Hiring a wedding photographer is a big deal - on the day after your wedding, the photos will be one of the few things you have left. And second to your new spouse, the photographer you pick will spend more time with you on your wedding day than anyone else. Keep this tips and questions in mind for those decision-making days.
Do You Like Their Style?
Lots of brides and grooms make the mistake of finding a photographer based on price, thinking that any photographer can create the style of photos they're looking for, but that's often not the way it works. Photographers spend years developing a style, and they're much happier and much more successful when they're creating the kinds of images they love. Take time to search through their portfolios, considering whether their style meshes with yours. Then pick someone based on the style of photos that you love. Those will be the photos that you'll want to hang in your home, display in albums and share for years to come.
Do You Get Along?
You really do spend a lot of time with your wedding photographer throughout your wedding festivities, and so it's important to hire someone you feel comfortable with and can relate to. If you love someone's photos dearly but they're not treating you well or the two of you are not clicking, it might be worth it to shop around more until you've found someone whose style you love and who you can be friends with.
What is Included?
Many photographers work on package pricing schemes, so when you're comparing prices, make sure you're considering all that's included in their packages. Some photographers limit their hours, and you'll often have to pay more for extra hours. Others will shoot the wedding for a lower rate, but you'll have to pay much more later to actually get your photographs. Some photographers offer very valuable services in their package prices too, such as online proofing and print ordering, a disc of the images or extra sessions and coverage.
How Much Time Will they Need?
An important question to ask is how long the processing of the photos takes. Some photographers are very professional on the front end and then take longer to process. There's no right answer to this question, but it's important to be aware of how many days or weeks you'll be waiting before you see a photograph.
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