WEDDING PLANNING
FINDING YOUR PERFECT PHOTOGRAPHER WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Lisa Devlin of Devlin Photos
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ne of the most common post-wedding regrets is from couples who didn’t invest enough into finding the right photographer. I hear the same story over and over again. Yet picking the right one can feel like a mammoth task. Today I want to help demystify the whole process. After all, it is they who will be the editor of your memories from the day. Here’s how to find one that’s right for you… DON’T HANG AROUND After the venue, I’d say booking your photographer needs to be high up on your list of priorities. Most will only expect a deposit to hold your date so there’s no excuse for leaving it to the last minute! Wedding photographers are used to taking bookings well in advance and I even book a fair few weddings before the exact date or venue has been set. Remember, photographers can only shoot one wedding per day (and if they have to travel a long way for these weddings then the day before and day after could be unavailable, too). Like most things, the really good people book up fast.
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BE CREATIVE Photography is a creative service so if you also think creatively, you are more likely to find the right photographer for you. This means don’t just go to Google and book the first wedding photographer in your area that pops up. The people who rank best on search engines will most likely spend more time on their SEO skills than their photography skills. Instead, look for more visually appealing places, like wedding blogs and magazines. I’ve always run an advert with rocknrollbride.com because I know that my ideal client reads it. I also submit the weddings I’ve shot to various blogs and magazines because, again, I know my ideal client likes to read them. As you go skipping through the wedding blogs, Pinterest and mags for inspiration, bookmark the photography you like. You may quite quickly see one or two names appear repeatedly as you are drawn to their particular way of shooting the day. ASK AROUND Another good place to look for your photographer is to ask your married friends for recommendations. In the age of social media, everyone that’s getting hitched will be posting their wedding photos on Facebook. If any of them stand out, ask them about their experience. You can also ask your other suppliers or your venue. They will have first-hand experience working with lots of different photographers, good and bad! DON’T GET OVERWHELMED You have never had it so good when it comes to choice for wedding photographers, so when you first start to look it might seem daunting. Do you want a Fine Art Wedding Photographer or a Documentary Wedding Photographer? If someone says they are an Alternative Wedding Photographer, does that mean you won’t get any family groups? Don’t worry too much about what terms photographers use to define themselves, instead focus on their work. Most photographers use their blogs and portfolios to showcase their very best work, but make sure you look at full galleries from past weddings, too. Is every image as strong as those edited highlights? Have they told the story of the day well? Have they just shot the pretty details or are there lots of photos of guests, too (these are often left out of blog posts and highlight reels but they’ll likely be very important to you for your own wedding). FIND OUT ABOUT THEIR HISTORY I was talking to another photographer recently who said she had a dreadful second shooter work with her. She was
“WHATEVER YOU DO, INVEST IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BOTH FINANCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY”— Lisa
amazed to find out that this girl was set up with a website and was charging a fairly decent rate for her services when her experience was very minimal and her photography subpar. She then found out that she had only recently turned to wedding photography after buying her first camera.
Beyond reading the manual she had no experience or training whatsoever, yet her site was pretty and the bookings were coming in. It amazes me that people rarely look into the background or experience of the photographer they want to book. Don’t get me wrong, I know some incredible photographers who are relatively new, but in my experience, they are definitely the exception. On the flip side of that, I know of far too many photographers who set their rates way above their level of experience. Be aware that a high price does not always guarantee a high service. BOOK AN ENGAGEMENT SHOOT Most photographers now offer an engagement or pre-wedding shoot. Some of my couples say to me that they want this as a ‘practice for the wedding’, however I see it very differently. On the wedding day, the photography is all part of the event and you really don’t notice a lot of it happening. At an engagement shoot, it’s just you two and me with my camera, so the self-conscious factor will be a lot higher. Instead, I see this shoot as our way to get to know each other a little, I can see how you naturally interact and how you photograph. Everyone has better angles than others and I want to find these in advance. I also want to capture how you express emotion to each other without forcing it. All this helps me to produce images that clients really connect with instead of feeling like they were just posing. And this is also a lot easier if we feel like friends by the wedding day. I have even heard of a wedding photographer being cancelled after the engagement shoot as the couple felt they were not a good match! FIND OUT WHAT YOU ACTUALLY GET Find out if you get all the good images (i.e. the not ones of someone blinking!) from your wedding or just the photographer’s edited selection. I’d rather have them all, wouldn’t you? The photographers that limit how many images you are presented with, may be hoping that they can play on this emotion and sell you additional images afterwards.
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THINK LONG TERM I love getting our wedding album out on our wedding anniversary and remembering our day. I’m sure you will, too, so it’s important to think about how your images might date. I see a lot of very ‘trendy’ wedding photography styles which may really make you cringe in a few years’ time. I’ve seen (and indeed used!) several styles of editing my images over the years and some of them I look back on and wonder what I was thinking! However I ALWAYS give my couples a set of what I call ‘Digital Negatives’ from their day. These are straight colour files of all their good images that they can have printed anyway they want. They also get all the images from my blog with colour or black and white treatments on them. These look great now but, like all fashions, trends change so I just want to ensure that the images are as future proof as possible. MAKE SURE YOU LIKE THEM A lot of the other suppliers for your wedding will set up and leave but your photographer will be with you from prep through to the evening. When you look at their About Me pages or meet them for a pre-wedding consultation, do you get the feeling that you could be friends? They will be there throughout some pretty major moments, like putting on your wedding dress or walking into your ceremony. You are going to spend a whole day with them so ask yourself will you feel warm towards them and comfortable? You are not going to be smiling at someone you find annoying! Whatever you do, invest in your photography both financially and emotionally. You might have a mate or a relative who has a fancy camera and takes nice snaps, but recording a wedding day is a big deal and there is no second chance. A pro will handle any situation from delays to natural disasters and still get the job done. By also emotionally investing in your photographer, you put your trust in them and let them be creative and do their job. When you return from honeymoon, you want to open up a set of images and feel nothing but warm fuzzy feelings about your wedding day. The right photographer will deliver just that. ISSUE 1 | ROCK N ROLL BRIDE 145