Vendor Selection: The Photographer

Your wedding photography should be given due consideration - quite possibly, above all other vendor decisions. Your wedding photos will be the only tangible record of your wedding day and you want to make sure that the day is captured the way you want it to be. Here are some points to consider:


1. What is your style?
Notice that I'm not asking what the photographer's style is? First, you need to figure out your own style, what kind of photographs really speak to you? You want to make sure that the photographer's photos suit you. Every photographer views the images through their lenses in very different ways so your day can be captured from any number of styles and points of view. Here's the technical jargon to help you sort through the styles:

Photojournalistic
Photojournalism is the most popular type of wedding photography. This approach aims to capture the feelings and energy of the wedding day. The focus is on the "moments" instead of the poses. This would be anything from the bride's nervous anticipation just before walking down the aisle to the father's teary expression of love during the father-daughter dance.

Images from Style Me Pretty

Traditional
Traditional photography refers to the posed photos of the wedding. These typically consist of shots of the wedding party, the groom and his family, the bride and groom looking lovingly into each others' eyes. Wedding albums can contain anywhere from a handful of traditional shots to pages and pages of posed images.















Images from Style Me Pretty

Artistic
The artistic approach is a sort of catch-all category that includes everything from soft-focus lenses and filters to hand-coloured images and unusual camera angles. These images can be fun, modern and edgy but you also run the risk of "dating" the photos once some of the trends disappear.

Images from Style Me Pretty


Many photographers offer all three types of styles. You can get a really good sense of a photographer's dominant style by perusing a few of their wedding albums paying close attention to the type of photo that pops up most frequently.

2. Check in with the budget.
Once you decide on the style you love you'll have to find a photographer that your budget can love too. Most photographers will offer packages and various ranges, choose one that has everything you want and nothing that you don't. Try to negotiate out the things you don't want for a cheaper package price or more of what you do want.


3. Check references!
A photographer's website will give you a great idea of their style but it won't tell you how they'll interact with you and your guests on your wedding day. Check with other brides who have used them. Ask how the photographer managed the photo session. Ask how he/she interacted with the wedding party and the guests. How did the couple like the end product?

Choosing a photographer may be one of the most time-consuming research projects of your entire wedding. But if you invest the time you're sure to be much happier with the results.

Happy Planning!


Sophie
Coverall Event Coordination