When choosing your wedding photographer, you want to ensure they create the wedding album you’ve always dreamed of. We’ve spoken to the professionals to get some key insight on how to find the right wedding photographer.
5 Steps To Choosing The Right Wedding Photographer
Your wedding photographer should capture every detail of your big day. From your place card holders to your hair accessories and your makeup applications, it’s your photographer’s responsibility to capture it all. This way, you don’t have to rely completely on memory.
We firmly believe in investing in the right wedding photographer as your photos are one of the most important aspects of your big day. We asked master photographer, Jay Rowden, for some expert tips for the bride and groom when it came to booking a photographer.
1. It pays to have the best
While you can get a good deal with a photographer who’s new to the industry, you do need to find someone you trust to get it right. Perfection comes with experience.
“It sounds obvious but nail down your photography budget before reaching out to wedding photographers.” Says Jay Rowden.
“Be prepared to break the bank if you find a photographer whose work you really love”.
2. Browse your photographer’s portfolio
Look through the portfolio of any photographer you’re considering. You won’t just be looking for examples of the weddings they’ve captured. You’ll also be looking at their different styles and approaches. When you find the photos that resonate with you, you’ve found your style and photographer.
“Before you meet your favourite photographer, ask them to bring along a few sample albums of their work,” Says Jay Rowden.
3. Decide on the right style
A professional photographer distinguishes all the subtleties of shooting a wedding. They’ll know exactly when to photograph your groom as he first sees you walking down the aisle, how to achieve the perfect confetti shot, and what to do in the event of rain. A creative and flexible approach often results in the most breathtaking and brilliant wedding photographs.
“Decide what style you’re after, Says Jay Rowden, “[Be it] documentary, fine art, natural, contemporary, traditional”.
4. Create a detailed action plan
Everything from your chosen venue to the time of year will affect your wedding photographs. If you’ve got your heart set on certain shots, like couple’s portraits at sunset or a sparkler send-off photo, then you need to talk it through with your photographer.
More often than not, your photographer will offer a pre-wedding shoot to help you both gauge what kind of shots you want. It makes taking the photos on your big day that bit quicker and more efficient.
5. Make sure you’ve both done your homework
“Make sure you do your homework on photographers. Draw up a list of your three favourite photographers.” Says Jay.
“Then properly review their websites and blogs, check out the socials for their latest work and make sure you look at feedback”.
This way, you have a firm idea of what kind of photography style you’ll receive and you can help pull together some ideas of what shots you want. You can scope out the quality and the range of skills your photographer has.
The last thing you want is to fork out all that money on your wedding day and not have some fantastic photos to look back on.
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