How to Find the Right Photographer ...

,,, for your wedding

The number of wedding photographers in the Puget Sound is staggering!  Choosing a wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you will make.  The photos of your wedding will preserve your memories, not only for you but it will tell your wedding story to future generations - your children, etc.  Don’t trust these precious memories to just anyone!

So, how do you find the right photographer for your wedding?

Ask your married friends for referrals!  Ask them about their photographer!  If they were happy with their photographer, chances are you will be too.  Check out the photographers website, their online portfolio and see if they have any reviews of their services. 

Meet with a couple of photographers.  Find 2-3 photographers that you liked based on the style of their work.  Don’t overwhelm yourself with more as it can just make it more confusing and non productive. When looking at their work can you visualize yourself in  the photographs?  What is their primary style?  Photojournalistic? Posed?  Artistic?  Other?  If they only show posed  photographs ask to see samples of candid shots that capture the various moments of the day. It is a lot more challenging to get the exposure right when capturing moments as they happen than when the photographer is in control as in a posed shot.

Be prepared to ask the photographer questions.  How many hours are covered?  Will the Photographer who captured the samples you were shown be the one who photographs your wedding?  Do they edit the photos?  Is there a limit of photos you receive?  Do you get a CD with full resolution images?  Many provide you with a CD of reduced resolution that are only good for sharing online not for making prints.  Do they have back up equipment?  Are they prepared for the unexpected? 

Wedding experience,  there are many photographers who only photograph a couple weddings a year and work in another field the rest of the time, others do a few weddings with their primary business focus being on portraits in a studio.  The more experienced a photographer is with weddings, the better for you as you are hiring a professional who knows all the ins and outs of a wedding.  They are alert to all the nuances of a wedding and are prepared to quickly react and photograph all the emotions and love of the day.

Warning signs of the inexperienced photographer… Looking at their sample  photographs, are they over saturated so the colors remind you of a comic book?  Are they over exposed so even though you can tell it was a nice sunny day the sky looks milk white? Do they use an excessive amount of black and white? Black and white photos have their own appeal but often photographers will try to hide an over exposed photo by converting it to black and white.

Other things to consider.  Are you comfortable with your photographer?  Remember they will be shadowing you ALL day.  You want someone you are comfortable around.  They don’t need to be your best friend but you want someone leaves you feeling secure and relaxed so you don’t have that added stress on your wedding date.  When you are comfortable, some of the best photos  are the candid behind the scenes photos.

Beware of inexpensive photographers.   If someone offers to shoot your wedding for a few hundred dollars it’s probably because they are inexperienced. They are trying to buy experience.  The more experienced the better the odds that they will know how to deal with the lighting at your venue, how to deal with different family situations, and how to stay balanced if things go crazy. There are many good photographers who are inexperienced and deserve the opportunity.  However, do you really want to take that chance with your wedding memories? Once the day is over the main thing you will have to commemorate it will be the photographs so don’t scrimp on saving those precious memories! 

You don’t always get what you pay for.  Just because they charge a lot is no assurance of quality work. Ask to see an album or a proof book showing a wedding from start to finish rather than just images hand picked by the photographer from various weddings. They should have enough good quality photos to tell the story of the wedding from start to finish.

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional members:  Monica & Sonny Allshouse of Family Affair Photography.   You can also find them on Facebook.