How to Choose a Wedding Photographer
Choosing a wedding photographer for your wedding can be one of the most difficult decisions you make. Photos are important; they are some of the only things you will have to look back on when you wedding is over and good photos can elicit feelings and emotions years after they are captured. Being a wedding photographer myself, I have compiled a list of the 7 steps to choosing a wedding photographer. I have also included some fantastic questions to ask and things to consider so that you can find yourself the perfect one for your special day.
#1 - pick your budget and ideal package
Before you begin your search, it can be important to come up with some kind of budget for photography and some things that are important to you that you want captured or included in your wedding photography package. Photographers often times offer options like engagement sessions, second photographers, photo albums, photo booths, and some other things as well. When planning the amount of time needed to capture your day, think of the things you want captured so that you can communicate that to your prospective photographer. For most couples, 8-10 hours is about perfect.
On this note, do be aware that you often times get what you pay for. The best photographers often charge the most because of their experience and confidence in their ability. Though you may get lucky and find a diamond in the rough, just keep in mind that this is your special day and you want it captured in the best possible way.
#2 - Find your style
One of the primary differences between photographers is their style. There are all kinds of styles; from natural and timeless to warm and trendy. Most brides know coming into their proposal what they want the style of their photos to be but if not, it’s ok! Just take a look at some wedding or engagement photos on Instagram or Google to get an idea of what you like. Once you find your style, start looking at photographer’s portfolios. One helpful tip I’d share with you is that a photographer’s portfolio is a compilation of their BEST work. If you find a photographer’s portfolio to be mediocre or are at all hesitant, move to the next one; even if they fit within your budget. You want to find someone who’s photos you love.
#3 - Look at reviews
Reviews are one of the MOST important things I would encourage brides to consider and use to find a great photographer. Brides should be EXTREMELY cautious if the photographer they are looking at does not collect third-party reviews for you to look at. These review collections sites are places like Google reviews (seen when you search on Google), WeddingWire, TheKnot, and other wedding directories. Do not trust photographers who only post reviews to their websites or Instagram as those can be (and many times are) curated. It is not entirely about the positive feedback, but also the negative. If a photographer does not allow people to leave reviews on Google or the other directories, it should make you question why. To me, it is a huge red flag because if a bride (or brides) has a terrible experience with the photographer in question, there is no way for them to let others know to avoid the photographer via reviews or at least post what their experience was. Third party reviews are a way of holding people accountable and showing them praise. The last thing you want to do is hire a photographer with an undocumented history of loosing images or worse. Always make sure your photographer has solid reviews and a great track record before booking them.
#4 - Set Up a Consultation
Now that you have a list of highly reviewed photographers within your budget who’s style you love, it is time to reach out to them. I have heard countless stories of photographers taking ages to get back to couples for a consultation. Make note of who gets back to you in a decent time frame and the photographers who do not. Though I understand people have lives, if a photographer does not get back to you in a timely manner, let it be a sign of potential bad communication in the future. After you receive your replies, I would strongly suggest meeting in person or having a video consultation with your photographer. I believe that being able to see the person and read their body language is important. When meeting, be sure to take note of attire and timeliness as well, as those are also important. First impressions are everything after all.
#5 - Ask Questions
Most couples I meet with for a consultation come with almost no questions. There is nothing wrong with that; but I personally love explaining the most important things to ask as well as what is common in the industry. I love educating my couples; leaving them empowered and ready to ask all the important questions when meeting with other photographers. At the end of the day, I want my couples to feel confident that they made the right choice when booking me and that all starts with what they know. Below, I have a list of the most important questions I think couples should ask any prospective photographer as well as my explanation of why these questions are important.
“Is an engagement session included in your package?”
When getting pricing quotes, it is important to know if an engagement session is included in the package you are interested in or if the cost is in addition to it. I’d say about 20-30% of all wedding photographers do not include an engagement session while the rest do. Just make sure you know so you can look at the complete quotes when considering who you want to hire. You can of course ask ahead of time but many photographers don’t give out pricing and package specifics before meeting in person (in all honesty, it’s a sales tactic).
“Are taxes included in your price?”
On the note of pricing, be sure to also ask the photographer if they charge sales tax on top of their package pricing or not. Technically (according to my CPA), photographers do not have to charge any tax for their packages as their work is considered a service. If any physical items are sold then sales tax must be paid by the photographer based on what they charge their clients for those products; but for their services, no tax needs to be charged. That being said, I am not sure if these photographers are pocketing the money or actually believe they need to charge tax; but that is neither here nor there. The fact is, that many photographers do charge tax and so you should ask this question to get a more accurate quote.
“What quality of images will I receive?”
This may seem like a weird question to many people but the truth is, photographers don’t always give back high quality images in terms of resolution. Often times, photographers will use the terms “full resolution” or “high resolution” images on their websites or in person to describe the quality of images they will be returning. However, it is not until you dive a little deeper into what they mean that couples find out that the images are actually returned in a sized-down resolution. In my area, it is VERY common for photographers give back images that are sized for an 8“ x 10” print. Now, you may be asking yourself, “why is that?”. The reason for this is so that couples have to pay to get the full size images or have to buy prints through the photographer. It is another sales tactic that I personally find a bit.. well.. scammy, as most photographers try and hide this information so that they can get more money from couples later on when they want to print larger images. And let me tell you, photographers can charge an OBSCENE amount of money (often times a 10-20x markup) for prints that you can buy for a fraction of the cost. If a photographer says their prints are “the best quality” or “better than what you can find”, it is simply not true. There are tons of great printing options out there!
Now, back to the resolution topic. When talking to photographers, I always encourage prospective clients to ask if the files they will receive are actually in full resolution and, more specifically “if I want to print off an image that is 24” x 36” without any pixelation, can I do that or are the file sizes I receive not large enough to do so?”. And, as a follow up, “do I have to print through you or can I print elsewhere?” These are both important questions and will get the photographers to open up and not allow them to be fancy with their wording (because some of them dodge this question like crazy).
“What number of images will I receive and how long is your turn-around time?”
We’ve all heard the horror stories of the photographer who took over a year to return someone’s wedding photos. Truth be told, there is NO reason this should ever happen. I personally photograph over 40 weddings a year, have countless other shoots, a family, and take many business trips throughout the year; yet my turn-around time is always less than two months. When my couples ask, I always tell them 2-3 months maximum because I prefer to underpromise and overdeliver. A photographer’s turnaround time depends on the volume of work they have but I believe that every photographer should have a turn around time of no more than 4 months.
As far as the number of images go, I have heard it all. Some photographers have a “limit” and if the ones you are meeting with do, it is important to know what that is and be alright with that. I personally do not have a limit one way or the other but I do on average give back 400-700 photos depending on the length of day and number of events (things like a first look, dances, bouquet toss, etc.). Couples who only have 6 hours of coverage and do not have a lot of events will have less images returned than those who hire a second photographer and have all-day coverage with a ton of events. The important thing is that my couples always get back more than enough images that give a very comprehensive look at their day. Never once have I had any couples asking for more because they felt like parts of the day were missing.
“Can I See some full wedding galleries?”
All these questions are important but this one is probably in the top three for me. It is easy for photographers to capture a handful of stunning images at a wedding and have a great looking portfolio; but you want a photographer who can capture great images all-day no matter the lighting or circumstance. I love when couples ask me this question and I am all for showing as many galleries as needed so that they feel confident in their decision to book with me. Do not be afraid to ask this question and view at least 2-3 full galleries before making up your mind. If you do not want to view the galleries in person at the consultation, feel free to ask them to send you some to look at later on via email.
“Will you be the one photographing my wedding or do you have associates?”
Some photographers own a business that has associate photographers that work under the main photographer. If the main photographer is booked, they will pass-off weddings to their associates. Be sure to ask if they will be the one photographing your wedding and that it will not be someone else. If they are planning to pass-off your wedding to another associate, be sure to check out the associate’s work and meet with them in person before signing any contracts or making any deposits.
“What happens if you are sick or cannot physically come to photograph our wedding?”
Though it is likely rare that anything will happen to your photographer that could prevent them from photographing your wedding, be sure to ask this question. The last thing you want is for something to happen and to not have your wedding captured or at least not be reimbursed for any payments that were made. To give you an idea of what I do, I would first ask any of my second photographers if they could step in for me to photograph a client’s day. My second photographers are all fantastic at what they do and can mirror my style of photography nearly seamlessly. If for some reason none of them were available, then I would refund the couple in full including any deposits that were deemed non-refundable. Again, this scenario is unlikely to play out but it is still important to cover your bases and know what the photographer has planned in the case it does happen.
“How do I officially book with you?”
Lastly, knowing how to officially book with your photographer is something you should ask about. Every one is slightly different but in general, you will almost always make some kind of non-refundable deposit and then sign a contract. NEVER book a photographer without signing a contract. Contracts are binding and should keep your photographer from running off with your money or moving away without finishing his side of the deal. Though it may sound crazy, I have gotten plenty of brides over the years whose photographer backed out last minute for many different reasons and ran off with their deposit.
#6 - Consider your options
Now that you have done your research, asked the important questions, and met with all the potential photographers, it is time to consider your options. After your meetings, you more than likely had one photographer that stood out. I would encourage you to go with that one if you feel happy and confident in what they had to offer. Even if their price is slightly out of budget or higher than the others, remember that you get what you pay for and you want the BEST for your wedding as the photos (and your husband of course!) are the only things you will likely have to cherish and remember your special day by for the rest of your life.
If for any reason you are still torn between two photographers after asking all these questions, I would ask yourself, “Can I see myself spending the best day of my life around this person?”. You don’t have to be best friends by the end of the day with your photographer; but they should be enjoyable enough to be around. Your photographer will spend the whole day around you on your wedding day and the last thing you want is a weirdo or someone who only talks about themselves. Make sure to pick someone you don’t mind being around.
#7 - Book your photographer
If you’ve made it this far, you have found the ONE. Congratulations! Your search is over… well at least your search for a photographer. Even still, finding a great photographer who is available on your date is a great feeling. Make sure to lock them down by signing contract and making your deposit and then you are all set!
Final Thoughts
I hope this article proved to be useful to you in your search for a wedding photographer. If you have any questions, agree, or disagree, let me know in the comments as always. If this article has you interested in what I have to offer, feel free to check out my pricing and packages or contact me! I travel all around the United States and would love nothing more than to work with you.
How to Choose a Wedding Photographer
Written by: Zach Nichols
March 4, 2023
© Zach Nichols Photography