Choosing a wedding photographer for my own wedding was so tough. I was greatly limited by my timeline planning my wedding. Most wedding photographer book about at least a year in advance, so many of the photographers that I contacted were already booked. Here are some important factors to consider when choosing a photographer.
Their style. Are their images bright and soft, are they bold and colorful. If you are having a retro wedding you probably want to go with a photographer that has a retro type style that is bold and a little more moody. If you are having a romantic rustic wedding you may want a photographer that has a brighter and soft style.
Their point of view. Do they stand back and capture the little moments, do they excel at capturing the moment and take a documentary type approach. Or are they more traditional and prefer posed type pictures. For example, I take a documentary type approach at my weddings but at the same time I also try to direct my clients to create beautiful moments that look natural.
Do you click. This may be one of the most important things. You want to make sure you actually like to be around your photographer and feel comfortable around them. You will spend as much (if not more) time with your photographer as you will spend with your new hubby on your wedding day. The more comfortable you feel around them the better, it will show in your pictures on your wedding day. Depending on your photographer’s style they can add to your wedding day experience in so many ways. I am very hands on with my brides, typically by the time their wedding day rolls around I have met with them 3-4 times and talked to them numerous times so we know each other pretty well. I am the first person to jump in on their wedding day when I see that overwhelmed look on their face or I can tell something is not right. It is my goal to make sure my brides are happy and content every second of their big day and I take that upon myself because ultimately it will show in their pictures. I will do whatever it takes, from carrying around extra hair pins and fixing hair when it is needed to figuring out how to bustle a dress that has no bustle as long as my bride is happy. I do have to say that not all photographers are like this, and this type of photographer is not for everyone. Some photographers take a “fly on the wall” approach and this works for them and some brides.
Once you find someone that you feel fits into these three categories here are some questions you may want to ask.
Can I see an entire wedding? This was a huge thing that surprised me when I was searching for a photographer. I wanted to see an entire wedding so that I could get a better feel of an entire wedding day and see what things were captured. It also helped me see if they were consistent through their wedding vs just seeing images that were on their website. I wanted every single image from my wedding to be gorgeous. I always try to keep a complete wedding loaded on my iPad when I meet with brides so that they can skim through it and see how a full wedding works.
Can I see albums? Wedding albums are a great way to see what their finished weddings look like. You can see the story of the big day and also get to touch and feel the album and make sure you love it. After all, your wedding album is your first family heirloom.
How many images will I receive? This varies greatly from photographer to photographer. I was shocked when I talked to a couple of potential photographer when they said they only delivered 200-250 images. Personally I deliver anywhere from 50-70 images per hour of wedding coverage. Some of my brides end up with 600 images others end up with upwards of 800+. It depends on a number of things such as how big their bridal party is, how many guests, how much time we have for portraits, if they do a first look, and how much activity their is at the reception. This is defiantly something you want to have an idea of before hiring a photographer so that you can make sure your expectations are realistic.
Do you help to create a wedding timeline or list for pictures? I create a timeline for each one of my brides for the time before the ceremony. I typically arrive 3 hours before their ceremony starts and will plan things down to the minute from the time that bridesmaids need to be dressed to when the bride should be getting dressed. I also have the bride and groom provide a list of names of family that they would like to have included in their formal family portraits. I take this list and create a detailed list with every single formal family portrait that will be taken to ensure I don’t miss anyone.
Do you do engagement sessions? Engagement sessions are a huge part of my business, I include a complementary engagement session in each one of my wedding collections. It allows me to get to know my couples and make sure they are comfortable in front of the camera. It also helps to ensure that the portrait time on the wedding day goes by quickly because they know exactly how to pull off that adorable snuggle or embrace and are completely comfortable doing so.
Do you have any back up equipment? This should be something that is a given, but in todays day and age where photographer are everywhere you have to make sure. It is super important that the person you hire to photograph your wedding has a a back up camera, and lenses. Worst case scenario, your photographer drops their camera, or a guest spills their drink on their camera. You want to make sure they can grab another and not skip a beat.
Do they have steps in place to protect your images? When I photograph a wedding I have the ability to record images on two separate memory cards so that if anything happens to one card, I have a duplicate copy of the images. I save the digital files from each wedding onto my computer immediately when I get home from a wedding. The next day these images are backed up to at least two other locations. I also have other protective measures in place such as storing a back up of images in a fire proof safe.
Do I receive digital files from my wedding day? Some photographer build digital files into their wedding collections and other do not. It is totally up to the photographer. Make sure you understand what this means. You may receive high resolution digital files that you can print on your own, web resolution images that are only suitable for sharing on social media, or the digital files may be separate. Please keep in mind that when you receive digital files from a photographer you normally receive a “print release” that allows you to print them or use them according to the photographers standards. I often have people ask me if they get the copyright for their images, I can tell you with 110% certainty that photographer retain the copyright on any images that they take. This is a complicated legal topic that I could go into but its not super important. Just know that a print release is all you need 😀
How are the digital files delivered? The popular method of image delivery is digital download or a USB drive. CD’s are past on their way out. I give my clients a USB drive because I know that not everyone has a dependable computer they use all of the time or fast internet that is capable of downloading all of their wedding images. My internet is super slow so when I received my wedding images via digital download it took hours to download the images.
How long does it take to receive my wedding images? I often see confusion over this topic in many bridal discussion boards. It is very common for a photographer to take anywhere from 6-8 weeks to deliver your wedding images. Remember those 700+ images that they will be delivering to you? They start out with way more images that that and go cull out the images that are not super flattering, ones where you blink, or even images where you have that weird mouth open confused look on your face…I can say that because when people take pictures of me they always get that open mouth confused face that I hate! It is my job to go through and get rid of those images and make sure that you look amazing in every single image. After they go through and make sure only the best images are there, they will go through and edit each individual image to make sure it is perfect! Keep in mind wedding albums often take longer to produce because most albums are hand made.
When are payments due? As with all wedding vendors full payment is due prior to the wedding day. Many photographer have different payment schedules, most will require a deposit immediately to reserve your wedding date. Typically my payments look something like 25% due upon signing the contract, 25% due 90 days out, and the remaining 50% due at least two weeks before the wedding. I also offer payment plans so that you can pay a small amount each month instead of breaking it into larger chunks.
Do I have to sign a contract? If the answer to this question is no. RUN! Run fast! You should sign a contract with each one of your wedding vendors. This is not only for the vendors protection but for your protection as well. You want to make sure that the expectations for both parties are written out and outlined in the contract. The contract should include things such as the hours of coverage, what will be delivered, when your images or any products included will be delivered, when payments are due, and also any other policies specific to that vendor.
Here are some things to look out for.
If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. This is the one area that you do not want to risk on your wedding day. If you food is a bust, or your cake doesn’t look like you thought it would, or if your flowers wilt…I promise you won’t remember 10 years from now. Looking back on your wedding day you will only have your pictures to bring back those memories and you don’t want those images to be something that you are not proud of.
Do they have a reputable website with consistent images. If you are looking at a photographer work and the images are not consistent as you look through them be very cautious. I hate to say this but not everyone that is a “photographer” is completely honest and reputable. People are known to steal images from other people’s websites or pages and use them on their own website. This is why you find that most photographer watermark their images or include their logo, they are trying to protect their work and protect their clients to ensure that their images are not used illegally. If one image looks like it came out of a fashion magazine and the next looks like it…well it wasn’t..then you probably should look somewhere else.
Are they a licensed business. Make sure you are working with vendors that are legit businesses…not just “oh hey I will photograph//bake// make flowers//cook for your wedding because I have extra time”. This shows that they are invested in their business and won’t disappear or even worse take your money and run. This is the most important day of your life, it really isn’t worth the gamble in saving a few hundred dollars and risking having a vendor flake on your wedding day or provide service that is not up to your standards. Look for referrals and from past brides to make sure they were happy.
Designs by Karinda Photography specializes in wedding, newborn, and child photography in Montgomery, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to The Woodlands and Magnolia.
