The wedding photography market can be a daunting place. With so many photographers out there you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’ll never find the one that’s the perfect fit for you. So, where do you start your search to find a wedding photographer, and what exactly are you looking for?
As a wedding photographer, it’s safe to say that I place a lot of importance on the images captured at anybody’s wedding. If I were getting hitched (thankfully I’m happily married), I’d probably end up paying thousands to fly in my favourite photographer from the other side of the world. I can’t imagine settling for anything other than the best, but what I consider the best might not be what you’re looking for.
Photography Styles
Everybody’s tastes are different. You may love reportage wedding photography, where the photographer doesn’t control any element of the day and instead captures candid images as the events unfold in front of them. You may prefer images that look like they’ve come straight from Vanity Fair magazine. Highly stylized images where the photographer goes off with the couple for a fairly long period of time and creates striking portraits of the bride and groom.
There are still plenty of wedding photographers out there who will make the group shots the main focus of their coverage. I hear stories of photographers taking up to two hours to shoot all the different group shots. Personally, I can’t think of anything worse! We still believe a few group shots are important, but we like to get them done quickly so we don’t interrupt the wedding more than necessary. Fifteen minutes is usually enough for me.
Budget
Once you’ve decided which style of photography you like, you still have to find a wedding photographer whose style fits what you’re after… and then there’s the sticky subject of price! Everybody has a budget.
If photography isn’t high up on your priority list, you may not want to spend more than £500. There are photographers out there who will photograph your wedding day for even less than that. Just make sure you know they can deliver images that you’ll be happy with. A few half decent photos on their Facebook page doesn’t equate to a consistent set of images every time.
If you won the Lottery recently, you may wish to consider a certain photographer who will charge you $120,000 for 12 hour’s coverage!
Do You Get On?
Of course, one of the main factors when choosing your wedding photographer has to be whether or not you actually like the person. They’ll be with you throughout one of the most important and intimate events in your life. If you enjoy having them around it will make the day more fun, less stressful and you’ll end up with better photographs as a result. So, make sure you try to meet any potential photographers before you book. Even if they’re in another country, the beauty of modern technology means that you can chat via Skype.
Most of our clients find us through recommendations, Google, blogs and wedding websites like this one. Almost all come to meet us before they pay their deposit. Hopefully we get on well and make the whole experience a relaxed and fun one. Many of our clients have now become friends; some came to my son’s 3rd birthday party this weekend.
I really hope you find a wedding photographer whose images you love, I hope their price won’t scare you away, and I hope you meet them and get on like a house on fire. But most of all, I hope that, after your wedding, you’ll spend time with the person you love, looking through the most amazing images of a day you never want to forget.
Guest post by Steve Gerrard Photography
Images from Steve Gerrard Photography
