Just as importantly…are YOU the right Wedding client for me? Yes. You read it correctly. Wow, I can hear you now…. ‘don’t people take any job that’s willing to pay’??
You’ll find many new and budding photographers in the industry are willing to sign ANY client who will pay them to shoot their Wedding. It’s ok…I did it too. Getting to the point in your business where you are discerning about WHO your client is, is not an easy step but a necessary one. Remember when your Mom used to say to you that ‘not everyone was going to like you’? It’s true, even more so as an adult. And working in such a creative industry people have varied styles and tastes.
Let’s narrow it down…
- You have no idea what you’re looking for…you just want a warm body there with a camera (but not Uncle Bob)
- You saw some cool pictures on the website and trust this person to be what they say they are/do
- You have done extensive research and have a great person in mind that you trust 100% to guide you
- You have very specific ideas about poses and shots you want from the Wedding photographer you hire
For the Wedding Photography professional you hire, these are all very important aspects of what you’re looking for that you need to share with them. Better yet? They should be asking!
Here are my best tips for you when looking for a Wedding Photographer.
- Look at the portfolio. Determine style. Jot down some notes on what appeals to you about what you’re seeing so you can tell them what you loved about their portfolio. Were you drawn to the black & white images? You loved the photos that were candid and showed real emotions; there were some stunning artistic landscape photos you could imagine having of you and your spouse.
- Don’t just compare prices. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. A photographer who is less-experienced may have a lower price but may not be able to deliver on the number of beautiful images you receive or might not have a good enough system to be able to shoot in a dark church or may have no idea about organizing your family groups so there’s no chaos. When you see a higher price, don’t be afraid to ask the photographer about what they can offer you for what you’re paying. An experienced professional photographer will be able to justify what they charge by telling you everything that comes with hiring them.
- Ask questions! It’s important to ask the right questions about a person you’re about to hire to photograph your Wedding. Putting the time in to research and find the right person will ensure you get the images you want from your big day, in return.
- Make sure your personalities mix. Your photographer is the one main person who will be with you for the majority of the day and evening. It is important that your personalities mesh and that you’re able to bond on some level with your photographer.
- Ask about post processing! If beautiful, artistic Wedding photos are important to you then make sure you’re not hiring a shoot and burn photographer! This is slang for photographing your Wedding and burn the files to a disc without any editing or colour correction. 🙁
- Be sure to do an Engagement session with the photographer you hire. This will give you a ‘trial run’ with them where you’ll have some images to see their style and post production abilities. You’ll also have some bonding time during the session so when your photographer shows up on the Wedding day, you’ll have a better sense of them and their work style.
