How do you choose a wedding photographer?
Finding a photographer is easy these days; the internet has provided us with almost endless options when it comes to searching for a product or service, however finding the perfect wedding photographer for you is not always quite so easy. In fact there are so many choices now that the task can be very daunting….especially given that this will be one of the most important decisions you will make about your whole wedding! I have made a little list about what I would consider to be the most important factors, and if I have missed anything, please feel free to let me know.
- Are you impressed with the images on the website? Every wedding is different and of course, your wedding photos will be different to those shown on the photographer’s website, but in general do you find that the quality and the style of the images fit in with your personal taste?
- Is the photographer experienced? Since the advent of the digital age, literally anybody can buy a camera, set up a website and call themselves a photographer, but it is highly unlikely, without extensive experience of photographing weddings, that you will be happy with the end result….and of course, there are no second chances! I have now photographed over 450 weddings so I am definitely a seasoned pro!
- Does the photographer have independent reviews? I have lots of reviews on both my facebook page and on hitched.co.uk. I now have over 85 five star reviews from my happy clients and I have received many thank you emails, letters and cards over the years, which is just incredible and makes me feel extremely proud of what I do.
- How much does the photographer charge? When I first started training I placed an ad in the local paper offering to photograph weddings for free. As I gained more experience I started to charge a little bit of money, and as my skill and expertise increased I increased my prices too, as the work became a full time job. There is a lot of work goes on behind the scenes before and after photographing the actual wedding day. My equipment is very expensive, and running a business is not cheap either, but I think I have placed myself in the market as charging a reasonable price for the service which I provide. There will always be photographers cheaper and more expensive than myself, so I suppose you just need to figure out how important your wedding photographs are to you, and how much of your wedding budget you can afford to spend on your favourite photographer.
- Do you think you will get along well with the photographer? This one is a bit tricky as it is difficult to know what a person is like until you have met them, but in general, I think instinctively people can read other people very well, and you will already have formed some kind of opinion about me, just by reading this blog! I am very confident in what I do, but I’m not bossy or shouty. I get along well with all different types of people and I don’t need or expect you to give me your undivided attention on your wedding day. Bear in mind, that your photographer will be pretty close to you for most of your special day, and it is therefore important to choose somebody who is not overbearing but is just, well, nice, (and I’m nice, I promise! ;))