So today I spoke with my friend Michelle who is a professional wedding photographer about potentially being the photographer for our big day! It was extremely exciting for me because for anyone who knows me I believe that the photography can make or break your entire day. This is the piece of your wedding you will carry with you the rest of your lives and the vision that your children will have of your wedding day (if they aren't already alive when you get married). I have very specific ideas about what I want out of a wedding photographer which made me think that writing a post about photography would be interesting to some of you!
I have been to weddings where the photographers have sucked. Point blank, no lies, hardcore fools that thought that buying a Nikon and setting up a website made them good at what they do. I refuse to settle on someone who cannot help bring our vision for our wedding to life, so below are my tips for picking the best wedding photographer!
1. Budget: Figure out your budget and stick to it. You need to respect your funds as much as you want to find an amazing photographer. Many photographers create packages that can help you to bring down the cost more. I would suggest setting aside a decent amount of money for photography to avoid people who are trying to make a quick buck. Work within what you are comfortable spending but just know you don't have to shell out millions to get great pictures!
2. Prioritize: Is it extremely valuable to you and your partner to have pictures of you and the wedding party getting ready? Or is that something you think you could live without having? When you cut down on the amount of time the photographer will need to be there then you can save yourself some major moolah!
3. Same-Sex Wedding Experience?: If you are a same-sex couple this is something that I find to be extremely important. Lets be real, marriage and weddings are not a gay institution but thankfully we are (slowly) moving towards breaking down that heteronormativity of it! Many photographers haven't worked within the same-sex wedding realm which means they don't necessarily understand the unique sensitivities that go along with photographing a same-sex couple. The lack of gender stereotypes can be something difficult for a photographer to grasp and thus the couple gets posed in ways that are traditional to male and female gender roles which the same-sex couple do not necessarily ascribe to. This can make the experience uncomfortable and awkward, in turn ruining a big portion of their day. I suggest speaking with photographers about their experience in working with same-sex couples and ask to see portfolios of their pictures from those events before making a decision.
4. Do you get along well with your photographer? This is something extremely important to me because I find photography to be a very intimate experience and that means I need to feel comfortable with them on a personal level. Are they overly confident? Are they nice to not only you and your impending spouse but also your family and friends? Are they someone that I could see myself hanging out with? Would I feel comfortable reaching out to them with questions or do they make me feel like I am burdening them? These are big points to consider.
5. Is the photographer open to opinions?: I am extremely picky about pictures (ask anyone who's ever met me or seen the nearly 5,000 tagged photos of me and over 400 albums on Facebook). I have a very specific group of pictures that I want taken on our wedding day that I don't want missed, like with my Grammy or with certain groups of friends or family. I want to be comfortable enough with my photographer that I can basically give them a list of shots that I want/need and not worry that they will totally suck when I bring it up with them.
6. What is my own style?: This is a question that will require some Googling and research before you can settle on it. I personally have never been a huge fan of line them up and take a picture. I love the random shots that feel like life is being captured rather than a more formal feel. However, I have realized that I do like the formal line up shots for getting family pictures or really large groups. I know that I value detail shots like our rings or center-pieces, or us getting ready but that I could careless about food shots. I know that some changes like Sepia tones are not exactly my thing but that I would love some black and whites. My style blends both modern and traditional wedding photography styles. Where do you fall with your style? Does the photographer meet that same style? It will go a lot more smoothly if they do!
7. What is the turn-around time with your pictures?: This is something a lot of couples forget to ask but then later realize that their pictures are taking far too long to get back to them. Is the amount of time that it takes to get the pictures something you can work within or is it just too long for you? Remember to be reasonable here. You won't be getting all of your prints the very next day so ask around what a reasonable time-frame is. My sources tell me that 2-3 weeks is a good turn-around so be prepared to wait a little bit.
8. Will you be able to buy the prints without watermarks to be able to print as many pictures as possible? Is that an extra cost? This is very important because you will spend a pretty penny to print pictures through photographers and if you have a good printer at home you can legally print these pictures yourself without violating the photographer's copyright. Some photographers will charge you extra to buy the digital copies of the pictures so find our what that would cost and move on from there.
9. How Same-Sex-Friendly are they really?: Something I have run into A LOT with my photography search was the lack of awareness around same-sex wedding planning. A lot of websites that have a request an estimate section to fill out have a mandatory section for a bride's name and a groom's name. This leaves one of the pair to have his or her name written into the incorrect title which is just so awkward and uncomfortable. In my opinion if you set your website up that rigidly then I am not going to be comfortable working with you. I won't write my name or Brandon's name into a "bride" category just to get a photographer. There are plenty out there willing to treat your day just as importantly as an opposite-sex wedding.
I'm pretty sure thats all I have for you for now regarding photography! Any questions feel free to send them over!
Also: if you're in Connecticut and looking for an AMAZING photographer, check out my friend Michelle Wade at www.MichelleWadePhotography.com She's EXTREMELY talented and just the sweetest person ever. (She also travels for weddings so if you're not in CT and want to book her she will do that too!
Just keep your eyes on the prize and make sure that you are comfortable with your photographer and your photos from your big day!
