Tips for choosing your wedding photographer

If there's one thing that I always hear about the photography industry it's that there are SO many photographers out there. And this is great for you if you're planning a wedding! Finding a photographer that suits your needs should never be a problem these days. Some photographers are long time pros that started out in the 'days of film', there's others just starting out looking for any work experience they can get and then there's everyone in between. 

And of course I'm going to tell you how important it is to choose the right photographer when you get married - I'm a photographer so I'm going to be biased when I tell you how important those wedding photos will be in years to come. But instead of telling you that the right photographer is me, I'm going to list three things that are super important to consider when choosing a wedding photographer.

BE DRAWN TO THEIR WORK - This seems potentially very obvious right?! Well I know just how expensive weddings can be and how easy it is to go with the cheaper option to cut costs. But you need to love the style of work a photographer is showcasing and producing because this is largely how your wedding photos are going to look should you hire them.

I'm incredibly lucky to have clients that love my work and trust me to document their big day, but I totally recognise that my style is not for everyone. Photographic style varies so greatly between photographers. I would describe my style as natural, vibrant and timeless - so therefore I would potentially let down a client who wanted vintage style edits or preferred edgy, dramatic shots.

Quick tip: To help you get an idea of what to expect from a photographer you can ask to see a full wedding gallery - not just the images the photographer chose to put in the album or up on the blog - but all the images a paying client received. It's human nature that us photographers want to show off our best work & images that we love, but it's worth viewing a full wedding gallery to get a sense of how the photographer may document your day from start to finish.

​ACTUALLY LIKE THE PERSON - It's easy to start seeing all the vendors you hire for your wedding day as transactions (sometimes big transactions!) but it's so so important that you actually like your photographer because you are going to be spending a huge part of your day with them!

I offer no-obligation meetings (or I prefer to call them coffee dates!) with prospective couples because it's important to me that we can interact on more than a transactional level, plus I love making friends!

Most wedding photographers these days are bloggers or they have highly active social media platforms so it's never too hard to get a glimpse of the kind of person they are & their personalities before you even choose to meet with them.

DON'T LEAVE IT TOO LATE - I don't know how many brides I've had contact me - sending me lovely emails or speaking with me on the phone proclaiming they follow my work & would love me to be their wedding photographer in three/six/nine months time - and my heart has sunk as I realise I'm already booked for their wedding date. It breaks my heart having to turn down advocates and fans of my photography! Sure it's always worth a shot enquiring late - sometimes the stars align and the date of your wedding is available at short notice, but I've also had to turn down bookings for over 12 months in advance of the date too!

I'm even spoilt enough to have couples check with me for availability before setting a date so they can ensure they get me!!! It's very common that photographers are the next vendor booked after setting your date and the venue/s so we do get booked out far in advance at times. If you have a photographer in mind save yourself the potential disappointment and get in touch with them today!!! xx