And what to do before you hire a photographer for your wedding
Finding a wedding photographer can be overwhelming, but the truth is, your photographer should make your wedding less stressful! Follow this list of five things to do before you hire a wedding photographer so you can work with a great team and receive wedding photos you love! Here are 5 Ways to Find the Right Wedding Photographer.
Planning Your Wedding
You’ve begun planning your wedding and the next thing on your list is:
Find a wedding photographer.
You want a wedding photographer who will capture the feelings and experiences you’re creating for your wedding day, from the overall vision to each little detail. The problem is, there are so many wedding photographers to choose from when you begin researching. You’ve been:
- Google searching
- Flipping through magazines
- Saving posts on Instagram
- Collecting referrals from your friends and family
All this research has resulted in one very long list.
Even after you’ve narrowed down all your options to a shortlist, the decision can still feel stressful if you don’t have a set of criteria guiding you through it.
Choosing a Photographer Shouldn’t Be Stressful
The stress of choosing a wedding photographer should always end after you’ve had that first meeting. At Morning Light Photography, I believe that your wedding photographer should actually make your wedding planning exciting, fun and less stressful. The right photographer will provide you with a clear plan forward of how they will walk with you from:
1) Wedding planning 2) Wedding day 3) Post-wedding.
A List to Follow
So, to help you move past overwhelm, clear your mind and choose an awesome photographer, I’ve compiled a list of five criteria to guide you through the process.
Keep this list of questions on hand when you meet with potential photographers. It will help you stay true to the themes, values and vibes you’re curating for your special day so you feel confident that you’ll love working with your photographer and the photos they give you.
Questions to Ask a Potential Wedding Photographer
Whether it’s an email, over Zoom or in a Starbucks, that first meeting with a photographer can tell you a lot, especially if you have this list with you. If you come prepared with this, you’ll get all the information you need and your intuition will lead you forward from there.
- Style: Ask yourself what style and emotional tone best represent you and your fiancé as a couple. With words and visual examples, share this with your photographer and ask if they can provide examples of this kind of work in the past.
- Versatility: Ask yourself what kind of atmosphere and environment you’re creating at your wedding. This might include details like the venue, the decor, indoor/outdoor and the season your wedding is happening in. Ask your photographer whether they’ve shot in this style, weather or lighting before and ask for examples you can browse through.
- Relationship: Here’s an important one – after you’ve met with a photographer, pay attention to your body and mind. How do you feel? Relaxed? Taken care of? Like you could be yourself and you’re already friends with this person? … These are good indicators that you’re on the right track to finding the perfect fit.
- Support: Now ask your photographer this question: How do you support your clients during the wedding planning process, and on the wedding day? I believe this is an important one because the job of a photographer is not only creative and visual, it’s also highly administrative. A wedding photographer should play a part in your timeline creation downs because they will need to be prepared to capture all the important moments without having to ask you a million questions on your wedding day. Your top priority that day should be to relax and enjoy, while your photographers take care of being where they need to be, on time, to capture the joy.
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5) Photos: At the end of the day, a great process should always lead to incredible wedding photos. You deserve to be in love with your wedding photography and have a variety of ways that you can relive your special day over and over again. Always ask your photographer how and when the photos will be delivered to you after your wedding is over. This might come along with a few of these questions: How many photos can we expect? What form do you deliver them in? Approximately how long does your editing process take? What a la carte options can we order through you? What do your albums look like?
You deserve to know what you will be getting at the end of your wedding, so you can look forward to sharing the memories with your family and bridal party when the wedding is over.
As I enter into my 8th year of capturing beautiful weddings, I’ve seen the romance, creativity and authenticity that nearly 250 couples have curated. With this kind of thoughtfulness and planning energy, don’t settle for a photographer who won’t appreciate the details you’ve put together. With this list, you’re going to find a photographer who can capture your wedding, deliver stunning photos and make your whole planning process more enjoyable. When you ask the right questions, your photographer should “do the homework” for you providing you with all the necessary information in a clear and helpful way.
