Finding the right wedding photographer is extremely important. With so many important moments on your wedding day, which include VIPs like yourself, your family, friends, and especially your future spouse. You’re going to want to get this on camera so you can look back at those treasured moments over for years to come and post them on Facebook so all your friends can see what a hottie your new wife or husband is.
So given all that you can’t just go with anyone, now can you? Now you need to figure out who you’re going to entrust with preserving the memories of your special day, and let me tell you there is a lot more to take into account than you think.
What you first need to do is figure out what theme your wedding is going to be and look at photographers’ work to see if their specific style compliments it. I’m sure there are people out there that are thinking “all they need to do is point-and-click, what is this about style?”
Well if you do think this way then just about every photographer will disagree. Here are some examples of wedding photography styles that are out there for you to choose from, I personally like photojournalism the best.
A photographer who specializes in black-and-white photos may not know or offer aerial drone footage, so it’s important to know what your wedding vibe is and pick a photographer to complement it.
Once you’ve picked the theme of your wedding and which photography style will go best with it, the next step is to check out reviews on social media. You can look at a million websites that show the photographer’s best work and paint them as the most professional and hardworking photographer in the industry.
While that may or may not be true, do you really want to take their word for your big day? You don’t want to make the same mistake this poor couple did when they hired a photographer off of Facebook.
There is no better advertising than word of mouth or social media reviews. You can not only see the other wedding photos from the photographer but also how professional and easy to work with they are and what their ‘real’ price is because we all know there is always an added cost.
After you’ve narrowed down your search to 2-3 photographers it’s time to set up a meeting with them to see if you really mesh. The reason for this is, while they might be very nice, sometimes people just don’t mesh, and that’s okay.
You might be in love with their portfolio, but once you met you felt that their overall personality was just a little pushy for your taste. While on the other hand, some brides might love that their photographer was vocal about how to pose and what to do. This will also give you time to ask questions to them on what ‘packages’ they offer that would best complement your wedding and budget.
Something that I never knew about wedding photographers is that you need to read the fine print on your contract before signing. I personally thought that if you paid a photographer thousands of dollars to shoot your wedding then those images belonged to you and only you.
Apparently, I was wrong. Very wrong. In fact, many photographers stipulate in their contract that they are the owners of the photos, not the bride and groom!
This means that they can submit your wedding photos to magazines and other publications without your consent. If this sort of exposure is what you want then great! Just make sure that you and your husband are mentioned and given some publicity as well.
If you don’t want your photos available to the public but want to show your photos on social media they will either have to have the photographer’s watermark or you’ll have to buy the rights to the photos. This to me sounds pretty audacious, but apparently, it’s pretty normal. What you need to do is make sure you read the fine print and if you’re not comfortable with this, then find a different photographer.
After you’ve ironed all these details out it’s a very good idea to schedule a test run, which can also be called an Engagement photoshoot. A lot of couples like this because it’s more about their personal everyday style and they can be used for wedding invitations.
If you don’t like the quality or style of the photos, the way the photographer worked, or just felt like something was off in your gut, pick a new one! You don’t need to feel bad or give some lame excuse, it’s your wedding and your money. If you need more reasons why you should do an engagement shoot, look no further!
I know this is a lot for a photographer, but if you go through all of this to find the perfect wedding photographer, then there is a very good chance that some other important roles for your big day will fall into place too. Wedding photographers have been a part of tons of weddings, so it’s safe to say that along the way they’ve made a lot of connections.
If you find a wedding photographer who you really vibe with then I can guarantee you that if you show them your dream wedding Pinterest board they can point you in the direction of exactly who you need, if they would be so kind of course.
I’m talking about a hair and makeup artist, musician, caterer, DJ/band, florist, venues, and maybe even some great wedding dress designers or boutiques that absolutely epitomize what your dream dress is going to look like. The photographer has worked with them all and has seen what they can do, and even better will know who not to work with.
Now that all has been said and done, it’s time for you to put all of this into practice and go out and find your dream photographer. Remember, this is your day and your memories of the happiest day of your life, not theirs.
You can find your wedding photographer at SayPros Events
By Rachel Allen, from LogicWritten.com
