Choosing a perfect photographer for your wedding
Congratulations! Your wedding day is now coming up and everything is planned. You have booked the venue, catering, car and all those things which makes your wedding the most memorable, and in that list, one of the most important thing is to book a professional photographer. Because it’s his responsibility for capturing those beautiful moments, which you will look back and cherish for the rest of your life. But when it comes to choosing the best photographer for a wedding is a challenge.
How can you be sure that you have found the best photographer for your wedding?.
Check their portfolio
There is a saying “ beauty is in the eye of beholder”. The portfolio photography of most wedding photographers may seem pleasing. But you should make sure that you love his work, which resonates with your style and creativity and you would want something like what you see in his portfolio. Making sure he is capable of the vision or theme that you have in mind and could deliver the output that you are looking for.
Flexibility
Wedding photographers should be flexible with their timetable and time slots for the day. Make sure that they can be around for photo shoots for post and pre wedding events if required. As professional photographers are experienced he or she will know that things may not go as planned and the photographer might need to stay back for a bit longer.
Photographer’s persona
Your wedding is your day to remember the good time and fun your had. People relate differently to different type of personality. Choose a wedding photographer who is friendly ,who can make you smile, The one who can sense the mood of the guests and allow things to flow naturally and with a sense of joy for the occasion. Which will not only make photographs look more relaxed,But also helps you in candid photography for the wedding.Try having a pre-wedding photo shoot , this will help you to getting along with your photographer and more importantly him to know you and how you feel in front of the camera. As you will spend more time with the photographer than with any one else on the day of your wedding, so make sure you can get on well with him or her.
Get Estimates
Most wedding photographers would suggest you go with one of their wedding photography package , allowing you to select a deal that will best suit your budget. Compare these packages with other photographers to find your best option for your wedding. Not only the price but also consider all other factors, including quality of their work, reviews by previous clients, flexibility and personality. Don’t just go for the cheapest one or the cheerful option either; you are paying for talent and ability.Cause only amateur would settle for a low price giving out the mediocre output. So preferring “Quality over quantity” is highly recommend.
Right Budget
This is the most tricky part for any shopping we do. What should be the right budget for photography? Is it too less? Am I spending more and going overboard? These question are bound to keep you confused and keep you searching for the right answer. There is a much publicized option of keeping a certain percentage aside of the entire wedding budget. Always keep a range in your mind while deciding on the budget. Don’t blindly follow advice of someone who had an extravagant or just a few thousand bucks spending on wedding photography. Love and admiration for photography are key contributors in deciding a budget. Think wise and see how much you see your wedding pictures as investment. Don’t lose the opportunity to spend little extra for better style and quality of photography. I bet you won’t regret it later.
Identify Style
There are lot of terms being used these days when it comes to contemporary wedding photography. Lifestyle wedding photographer, wedding photojournalist, fine art wedding photographer and the famous candid wedding photographer. Try to keep it simple. Visually identify the styles of shortlisted photographers. Checkout whose style you can relate to the most.
Right Portfolio
When you are shortlisting a wedding photographer make sure he/she has a right portfolio. The wedding photographer should have few individual weddings listed in his/her portfolio. You may not want to shortlist a wedding photographer who shares only the selected one or two best images from each wedding for his/her portfolio.
Consistency in the shoot
This is one of the most undervalued and ignored aspects. It is quite natural to get awed looking at wedding pictures. But if there is no consistency in the quality of pictures throughout a wedding, the wedding day and the pre-wedding events like sangeet and mehndi, the cause is lost. You would like to see the shoot with the same quality of photography for each event. Also keep an eye on how his/her pictures turn out for day and night events.
Personality Of Photographer
It’s true that the personality of the wedding photographer reflects in the pictures. Lively and emotive pictures will give you an idea about his/her personality. Do checkout his/her facebook page/profile timeline or twitter feed for what and how he/she is interacting.
Busy Wedding Photographer
Email and mobile phones are the two most common ways you start the interaction with a wedding photographer. Just a couple of interactions and you have questions like “Is she too busy or inaccessible?” “ Does his emails reflect that he is in a rush?” “Did you notice the frequent typos in his/her email ?” All these are signs of a busy wedding photographer. Once you hire him/her, will he/she be able to give you quality time for suggestions, preparations and understand your expectations. This could be a key area for some couples, if not for all.
Communication
While talking and emailing to shortlisted photographers you will realize there is already a connect with one (or few ) of them. Do you like his/her style of communication? Is he/she answering your queries and clearing your doubts effectively? Your prospective wedding photographer should be able to communicate ideas and understand your requirements.
References
Choosing a wedding photographer referred by a friend can be a good idea. If he/she has already covered a wedding in the family/friend circle, you will have a clarity on all the above 7 points mentioned so far. You can easily shortlist him/her and evaluate with other shortlisted photographers.
Overworked Wedding Photographer
There are lot of wedding photographers who shoot a limited number of weddings in a month or year. This not only helps them balance their personal and professional life but also justify a full lively effort on each wedding. Imagine a wedding photographer shooting your wedding who has been sleeping only 2-3 hours for the last few days. We all are humans and how much a high dose of caffeine ( read coffee and red bulls ) would help every day to keep you up and running. A tired and sleepless body cannot be recommended for creative work.
Write Personalized Email
Don’t be afraid to reach out to your wedding photographer with your requirements and budget. Lot of brides/couples don’t share enough details in their initial conversation or emails. Share your ideas on how you are excited about your wedding. How and where you are planning it. As a wedding photographer, we get so many emails and most of the times, the emails are so short in information that it is does not excite the wedding photographer. Don’t make your email just another email in his/her inbox. A wedding photographer who takes up only a limited number of wedding assignments in a month or year, can make a difference. Keep the conversation honest and going. If you have zeroed in your wedding photographer make sure you drop a courtesy email that you have chosen your wedding photographer.
Okay, so these are my 10 ideas to help you in choosing the right wedding photographer. Why not help me out with other ideas which I may have missed or you want share with me and help other readers? I would love to add it here with the credits. Do drop a line or two.
