Are you trying to figure out how to choose a wedding photographer? Try reading here
You have chosen the location for the wedding, you have found the villa or restaurant you dreamed of for the reception and now you have decided that it is time to choose the photographer for the wedding.
Once it was easy, it was enough to leave the house, walk a few hundred meters maximum a few kilometers and here in front of you the photographer’s window, to which all the people who got married in your country turned. The photographer (strictly male) who photographed your mother, your aunt and maybe even a couple of your older cousins.
This is no longer the case. Thanks to the internet we have much more choice, we have a different photographic culture and we are able to notice the differences between an excellent photographer for the wedding and one who maybe does it as a hobby, for passion or to supplement. We are literally invaded by photos everywhere, facebook, instagram,pinterest, the web in general, and this can be confusing. So what? What to do?
In the meantime, you have to understand which photographic genre is right for you.
Wedding photography is not a style in its own right. There are many facets, there are many stylistic and chromatic choices, ways of approach, differences in equipment. There are professionals who prefer to pose you, others who focus on the “reportage” photo shoot. There are wedding photographers who shoot mainly in black and white and others who prefer color shots, still others who shoot analog. So what to do?
The first thing is to understand the differences and what style (more or less posed?) Is for you. Once you understand this, you are well under way!
Keep in mind the times: usually a professional photography starts to have busy dates already a year and a half in advance, so don’t get caught unprepared a few months before!
When you have an idea and you have reduced the choice to the people who might be right for you (I would say not to exceed three or four) ask the photographer for a meeting.
Make an appointment to choose the photographer for the wedding
Choosing a quote rather than another without having known the person is always a risk. As I always say, would you like to deal with a person you don’t like on the most beautiful day, your wedding day? I do not believe. So meet, take notes and ask any questions that come to your mind.
And, very importantly, show your weddings in full, not just a portfolio with the best images from the last three years of work (it’s great to get an idea of the style, but then I think it’s essential to see more!).
For example, during the wedding day I take between 2000 and 4000 photos. Surely among these there will be beautiful ones. But the others? Is it enough to have a handful or a few dozen good shots to keep the memories of a whole day? I would say no. So have your album pulled out and see the photos being delivered! It’s about choosing the wedding photographer for your day!
Another very important factor is that a good photographer gives advice, does not impose his ideas!
I often receive married couples who complain about professionals they have turned to because they are not very flexible towards their requests, and indeed, they tend to impose their beliefs. I am of the opinion that a good wedding photographer can give excellent advice on places, times, catering, but will never force the bride and groom to do what is best for him. For example, if you want to get married at noon, a good photographer can advise you to do the couple shoot at sunset because at that time the light will certainly be better, warmer and less sharp, but if you want to do it sooner for reasons yours, a solution will be found together to have an excellent result in any case!
Let’s now move on to the sore point, the figures to choose the photographer for the wedding.
Estimates can range from a few hundred euros for non-professional photographers to several thousand! It is not strange, it is perfectly normal! As there is no register for photographers, there are no fixed or starting rates, so everyone can ask as much as he wants. You will find the amateur photographer who for five hundred euros will follow you from dressing up to dances with album included and also with a drone and strictly without VAT, as well as the professional photographer who works anywhere in the world who will ask you for five or six thousand euros just for shots. The market is very diverse! It goes without saying that you don’t have to trust alleged professionals who ask you for a few coins. Often these are non-professional figures or even large agencies or studios that send children with little experience paying them (perhaps) a few hundred euros.
Those who have been doing this work for years know that equipment takes a lot of money, that two hours are not enough for processing, that the photos take up space and to store them safely you need several hard drives, that the sample albums do not give them to you. and that to improve you need courses, books, workshops, studies and much more. Carefully evaluate the quotes that will be delivered to you, check that everything is written on it and if something is not clear to you, ask without problems!
Many times those who spend more spend less: you will have more photos delivered, more beautiful photos, better colors and more safety. So take into account all these tips to choose the photographer for the wedding!
