to look for when a wedding photographer is selected? There are several criteria, let’s look at them point by point.

Portfolio

It is by the totality of high-quality photos that touch you, respond with a sense of admiration and the desire to bring them to life that you should be guided. Don’t choose a master based on just one masterpiece shot. Note for yourself how much the author places emphasis and pays attention to details that are important to you.

Note for yourself the quality of retouching and processing of each photo. Flawless photographs with the most natural processing are relevant at any time. Remember that your family album will be viewed by your children and grandchildren many years from now.

Personal communication

Meet with the master in a relaxed atmosphere. Feel how comfortable you are in his company, because you will have to pose all day, and for successful photos you need lightness and relaxation. In addition, this stranger will witness the personal moments of your life, the sincerity of feelings and emotions.

Answer yourself these questions: Is the master pleasant to you? Does he support your ideas and desires? Does he understand what you want? If you answered “yes” to all questions, move on.

Portrait of the ideal wedding photographer

There are professionals who do not put their soul into their work.
There are amateurs who will give a head start to the masters of wedding photo shoots. Choosing a wedding photographer is not as easy as it might seem. By what criteria do you choose a specialist who will capture the most precious moments of a wedding celebration and do it masterfully?

In any case, this should be a person with experience who has filmed more than one wedding ceremony.

The specificity of the work is that a real wedding photographer knows how to work with a camera, people, light, and space. This is very important, since you can be a cool studio master who navigates worse outdoors than indoors. Or, on the contrary, he is a landscape painter, and in the registry office he will be confused, but will not show it.

And your master should also be excellent at portrait photography and panoramic photography, and be able to take photos in a reportage style. This is especially true if you plan to order a photo of your love story.

In addition, you should like him both as a specialist in his field and with his human qualities. After all, he will accompany your couple throughout the entire day that is so significant for you. Therefore, working with him should be comfortable, without any constraint. Otherwise, you will not look natural in the photographs, and this will affect their quality.

Cost of wedding photography

How to get high-quality photos and not overpay? How can you avoid being stingy and receiving banality instead of a fairy tale? Or not spend fabulous money, but end up with a cheap product. The main thing is not to rush from one extreme to another.

Adequately weigh your capabilities and desires, because you won’t be able to redo the wedding again. Study the information and focus on the average price if the author’s work suits you and you are not planning a grand celebration.

Decide whether you need an hourly rate if the wedding is modest, or the photographer will be involved all day, filming not only the ceremony itself, but also the Love story, getting ready for the bride and groom, and guests. Do you want to get all the photos retouched and processed, or only the best shots?

To be absolutely sure that nothing will go wrong at the last moment, book a holiday date with a specialist in advance by making an advance payment. Discuss its size, as well as further payment for the work in advance, so that in the future there will be no misunderstandings and misunderstandings that darken the joyful day.

What questions to ask the photographer before the wedding

During a personal meeting, you will have the opportunity to ask the photographer questions and find out many necessary things. Don't be afraid to be meticulous. Modern prices for a photographer assume quality services, and you have the right to know what you are paying for.

How much does your specific order cost? Explain right away what you want, how many photos there should be and how many hours the photographer should shoot. Based on all your wishes, the master will name the price, which will allow you to get your bearings.
How is payment made? It is advisable to divide the amount into two parts: an advance after concluding the contract and the rest of the money that the photographer will receive immediately after completing his work. Such a system will provide guarantees to both parties.
How will the photographer get to the shooting location? If he does not have a personal car, you will have to provide a place for him in the transport.
In what form will the photographs be provided? Not all photographers do print work. If you need to print several photos, please specify this immediately.
When can you pick up the photos? Don’t put this question off for a long time; it’s better to know in advance how long you’ll have to wait for pictures after the wedding.
What will the photographer be wearing? Don't be shy about this question. The photographer should undoubtedly be comfortable, but this does not mean that he can come in shorts and flip-flops. The photographer's appearance must match the atmosphere.
Is it possible to order a wedding photo book? Most photographers provide this service. A photobook is a ready-made album with your photographs. Then you won’t have to waste time on printing photos and designing them.
Will the photos follow standard proportions? If so, it will be easier for you to send your photos to print. The proportions will not be affected, there will be no cut edges or empty corners.
Will the photos be posted on his website? If you do not want your photos to become available on the Internet, you have the right to ask not to do so.

Agreement

Do you need legal insurance? Definitely yes. Moreover, concluding an agreement will scare off non-professionals, as well as dishonest photographers who decided to cheat on your holiday.

Having signed the document, you will calmly prepare for the celebration further in full confidence that the issue with the photo shoot is closed and all your wishes are taken into account.

What to look for in a legal document

Determine the total number of photographs you need, taking into account all the events planned for shooting. They should also be written down, as well as the number of images in retouching and processing.

If you like the pictures in a certain quality, write down on paper that you need similar ones. It would not be amiss to mention the free provision of sources, as well as clarify which photographs are considered successful and suitable for retouching.

In a separate paragraph, highlight the deadlines for completing the work, monetary issues and force majeure circumstances on both sides. The amount of the penalty is agreed upon by the parties. Don't forget to indicate whether the master will shoot alone or with assistants. So that it doesn’t happen that instead of dancing and feasting, one of the guests carries around filming props.

Read the document carefully, if you are not satisfied with certain points, look for a compromise or contact another wedding professional. It is not always possible to agree on all terms.

Separate special effects from the author's skill

If you are not a professional, you may not immediately realize that some of the photographs presented have been processed. A successful photo shoot is more likely the result of coordinated work of professionals (photographer, designer, florist, stylist), and not an indicator of the skill of one person.

But in any case, you should understand that these are staged shots, they are obtained in static conditions as a result of painstaking and persistent work and many hours of posing by models. This doesn't mean that photographers who do stylized projects shouldn't be trusted. Many masters of their craft have such works in their portfolio. Just don't base your choice on these photos alone, ask the photographer to provide footage from real, live weddings.

On a note:

It is worth understanding that working at weddings has special specifics: you need to be able to catch the shot, be in the right place at the right time. This is improvisation and requires skills that a photo shoot cannot demonstrate. But it is precisely this ability that is easy to see in photographs of real weddings - you just have to look closely.

Photo by: Maxim Dobry

Deadlines

The young family is eager to see the footage taken on their magical day as soon as possible. Their impatience is understandable, but when processing material, especially such a unique one, speed equals loss of quality. There are a lot of photos, and I want them to be truly beautiful. So when can you look at your holiday from the outside?

At least in 2-3 weeks, if it is not the summer season and the photographer has free time. Typically, the terms and media on which the images are transmitted are stipulated in the contract.

Deadlines: when will you receive the finished photos?

Any good work takes time, which means you shouldn’t wait for photos a week after the wedding. You don’t want your photos to be processed “hot hand”, do you? After the holiday, all emotions will subside and a fresh look will appear. Well, if you trust the statistics and our experience, the vast majority of specialists try to meet deadlines of up to 2 months. However, depending on the season, this figure may change.

Mistakes when choosing a photographer

A wedding is a special occasion, and you really don’t want to ruin the experience with bad photography. What to do and how not to make a mistake when choosing a specialist? Here are common mistakes and some tips to help you avoid them:

The pursuit of savings. Of course, there is always a chance to find something cheap and beautiful, but you must admit: this does not happen often. Choose in the middle price segment if you have limited funds. This will help you not to overpay and find, if not a wizard, then at least his student.
Blind selection based on recommendations from friends or special agencies. Everything is simple here: markers have different tastes and colors, and what delighted loved ones may not suit another couple at all.
Photographer friend. Unfortunately, every second person who buys a DSLR considers himself a professional. But colorful shots are not only about good technique, but also about the knowledge and taste of the person on the other side of the lens.
Pull the rubber. In our case, postpone the search for a professional until registration with the registry office. I’m exaggerating, of course, but it’s not worth leaving such an important matter until the last few days. Good specialists have appointments months in advance.
Oil or creative oil. In pursuit of super ideas, instead of tender and romantic photos, you can get complete disappointment. Choose according to style or discuss the concept of filming in advance so that it doesn’t cause excruciating pain later.
Husband and wife, one of Satan. A wedding is a celebration of two, so you need to choose the person who will capture the memorable day and discuss ideas together.

Find out the photographer's price

The budget you set for photography also determines how expensive a specialist you can afford. As a rule, wedding photography makes up no more than 5-15% of the total holiday budget. If you are having an intimate wedding, the percentage may be different. But here it’s your own business, how important beautiful pictures-memories are to you and how much you are willing to spend on it.

Typically, photographers who have been working in the wedding industry for a long time create packages of services that differ in the duration of work during the wedding day, additional “tricks” (they are available in more expensive packages) and, accordingly, cost.

We recommend hiring a photographer for at least 8 hours. In-demand specialists rarely take couples with a shorter duration of wedding photography - this is unprofitable, because they somehow lose this day in their schedule. If you want to capture everything, from the meeting of the groom with friends, and the bride with a makeup artist, to the wedding cake and fireworks, then you will have to choose a shoot within 10-12 hours. Please clarify in advance how much additional hours that go beyond the scope of the package cost, if this is not stated in the price list.

A photographer can be expensive for several reasons:

he has been in the profession for a long time and specializes in wedding photography
he is among the top most rated specialists in the city and is in great demand
he works with an assistant
he has cool and very expensive equipment
he is constantly learning and developing
he has awards and regalia in the field of photography

Prices

You won't be able to find out exactly how much it will cost to photograph your wedding over the phone. This will become known only after a personal meeting, when the photographer understands what you want - what the scope of work is! Everyone thinks differently. Some people prefer hourly wages, others make package offers. If you order a photographer in advance, you can often get a discount, shoot at the price of last season, or some other nice bonuses will be offered. You can also get a discount on shooting if you order a love-story before the wedding. This is a test of the pen. You will feel like a model, get used to the photographer and his style of work, he will understand you better. In addition, no one will bother you, you won’t have to rush anywhere, like at a wedding. As a result, you will get wonderful photographs that you will be happy to put in your wedding album.

How many hours do you need a photographer for a wedding: for an hour, for 3 hours or for the whole day?

An important question that worries newlyweds when ordering a wedding videographer and photographer is how long should he spend at the celebration? Which is the starting moment and which is the finishing moment? The matter is personal and remains entirely at your discretion.

Practice shows that it is optimal to plan the shooting duration for 6-8 hours . The beginning is from the moment the bride dresses, then the ransom, registration and wedding walk. It would be logical to complete the photo shoot at the banquet after the first dance.

Not all guests look worthy at the end of the wedding table, so it is not at all necessary to take pictures at the end, so as not to put anyone in an awkward position

After the first dance, the photographer can safely leave the celebration. Further, as a rule, the plot is the same: a stormy feast alternates with competitions. To immortalize these moments of the wedding, amateur cameras and modern phones will be enough.