How to choose good wedding photographer?

[amela_s.]

<p>Hi,<br>

My sister is getting married in July and I am going to help her choose a good photographer and video service. <br>

What should I consider when choosing one? Where do I even begin?<br>

There are so many choices. We want somebody who is very good. I did not have a good photographer for my wedding and I will regret this for many more years to come. <br>

This wedding is in Louisville, KY area- 40 min south of Louisville. If you know anybody, please recommend. <br>

Advise appreciated!!!!<br>

Thanks</p>

[william-porter]

<p>Amela,</p>

<p>There are certainly plenty of articles in bridal mags and books that address this question. I'm in Dallas and so not a candidate for your sister's wedding, but as a wedding photographer myself, I'd suggest the following factors to consider.</p>

<ul>

<li>Price. If you have a very tight budget, this allows you simply to eliminate a lot of photographers quickly. Be aware that price has as much to do with a photographer's business skills as his or her photographic skills, perhaps more. There probably aren't very many truly incompetent or bad photographers out there getting $2K+ per wedding; but there certainly are good photographers out there getting less. There are also charlatans out there, or people who simply don't know very well what they're doing.</li>

<li>Review portfolios and find somebody whose photographs you like—and make sure that you see more than two or three! I often read that visitors to web sites look at two or three photos before clicking on to the next site. Rejecting a photographer on the basis of a couple photos might make sense. We all try to put stuff we like front and center, and if you don't like what the photographer likes, then sure, move on. But SELECTING somebody on the basis of two or three photos would be a gross mistake. Almost anybody—a chimpanzee with a point and shoot—can get lucky and take two or three decent photos. What you want is somebody who takes consistently decent photos (or better than decent). What you see is what you get. Be sure that you look at the work of a photographer that you are interested in. If you see photos of different types from multiple weddings and you like what you see, odds are you'll be happy with the results of that photographer's work at your wedding.</li>

<li>This is really just an extension of the previous bullet point but I think it's important: see some of the photographer's work IN PRINT. Don't judge just from web galleries. I am afraid this suggestion is not observed much. Few of my own potential clients ask to see prints, so I tend to show them on my own initiative. If the photographer doesn't offer, ask. </li>

<li>Talk to the photographer and make sure you feel comfortable with him or her. Well, let me rephrase that. Make sure you don't feel uncomfortable. You're not looking for a new best friend, and photographers have a wide variety of personalities. It's usually said that wedding photographers have to be people persons, and I guess that's true. But I know some excellent photographers who are basically quiet, shy "artistic" personality types. Just talk to the photographer. If you get a bad vibe—like you're going to have trouble working with the person—move on.</li>

<li>Undoubtedly the best thing you can do to ensure success is work with the photographer before the wedding. Find somebody whose work you like, somebody whose price fits your budget—and have them do your engagement shoot or bridal portrait. Or even a family portrait or something. If, God forbid, the engagement shoot turns into a disaster, well, you have time to cancel the wedding contract and find another photographer.</li>

</ul>

<p>I think that's about it. You can of course ask about experience, professional credentials (memberships, certification, etc). But hiring <em>simply</em> on the basis of a resume is a very bad idea. I'm working towards certification myself, so I don't think it's meaningless. But I have to admit that there are talented and capable photographers out there with relatively little experience shooting weddings, and there are LOTS of great photographers out there who don't have lots of professional awards or certifications, etc. If you are comfortable with the photographer personally, and in particular if you like the photographer's previous work, and assuming that the photographer's price fits your budget, odds are you'll be happy.</p>

<p>A final point. Once you find somebody you like, make sure you are clear (and the photographer is clear, too) about the details: what you should expect to receive in the end, and when, etc. Make sure that the photographer you like is the one who will actually shoot your wedding.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Will</p>

[john_deerfield]

<p>Well, this might be a place to start anyway:</p>

<p>http://www.ppa.com/findaphotographer/</p>

<p>Beyond that, I personally think it is VERY important that at least the bride meet with the photographer prior to hiring a photographer. The bride will need to have good chemistry with a prospective photographer and that is next to impossible to "feel out" over the phone/internet. Ideally, the chosen photographer works with someone that does video (or some studios also do video) and that is a plus: the team knows how to work with one another. When looking at sample albums, be sure that they are from one wedding, not great images from 10 different weddings. You want to know how the whole day will go, not just a few of the best. Finally, decide what is really important, ie do you want an album and if so, what type. I just did an album at cost for a friend of the family (we shot the wedding) and <em>cost</em> was over $800. And anything else you might want in the package. On one hand, you get what you pay for. On another, you want to find a value that fits your needs. But the more you want, the more it is going to cost- unless someone is cutting corners. We could have done a Shutterfly coffee table album for $50 instead of a library bound leather album for $800!</p>

[frank_scheitrowsky1]

<p>Be sure to look at complete wedding portfolios, not just the best shots from several different weddings. Ask for references. Google the photographer's name to see what comes up.</p>

[theresa_skutt]

<p>Try googling the area and include the words "award winning". Look carefully at your contract before you sign with anyone; that's usually how non-photographers end up on this site =0</p>

[gary van schaick]

<p>I have to second some of the ideas here. Look at actually prints, 8x10 size the better. Web photos are horribly low resolution and therefore can look out of focus. Ask to review a complete 600 photos gallery of one wedding to see the entire range of photos taken. Note that a CL photog may charge you $500.00 for a complete wedding but a professional will charge you atleast $100.00 per hour just to be with you and then you add the cost of proofs, prints, and albums. But as you well now know, you get what you pay for. I suggest the photographer is a company (LLC) and/or is charging sales tax so you know the photog is a legitimate business. </p>

[alex_dc]

<p>I disagree with the 'award winning' and PPA bits. Awards can be trumped up (was it from the World Press or a local camera club), and pretty much anyone can join the PPA.<br>

First, identify why you were personally unhappy with your wedding photos. Was the quality poor, the images too 'posed', the photographer too pushy? Then reach out to local friends, family and colleagues to find personal references from people who were happy with their photographer and photographs. <br>

Meet with photographers, personality is <em>very </em>important. They will be there all day! The florist and baker will not. Identify the style of photography you like. Do you like 'glamour' what I call the 'swooning bride' style, or more laid-back photojournalism? Or maybe something in between.<br>

Do you like the funky colors and actions that are so popular these days? Bring samples to your meetings and really look at their work. Ask to see a take from a recent wedding, not just the best of many years of work. This is very important. Also, ask for references and find out who long they have been shooting weddings professionally.<br>

Is it important that you have the images at full resolution on disc, or is a superior album important? Once you identify what you do and don't want the choices will be easier. <br>

I'd love to write more, but I have to run! Good luck.</p>

[hannah_defran]

<p>I disagree with the 600 photos gallery. Some photographers will offer 5000 images. Over 10 hours, that is more than 8 images a minute. With 600 images, 10 hours, that is one a minute. Do you really need that many? Is there really something different and interesting happening all the time for that long?</p>

[theresa_skutt]

<p>Alex--it's just a search...it can lead one to higher end photography as a starting-point, and show what the best can do. It's better to know what the high end of the range is and what is possible.</p>

[william-porter]

<p>The recommendation to review 600 images from a single wedding strikes me as, well, extreme. I may SHOOT 600 images at a wedding. I wish I didn't, to be honest, as there are no bonus points awarded for how many exposures you make. I certainly do NOT deliver 600 images to my brides—more like 200, perhaps fewer. And of those photos, the majority are hardly prize-winners. They are of interest mostly to the customer who knows the people in them and cares about the wedding.</p>

<p>Anyway, the key points, I think, should be: </p>

<ol>

<li>Use the web to review portfolios online. Remember, as you review the online galleries, you want to see a goodish number of photos, from different weddings, and from different parts of the wedding (before the ceremony, the ceremony, formals, the reception, etc).</li>

<li>Use the phone to get a quick sense of a photographer's personality.</li>

<li>When you've narrowed it down to one (or two, or three) photographers that you think you really like, then meet in person, and ask to see photos in print. </li>

</ol>

<p>Exactly how many photos you see online and/or in print is up to you. You want to see enough to feel confident that you've really got somebody who can do the job. That certainly means seeing more than the half dozen best shots that you see on some web sites. But somewhere between 6 and 600, you should be able to make a decision.</p>

<p>I am aware that all of this takes time. An experienced photographer will be aware of this when you contact them, and they should be able to make it fairly easy for you.</p>

<p>By the way, one last point. Don't feel bad if you decide not to pick somebody. It's a very competitive market and a lot of us are pretty eager for new customers. But there ARE differences in style and technique among photographers, as well as differences in personality, products and services offered, etc. There are certain kinds of wedding photography that I respect, that I myself do not personally do. I try to make sure in that first phone call that the bride who called doesn't want that kind of photography. If she does, I recommend somebody else. I want my customers to be happy, and the way for them to be happy is to be happy with my work BEFORE they hire me. That way, they have a pretty good idea what they're going to get. The very last thing I want is for somebody to hire me because, say, I'm offering a lower price than another photographer, but then expect me to shoot like that other photographer.</p>

<p>Will</p>

[wedding-photography-denver]

<p>Once you find some photographers you like, ask to get references from the last 10 brides. If they refuse, so do you. If you get the references and you like what they say, go ahead.</p>

<p>Consistency is key, whatever you think of their style.</p>

[matt_needham]

<p>Ask for references. Talk to previous clients.</p>

[nayeem_vohra]

<p>Hi Amela<br>

If it is a south asian wedding make sure the photographer has the knowledge of different rituals. I primarily shoot south asian weddings and I feel having the knowledge of different rituals helps me anticipate the moments ahead of time.</p>

[amela_s.]

<p>Thanks everybody for your help. Your responses are very helpful. <br>

Nayeem, this wedding is not south Asian. </p>

[david_zhang8]

<p>There are three websites that I recommend to find a good wedding photographer:<br>

http://www.ppa.com<br>

http://www.wppionline.com<br>

and<br>

http://www.weddingwire.com<br>

Review the photos on their websites. And you can check out reviews on Weddingwire. The website has lots of information. Hopefully it is helpful.</p>

[john_smith266]

<p>I would have to agree with William Porter with an additional point. Know your budget, but remember that you will also need to figure in to the price you are paying the cost to get the final product you want. Will they only provide a CD of images and you have to pay out of pocket to get prints? Does cost only cover shooting the event, and then you have to buy prints at an additional cost from the photographer? Do they provide x number of prints? All prints? What sizes? Any print credit to order some prints at no cost?<br>

Sometimes comparing pricing is not as easy as "1 is less than 2". Sometimes the extras you have to add to 1 to end up with the final product you want cost more than if you just went with 2 in the first place.</p>