How to Choose a Wedding Photographer in 6 Simple Steps

13 Apr How to Choose a Wedding Photographer in 6 Simple Steps

With so many wedding photographers to choose from, here are a few steps to help narrow down the right photographer for you. Use the steps below as a guide and figure out which step is the most important to you before reaching out to your photographer.

1. Style: Trends come and go, but when you look back at your wedding images 5/10 years from now will you still love your images? Consider how your photographer is processing their images, are they true to color and what you see in real life, or are they going with the trends of today and throwing a filter on the images to look vintage or washed out? Posing is also a style, will your photographer give you direction or will you end up looking awkward because your photographer is not seasoned in making couples feel comfortable in front of the camera? Here at Glenn Pictures, we like to stay away from “trendy” as it outdates your images, we stick to true color and what is natural to the eye to keep your images timeless. We will help put you in flattering poses, but it truly is the candid moments we like to capture that makes you feel at ease.
2. Interview: Yes, we live in a digital world and you can book everything online these days but consider having a real phone call or Zoom call with the photographer. This way you can make sure personalities fit, that they are a real person, and they can communicate the “experience” you will have from booking their services. Here at Glenn Pictures, we are available for phone/zoom calls morning, noon, and evenings when it’s convenient for both parties to chat about your wedding day details. 
3. Experience: You don’t want your wedding day to be a portfolio-building experience and your photographer’s first wedding they’ve ever attended. To make sure they are an expert in photographing your day, ask to see a few full wedding galleries to see how they approach and handle the ins and outs of a wedding day. Look at how they are posing, are they capturing important details, can they shoot in daylight and at night when they can’t rely on the sun to light up the scene? With over 15 years of wedding photography experience, Glenn Pictures can happily share full wedding galleries of real couples.
4. Insurance: Here in California most venues are now requiring photographers to carry liability insurance. Make sure that your photographer has up-to-date insurance so that there are no issues if your venue requires proof of insurance to step foot onto the property. Here at Glenn Pictures, we are insured by Full Frame Insurance with full liability coverage which allows us to shoot at any venue inquiring. 
5. Pricing: If you’ve shopped around already you can see that pricing can be all over the place, but compare price, what’s included, and the overall experience into the decision. There is always someone that can do it cheaper, but you might not have the professional experience and the image outcome you dreamed of. What’s important to you in the collections: digital images, prints, albums, wall art, social media sharing, etc. Also, ask if you can opt for a payment plan or use other forms of payment like Venmo or Zelle so you don’t get hit with 3% credit card fees. Here at Glenn Pictures we only take a handful of clients to ensure that they have a unique experience from beginning to end and that we are available to answer any questions as you plan your event.
6. Engagement Session: The value of getting an engagement session is also “a trial run” to make sure everything you have seen/heard about your photographer is real. An engagement session is a true test of making sure you like your photographer’s personality and overall work. This is the time to give them feedback on what you liked/didn’t like about the session or certain pose, so then come wedding day it’s a breeze and you don’t feel like strangers on a long wedding day. Let’s get the ball rolling and set up an engagement session today with Glenn Pictures.

I hope some of these steps are helping you find the right wedding photographer for your day. In conclusion, you want to be able to Like, Know, and Trust your photographer before you hire them to do the job. If you’d like to start the process with us and jump on a Call or Zoom to knock some of these steps off your list, reach out: We are here to help and hopefully take booking a wedding photographer off your list.

Comments

comments