Booking the Right Photographer for YOU!

Everyone knows that choosing the photographer who will capture your wedding day is one of the most crucial decisions in the wedding planning process! These photos will last forever, and are likely to be revisited and displayed for the rest of your life! They also immortalize the memories of your wedding and should be a great source of joy to you for years to come as you reminisce about those special moments!

But if the varying (and skyrocketing!) costs of professional photography––or terms like “photojournalism,” and “editorial”––have you a bit lost and wondering how you can be sure to find the best photographer for you, have no fear! Today, I’m going to break down for you some of the most important considerations to keep in mind when selecting your photography/videography team(s), and make sure you’re prepared to pick the best vendor for the job!

1. Start by setting a budget for photography/videography

This may seem like a “duh” thing to say. But set your budget FIRST before you start shopping for a photographer (or really any vendor.) Don’t hijack your entire wedding budget to make sure you get good quality photography. You should NEVER be spending 30-40% of your entire wedding investment in this one area (perhaps with some very limited exceptions for elopements, etc.) I’ve seen brides with an $18,000 budget book a $4500 photographer, leaving NO room for the gorgeous florals they wanted. Proportionally speaking, that’s insane, and amounts to suicide for your wedding budget! Even though I always say the venue, wedding planner, and photographer are your most valuable wedding investments, the amount you spend in each of those areas still needs to be proportionally appropriate to your overall budget. This is an obvious concept, but one I find a lot of brides tend to completely ignore, ESPECIALLY when choosing a photographer. The fear of being disappointed in your wedding photos is very real! BUT––in MOST areas, you can find good quality wedding photography in the $2500-3500 range. It may not be the BEST photographer available. You may need to settle for just 6 hours of coverage instead of 8-10, or lose the benefit of a second shooter. But usually it IS possible to find photographers in this price range. In my experience, photographers who charge higher prices than that ($5000-8000 and up) usually cater to a luxury market (hey, nothing wrong with that!), have invested a lot into working with the best equipment and software available to really refine their style, and/or are in such high demand that they are able to comfortably work with only their highest paying clientele.

The most expensive photographer is not necessarily the most experienced OR the best fit for your wedding. This isn’t to bash professionals who charge higher (or lower) prices. It’s to make sure you don’t start shopping for photographers with the assumption that if you aren’t paying top dollar for photography, that your wedding photos will be crap! lol The point is that there are more important indicators of which photographer you should hire than how pricey they are (which we’ll get to momentarily.) Also, as a side note––if you’re laughing at this whole point because there’s no way you can afford $3000 for a photographer, don’t despair! There are always extremely talented “up-and-comers” that are just dying to offer you an incredible value for their work in order to expand their portfolio! Facebook wedding groups, college campuses, or trade schools are great hot spots to find just this sort of budding professional!

2. Follow their social media and explore their portfolio

If there’s a photographer whose style captures your fancy, go through their website and social media accounts to get a feel for the consistent quality and editing style of their portfolio. You want to make sure you fall in love with their way of storytelling from behind the lens. Follow their social media pages to keep current on all their most recent work and see how active they are! Make sure you find some reviews from previous clients––look for comments relating to their professionalism, communication and responses, wedding day demeanor and interpersonal skills, stress management, and turnaround times. These are all part of the service they are providing that have nothing to do with their editing skills (more on this in the next point!) But basically, make sure that you have a serious comfort level with them as a professional.

3. Connect with them personally

This is probably the most important consideration I will mention, and I can’t emphasize it strongly enough! I remind my brides frequently that your photographer (and videographer) is probably the vendor you will spend the most time with on your wedding day! You will probably see them more than me, and maybe even more than your mom or maid of honor! They will be up close and personal with you during some of the most intimate moments of your day. So if you find their personality grating or irritating . . . well you can imagine how frustrating that would be! lol

For this reason, I HIGHLY recommend that you do a “vibe check” with your photo/video team to make sure that you get along with them personally. Their social intuition is actually one of the most important skills they will bring to your wedding day. Because, let’s be honest––while your wedding day might be the most magical day of your life, you can also expect your family and friends to still be . . . themselves––the good, bad, and ugly. Sometimes that means that family photos or high pressure moments can get a little stressed, and a photographer who can effectively diffuse any tension and keep everyone on task while maintaining a pleasant and sweet tone is worth their weight in gold! This is a true skill, and a photographer who is gracious and kind yet assertive is going to make sure everyone actually enjoys the wedding day!

One last benefit to connecting with your photographer on a personal level is that they get the chance to learn more about you as a couple, who your are, your personalities and your love story, and what is most important to you! Maybe you don’t want a camera in your face while your mom helps you put your dress on and would prefer that moment undocumented. Maybe there’s a traditional family wedding photo that you’d like to replicate. Or maybe (like the photo below) you’d like to capture a jaw-dropping shot of the Blue Angels flying overhead on your wedding day! All these personal preferences and considerations will be top priority to a truly skilled and caring photographer! (Shoutout to Jordan West Photography for her amazing skill and dedication to get such an incredible shot!)

Booking the right photographer is an important step, but it doesn’t have to be scary! Make sure you take time to do your research, get some good reviews, and connect with the photographer on a personal level. You’ll be so glad you took the time to make an informed decision, and it will keep you from panicking later, wondering if you made the right choice! What is most important to you when choosing a photographer? Let me know in the comments!