Trying to find the perfect wedding photographer can be a little daunting, with so many to choose from how do you know you have found the one?
Jonathan Ryan of Weddings By Ryan advises that once you have done your research, there are some questions you should ask before making your final choice on your perfect wedding photographer.
Do I like this person?
It is important you feel relaxed and at ease around your photographer and you can see them fitting in with you, your family and your big day.
Do I like their work?
Sounds simple, but they are going to be your perfect wedding photographer make sure their work fits in with the style of wedding photography you like.
Can we see some of your pictures?
OK, nobody is going to choose their perfect wedding photographer without seeing their portfolio (you weren’t, were you?) but notice a key word in that question your pictures. What you want to see is the photographer’s own work where they were the main or only photographer.
Will you be our photographer?
This is only really a question for the big studios but it’s worth asking of everybody you meet. It doesn’t matter if they show you an amazing portfolio of their own beautiful work if they are going to send somebody else on the day.
Do you work on your own or as part of a team?
This one’s tricky. Some photographers prefer to work alone and some prefer to have an assistant, a second photographer and a tea boy in tow.
Both approaches are fine (though if you’re planning a quiet intimate affair then you may not want a 6 person team!) – just be careful that they don’t tell you there will be ‘two photographers’ if one of them will be a trainee!
And if the photographer favours the large team approach then ask them again ‘which of these pictures did you take?‘ and ‘who will be there on the day?‘
How long will it be before we see our pictures?
There is little worse than coming back after a two week honeymoon and being told that it will be ‘another month or two‘ before you see your pictures.
Even a busy photographer should be able to show you the images within 3 weeks of the wedding. If not they may be over committed – either to another job or other clients.
What do you do if it rains?
Or snows, or your camera breaks down or a herd of llamas invades the wedding? A professional should have an answer to these (except maybe the llamas).
Backup cameras (and lenses), planning for wet weather, extra lights in case the pictures need taken indoors, file backup strategies and dry clothes are just some of the reasons why professional wedding photographers charge so much for their services.
What would you like to eat?
Seriously, I generally shoot for 10 hours and it’s always nice to know whether I’m going to get dinner or bring my own.
