10 tips

how to choose the right photographer

Guide

Tips for choosing your wedding photographer

the right photographer for you

Are you planning the wedding of your dreams and ready to request a wedding photographer quote? The fundamental question you should ask yourself is: how do I find the right wedding photographer for me? This is a crucial choice, as your big day is unique and unrepeatable. A mistake in this decision could have permanent consequences. After all, the photographer who is perfect for other wedding couples may not be perfect for you.

Many couples I meet struggle with understanding what the key factors are in choosing the right photographer. And no wonder, since it’s not every day you get married! Another frequent problem concerns those who, after receiving the photo shoot, are disappointed with the results and ask me if there is a way to correct the situation. For this reason, I have prepared this guide for you: 10 useful tips for finding the perfect wedding photographer, which will help you make the right choice and ensure memorable photos.

10 simple tips
to find your wedding photographer

His photographs

It sounds trite, but you have to like his photos, and you don’t necessarily have to like the ones others like. They don’t just have to look good to you or be technically well done. You have to feel that they convey something to you, excite you, and make you want to be in them. Skin feel.

His style

Every wedding photographer has their own style that makes them unique, start skimming the ones that seem to resonate with your taste. And which photos do you prefer, the spontaneous ones or the posed ones? More formal or more lively? It is crucial that the photographer understands the style that suits you and renders it to the best effect. The optimal solution would be when he is able to combine the various styles harmoniously, calibrating them according to the time of day, your personality and the situations you will be in. When evaluating a photographer ask to see not only the best photos but complete services to get an idea of the style with which he or she approaches an entire wedding.

Experience and Professionalism

A wedding is a unique, personal and unrepeatable event. Your photographer must be able to know how to photograph you and all the various aspects of the wedding while respecting the timeline and knowing how to create great images even when he is not in control of the events or in case of any unforeseen events. To take a good picture is not super difficult, but managing an entire long, complex, important, and unrepeatable event is quite another matter. Interview him and check his experience and the professionalism with which he responds to you: these are the aspects to consider in order to be assured that you are in good hands.

Quantity or Quality?

Better ten thousand photos of everything a little or ten that make your heart flutter with emotion? It is not the quantity of shots that matters, especially if they are ordinary and all similar, but what they convey together and individually. Two or more photos that are very similar “bicker” over who wants to be the most beautiful and only generate confusion, lowering the overall level of the selection. Having an exaggerated number of photos then makes it more difficult and tedious if you want to review them.

It may sound paradoxical but the fewer photos he gives you the more it means he has spent time to select them carefully and give you overall a better, more polished job. There is no perfect number, but let’s say that three or four hundred photos is usually a sufficient number to entirely tell the story of a wedding.

Popularity

Associating the number of weddings a photographer makes in a year with its quality is not always correct. The number of weeks, especially in good weather, in a year is always the same. Realizing so many of them may be possible in what way? By handling them quickly, superficially, all in the same manner. Because the photos taken also have to be selected, processed, and albums composed. Or by taking multiple weddings by single date, which means that on the wedding day one is handled by the real photographer and the others by assistants you don’t know and who don’t have his way of photographing.

A photographer who is in high demand might then have a formula that appeals to many, but if you do not feel connected to him or with his approach, it may ultimately turn out to be a less than ideal choice, resulting in a person who disrupts the harmony of the wedding day or cold, detached photographs.

Know your Photographer

You are about to entrust your wedding day, the memory of one of the most important days of your life, to a stranger. Instead, get to know him, get to know his history, his vision, his way of working. In the same way he needs to get to know you, to understand how to relate to you, how to make you comfortable and photograph you at your best. Relying on a photographer who is great but with whom you cannot bond will inevitably lead to distant and unengaging images.

The first thing I do when I meet a new couple is precisely to get to know them and tell them who I am, trying to establish a relationship that facilitates our interaction. That way, on the wedding day, there will not be that distance that puts you in awe and me in “distant observer” mode.

Approach and Sensitivity

The photographer is not just a technician, just as it is not the camera that makes the pictures. Technique and equipment are tools, but behind each photographer is a history, culture, vision, and personal approach: these are the elements that make the difference and end up in the soul of his photographs.

A good professional photographer must be discreet, which means he or she must have the necessary sensitivity to make you and your guests feel comfortable. He must be able to listen and understand your needs and fears, know how to advise you in your choices, know when he should let you enjoy your big day in peace and, when you need to interact, know how to guide and pose you in an easy and pleasant way. Trust him and consider him as a consultant, you will get much more than you imagine. On the other hand, be wary of those who just want you to put a signature on a contract, perhaps with little gifts or all-inclusive packages at bargain prices.

The Albums he makes

When you see wedding albums with super decorations and special effects, it is because the photographer is trying to impress you with those and not with his photos, which may not be great. When the photographs and the story they tell are well done, you don’t need anything else. Albums are generally made with good quality. Even those from the best workshops, made with extreme care and top-notch materials, should in any case be the support of an excellent content.

An album that tells the story of your special day is a small work of art that you can cherish for a lifetime. Ask him to show you some examples of previous albums and how he makes them.

Clarity

It is important not to take anything for granted but to clarify what is and is not included in the service. The purpose of signing a contract should be not to serve, that is, not to have to go and check later, in case of surprises, that one thing was not included. Each photographer applies his own policies, includes or does not include certain services. There is nothing wrong with that and there is no right way regardless, it is just the best way he has evaluated to compose his offer. Ask him to make explicit what his service consists of, ask him if something you care about is included or not, and reread the contract together before signing it.

The Price

The cost of a wedding photo shoot may seem substantial. Consider it an investment in you and the only thing you will have left from your wedding day. The more it costs, the more it means that the photographer devotes resources to deliver excellent services: equipment, training, quality products and time in the care of each shoot.

It is definitely an important parameter to evaluate, but it should always be correlated with all the others; by itself it means nothing. Whoever spends a hundred will receive a hundred, whoever spends a thousand will receive a thousand, and it’s not just a question of how many things you’ll have in the end, but how much you’ll find them right for you. How much important is up to you to decide, it is personal and there is no right amount. A thought: would you return the photos and album after one year in exchange for the price you paid?

If you need a yardstick to quantify it, try making a list of important things related to the whole wedding and giving them percentages of importance. These percentages, more or less, might help you define what amount of your budget to allocate to the photographer.

Download this Guide

Did you like this guide? Below is the link to download it and carry it with you at all times. I hope it can guide you to the photographer who is right for you. You can also share it if you think it might be useful to someone else. In case you are curious to see my photos take a tour of my site, there is also a link to my wedding services page at the bottom here. Contact me if you have any questions or just to give me your opinion. Happy searching!

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