How do you choose
a Wedding Photographer ?
When it comes to your wedding day, it can be quite a daunting prospect sifting through Google search after Google search, trying to find your perfect wedding supplier. Whether you’re looking for a venue, caterer or photographer, you’re still going to end up with a list of possibles, probables and maybe nots.
But how to whittle them down to just one, and in particular, find the perfect Wedding Photographer?
©Loveable Photography – Wedding Photography French Riviera
Before you can answer that question, it’s probably best to give you some tips on how to create a short enough list of Photographers to start with.
Firstly, if you already have a venue in mind or booked, then see if they have a preferred supplier list, or have the details of any photographers who have shot previous weddings there. If a photographer has already shot at the venue, chances are they’ll know the nuances of the venue, its secret romantic backdrops and the light in the venue as it moves throughout the day.
Secondly, if you’re using a Wedding Planner, ask them for their suggestions or recommendations for photographers that they have worked with in the past.
Thirdly, photographers like to travel and be inspired by new locations. If you already know of a fantastic photographer through a friend or relatives wedding or event, but they are not local to your wedding venue, add them to the list anyway. They might just surprise you and waive any travel fees if they’re going somewhere nice, so it is always worth asking.
©Loveable Photography – Destination Wedding Photography
Finally, now is the time to have a quick Google – but make it quick though. You’ve probably already searched for “Wedding Photography Provence” to see what pops up, and were stunned to see page after page of results. Remember – us photographers like to travel, so we may appear in results for more than one area! What you need to do is have a look for an online directory or list of Wedding photographers – someone who has already done the hard work and collated the photographers’ information for you. Use this in your search term instead.
Now that we’ve got a list of photographers, it’s time to trim them down a bit more.
Firstly, find out if they’re available on your wedding day. Unfortunately, with all the will in the world, we can still only photograph one wedding a day. If they’re already booked, you can at least feel you have accomplished something by scrubbing them off, and narrowing the list!
Now that you know that they’re available, do you like their style? This may have already been playing on your mind when creating the list – especially if you’ve been able to see some examples along the way.
To confirm or rule out your potentials, take a trip back to Google, but this time, use the image search for each photographer. In this day and age, our photos are quickly and easily spread. Flickr, Blogs, Facebook… All are good resources to help you decide and can be picked up in Google images.
Finally, and probably most importantly, is chemistry. During your email conversations with the photographer, do you feel that they are understanding what you’re looking for?
Back in the old days, teleconferences were reserved for episodes of Star Trek or big business meetings. But now with the ease of Skype, meeting and talking to your photographer is just a click (and a webcam) away.
I look forward to receiving your call.
Leigh
Loveable Photography
