T h e E s s e n ti a l G u i d e To Yo ur
We d d i n g Pho to g r a p he r
Written by:
Amy Yeh & Bryan Passanisi
The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
Table of Contents
Why Is Wedding Photography So Important?
Where Do I Find My Perfect Wedding Photographer?
How To Choose A Wedding Photographer
What Questions Should I Ask My Photographer?
How Much Does A Wedding Photographer Cost?
Wedding Albums
Planning My Wedding Day With The Photographer
Wedding Photographer Etiquette
What Shots Should My Photographer Take?
What Exactly Are You Signing Up For When Hiring
A Wedding Photographer?
What Do I Do With My Wedding Images?
How To Store And Archive Wedding Images
Conclusion
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
Now that you’re engaged and you’re in the midst of planning your dream
wedding, there are many different aspects to keep in mind.
For example, you’ll need to choose a date, a venue, a caterer, a florist and
so much more. Perhaps one of the most important vendors you’ll need to
hire is your wedding photographer.
You’ve spent months, possibly years, planning out every minute detail of
your wedding and you’ll want to make sure that it’s properly documented
in the best quality and method possible.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
Why Is Wedding Photography So Important?
Hiring a professional wedding photographer is crucial for capturing the
essence of the day and the preserving the emotion and joy that was felt
by you and your loved ones. A wedding photographer has a trained eye
and extensive experience photographing special days just like yours.
You may think that asking a friend who owns a nice camera to shoot
your wedding is a great way to cut costs, but this friend doesn’t have the
hands-on experience that a professional does. Being aware of how to take
advantage of lighting and angles, understanding how to use the different
settings on the camera and knowing the best ways to achieve the best
shots are just a few of the things that professionals bring to the table that
your friend with a nice camera will not.
When the wedding is over, the bouquet is tossed and the last piece of
cake is eaten, the only thing left from this big day will be the wedding
photos. You’ll want nothing more than the images to truly represent how
spectacular and beautiful the day was so that you can cherish these
memories for generations to come.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
Where Do I Find My Perfect Wedding Photographer?
Finding the ideal wedding photographer that suits your personalities and
fits your needs requires a bit of research. You’ll want to consider a few
things when looking for your dream photographer, such as location, cost,
packages and photography style. Although it’s important to stay within
your budget, finding a photographer who works well with you and your
partner who also has a photography style that you enjoy is key to a happy
working relationship. There are several different resources you can use to
start your quest for the perfect wedding photographer.
A good way to start your preliminary research is by conducting a simple
Google search. If you’re having your wedding in San Francisco, searching
for “San Francisco wedding photographer” would provide you with many
results that could work.
WeddingWire is one of the largest online wedding resources designed
to connect wedding vendors and merchants with engaged couples and
party planners. Its extensive online directory provides information on
each vendor including contact information, images, FAQ and real client
reviews. It’s a fantastic place to start your initial research to help narrow
your selections down to a few photographers to choose from.
The client reviews are especially helpful as you can see how their past
customers felt about the working relationship, the quality of the product
received and the value for the money paid.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
While WeddingWire is a great directory for all wedding-related vendors,
SnapKnot is an online directory specifically for wedding photographers. By
focusing on this niche market, SnapKnot is able to provide more
specific information such as pricing, affiliated professional associations
and detailed package information. Start by entering your budget and
location to narrow down your options and browse their image galleries
and bios to find a photographer suitable for your tastes. SnapKnot is
another great place to look for your dream wedding photographer.
In addition to all your online research, one of the best ways to find a
wedding photographer is by asking your friends and family members for
referrals. Chances are, more often than not, your network will be able to
recommend a wedding photographer and you’re more likely to trust the
opinions and suggestions of people you know personally. You’ll be able to
ask them what it was like to work with them and if they think that you’ll
be a good fit. You’ll also be able to view their work firsthand and ask your
friends questions about the photographer that you may not be able to ask
otherwise.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
How To Choose A Wedding Photographer
You’ve begun researching your potential candidates and have a pool of
photographers to choose from. Now you’ll have to consider what traits
are important to you. Would you like to have a photographer with many
years of experience, or many weddings under her belt? Is it important for
you to be able to establish a friendly rapport with an easy-going
photographer, or would you prefer for her to remain professional and
businesslike? You’ll also want to think about what her photography
style is. Many wedding photographers today shoot in a photojournalistic
style, meaning they capture moments as the day unfolds in a story-like
manner. Maybe you have a few specific posed shots you’ll want to
include. If so, you’ll want to find a photographer who is okay with having
shot list requests. Make sure you spend some time looking at each
candidate’s portfolios so you can see how the final edited images will
look. Some photographers combine natural light to create the faded,
vintage look while others make their images bright and vibrant with bold
colors. If her portfolio does not reflect the type of images you want to
have, then this photographer is not for you.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
What Questions Should I Ask My Photographer?
Now that you’ve narrowed it down to a handful of options, it’s time to ask
each photographer the important questions to evaluate whether or not
she would be appropriate for you. The first and most important question
to ask is whether or not she has your date available.
If not, then unfortunately it’s time to move on to the next candidate.
You’ll then want to ask about her experience level and whether or not
she’s shot weddings similar to yours. If yes, be sure to ask to see sample
galleries. This will allow you to determine if this photographer’s shooting
style is one you like.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
After you’ve determined that this photographer would be appropriate for
you stylistically, you’ll need to find out the logistics behind hiring her.
For example, you should ask her how many images you can expect to
receive and how long you’ll need to wait for them after the wedding takes
place. Some photographers will also edit and retouch these images, so
double check to see if yours will be too. Some other important technical
questions to ask are whether or not they have liability insurance, when
you can receive a written contract, pricing and packages and what her
cancellation policy is.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
How Much Does A Wedding Photographer Cost?
Wedding photography pricing is difficult to name a number for because of
the wide ranges of prices photographers list and the variety of different
packages that each photographer offers. While some photographers may
quote you in the low thousands, other photographers may quote you in
the tens of thousands. Though these prices always take experience level
into consideration, they also are varied because of photography packages.
Most professional photographers offer a few different packages to suit
their clients’ needs. A typical wedding photography package includes
wedding day coverage, a second shooter, the images in a digital format
and a wedding album. Of course they offer other items a la carte, such
as printed products, enlargements, engagement sessions and day-after
sessions.
Given the fact that wedding photographers typically list prices based on
package options, wedding photography can range anywhere from $1,500
to $6,500 for a basic photography package.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
But does cost really dictate a good photographer? The price tag is not the
only factor you should consider when you are searching for your perfect
photographer. Just because a photographer is more expensive does not
necessarily mean that the quality of the end product is worth that price
tag. Though budget is an important thing to consider, the overall quality,
experience and skill that your photographer will be able to provide is a
much better way to determine whether or not she is the right fit for you.
Though their price tag may initially seem steep, remember that the
resulting product you’ll receive is one that will preserve the memories
from one of the most important and happiest days of your life.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
Wedding Albums
As you may have noticed during all of your research, many photographers
offer wedding albums as part of their photography packages. A wedding
album is a gorgeous, tangible keepsake that showcases the wonderful
memories and moments from your wedding day in a format that will
stand the test of time. Although online galleries are good for sharing
instantly, they don’t provide the same look and feel as a beautifully
handcrafted, professionally printed wedding album. The quality of the
printed images are completely unmatched by any digital format and the
durability of a wedding album guarantees that you and your loved ones
will be able to enjoy the album generation after generation.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
One of the key characteristics of a sturdy, beautiful wedding photo album
is that it is flush mount. A flush mount wedding album features pages that
are digitally printed as a single image and then mounted on a thick,
durable cardstock that does not fold. The pages lay flat to provide a
seamless viewing experience. The ink and materials used to create the
album are of the utmost quality to give your wedding images the
attention they deserve.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
Some wedding photographers offer photo books as part of their packages
instead of albums. It’s important to distinguish between photo books and
photo albums as the difference between the two products is quite
measurable. A photo book is printed by a digital press on regular,
double-sided paper with either lay flat or regular pages. It can have a soft
cover, hard photo cover, leatherette cover or genuine leather cover. A
photo album is printed by a photographic process onto professional
photo paper, typically in a flush mount format with lay flat pages.
It can have a bound genuine leather or premium leather cover or even
a metallic cover. When comparing photo books and photo albums, the
difference in quality can be seen and felt instantly.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
Planning My Wedding Day With The Photographer
Before the actual wedding day, you and your partner will need to set a
time to sit down with your photographer to discuss all of your
expectations for the big day. You may have a few photo ideas that you’ll
want to incorporate into your wedding day shoot that you can run by your
photographer at this time. She’ll most likely have a general schedule of
the day outlined out, so if you have any special shots you want make sure
you’re all on the same page. This is the time for you to discuss what time
you expect the photographers to arrive at the venue, who will be
shooting the bridesmaids and who will be shooting the groomsmen,
when the family shots will be taken and any other logistical concerns you
may have. If you are unsure what to expect on the actual day, don’t be
afraid to ask your photographer to explain a typical wedding day shoot so
that you have a better idea of what will actually happen.
The most important thing when aligning expectations is to have an open
dialogue so that there are no surprises when the big day finally comes.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
Wedding Photographer Etiquette
Wedding photographers are professionals, and they treat each individual
wedding as their job. They will arrive at the time you have both agreed
upon with the equipment and second shooter that you are expecting.
To stay as unobtrusive as possible, wedding photographers will dress
appropriately to maintain a professional appearance.
Typically, photographers will wear all black in business casual and do their
best to blend in with the surroundings. This way they are able to capture
natural, candid moments which truly represent what was felt at that time.
It is also important to remember that the purpose of having a wedding
photographer is so that she can document your wedding. It may feel
strange to have one or two people walking around you snapping photos
as you say your vows or share your first kiss, but that is their job and you
will be grateful that they were able to capture these moments.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
A professional photographer will not drink alcohol at any time, nor will
she mingle with the guests an excessive amount. Your photographer will
most likely talk to a few of your guests throughout the day because this is
their opportunity to network and find future business, but anything
outside of a professional topic is inappropriate.
If you feel uncomfortable with the amount your photographer is casually
mingling, feel free to speak up - this is someone you are paying for their
services and a gentle reminder will put them back on track.
It is also common courtesy to feed your photographer at the end of the
night and treat them as one of your guests.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
What Shots Should My Photographer Take?
If you’ve done any browsing online of photographer wedding portfolios or
even your married friends’ galleries, you may have noticed that there are
a lot of similar poses that pop up over and over. These common shots are
popular for a reason - because they are touching, adorable and flattering.
They capture the essential moments from your wedding day that you’ll
look at and reminisce about the great memory of that moment.
Here’s a sample list of some of the most common wedding photo shots:
❉❉Bride’s dress and bridesmaids dresses on a hanger
❉❉Engagement ring and wedding bands
❉❉Bouquets and boutonnieres
❉❉Bride, bridesmaids, groom, groomsmen getting ready
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
❉❉Family shots
❉❉The first look
❉❉Walking down the aisle
❉❉Exchanging of vows and rings
❉❉The first kiss
❉❉Exiting the venue
❉❉First dance, dance with parents
❉❉Cutting of the cake
❉❉Detail shots of all the décor
❉❉Bouquet and garter toss
❉❉Toasts
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
❉❉The newlyweds’ departure from the evening
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
What Exactly Are You Signing Up For When Hiring
A Wedding Photographer?
As you go through the process of hiring a wedding photographer, you’ll
most likely meet a few times and exchange several emails and phone
calls. You’ll establish a friendly rapport with this person, and may even
form a strong friendship. However, when it comes down to it, you are
forming a business relationship with this person and it’s important to be
able to distinguish between the business logistics and the friendly
aspects.
A photographer automatically has the copyrights to all images that she
shoots. These photos are considered her intellectual property and
therefore she is allowed to use these images as she wishes.
This means she’s allowed to sell and distribute them if she wants to, while
you are legally not allowed to do anything with them.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
This may seem unfair, but to level the playing field the majority of
wedding photographers grant their clients licenses to use the photos as
part of their photography packages. This allows you to distribute and use
your photos as you wish, such as uploading to a Facebook album,
ordering printed products or creating wedding albums.
During the hiring process, you’ll want to clarify who owns the rights to
what and what this means for you. If the photographer does not include
the rights in her contracts, you’ll want to negotiate it into the contract
and mutually reach a fair price. Before embarking on this journey
together, ask your photographer to walk you through her contract section
by section so that you both are clear on what is expected and what
exactly you will be receiving.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
What Do I Do With My Wedding Images?
Now that you’ve gotten the rights to your images and your photographer
has sent them to you, either on a flash drive or DVD or an online gallery,
what are you going to do with them? Most couples today like to share
some or all of these images with their friends and family on Facebook or
another social sharing website. While these types of mass shared photo
galleries are great for reaching your outer circles, the quality and
experience of viewing your beautiful wedding photos online simply does
not do them justice. These galleries will also slowly become forgotten as
time goes by and they are pushed further and further down your friends’
newsfeeds. You don’t want the blissful memories of your day to fade like
these digital galleries will. A gorgeous wedding album is the perfect way
to preserve your memories, and you’ll want a sturdy, durable, beautiful,
professional-quality album to do the job.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
BrideBox offers the same sizes and professional-grade photo albums with
a variety of features and options to fit your needs. Our easy-to-use online
tool allows you to personally design every aspect of your gorgeous
keepsake and save money in the process. BrideBox wedding albums are
guaranteed to be as beautiful and durable as any other
professional-quality album.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
How To Store And Archive Wedding Images
When you’ve completed designing and creating your wedding album,
you’re going to need to store and archive the digital images in a way that
makes them easily accessible in the future yet well-protected so that
nothing will happen to them. Simply saving them to your computer
desktop is not sufficient for protecting your cherished memories.
There are two ways to store and archive your wedding images.
The first is physically, on a flash drive, external hard drive or other
tangible storage method like a CD or DVD. Although this is a good backup
method for storing your images, it should not be the only method you
rely on. These items can be easily lost or damaged, and with the rate at
which technology is changing these days who knows if you’ll be able to
find a machine that can read a CD or DVD in ten or fifteen years?
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
The second method of storing and archiving your wedding images is in a
digital format. There are many cloud-based storage services online
today, many of which offer plenty of storage for free. BrideBox Pro utilizes
Amazon Cloud to provide a year of free storage and allows you to work
with your professional photographer seamlessly and easily via the simple
delivery platform. Other good cloud-based services include Google Drive,
DropBox and Box. These digital storage systems offer secure and reliable
backup while allowing you to easily retrieve the photos whenever
needed.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
Conclusion
Hiring a professional wedding photographer is the best way to document
one of the most important days of your life.
An experienced professional will be able to capture the candid moments
of raw emotion as well as stunning, flattering shots of you and your loved
ones. Choosing a professional photographer to shoot your day will give
you peace of mind that the resulting images will be every bit as beautiful
as your special day. Spend the time to really find the one that’s the right
fit for you and your wedding - it will be worth it.
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The Essential Guide To Your Wedding Photographer
A very special thank you to all of the photographers who shared their
insights and contributed to our essential guide:
❉❉Banga Studios
❉❉Catherine Hall Studios
❉❉David Beckstead
❉❉Davina + Daniel
❉❉Divinemethod Photography
❉❉Kristen Weaver Photography
❉❉KT Merry
❉❉Simply Bloom Photography
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