today we are going to be talking to you
about 10
steps you’ll need to help you find a
great wedding photographer
if you follow these guidelines you’ll be
able to locate the perfect wedding
photographer to document
your day
10 Steps to Finding a Great Wedding Photographer
this is the first time we are meeting
i’m bethany and this is luke
and we are from greylock studio we’re a
husband and wife team
specializing in wedding photography and
videography
we also have a passion for helping
others take their business to the next
level
we release videos every week on
strategies you can use
get more clients and get paid doing what
you love go ahead and hit that like
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photographs aren’t things you can hear
smell taste or even see at first you
don’t really know
what you’re getting until after the fact
that means careful research and
selectiveness
regarding professional skills artistic
style and
personal demeanor are extra important
when choosing your photographer
step one settle on a style before you
begin your research
you’ll need to first decide what type of
photography style
you prefer as that will help you
determine which kind of photographer
you’ll want shooting your wedding
get inspired spend time pouring over
any kind of imagery that you love from
decor
shots to a fashion blogger’s instagram
feed
once you have a good collection of
inspiring photographs try to narrow
in on what draws you to them
specifically
and dissect what feels most most
authentic to you
and your partner maybe that’s formal
pose portraits a classic photography
style
a lifestyle kind of you know
photographer photojournalistic feel
if you love sharp and contrasty photos
perhaps a photographer with a flare for
the dramatic
is the right choice for you remember you
don’t necessarily need to narrow in on
one style in particular
since many wedding photographers can do
a blend of portraiture
and documentary style shots a mix of
black and white and color images and so
on
but if there’s a special style you love
make sure to focus on
photographers who specialize in that
step two is
do your research start your search by
reading reviews from recent newlyweds
and browsing the local listings
carefully review potential photographers
websites
their blogs check out photos that
they’ve done for weddings that they’ve
shot
and it’ll give you an idea of kind of
what their style is how do they capture
the moments that are important to you
like a mother bustling her own
daughter’s gown or an emotional first
look
the design of a website might also have
clues about the photographer’s
personality or sensibility
check out their facebook instagram
twitter is the feedback from the clients
positive
how does the photographer respond how do
they interact with the instagram
followers do they seem friendly
or personable you get the idea step 3
set up interviews this is not a decision
that can be made on looks alone you must
meet your potential photographers
in person or on zoom if you like what
you see on their site and their fees are
in your ballpark range
call to see if they’re available for
your wedding date
if they are available go ahead and send
an
introductory email with a bit about you
and your soon-to-be spouse
your event the vision of your day and
feel free to attach
five or so of your favorite photos from
your research so they know what you love
nobody ever does that right that would
be so helpful
if the photographer is already booked on
your date you may want to see if they
have an associate
or can recommend another shooter with a
similar style
set up in-person meetings with the three
to five potential photographers
who are available on your wedding date
and look at more of their work
and assess whether your personalities
mesh be prepared to talk about your
venue
wedding style what you envision for your
photos these are all important things
that you need to be talking about
that’s true step four is to see a few
full wedding albums or galleries online
don’t base your decision solely on what
you see
in the photographer’s highlights or
gallery or album
it’s a good idea to get a whole view a
holistic view of the wedding day
for good reason photographers show only
really uh
clients a portfolio of their best photos
and that’s kind of what
you know instagram is it’s just our best
photos and we choose from a whole bunch
of different weddings but it’s
always good to know how a photographer
shoots from the very beginning of
getting ready
all the way until the end of reception
the problem is that
you may find out that they’re not a
well-rounded photographer maybe their
night shots are not as good as their
daytime shots
and that’s just important to know
offhand if that’s something that you
don’t care about then obviously
at least you’ll know ahead of time that
that is something that may come up
if you see that the full gallery of
photos are just about as good as the
ones chosen the highlight gallery
that is they’re all so good it’s
impossible to choose then you’re on the
right track
and asked to see at least one or two
complete albums of weddings or galleries
that you’re
similar settings to yours so if it’s an
outdoor
wedding then ask for an outdoor wedding
gallery
for example if you’re planning an indoor
affair with dark lighting
don’t just look at weddings shot
outdoors and in natural sunlight just
like i said
and if you’re planning to say i do on a
beach at sunset
then you’ll want to see examples of that
too step 5
review albums with a critical eye so
when you’re reviewing a photographer’s
album
look for the key moments you want
captured do they get photos of both the
bride and the groom when they’re locked
eyes for the first time
also look for crispness of the images
thoughtful compositions does the shot
look good the way it was framed or is
there too much clutter in the frame
good lighting beware of washed out
pictures where small details
are always blurred unless that’s the
style you’re after
it’s also very important that you detect
sensitivity in capturing people’s
emotions
make sure the photographer’s subjects
looked relaxed not like
deer caught in headlights while you
two are important of course you want to
see smiling shots of your friends too
that’s true that’s true step six make
sure your personalities mesh
don’t underestimate the importance of
liking and bonding with your
photographer this is something that we
always talk about
is the photographer excited by your
vision when you describe it
when they make suggestions do they
present them in a clear respectful way
or are they really timid are there
mannerisms off-putting
in order to get you the best photos go
with a pro who has a firm grasp of
social graces but is bold enough to go
out hunting for the great images
and who above all puts you at ease and
doesn’t irritate you in any way
remember they’re going to be shadowing
your every move and the more comfortable
both
you are with the photographer the better
the photos will turn out
likewise you don’t want the photographer
to offend or annoy any of the guests
but to shoot them in their best light is
an unobtrusive way
to get the best photos your photographer
needs to be assertive enough to seek out
great moments
and relax enough to get those natural
stances from the guests
calm enough to be a positive force they
should ask a lot of questions but also
be a good listener step seven compare
packages
you won’t be able to nail down an exact
dollar amount
until you’re sure of what you want how
many albums you need
and where your photographer is based and
packages can range from 2500
all the way up to 15 000 on the higher
end
of the spectrum so when you’re
interviewing candidates
ask for a general range based on the
photographer’s standard shooting
fee and package plus their standard
rates for the type of album
you think you’ll want and the amount of
coverage you’re hoping to book them for
the day of you know the full weekend
it’s important to find out what’s
included in the standard package plus
the basic
range for any extras you may want like
an engagement shoe
special effects additional coverage so
you can compare rates
in particular find out exactly how many
hours of coverage are included
ideally you want your photographer to be
there for your full wedding day
from when you start getting ready until
you make your grand exit from the
reception
while packages vary most include about 6
to 12
hours to cover everything from the
pre-ceremony events
getting ready with your bridesmaids or
first look photos
to the end of the reception it’s usually
better
to pay for more coverage if there’s a
chance you’ll run over
and you definitely want your
photographers there until the end
overtime is usually charged at a higher
hourly rate
also consider whether you’ll want to do
an engagement shoot or
have your photographer shoot other
events during your wedding weekend
yeah the guy is going golfing the
bridesmaids lunch
also check if there’s a second shooter
included in the contract
and if there’s not ask about the
possibility it’s likely the second
shooter can be confirmed later on
but the main benefit of having two
shooters is of course you get twice as
much coverage
for example during your formal photo
session one photographer can capture the
formal photos
while the second one can get behind the
scenes photojournalistic photos
pictures of your guests mingling if
you’re having a larger wedding say 250
guests or more
you might even want to ask about having
three shooters so your photography team
can be sure to capture the event from
all angles true step 8 ask about your
rights
most contracts stipulate that
photographers own the rights to all the
photos taken
at the wedding even the ones of you in
other words the photographer can use
them
promotionally on their website or blog
submit them for publication or even
place them in ads
so that also means you can’t just post
the digital proof they send you
most photographers have a policy that
you can only share watermarked images or
images
with their credit on them also unless
you negotiate otherwise
if you want to print these images
yourselves or order an album
from another source you’ll have to buy
the rights to the images
sometimes they’re included in the it’s
just better to ask on top of everything
else
yeah most of the time they’re included
but you just want to be sure
step nine get the post production
details
it usually takes at least a month to get
all those photos
back from your wedding photographer why
your wedding photographer
is shooting enormous raw files far
bigger than your typical jpeg
shooting raw files gives your
photographer greater ability to
correct the photo but it also takes a
lot longer time to upload
process and edit all those files in
order to correct the color levels and so
on
it varies but many photographers say
they spend an additional 40 hours
editing images from a single wedding so
can take
up to six to eight weeks or longer
depending on the photographer
and how busy they are here’s what to ask
how many images
should i expect will they be high
resolution or low resolution
will i be able to get prints made myself
or does the photographer retain the
rights to the images
will the proofs i see be retouched or
does it happen after i select the photos
i want
speaking of retouching ask about
retouching options and special effects
which can range from simple white
balancing to beauty retouching
stylized artifacts like super saturated
colors and the additional cost
for both on to the final step step 10 is
prepped together
for the day of remember that your
photographer is the pro they’ve been to
a ton of weddings
so while it’s helpful you shouldn’t
spend too much time putting together a
detailed shot list for them
instead pass along your day of timeline
give them an idea of what images you’d
like captured
like a shot of each of your bridesmaid
in addition to the wedding party
portraits
and let them do their thing this is also
the perfect moment to give them a heads
up on any familial
or friendship intricacies that they
should be aware of like divorced parents
a grandmother that needs to remain
sitting for portraits or groomsmen and
bridesmaids that don’t get along
hey it happens if you’re hoping to get
your wedding day published online or in
a magazine down the road
be sure to relay that to your
photographer this way they’ll put extra
emphasis on snapping
shots on all your amazing details and
will likely come armed with gorgeous
styling accessories like ribbons
linens and more and with the goal of
helping
your wedding aesthetic truly stand out
if you’re looking for
more tips and tricks on how to choose a
wedding photographer or what it’s like
working in the wedding industry
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you can also find us on instagram shoot
us a message i’m at greylock video
bethany is at grailoff studio we’d love
to hear from you any questions you might
have we are
literally obsessed with weddings and we
could talk about it all day
so shoot us out a message follow us
whatever you want
we’d love to hear from you
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