Hiring your wedding photographer is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make for your wedding! These images are one of the few things that will live on long after your day is done and it’s important that you choose someone who will capture your day well. These are my top three things to look into when booking your photographer:
- Personality | Trust me guys, you are going to be spending a lot of time with your wedding photographer leading up to and on your wedding day! Make sure your personalities vibe well and you enjoy their energy, demeanor, and presence. Start by finding a photographer with shared common interests as you and your fiancé, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been devastated leaving a wedding because I know it means I don’t get to see or talk to that couple as much anymore! This just goes to show that I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with couples who I get along really well with. Don’t settle for a photographer who produces amazing work, but isn’t nice to you or fun to be around – you deserve so, so, so much more than that on your wedding day!
- Shooting & Editing Style | One thing that’s important to remember is that each photographer is going to see your day very differently. Try to find a photographer whose style you consistently really like (that includes their editing styles). If you feel like you can’t get a super clear picture of their work from their website and Instagram, ask them for full gallery from a previous wedding! Many will be more than happy to provide you with this.
- Experience | With experience comes confidence, skills, and tons of little tricks and tips that have been picked up along the way! I’ve been the lead photographer at 47 weddings and a second shooter for over 20 other weddings, and trust me, I still experience new situations all the time. Make sure the photographer you choose has wedding experience and/or extensive one-on-one training under his or her belt.
Bonus: Make sure they have a second shooter! I hate to break it to you, but wedding photographers are humans too! That being said, as much as we’d like to, we can’t be in all the places at all the times! Having a second shooter helps us cover more ground and provides you with some insurance in the event that a “worse case scenario” situation happens! Thankfully, nothing terrible has ever happened to me on a wedding day, but life can be unexpected and it’s good to have a solid plan in place. Having a second shooter who is capable and willing to take over in the event that something terrible happens to your first shooter, will give you a great deal of relief on and leading up to your wedding day. I include an experienced second shooter in all of my wedding packages because I want to make sure I’m giving my couples the absolute best coverage (and peace of mind) possible!
with love, Emily
