If you've stumbled upon this site, you've probably noticed by now that I'm a photographer.
In addition to this delightful fact, I'm also married to my tech department.
Justin Witters proposed to me on New Years Eve 2019 in Hyde Park during a government shut down, so it was an empty park with just us and a couple of runners we spotted along the way.
He proposed right in front of the library.
Because I'm a nerd.
One of the most challenging things about this whole wedding planning business has been selecting a photographer.
You know. Because I'm a photographer.
I'm not a picky gal, but this was something that I wanted to get right for obvious reasons.
Here's some helpful tips I learned on my way to picking our photographer.
1. Figure out your budget.
Ew. Budgeting. Super gross, am I right?
While some parts of the wedding you figure out your budget later, you MUST have some sort of range when picking your photographer, venue, and caterer.
There's SO many photographers out there, and there's no point cooing over the best photographer in the world if you aren't willing to shell out $100,000 like Madelaine Brockway and Jacob LaGrone did for "the wedding of the century" in 2023.
But you also need to be realistic; no photographer with the right amount of experience will be charging less than $1,500 for a full day of photography.
If you are totally fine with taking a chance on an up and coming artist, it's a great way to save some money. However, you have to ask yourself if you're okay with
The photographer losing your photos because they weren't shooting on a dual card slot camera
Having your photos be out of focus/under exposed
Missing important moments that you didn't think to have captured
Not being able to get photos in certain spaces because they don't know how to use OFC (off camera flash)
Running out of time because your photographer isn't used to the fast-paced environment of a wedding day
You can definitely get lucky and save money if you entrust someone getting started. But more than likely, you'll have a less than stellar experience and won't get a do-over. If photos aren't your main priority, that's definitely a place you can save some cash.
However, if stand-out photos is a must-have, make sure you're opening your budget up for $4k to $7k for a full day of photos from a decent photographer.
Want an amazing photographer but can't spend over $5k? See if there's a photographer you love that has smaller packages! Our wedding packages start at 4 hours, because having an amazing photographer for a few hours will be much more valuable than having a meh photographer for 12 hours.
2. Scour the internet. Do your research.
As you know, there's a big wide world of internet out there and there are thousands and thousands of photographers out there competing to get your contract.
Don't just pick the top photographer that pops up in your search.
Just because that photographer has killer SEO skills does not mean they are necessarily the right match for you.
Dare to go to the 6th or 7th page of the Knot and see what you can find. The Knot charges photographers for a spot on their site (starting at around $200/month...yikes!) and the more you pay, the higher up on the search list you are. And yeah, the photographers who can afford that marketing budget are probably really talented, but that marketing budget is going to factor into how much they cost.
Plus, I've only ever gotten a message from maybe one or two people that wasn't someone who was a complete scammer.
I personally am listed for free on the Knot, which makes my platform on there extremely bare. That doesn't mean I'm less of a photographer, it just means you have to check out my personal site to see my work.
That's where the research comes in. You can also scour local Facebook groups and get some tips from past couples on who they loved. If you post in those groups, make sure you're ready to receive an onslaught of vendors vying for your business.
3. Don't pick them exclusively because of their pics.
Finally, you found them! You love their style, they're available for your date, and they're in your price range.
And you just discovered that they're the snottiest person in the universe.
For me, a huge factor in selecting a photographer for my wedding was I wanted a genuine, kind, and quirky person. Your photographer is a HUGE part of your day because they're right alongside you for every second of it. You spend more time on your wedding day with your photographer than you do with your future spouse. Let that sink in.
I can assure you that you don't want to hang out with a crappy loser all day, no matter how good their pictures are.
For every single client we take on, we require a consultation call. We need to make sure that we could get along for 8+ hours on the big day! If we don't vibe, I want you to be able to find a photographer that you can have a great time with on your big day.
Need more tips on picking your wedding photographer? Let's talk!
Three quick little tips is hardly enough to fully give you the rundown on how to pick a wedding photographer. Want some more help? We'd love to chat!
Still Poetry Photography has been rocking it out as a wedding, boudoir, family, and birth photography company for 8 years now, so we'd love to talk all things weddings with you. Schedule a call with us so we can chat about your upcoming wedding!
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