With a little guided research choosing a wedding photographer does not need to be a daunting experience. While there are certainly hundreds (if not thousands) of photographers in the greater Seattle area documenting weddings these days there are many things you can do to make the selection process as streamlined and painless as possible.
First start by making a list of potential wedding photographers. There are many ways of creating this list – ask your married or engaged friends about their wedding photographer, attend a bridal show, pick up a local wedding publication, or look online.
Not only is the internet a great place to look for possible wedding photographers it is also a great tool for you to use to start narrowing down the list. Most wedding photographers today have a website full of sample photographs from past weddings. When looking at these online wedding photo portfolio keep these things in mind:
How do you react to the wedding photographs presented? When browsing a gallery of images what goes through your mind? Do you find yourself wanting to view more of this photographer’s work? Can you picture your wedding captured by this photographer? Is there anything about these images that sets this photographer apart from all the others?
Make sure you are able to view an entire wedding photographed by the wedding photographer you hire. Some photographers choose to post these openly on their website and others opt to password protect these galleries for their clients. Therefore it may not be possible to view entire events during this preliminary round of research but it is something you need to do before you make your final decision. You need to make sure that the person you hire to photograph your wedding day is capable of more than getting lucky on a few shots at each event. Beyond that it helps you get an idea of what your final photographs will look like – both in terms of quality and quantity. Remember there is more to being a great wedding photographe han a few pictures of the dress and cake. Look for emotional moments. Laughter. Joy. Jubilance. Look at how images are composed – both in the overall appearance of the image but also consider what pieces of the wedding day this photographer is shooting. Look at the formals and see if the style, quality, and quantity are in line with what you want of your wedding. If not, clarify weather or not your needs in this area can be met by the photographer. I’ve said many times that photography is art and art is subjective – make sure you love the photographs taken by the photographers you contact. If you don’t love the images nothing else really matters.
Other more technical things to consider while looking at wedding photographs:
Lighting: Are the subjects flat from a lot of direct flash? Natural light is not practical in all situations but look out for portfolios that are full of photographs that are exceptionally two dimensional and lacking any depth. Are there harsh shadows behind the subject? Are the pictures too bright or too dark? Look at the faces of subject for dark eyes, eyes that are squinting, or patchy shadows.
Composition: A lot of this is personal taste and really comes down to if you like the photographs or not. Yes, there are rules of composition but I’m a big fan of breaking rules and getting away with it. I’m not going to tell you what things to look for because frankly if the images speak to you then I think that matters more than any rule of composition.
Posing: Is it flattering to the subject? Is it timeless? Photographing a person facing straight towards the camera tends to widen them visually where as there are other posing techniques that are much more flattering to the human figure. Different angles can be used to create optical illusions – the trick of course is knowing which to use on each subject. An experienced wedding photographer will know many tricks of the trade and be able to photograph any person in a flattering manner. By timeless I simply mean to look out for photographers who love to do a lot of cheesy photographs because 10 years from now you probably will not think they were so cool. I’m not putting you in a brandy glass…
Now that you’ve created a list of photographers whose work you love it is time to schedule meetings and view more work in person while getting to know the photographer and seeing if they would be a good fit for your wedding.
Unlike most other wedding vendors your wedding photographer is likely to spend most of your wedding day with you. Chemistry goes a long way in any relationship and the one you have with your wedding photographer is no exception. In order to have photographs that look natural you need to be relaxed and comfortable in the presence of your wedding photographer. If you are tense and feel awkward around your wedding photographer this will show in your wedding photographs. The personality type that will fit best for your event is not something I can predict but I can tell you having chemistry with your wedding photographer will go a long way towards making your wedding fun and your pictures beautiful.
What experience does the wedding photographer have? I’m not saying there is a right or wrong answer to this but make sure you are comfortable with your wedding photographer’s background. The reality is there are photographers who may have shot 1000 weddings over the last 25 years but that does not guarantee that they will get pictures you like more than someone who has a fine art background but has never photographed a wedding professionally. Just make sure you are both aware and confident in the answer to this question. Do keep in mind that photographing a wedding is completely different that portrait photography or commercial photography for a number of reasons and that to be a good wedding photographer you need to be able to work successfully and quickly under pressure and in a variety of lighting conditions. If wedding photographs are important to you than be leery of people who are just starting out and offering unbelievably low pricing. Another common thing is for someone who is a great photographer of a different type (landscape, portrait, commercial, etc.) who wants to branch off into weddings. While they make take some of the most amazing scenic photographs you have ever seen this really means nothing in terms of whether or not they can produce wedding photographs that are just as likely to take your breath away.
Who is the photographer who will shoot your wedding? Is this who you are meeting with? Is the portfolio you are viewing by this person? Make sure you know who will be the actual photographer at your wedding and that you see their photographs. Ideally you would talk to them directly during the selection process. This is part of determining chemistry. There are a lot of studios that subcontract their weddings and it is not uncommon to meet with one set of people who are great at selling (and often the primary photographers) but then end up with a photographer that is completely different. Aside from the fact that photographer you end up may not create photographs that look like those in the portfolio it is really hard to know if there is going to be chemistry with your wedding photographer if you don’t get to talk or meet with them during the decision process.
Does this photographer have backup equipment? One of the things that I remind couples over and over is that weddings are a once in a lifetime event and we are not coming back next week for a reshoot. Weddings are fluid and emotional events where anything can (and often does!) happen and as a wedding photographer I need to be prepared to handle anything. Equipment fails – not often but also not in a way that you can predict. A professional wedding photographer should carry multiples of essential equipment.
What happens if the photographer is sick, injured, or has a family emergency? Does he/she have other photographers to fill in under these circumstances? I often tell people that unless I am in a coma or coffin I will be at your wedding – and that under these circumstances I have a strong network with other photographers and someone would be able to fill in even on short notice. Every photographer has a different level of commitment an
What does the wedding photographer charge and what does this include? While the old adage that you get what you pay for is something to keep in mind when searching – more money does not ALWAYS mean better wedding photographs. There are plenty of people that bought some fancy cameras, shot a few weddings for free, and now think they are worth thousands of dollars. They have every right to charge what they want but remember that price is not the first thing to consider when looking at photographers. Once you have narrowed down your prospective wedding photographer list to the top handful then take a look at what each offers and what they charge. Think about what you hope to have when it is all said and done and try to use that as a guide for what you need from prospective photographers. If there is something you really want that the photographer doesn’t offer don’t hesitate to ask if they can make it available – if not you need to consider if this is something you can be flexible on. There are numerous pricing structures and they each have their advantages. Quality is more important than quantity – I think most brides would prefer to have a few hundred photographs that they love than a few thousand that they don’t.
As I’ve said many times before – photography is art and art is subjective – ultimately you should hire the wedding photographer who creates images that stop you in your tracks and take your breath away and who you would feel excited to have with you on the most emotional day of your life.
~Sacha
Seattle Wedding Photographer
