Kritika ManchandaAre you or someone close to getting married? Looking for the perfect wedding photographer to capture memories for a lifetime? Amidst the plethora of names in the industry, making the choice for the best wedding photographer can be intimidating. We’ll help you with effective tips to hire your wedding photographer.
Source – behance
Read these top 9 tips to hire a wedding photographer.
1.Identify your style
Wedding photography has evolved to be a full-fledged industry. There are so many styles like – candid wedding photography, wedding photojournalist, fine art wedding photography, lifestyle wedding photography, and portraiture.
Celebrations on earth!
Source – witty vows
Each style has its own charm. Research and read about each of them to know which of these styles is most appealing to you. Let the photographer know about the style well in advance.
2. Fix a budget
Fixing a budget when hiring a wedding photographer will save you a lot of troubles. Ask yourself a few questions –
- What should be the right budget for my wedding photography?
- Is this too less?
- Am I spending more and going overboard?
- Can I find a better photographer in the same budget?
Source – wedmegood
Think wisely. You might want to spend a little extra for great quality of work, after all wedding photographs are a memory to cherish for a lifetime.
3. Schedule interviews
You cannot judge the photographer’s potential just by looking at their work online. Don’t shy away from meeting at least five potential wedding photographers and asking questions. Talk about what you want, the venue, and your ideas.
Source – witty vows
Meeting them will give you a better picture about their quality, ethics, and personality. Also, you’ll be able to know whether or not the photographers are available at your wedding dates.
4. Review their previous work
Don’t form your opinion based on what you see as highlights on their website. Only the best is highlighted, so make sure you review their previous work in detail. Look closely for clarity and crispness in pictures; look for story, emotions, and feel of the wedding.
Source – zoomstudiolab
Ask them to share 2 -3 complete wedding albums to know about their body of work. You can even talk to some of their clients (if possible) to know their experience.
5. Rely on references
Relying on references from friends and family is a good idea. Talk to your friends who’ve got married recently and ask about their experiences with respective wedding photographers. Meet those photographers to see their work. It would be much easier to shortlist a wedding photographer.
Source – ramitbatra
6. Find out who’ll shoot your wedding
The one question that should be on top of your head – who will shoot your wedding? A lot of wedding photo studios have various photographers as staff members. There are chances that the lead photographer is busy on your wedding day and is not shooting your wedding.
Source – wedmegood
Know the photographer and his/her style of working in advance to avoid any miscommunication at the D-day. You can even ask for a team of photographers headed by the lead photographer, depending upon your needs.
7. Match your personalities
It is so important that the personality of the photographer gels with the bride and the groom. The photographer should develop a friendly and compatible bond with the bride, groom, and even the family. This would encourage more natural and candid pictures.
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The photographer should be assertive enough to get crisp pictures, yet friendly enough to get relaxed smiles and natural nuances from the guests.
8. Know about post production details
You must keep in mind that the work of a photographer goes beyond your wedding day. Since they are working with high quality images and large files, it might take 4 -6 weeks to get the wedding album and film.
Source – Laaj Studio
It is always better to ask the team –
- How many images should I expect?
- Will the images be high resolution or low resolution?
- What are the timelines that we’re following?
- What about Retouching and special effects?
9. Sign a contract
The last tip to hire a wedding photographer is to sign a contract. Whatever the terms and conditions are decided, they should be put on paper and signed by both the parties. This would save a lot of misunderstandings later and ensure smooth sailing.
Source – chrisspira photography
The points to be mentioned in the contract should include –
- Number of days of shooting
- Quality of images
- Maximum delivery time
- Ownership of images
- Number of edited and unedited images
- Usage rights and copyright issues
- Payment
Hope these tips help you make the correct choice and you get the best wedding photographer. Do let us know if you found these tips helpful.
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Tanya Sachdev
Kritika Manchanda
11 comments
beautifully written and explained .. must read for all
keep rocking
Thanks Maria…Keep dropping by to encourage…xx
Awesome sharing Kritika. Found some helpful tips here and hope will help to choose the right weeding photographer for some of my friends.
Thanks for sharing.
Glad you found these helpful. Do come back for more such interesting posts…
I really like what you said about reviewing their previous work. That is a really good point that I should be taking into serious consideration when looking for a photographer. It’s important to my fiancee and I that we get really high-quality photos and not just any photos. Hopefully, we can find an ideal photographer for ourselves.
You’ve got great tips for choosing a wedding photographer. My fiance and I want the best photos we can get, so this is all helpful. We’ll have to talk about what our style is so that we can choose a photographer who has that same style, like you mentioned!
You made a good point in establishing your budget first before hiring a wedding photographer because you want to be sure that you can afford their services without compromising your wedding costs. To me, this makes a great way to filter the several options that you have out there. The more conditions that you put in the easier it gets to choose on who is the best fit for the job. This I will bear in the mind the moment that I’ll be getting married.
Nice tips and timely taken photographs.
I really like your guideline of finding five potential wedding photographers, then interviewing each one to find the one that you like the most. My daughter is getting married in a couple of months, and she has assigned me the task of hiring the right wedding photographer. I will be sure to ask my daughter if she wants to meet any of the potential wedding photographers, or if she trusts my opinion.
Loved your post. Nice article keep it up 🙂
I love how you mentioned that one should create a budget before choosing a photographer, as it will help them choose the one they can afford. One of my friends recently got engaged, so these tips could help him and his fiancee find a great photographer. Thanks for all the great tips for choosing a wedding photographer.