How to choose a wedding photographer in 5 clear steps (with a big secret thrown in)…

You’ve just got engaged, the venue is booked and your next challenge is to choose who is going to photograph one of the most important (and probably most expensive) 12 hours of your life. So… you head over to Instagram and Google and suddenly, everything becomes way too confusing. Where do you start?

Well you know what? Life is short, wedding planning is meant to be fun and indecision is a complete kill-joy… so how about I give you my top tips for quick decision making?

Top Tip 1: What sort of wedding photography are you after?

Decide how much of your images you want directed or staged. If you are after zero posing, then you narrow your search to “documentary photographers”. HOWEVER… everything has a spectrum in life… and documentary photography definitely has one… and thank god for that… variety is the spice of life after all… So do try to be clear in your mind where you want to stand on that spectrum… Did you want completely natural moments captured only or do you prefer a little bit of staging? Remember, there is no right and wrong… only what you prefer… What do you feel most comfortable with? That’s the most significant question of them all.

Top Tip 2: How do you want your pictures to make you feel?

Then it’s a case of visiting a few websites and a few portfolios.This question is actually mega simple… how do you want your images to make you feel? When you look at these, do you like what you see, can you imagine yourself in those pictures? Do you like the editing? Do you like the mood? The energy? If it’s a no, move on and move on quickly. If it’s a yes… then here is the next step…

Top tip 3: Connection. Connection. Connection.

This is, I think, probably just as important as the top two tips… do you connect with any of the writing? Does this photographer make you excited about your big day, do they validate your choices so far, make you feel comfortable? If it’s a yes, then get in touch with them. And when it comes to your zoom chat, again, it’s all down to that connection. Do you find it easy to talk to them, can you imagine them along side you on your day, can you have a laugh with them? This is a completely vital part of the booking process. Connection. Connection. Connection.

Top tip 4: There is no shame in being a copy cat!

Did you attend a wedding recently and a) you loved the images that were produced on that day and b) you got on well with that photographer? Then don’t waste time, you’ve found them. At the end of the day, the large majority of us documentary wedding photographers can take a good picture and provide you with a good service… you won’t be missing out if you cut hours of planning and indecision over photography just by booking your mate’s wedding photographer if they tick all the boxes. Life is short, remember! And yes, I do realise this is not a particularly commercial thing to say… but you know… I gotta mean it when I say “life is too short”, and I do.

Top tip 5: Once you’ve found “the one”, invest…

Did you genuinely love those images? Did you had a good connection with that photographer? But they are a couple hundred ££ more than you had budgeted? Here is a big secret about the wedding industry that I’d like to share with you… promise you won’t tell anyone? Sure? Well… here it is: The “They’re told it’s a wedding and so they add on a couple of 0s at the end of any quote” is a complete myth. Every single venue I have worked with will charge what they need to charge so that the business can remain sustainable, open and in tip top condition for when you might need it. And the same applies to every supplier out there. I remember the days when I knew nothing of the industry and also wondered why some services seemed so expensive… and now that I am on the “other side”, I can tell you wholeheartedly… we are absolutely worth our fees. Personally, every wedding represents about a week’s work… let alone all the costs associated with shooting professionally. To give you a ballpark, I make approx the same I did as when I used to be a teacher. Rich, photographers certainly aren’t… so if you’ve found “the one” but their price stretches the pockets… it’s probably because they’re worth it… After all… the day after your wedding, literally all you have left are your memories… and your wedding photographs. So if you’re going to stretch any budget, I highly recommend it to be the wedding photography one.