Planning your wedding can become overwhelming. Especially if you are planning a Basilica wedding and you’re calling in to get your date on Basilica Monday. That’s such a stressful process for just about everyone involved. But, once you have your ceremony & venue your next steps are to book your photographer, DJ & florist (well, those are my next recommendations that seem to book up quicker than others). How does one choose the right photographer? Here are 4 key factors that I feel confident will get you started in the right direction.
Style
I know this probably seems obvious but a photographer’s style matching your own is the number one thing I’m the most passionate about.
I cannot express this enough : there are so many photographers out there that there is NO reason a couple shouldn’t have the right one for them.
So what styles are there? The Knot & Junebug Weddings both have great articles on the different styles.
To be clear, we shoot on digital and are Traditional, Lifestyle.
Consistency
It’s important that you are able to see consistency within a single wedding. If you want to put images on your wall or in an album, it should flow. If there is an image that is a little jarring because it seems out of place then your “spidey-senses” are going off…trust that feeling.
This is actually something that’s a little harder to tell by just a photographer’s Instagram, blog or Facebook feeds so you’ll want to dive into the third key factor to really see if there is consistency. Sooo….
Ask to see an entire Wedding Gallery
I am actually really shocked when I see in chat rooms photographers having a slight fit about a potential bride wanting to see a full wedding gallery. You should ALWAYS see a full wedding gallery, or two, or three from any photographer you are considering. In fact, when I send information on to couples, a link to my galleries is one of the things I send along. I want them to feel confident in their choice.
reality vs dream
Let’s talk Photoshop. In our house, that’s a dirty word and we strive to not have to use it as much as possible. Family formals is generally the only time we do use it. In other words, we are photographers and we believe in the organic nature of the images. Of course we make sure the color tones are true, exposure is corrected and the images have a little life in them, but we are photographers and don’t use photoshop willingly (unless Uncle Bob was the only one in the family formal that blinked and we need to do a little head swapping).
Some Photoshop requests that I have heard to be deal breakers for some include : cleaning up stray hairs, editing out a scar that is on the backside of a bride’s arm, dropping a dress size, to name a few. These are also requests for all of the delivered images. These may seem extreme to my couples, but that’s because I’ve never received these requests, but I know photographers that have. If this is something that you know you want in a photographer…that extra finesse…make sure you find a photographer that does that.
Bonus : Contract
A little bonus tip would be to make sure you get all of your requests in your contract. A quick list of line items that protect you as a couple:
- When will you receive your final product(s)?
- Cancellation Policy
- What is included in your package?
- What happens if they can’t make it to the wedding?
- What does their creative freedom include?
- Description of acceptable final images
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