April 21, 2015

How to Pick a Wedding Photographer | What to Look For

FILED IN: Wedding

How to Pick a Wedding Photographer | What to Look For

Oh, hi there! You’re back! Great. Today is going to be all about getting your ducks in a row.

Ideally, your photographer search should start as soon you book your dream venue. Six months to a year out is about the time-frame in which you should have a photographer selected and booked. We book up pretty far in advance, especially for busy seasons (spring and fall, mostly). You’ll have a little more leeway for winter and summer weddings. But in general, the earlier you start this process, the better!

What to Look For (The Research Stage):

Whether you start with a Google search, bridal show, online vendor directory or wedding planner, or friends’ recommendations. Here are a few (important) things to look for when you’re compiling your initial list of candidates.

-Style.

Are you boho? Edgy? Traditional? Out of the box? Do you like mostly traditional photographs? With every attention to detail paid. Or do you prefer more candid moments, and you’re really uncomfortable posing? Most good photographers work hard at their craft. And have become really great at a particular style that they love. It’s important that you find a photographer that’s good at the style of photography that you prefer. One way to figure out a photographer’s preferred style is to look through the photos in their portfolio. Most of the time, you’ll see a pattern in the work that they feature. If you love it, and the couples that they feature seem like your kind of people, great! You’re probably on the right track.

There’s a style for everyone, and no right or wrong answers, here. But the guy who features only grand church weddings and receptions with waiters in white gloves on his website may not be a great fit for you if you have a more non-traditional, out of the box ceremony planned.

Photographers feature work that they enjoy shooting and venues that they feel confident with. So try to find at least one wedding on their website that could look like yours.

Locations.

If you’re getting married in a church at night. Look for photographers who have experience in shooting those types of venues. Conversely, if you’re getting married in a garden at mid-day. Nose around for outdoor photographs on a photographer’s website. Or–better yet–ask to see some photos from a similar venue and time of day if you’re already in love with a particular photographer’s style (see above). You may not always see every type of venue on a photographer’s website right up front–since we try not to overwhelm you with too many shots–but before you sign on the dotted line, you need to make sure your photographer is capable of handling the lighting or weather conditions that present themselves on your day.

A good way of determining that is looking for work that you like the look of consistently, in venues that are similar to the one you have planned. We’ll go over some red flags later, but for now just know that if you’re getting married in a dark church, you need to make sure that the photographer who has only garden weddings on their website has indoor photographs that you like, too.

Budget

Couples have wedding budgets all over the board. But understand that just like anything else that you’re purchasing for your wedding day. You should expect to get what you pay for when you consider photographers. If good photographs are important to you, consider rearranging your budget in the planning stage if necessary to be able to book the photographer you really love, while still staying within your overall budget. Ten years from now, your kids won’t have your cake or your flowers, but they will have your photographs, and a visual of the look on Dad’s face the moment he saw Mom coming down the aisle just for him. You can’t get moments like that back if they’re missed – capturing them well takes talent, and talent and experience do not come at a bargain.

In general, you should expect to pay about 15% of your total wedding budget toward your photographer –  but the most important thing is to make sure your expectations are on par with your budget. If all you can afford is $500-$1,000 and you want coverage for your entire wedding day, you need to be okay with the quality you’ll see from a beginner photographer just getting their feet wet. At that level, you’re sacrificing experience for price, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, as long as your expectations are reasonable. On the other hand, if you’re allocating a large part of your budget to photography and paying a professional, say, $7,000-$10,000, you should expect a high level of talent and experience.

In reality, the average photographer is going to be charging (in the South Louisiana area, at the time of this writing) a range in between those figures – closer to $2,000 to $6,500, depending on how many hours of coverage you need, what services are required, and whether things like albums and prints are included. So, if you weren’t sure where these things started, there’s your ballpark.

Personality

This one’s really important. You’ll spend more time with your photographer on your wedding day than probably any other person, so you need to make sure you like (and trust) them. Personality may sound insignificant next to level of talent when you’re running down a list of photographer criteria, but remember that your body language is more expressive than you think – if you’re uncomfortable with a despot of a photographer who may be brilliantly talented, it’ll show in your photographs when you can’t relax around them.

On the other hand, a photographer who keeps you on track while not adding to your anxiety or making you feel pressured while still doing a great job is ideal – they should feel like a friend, since they’re going to be sharing both happy and stressful moments with you throughout the day. I really recommend a face to face meeting with your serious photography candidates, or a video chat if distance is an issue. You’ll work so much better together if you have a personal connection–trust me.

Still with me? Great. Next we’re going to be talking all about some things you want to watch out for in the research stage, to help weed out the photographers who may not be a good fit for you. Come and read the next installment for some inside scoop on how to decode portfolio images!

Bayou Rose Photography specializes in wedding, engagement, family, and documentary style family photography in Southern Louisiana, and surrounding areas including but not limited to Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Prairieville, Gonzales and Lafayette.

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