A few (slightly biased) tips on how not to freak out about a really hard thing
Ok so i’ll be the first to admit that I’m more than a little biased on this subject (pick me), however I really do get that this is SUCH a hard thing for couples to do. I wasn’t a professional photographer when I got married in 2015 and I’d only ever been to a handful of weddings back then, so I know exactly how it feels to be woefully under-qualified for organising a huge event with hundreds of guests and hiring serious industry professionals.
Given our parents were paying the bill as well, it felt like there was a strong need to not mess this up by hiring a rubbish vendor and wasting everyone’s money (though having typed that I suppose that applies if it's your own money too). I remember googling “Suffolk wedding photographers” and being absolutely horrified by just how many very similar looking websites were presented to me. My now wife Lucy and I also went to a few wedding fairs including The Suffolk Wedding Show over at Wherstead and met several really lovely photographers there. Ultimately though I felt really overwhelmed by sheer number of options available. (For the record, we hired Hayley Denston and she was absolutely wonderful.)
There’s SO many different guides out there about how to pick a wedding photographer that part of me feels a little silly even adding to that. It doesn’t stop me getting asked probably at least once a month however by prospective couples what they’re supposed to ask me though, so off we go; here's my take on the matter.
Ultimately this is a really subjective task, so don’t let anyone tell you that there’s a right and a wrong way to go about it. Personally, I think that the real crux of whether you should hire someone only comes down to a few key things, and everything else just adds extra weight in the argument for and against certain photographers.
If you feel as overwhelmed by the huge checklists as I did, here's the bare essentials followed by a few extra tips if you’re struggling or you’re feeling extra discerning.
1. Do you like their photos?
Obviously everyone wants great wedding photos, you’re hardly going to hire someone based on their masterful use of Microsoft paint to touch up photos, but photography is an art and art is subjective. (Whilst we’re on the subject of art using Microsoft Paint, have you come across Jim’ll Paint it because honestly the man’s a genius) There are plenty of photographers out there who are really successful and who are absolutely not my taste at all, but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t hire them just because I wouldn’t. Find someone who consistently makes photos that you love. The key word here though is consistently. As a little peak behind the face of commercialism here, remember that we (the business owner who wants to sell you wedding photography) are the ones who choose which photos we put on our websites. I’m hardly going to put the rubbish ones up am I? (and yes, we all take rubbish photos from time to time, even professionals). Ask to see a few full galleries to see what you’d be getting for your money. You need to love the photos they take when the lighting’s bad and the heat is on as well as when the ones where the sunset was so stunning that your nan could take a great photo with her 2006 cameraphone. If they’re consistently making images you love, tick.
2. Do you like them as a person?
I’d really recommend that you meet with a photographer before committing yourself to anything. We can’t get along with everyone in life and some people will annoy the hell out of you through no fault of their own. Imagine if you discovered your photographer was one of those people and you had to spend ten hours with them on what’s meant to be your perfect day. Pick someone who makes you laugh, has similar interests, values, personality and energy. It doesn’t matter what criteria you use here, just make sure that you trust them, and you’ll both get on with them well. It’ll make everything so much easier, and you might be surprised to find that it actually affects your photos. (Just think for a moment how much better your photos would look if it feels like you’re hanging out with a friend rather than a stranger with a big camera who you can’t quite click with.)
3. How much experience do they have?
Wedding photography is really hard. It’s one of the hardest disciplines to get really, really right because unlike many others, in most cases the photographer can’t control the light, the subjects, the schedule or the location. (All things that are considered to be essential in producing great photos in most other fields, particularly the light) There are no re-runs for your wedding. There’s no practice shots or “oh can we just try another angle on that ‘first’ kiss?”. Dark venue with no flashes allowed? Tough luck sugarplum, you’re a wedding photographer. And just imagine for a moment how you’d feel if the camera broke?
My cameras have two SD card slots so that if an SD card fails I still have a backup and I use two cameras meaning your photos are split across both. I then back the SD cards up to a hard drive and a server which in turn backs up to the cloud, and to top it all off I bring two or more of everything to every wedding - just in case, Finally, for the icing on the cake, I'm insured to the teeth. The chances of me loosing all of your photos is virtually nil. This is stuff that non-professionals are generally not able to offer and ultimately it could (and this does happen) result in you having no photos of your wedding at all. These will be the near-sole lasting evidence to help you remember everything that happened. If your wedding photos are really important to you, particularly if 'good' photos are important to you, please please please, don’t don’t put that kind of responsibility on a friend or relative with a ‘nice camera’ or someone who just ‘takes nice pictures’ to save a bit of money. Just because someone takes great landscape photos, doesn't mean they make great wedding photos or that they're equipped to take on the weight of photographing a wedding.
Unhelpfully there’s no minimum requirement of experience here, no qualification you need to get and no particular certificate to look out for, just make sure the person you hire has done it before, multiple times and really knows what they’re doing. Just use points 1 & 2 from above and use your gut and a bit of discernment to make sure you trust whoever you've found to produce what you want them to produce, even if the going gets tough. Remember, if the price is very low, this will almost definitely be reflecting the quality, experience or the level of risk.
And it’s pretty much as simple as that. Post done…
Yea ok there’s a few other things and I’m being deliberately over-simplistic, but those are the most important bits in my opinion, and they all seem fairly obvious don’t they? The point I’m trying to make here is that you don’t need to agonise for weeks over trying to compare six different photographers against a thirty eight point list of questions you got off the internet.
If you do need a bit more ammo to whittle down your choices though, keep scrolling for a few more Joshua tips of things you can look out for to strengthen your choice. 👇🏻
What will they be like on the day?
Even nice people can be hard to work with, so if it’s not immediately obvious, it could be worth asking a bit more about their style of working. Again, this is pretty subjective because it comes down to what kind of atmosphere you want from your wedding. The two opposite ends of the spectrum here are photographers who document your day without changing anything at all (no posing, no interfering, you wouldn’t know they were there) contrasted by those who set the tone and atmosphere - who MAKE photos on the truest sense. These photographers are full of energy and ideas and are not afraid to make them happen. This often results in stunning pieces of art but paired with an introverted couple whose main priority for the day is to enjoy quality time with family and friends, it could feel like the photographer has taken over your wedding. Meanwhile if making incredible photos is ultra important to you you may feel like you’re missing out with a documentary style photographer like me.
Are there any additional costs?
No one likes unexpected bills and it would suck to find out later that something you had assumed was included, wasn’t. So make sure you understand how your photos will be delivered, when, what’s expected of you as a client and ultimately what you’re getting for your money. Some things that might not be included with everyone are expenses, travel, prints and USB sticks/keepsake boxes. Some photographers (including me) will also ask you to provide food for them if you're serving food to your guests. This sometimes adds a little extra to your catering bill but some caterers or venues will feed other vendors for free. For the record I don't really care what you feed me, it doesn't have to be the same as the guests, it's just not practical to lug a packed lunch and dinner around all day, particularly if it's summer, and it's not like I can easily pop out to McDonalds.
Are they flexible?
Most couples plan their wedding a year or two in advance and a lot can change in that time such as - oh I don’t know - the entire timeline for example. Whoever you pick, it’s a good idea to make sure you know where you stand if you need to tweak the plan a bit or find yourself really wanting a particular photo on the day that you’d previously told them you didn’t want.
Also double check your cancellation rights. We’re all allowed to change our minds from time to time, it’s part of being human, which is why if you book with me for example and then have horrible horrible regrets (never happened yet) you’ve got two weeks to come to your senses in which I’ll let you out of your contract with absolutely no cost and no hard feelings. There are also a few circumstances (which I won’t get into here) where I would give full refunds where I know for a fact that others wouldn’t, so it’s well worth checking.
Ok I’ll leave it there, that’s probably enough for now and I have a tendency to waffle. I can’t believe you’re still reading tbh, haven’t you got a wedding to be planning or something?
Anyway, if you take anything from this it’s that the most important thing (in my opinion) is to look at lots of photos and to meet your potential photographer, preferably in person.
Hope this helps.
