With all the excitement and anticipation of your wedding, the day will pass even more quickly than you imagine. And it would be best if you lived each moment of it. There is one thing for sure you will want to live that moment forever. The best way to relive that moment is to make those moments tangible by hiring a photographer to capture all your special moments for a lifetime. Your wedding pictures are something that you will keep for a lifetime, so it’s vital that you get the perfect photographer. While selecting your wedding photographer, you must ensure that they will create your dream wedding album.
Here is our guide to help you find the wedding photographer to capture your lifetime moments.
Book your venue first.
It is best if you hire your photographer after securing your wedding venue Try to book your wedding photographer prior a year or nine months before the wedding if the photographer you are looking for is in high demand.
Do your research.
One of the easiest ways to select your wedding photographer is to research online or ask your recently wed friends for recommendations whose wedding photos you liked. Or you can ask for advice from your wedding planner too. Before hiring a photographer, always read the reviews to know about the experience of their past couples and if they consider them worthy. Social media has become a popular tool in the wedding industry. Searching hashtags and following famous personalities and their blogs may lead you to find a great photographer.
Decide Your Photography Style
Before hiring a wedding photographer, you must decide on the photography style you like. Many options include photojournalism, dark and moody, and fine art. Most photographer practice one or two types.
It is best to recognize the style you want before booking a photographer. That will help you in finding your wedding photographer.
Shortlist your photographers.
The next step is to contact the wedding photographers whose work you love and shortlist them. We will recommend shortlisting up to three because you will need clarification. Before shortlisting photographers for your wedding, you need to know if they are available for your wedding and are within your budget. Photographers often don’t put their rates on the website, but don’t let that bother you. If you want to consider them for your wedding, you can drop a message or email them and ask for their charges.
Always remember that you are paying not just the photographer for his time on the event day but for hours he will spend editing after your wedding, along with their experience, talent, and costly equipment. There are wedding photographers for every budget. Even the most high-end photographers offer different packages to suit different budgets. You can easily find a wedding photographer in your budget on weddingbiz.ca.
Once you have shortlisted the photographers, now is the time to decide who is best for your event, analyzing all the factors and rates you know.
Interview the photographers.
Most photographers email you a link to their portfolio before your first meetup. But be sure that the portfolio includes recent weddings they have and not just the best of highlights from different marriages. That is the best way to analyze the photographer’s work. Ask the photographer if he has worked at your wedding venue. If yes, then request him to show you those pictures.
Some big studios employ several photographers. Ask them who will shoot on your wedding day. Even freelance photographers sometimes hire other photographers to help them out. In all cases, it is better to request them to show the work of the photographer who will cover your wedding.
Discuss all the details of the contract
Once you are done with all the investigations and meetings and you are ready to book your wedding photographer. At this stage, ensure you are 100% satisfied with the terms and conditions of your contract and clear on what your package includes.
- Look for the number of digital pictures you will receive and know if you have to pay extra to get them without watermarks.
- Ask them about the cost of printing and photo albums, as rates vary from quality of print and from photographer to photographer. That is something that most do not think about until the wedding. It’s better to explore your options early in the procedure.
- If they include a second photographer in your package, who will assist them in capturing the wedding? If yes, then this mentions this in the contract.
- The most important thing is to ask your photographer how many hours they will spend covering your event.
- Your contract must also cover the photographer’s food and travel costs on the event day, especially for destination weddings.
- Ask them about the payment method and schedule. How much do you need to pay a deposit, and when does the remaining amount need to be delivered?
- Ask your photographer about the backup plan. What happens if they get sick or are unable to work on your wedding
- Do ask them how long t going to take to get your photos taken after the wedding. A photographer must give you a rough estimate.
Schedule a Test Run
If you are still determining whom to book for your wedding photography, we recommend booking someone for a test run before your wedding date. You can hire them on your engagement or for any before the wedding parties for a test run. It will give you beautiful pictures and time to bond with your photographers. It’s a great way to check how comfortably you can communicate with your photographer.
After the test run, you will be able to determine how much you like the pictures, how comfortable you are with your photographer, or whether you want to hire them for your big day. Of course, having a test run shoot with them is not necessary. You can always check their websites and social media pages. It’s better to always do your homework before hiring a photographer. If you find any of their couple looking awkward or uncomfortable, you shouldn’t hire them for your big day.
Always remember, hiring a photographer for a wedding is a big decision, so always take your time to choose one because, after all, it’s about one of the most important days of your life. Take wedding photography as a lifetime investment. Your wedding event might last for a weekend or a day, but you will see the photographs for a lifetime. They’re going to live on the walls of your home, and you’ll return to them whenever you’re feeling nostalgic about the day, so it makes sense to assign a significant portion of your overall budget to photography.