A picture is worth a thousand words. And when it comes to your wedding day, there truly aren’t words to encapsulate the romance, the drama and the excitement that come with your big day. It’s a slightly sad but universal truth that for all the months and years spent planning your big day, for all the effort and attention you pour into making every little thing perfect, for all the painstaking detail and expense that goes into creating a wedding that’s worthy of the love you share together… The wedding day itself comes and goes in what seems like the blink of an eye. While it’s important to savor each and every sublime moment and to try and catch some time together even as you work the room and graciously accept the kind wishes from everyone you know, it’s equally important to take steps to capture the experience.
That means taking the time to find the right photographer for you. The right photographer can help to capture the drama, mood and spectacle of your big day. They can make the process of flicking through your wedding album feel as magical as the big day itself. The wrong wedding photographer can leave you with a set of uninspired prints that make your epic occasion look dull and bland. Thus, we’ve brought you this list of 5 things you should look for in a wedding photographer…
A visual style that suits you
A good photographer does more than just capture a moment, they also have their own sense of style. It’s subtle, but it’s there. It’s in the type of lens they use, the way they put a shot together or the way they position you to highlight the romance of the occasion. Take a look at their style and ask yourself “Is this something I’d want to hang on my living room wall?”
Darrell McDavid photography was a recommendation from a family friend. After having no idea what a good price range was or what I was looking for, all wedding photographers started to look the same. However, a picture from the wedding collection on their website jumped out at me, plus the price was totally reasonable for a DMV photographer.
Knowledge of the venue and location
It’s one thing getting married in a gorgeous location. It’s another thing entirely having wedding photos that capture the grandeur of that location. Take a look at Andrea Matone Photography and you’ll see a photographer who not only understands her subjects but the city of Rome. A good photographer will know where to get the best light, know which backgrounds will provide the most dramatic shots and how to use the venue to their advantage.
Darrell + Kristin met my mom, planners, and I at the hotel a few weeks before the wedding. They kind of got an idea of how it would be best to shoot and where the most wonderful locations would be. That’s how our first look ended up so perfect- because they had prior knowledge of the space and how to best utilize it!
A personality you click with
A photographer is an artist and a documentarian. As well as ensuring that their artistic style resonates with you, you need to feel that they understand your personal qualities and how they will come across in the personal flourishes of your wedding. They can have a portfolio that’s truly breathtaking but if they don’t “get you” it won’t come across in their coverage of your big day. Darrell + Kristin totally got our “elegant but playful” style and made sure to capture all the details we’d picked out meticulously, as they know they were very important to us.
Even if your wedding photography doesn’t come with a an engagement session, you should schedule one anyway! Kendall and I got to know Darrell when he shot our engagement photos, so we didn’t feel as awkward on the day of!
Experience
Your wedding photographer should have a lot of experience of doing weddings, but at the same time they shouldn’t do so many that they’re simply going through the motions on your big day. Your wedding photographer should be almost as excited as you for the occasion and arrive bursting with cool ideas.
One of the shots that Darrell planned that I loved was the shot of my dress, sneakers, and suitcase. He said it looked like I was ready for adventure, and he was right.
Prices that are reasonable… But not cheap
Finally, if you’re on a budget, try not to let cost be your deciding factor. By all means, look for a reasonably priced photographer but avoid one who’s cheap or throwing a crazy sale. Wedding photography is a competitive field, but if a photographer is undercutting their competition on price, it’s probably because they aren’t outdoing them on quality.
One of the things we loved about Darrell + Kristin is that there was a flat fee that included engagement photos plus both of them working for an unlimited amount of time on our wedding day. No hidden charges for time running over or anything like that. Be sure to check with your photographer of choice about things like travel fees, assistant fees, etc.
How did you pick your wedding photographer? Or what do you wish you would have considered?
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