Tips for choosing your wedding photographer.

Choosing your wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you’ll make during the planning of your wedding. There are so many of us out there with different styles and approaches so it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the choice.

Obviously budget is a big consideration and you’ll only get one chance to get it right so it pays to take the time to consider the pros and cons.

With my 10+ years of being a Wedding Photographer here are a few of my top tips that might just help you cut through the noise and make a choice that is right for you…

STYLE

The first thing is to consider what style of wedding photography you like. This is easy with the likes of Pinterest and Instagram. Are you drawn to bold colours or earthy muted tones? Natural, candid moments or glossy magazine style posed shots? Once you have an idea of what you like this will help you narrow down your search.

My style is drawn to natural colours and tones that reflect how your wedding day really looks while making sure everything is bright and colourful to show everything at its best.

It’s worth noting that your chosen style will also dictate how your photographer approaches your day. My approach is for a more natural, candid style which allows you more time to enjoy your wedding day but without the heavy posing.

COST

This is a tricky one as it covers such a wide range and there is a photographer for every budget however, my advice is to use caution when it comes to price. Get several quotes within your price range so you can compare packages and like everything in life if it looks too good to be true then it probably is.

ARE THEY LEGIT?

It’s important to know you aren’t going to get ripped off so don’t be afraid to ask questions such as how long they’ve been in business. Check their social media.. if someone has been shooting for years, it’s usually a safer bet than than someone just starting out.

KIT & INSURANCE

I’m often asked why photographers charge what they do. Skill and experience apart, the costs involved to run a photography business are high. Quality kit and insurance is expensive and if someone is suspiciously cheap this may be the reason why. All photographers should have Public Liability Insurance in case anything goes wrong so you have a chance of claiming compensation if needed. As a professional wedding photographer I have both PL Insurance and equipment cover as well as using professional kit with various backup systems in place such as dual memory card slots on my cameras to prevent problems. I also have a network of photographers for cover in an emergency.

WHAT DO YOU GET?

Most photographers these days will provide your photos digitally for you to download from an online gallery. This is the easiest and quickest way to get your photographs. Your gallery will be available to view and you can usually order prints directly or share the files with friends and family. My galleries are all password protected and you can download your images straight to your computer or hard drive as well as order anything from 6×4 prints to large canvas and framed prints.

Many photographers will also offer an album either as part of the package or as an optional extra. If you meet your photographer in person before booking you can usually ask to see samples of these to get an idea of quality. Don’t be afraid to ask to see complete galleries of weddings too… we can all put up a blog post showing the highlights but you can also request to see exactly what you’d get from your photographer.

VENUE

Another common question I get asked is ‘Have you shot at our venue before?’ Often the answer is yes but if your photographer hasn’t this isn’t a reason to look elsewhere. Many wedding sites suggest using a photographer who is familiar with the venue but a good photographer will get great photos no matter where your wedding is and chances are you’ll have photos that are more original and different from all the other couples who’s photographer works at the same venues week in week out.

DO YOU GET ON?

This is probably the most important bit of all… Your photographer will be there for most if not all of your day so it’s important you feel relaxed in their company. Us photographers want to feel the same too so arrange a chat either over the phone or over coffee so you can get to know them and they can get a good idea of exactly what you want from them.

I hope that helps! If you have any questions or would like to have a chat about your wedding photography I’d love to hear from you.

You can get in touch here.

© 2024 Ian Rolfe Wedding Photography