It’s a weekend and you finally have some free time to start planning your wedding! Until… you realize you have no idea where to start... or what even goes into planning a wedding. Thankfully, it’s 2020 and you can Google search the answers to your every question. Fast forward a little bit and eventually you get to the part where you’re in search of your photographer, and with so many options, it’s hard to know what’s best for you. Then, somewhere within that “Wedding Photographers” Google search, you come across this article, and by the time you’ve finished reading it, you’ve found clarity and confidence in taking the next step in booking your dream photographer.
1. Girls Just Wanna Have Fund$
Deciding on a budget is usually the first step in planning a wedding, and now it’s time to allocate those funds. Deciding on how much to spend on each vendor is hard; everything has its importance. Besides your everlasting love and happiness with your new spouse and the memories you’ve made, the photos of your wedding day are the one thing you’ll have to really look back on and cherish for the rest of your lives, to share with your kids and many generations after theirs. A good wedding photographer is an investment into your sentiment, so it’s best to invest as much as you can without breaking the bank.
Thank goodness for hashtags! In the era of social media, the easiest thing to do is search up #weddingphotography on any platform and you’ll be met with an array of wedding photographers from all over the place. This won’t be very helpful in finding a local wedding photographer, but we’re not at that step yet. Take this time to look through different photos, different styles of photography, find out what you like and what you don’t like, save your favorites, or even make a pinterest board! Whatever floats your boat. The style of photography can range anywhere from how the photos are taken to how they're edited, and anything in between. You’ll know what is and isn’t visually appealing to you after you’ve scrolled through enough photos. Once you feel like you’ve found a style of photography you’re in love with, you’re ready for the next step.
3. Searching for The One
Well, you’ve already found "The One" as in your life partner, but the right wedding photographer is a different kind of relationship. Now that you’re equipped with your budget and style in mind, you’re ready to start searching for your wedding photographer. There are a number of ways you can do this, including but not limited to: asking for referrals from friends and family, using more hashtags to your advantage, or a quick Google search.
Asking friends for referrals is a good start, but if the style or the budget isn’t right, it’s a no-go. Thanks anyway! Next is hashtags. Instead of a broad hashtag like #weddingphotography, you can search for a wedding photographer in your city by adding the city in the hashtag. For example, I’m a Philadelphia based photographer (although I do travel for my couples!), so you would search #philadelphiaweddingphotographer into the platform of your choice, and you might find me! With any city, you’ll find a bunch of talented photographers in the area. You can also specify your search in other ways, such as the style of photography, although this makes it harder to find one locally. Last but not least, there’s a good ol’ Google search. It might even be your first course of action. Find photographers websites, look through their portfolios, reviews, testimonials, and anything else you can find. Once you feel confident you’ve found some good potentials, reach out and ask for a quote.
4. Get to Know The Photographer
So you’ve found a few photographers you’re interested in and they fit all your criteria: they’re in your area or willing to travel, you love their portfolio, their reviews are amazing, and their prices fit your budget. What more is there to know? Well, I would say getting to know the person behind the camera is important. Whether you’ve decided to speak over the phone or to meet in person, take this time to ask questions about the photographer. How long have they been a wedding photographer? What’s their favorite part of a wedding day? Ask anything you may want to know, as long as it’s a reasonable question. You can also take this time to tell them about yourself. I love asking couples about how they met, how long they’ve been together, and anything else they feel comfortable sharing with me!
Becoming familiar with your photographer is important; when the person behind the camera is no longer a stranger to you, the working relationship becomes stronger, and you’re more likely to feel comfortable in front of their camera on your wedding day.
5. Process of Elimination
This part can be easy or hard depending on how lucky you are with finding great wedding photographers. Usually, though, you’ll just know intuitively who you want to work with. Don’t focus on the cheapest price — as long as they’re all within your budget, your main focus should be on the work you like best and the photographer you feel most confident in working with.
Wishing you all the best of luck in finding the right photographer for you!
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