By Alicia Williams
Cordele Photography
How to select a photographer. It's a task that a lot of couples struggle with. You want to remember your day just as it unfolded, but how much can you spend, what type of style and HOW do you ask the right questions to find the right photographer? Let me help.
First, you want to decide what kind of style you want. If you know someone that has been married recently, you might be able to look at their images and ask yourself, "Do I like these?" That can help narrow the search right there. If you love their photos, and the friend loved their photographer, the next thing is set up a time to met with that photographer. I encourage clients to meet with photographers to see if they like their personality, their products, price and approach to photographing a wedding. You don't have to meet in person, a simple phone call or video conference will do! You have to remember that the photographer (next to your wedding party and your fiance) is going to be with you 90-100% of the day. You want to make sure you like them and that you get along with them. If you don't get along in your initial meeting and you don't have any chemistry you may not get the photos you want. You want to have a photographer that can interact with you naturally and makes you smile naturally.
As for selecting the style of photography you want. There are three types of styles I like to put photography into. The first style is Traditional (very posed) a lot of formal photos, set shots (i.e boutonniere being pinned on, bride putting garter on, etc) Shots that are staged or set up tend to fall into the Traditional catagory.
Then there is the new modern style of photography called "photojournalism". It shows the wedding day unfolding in a story. There is very little interaction between the bride and groom and the photographer. True photojournalists won't direct you at all and won't have ANY posed shots. They observe the day as it happens recording moments without moving subjects for better light, or recreating moments.
The last style is Documentary/candid/mix. Now, some people will say documentary photography is photojournalism. In my book, documentary photography records the day with little interaction, but there are posed photos from the day. This is a style that a lot of my clients want to come in for. They want the pretty posed shots but they also don't want the entire day full of posing. They want a mix of styles, and clients want some interaction and direction from the photographer. In this style of photography, the photographer will move you to better light and will give some direction.
Then there is price. Photography prices run the gamet. You can pay $500.00 to upwards of $15,000 for photography. Is there really a difference? Yes and no.
First you have to look at the photographer and the experience they have. How long have they been shooting weddings? If they are new to the business, they may have a lower price point so they can start to build their portfolio. When you sit down to meet with a photographer, you should probably know how long they have been shooting weddings. Shooting weddings is very different than shooting say Nature or Sports Photography. Someone might take great nature photographs, but with the high level of stress and situations a wedding brings, will they be able to handle it? Are they able to react to the different problems that arise on a wedding day that are unforeseen. Wedding Photographers should really be able to react and work with any situation they are given. They should have back up equipment and insurance.
Once you have established the length of time you are comfortable with a photography being a wedding photography, you can then get to the heart of what should matter. The years of experience someone has, the training they have gone through, the type of equipment they work with, etc. All these things will be reflected in the price you pay. Another factor in price is how many hours you want to hire someone and how many photographers are they bringing. A big misconception in wedding photography is that you are hiring someone for 6-8 hours and that's all you are paying them for. In most cases photographers work 40-80 hours on ONE wedding. Then you have to factor in the product you are getting in your package. Are you just getting coverage? If you're on a tight budget, buying coverage alone will keep the cost down. Are you getting the disc of images? Are the images straight out of the camera or is each photo individually enhanced? (Called Finished Proofs). You also have to factor in the insurance they carry, the computers they have to buy and upkeep, the cameras, the hard drives, the office equipment, paying staff. All the things that bring their business to the level it is at, is paid for by a percentage of what you pay them. Someone just starting out is going to be on the lower end of the price scale than someone that's been in business for 20 years and has a staff of 10 people. People that work out of their homes may have lower prices than someone who owns a store front space. Buyer beware!In photography, sometimes you do get what you pay for. If something is so cheap it's too good to be true, you know the saying. On average if I were to get married today I would plan on paying between $2500-$7000. to get the type of photography I wanted. You have to keep in mind that you will have these photos forever and you want to make sure they are what you want, and that they are done right. Also- don't limit yourself to local photographers either! You can find someone that you love in California, that just may travel to your location.
Once you find a budget that you want to work with, the style, now you have to look at the photographers pictures. Are they well composed? Are they well exposed (meaning are the colors bright, are the faces well light, no harsh shadows) Do the colors look good to you? Is it the style you like? Do the colors look more blue or yellow? Are the blacks truly black or are they covered with a haze? Are the photos in focus and not fuzzy?
So questions to ask yourself while searching for a photographer:
- Does their price fit your budget?
- Do you like their style?
- Do you like their personality?
- Are their pictures in focus, good color, good exposure - etc?
- How long have they been in business?
- Do you get the disc of images straight out of camera or do you pay extra for finished proofs?
- What products do you want in your package? (An Album, Disc of Images, Coverage time, )
- Do you like the style of album?
- Do you want a Matted Album or a modern flush mount album?
Now once you have hired your photographer don't give them a list you found on some website. If the photographer needs to be told to take a photo of your cake, or you walking down the aisle or a shot of your flowers, they aren't doing their job. You should only need to tell a photographer the shots that you HAVE to have that they might not take unless you tell them. Shooting the cake, flowers, couple photos are part of our job. If there is a photo you really love, be sure to remind your photographer you want it. They don't read minds. I do try to take a ring shot at every wedding, but it's not a standard shot. On the day of the wedding, I might not ever see the rings, and there for won't get the shot, but if you say "can you make sure to get a cool ring shot" I will.
Standard wedding shots for us are normally Dress Photos, Flower Photos, Cake Photos, Couple photos, Bridal Party, Family photos (we ask for a list so we don't miss any). Don't bog yourself down with a long list of formals. For each formal on your list, it can take 5 to 7 minutes to take. The biggest time waster at weddings is located people for formals. If you are proactive and organized formals should be a breeze. I can do all my formals (with a list of about 15 photos) in about 20 minutes. As long as everyone is there and ready to go.
Alicia Williams is owner of
Cordele Photography of Miami, FL and Boston, MA. She's been in business since October 2003. Her style is a mix of traditional and photojournalism. She has been featured in Destination Weddings and Honeymoon Magazine (2009) as well as Wedding and Portrait Photographers International newsletter, and The Knot Magazine.
