How to choose your wedding photographer
How do you choose a wedding photographer? it’s an important question. All being well your wedding is a once in a life time event- the day you marry your best friend- and rightfully you want the best person to capture that day for you. But when you search ‘Buckinghamshire wedding photographers’ hundreds of results show up- and that’s just one county! So how do you choose? in this blog I lay out my recommended criteria on how to choose your wedding photographer.
Budget
Lets get this one out of the way- in a magical world, money wouldn’t be a problem but unfortunately how much money you have to spend can make a difference to the photographers you have to choose from.
You’ll find there’s lots of photographers in different brackets of pricing and genuinely you can spend anywhere between £400 and £5000 pounds. What you need to work out is how much of your budget you can invest in this aspect of your wedding. This is why it’s best to book your Venue and Caterers first as after these two photography is generally the next expensive thing.
Style
After your budget I would say style is the most important thing that you should take into consideration when choosing your wedding photographer.
There are different ways photographer edit their photos, even if you had two photographers at your wedding, they would produce different images because of their ‘Style’. Common style labels include; Light & Airy, Dark & Moody, Bold & Colourful, Warm Tones, Black & White, ect.
So when your looking at the photographers portfolio and the way their describing their style you need to go for a photographer who’s images are coloured and shot in a way that’s appealing to you and/or would best capture your day. In particular pay attentions to the shades of the colours and whether or not you like what they’ve done with the greens or the oranges in the picture.
A Festival themed wedding wouldn’t necessarily suit a Dark & Moody edit, whereas a historic city venue may look really good in that style.
To clear things up- I am a Bold & Colourful wedding photographer. I like to keep my colours true to life and keep the images looking very bold.
And top tip- Don’t ask a photographer if they will edit in a style that’s not theirs, cause they won’t. It’s part of the reason you hire us!
Their Offering
So, you’ve worked out the style you like, and you’ve found a few photographers who are in a similar price field- then how do you choose!
The next thing you have to look at is what they offer and what will best suit your needs/wants. Thiese can be any of the below:
Number of hours. Do they have a package that suits the length of your day? (example: if the ceremony is at 1pm and you want 2 hours of getting ready before the ceremony and then photos for an hour after your first dance at 8pm then that’s 10 hours)
Engagement shoot included? I would always recommend one to help you get used to being Infront of the camera.
Time frame- if you want a quick turn around for your images you may have to pay more.
Is their travel included?
Pre wedding consultation. Do you meet each other before the wedding to go over things or is it a case of see you on the day?
Like all of these factors, there’s no right or a wrong, just what feels best for you.
Personality
So imagine this- you’ve found a wedding photographer who is offering what you need, in a style you like and within your budget… you have a call with them but there’s no sparks. Maybe it was something about their tone of voice or maybe they didn’t laugh at your silly culture reference. But either way you come back from the call not feeling ‘wowed’
In a business like wedding photography there are so many people doing it, that sometimes what sets us apart are our personalities! Wedding photographers are more like professional third wheels; we get ready with you, we creepily take photos of your first kiss with a long lens from the back and quite often the first time your ‘alone’ together for the first time on your wedding day is during your portrait session with us. With that in mind I think it’s important to select a photographer that you really vibe with.
I had a call with a couple a few years back where they asked to book me on that call- no thinking about it later, no we’ll get back to you. And I genuily believe it’s cause I showed the same enthusiasm (if not more) for their wedding theme- cause I can’t hide how big a nerd I am!
Questions to ask potential Wedding Photographers
Most photographers when you enquire with them will offer you a consultation call to enable you and the photographer to see if your right for each other. Below are a couple of questions you can ask your photographer to help determine if they are the right one for you!
What is your price for ‘X’ amount of hours and what does that include?
How would you describe your editing style?
What’s your process like, how do we book, is there any pre wedding communication, how long can we expect to wait for photos after the wedding?
Is your travel included in the price?
If you want to get a sense for what sort of person they are behind the camera you can ask them something like; what’s your favourite band/movie/book?, do they have any pets?, other than photography what do they enjoy doing?
It’s important to remember on these calls that there is no such thing as a silly question and most photographers are super lovely and just want to talk about your day and how they can help make it special, so don’t feel self conscious or worry that your rambling and be sure to ask any questions that come to mind.
You do you!
So hopefully you now have a better idea on how to choose your wedding photographer! the last message I want to leave you with is that, like all the decisions you have to make about your wedding, choosing your wedding photographer is very personal to you want. You may want to throw all your budget at it, you may want to go for a colourful wedding photographer, you might find someone who you instantly click with- listen to what feels right for you and you won’t go wrong.
Looking for a Wedding Photographer?
Hi! I’m Jade, A Buckingham based photographer who loves vibrant and authentic wedding photography.
If you are looking for someone who is passionate about capturing your personality and allowing you to have a fun filled wedding without the stuffy posing then we’re a good fit!
