Some helpful Wedding Photography Information
So, you are getting married and everyone tells you that you need to book a Wedding Photographer. You have been in Weddings and have seen many Wedding Photographers and think you know who you want to book, or do you? Wedding Photography should not be taken lightly. In fact, and I could be a bit biased on this statement, BUT you should book who you want, no matter what their price.
Lots of future brides are totally overwhelmed by the amount and variety of Wedding Photographers in their area. For any given metropolis there could be a thousand or more “Wedding Photographers.” Let me dispel a few myths and a bunch of facts when it comes to Wedding Photography and possibly your future Wedding Photographer.
Let me start by telling you that I have completed over 300 Weddings with 100% satisfied clientele. I have been capturing Weddings for 7 years full-time and over 15 part-time. I have captured many destination Weddings, Church Weddings, boat Weddings, Beach Weddings, Island Weddings, and many, many in between. My first Wedding was 15 years ago, captured on film, on my Canon gear. Before Weddings I was a Yearbook photographer and Nature Photographer, showing in galleries and selling a bit of stock photography. Canon has been my gear of choice since my first Canon camera at the age of ten. That would be 25 years ago. I love my age by the way. I have seen my share of photography and I now make Wedding Photography my full-time career.
With that all said, I want to help clear up the mysterious area of Wedding Photography at your Wedding. All of what I say is my opinion using factual evidence that I have observed through my years of photography.
There are a lot of different styles of Wedding Photography out there today. Some people think that it is easy to break into Wedding Photography by buying a camera and doing cheap Wedding Photography. Beware of Wedding Photographers who shoot less than ten Weddings per year. This is like asking you to work two months out of the year at whatever you do. I wouldn’t expect you to be on the top of your game. I must say that back when I started I wasn’t cheap and I started out by showing the clients emotional and personality-filled images. This is my style. I charged what I was worth at the time, and now that I have lots of years under my belt, and I continue to get better at my career, I deserve to get a higher wage.
Some Wedding Photographers may shoot traditional styles with lots of posed images and they may even tell you how to smile or not to smile. Other Wedding Photographers will be totally quiet and not speak with you at all to get more of a photojournalistic approach. Then you will have Wedding Photographers who say they will shoot ever style from every angle and you will get everything under the sun. You have to decide what is best for your Wedding.
Regarding Wedding Photography style, remember that images that you see in a catalog or online are most likely images that the Wedding Photographer thinks define their style. If they are not what you want on your Wedding day then look elsewhere. If you want posed images that are very traditional then do not book a Wedding Photojournalist. If you want fun and creative non posed images then you may want to book a Wedding Photojournalism. Be frank with you Wedding Photographer and let them know what you want on your Wedding day. If you are not honest with them then they just assume that they are getting what you want on your day. Most Wedding Photographers do love to hear your input, if they don’t, be careful.
One of the most important things to remember is to make sure the Wedding Photographer is working for you and not the other way around. The Wedding Photographer would not be at your event if you did not hire them and they need to know and respect this fact. It is your Wedding and you are ultimately in charge. You should not be controlled by the Wedding Photographer, although a bit of direction is great to have from your Wedding Photographer during all the stress of the day. The reason that I mention this point is that I hear all the time about this or that Wedding Photographers ego and how brides feel like they are going on a photo shoot on their Wedding day for the Wedding Photographer. Just feel out the Wedding Photographer and ask lots of questions. Direction is good but a Wedding Photographer telling you how you should run your day is not.
Credentials say a lot about a Wedding Photographer but do not take them too serious. Let me put it this way, any Wedding Photographer out there could study and receive a credential, and that is respectable, but what this actually does to make that credentialed photographer better is mysterious. I have a degree and I believe that this is like a credential, anyone with the right goals can get one. The credential does not show seniority or the ability to perform in a stress filled environment like a Wedding day. A lot of Wedding Photographers really push this as an upper hand on the competition and really all you are looking at is a certificate. Again, I respect all Wedding Photographers who go through with credentials but brides and grooms know that any Wedding Photographer with a reason to aspire to have a credential could by studying and attending seminars and workshops.
Kind of on the same page, age should not be a determination of your Wedding Photographer. I have seen awesome young photographers and great older photographers. Older Wedding Photographers do not necessarily have more experience. Younger photographers are not necessarily more cutting edge. Do not rule out a Wedding Photographer due to age, whether that be young or old.
Some Wedding Photographers work out of a studio and others work out of their home. A lot of the Studio Photographers will also do all sorts of other photography like seniors, families, babies, and such. Make sure that your Wedding Photographer is thinking only about your Wedding day. If they are busy during the week filling all sorts of requests for other photography then how serious are they going to take your Wedding day? Another thing to consider is whether the Wedding Photographer has associates and if they are shooting on the same day too. This can also cause a disturbance to your day. Just make sure that 100% of the attention is on you, you deserve it! The bottom line, it doesn’t matter if the Wedding Photographer works out of a studio or home.
Keep in mind that Wedding Photographers want you to come to their studio so that they can sell you on their product. Remember to check your emotions at the door and think reasonably. I cannot tell you how many seminars I have been to that talk about how much easier it is to upsell in the studio environment if done correctly. Just think rationally and ask for time alone to talk personally with your partner without the influence of the Wedding Photographer. Don’t get hooked by impulse, use your best judgement to make sure this is the Wedding Photographer that matches your interests.
Having a Wedding Photographer assistant is a personal preference. A lot of Wedding Photographers use an assistant so that they don’t have to work as hard. If you are paying for an assistant just make sure that both Wedding Photographers are working. Keep in mind that a lot of Wedding Photographers hire high school or college students that have no where near the expertise of a professional. In the end, most Wedding Photographers only use a select few of the assistants images. I have found that having too many people photographing during the day does not let the subjects relax. Just think if you had a camera in your face all day long would you be able to be yourself? Maybe you could and then book as many photographers as possible. I personally believe that one good Wedding Photographer is much better than two or three mediocre photographers. Don’t get sold by a Wedding Photographer saying that they have lots of assistants, it just, usually means, that they are going to shoot less, not what you want on your day. To make a point about this, I was shooting a Wedding in Detroit and one of the higher end photographers was shooting next to me in the reception hall. He watched me shoot a bunch of my bride and groom images, and when asked, he said his assistant was in catching the reception images. No way, that does not work for me. I personally am from the work my butt of school and give my clients everything that I have on their day. Don’t expect less.
A lot of Wedding Photographers work as husband and wife teams. There are obvious positives and negatives to this situation too. You have to make sure that you can relate to both people and that they are there to work for you. Again, be careful and ask a lot of questions to feel out your Wedding Photographer. You should not be embarrassed to really challenge the Wedding Photographer with your questions. This is a job that you are filling after their interview.
The best way to see how a Wedding Photographer captures a day is to see an entire Wedding after edits and to see the same Wedding album. If you can speak with the client then you have the dream situation. You can find out totally about how the Wedding Photographer works and see the images. I see Wedding Photographers show case 10-20 images all the time of a Wedding. Does this really define a whole Wedding day? I can’t think that a hundred images define a Wedding day. My goal is to have a thousand images that are telling a story of a Wedding day. I know a lot of Wedding Photographers who only shoot 300 images on a particular day. I don’t think that you can tell a total story with this few images and document all the emotions, personality, and flair from the day. Lots of old timers laugh at the amount of images that some Wedding Photographers capture on a day and talk about the editing time. Well, I would rather have the images in the first place than look back at a wasted day of photography. You may never use 50 images but if you don’t get them then you never know the opportunities that could have been. Also on this point, a lot of photographers will only show the images that they want you to see. Make sure that your Wedding Photographer is on your team.
Personality of the Wedding Photographer is huge. Do you want someone who is going to define your Wedding day by interupting and making suggestions all day. Do you want to be with your friends more than with the Wedding Photographer all day long. Make sure to find out how long you will be capturing images and then hold your Wedding Photographer to what they said. You may find that you could not spend the best day of your life with the Wedding Photographer you are considering. It is best to be able to relate with the Wedding Photographer and be able to call him/her your friend.
Ask about guarantees and warranties on products and service. Make sure you know what you are getting in your package. Be proactive, no question is dumb when you are spending a large portion of your Wedding budget.
Find out when you will receive the contents of your Wedding products. Some Wedding Photographers take a year or more to get the products to you. Are you really going to be enthused about your Wedding day by then? Quick turn around is the best, but there is a happy medium because too fast could mean second class. Get the best product with the best turnaround time.
Please feel free to email or call me with any questions. I am more than willing to answer questions that you may have even if you are not booking me. In fact, I have spent hours speaking with individuals who ultimately did not book my service. I want every bride and groom to find their perfect Wedding Photographer.
For more answers to common Wedding Photography questions please visit my question and answer page where I answer past questions from brides and grooms at Paul Retherford Wedding Photography.
