As a little girl, you probably began planning your wedding the instant you became aware of the fact that such an event existed. I do not even remember how I found out about weddings, but I DO know that after I did Barbie and Ken instantaneously got married and began their lives of "happily ever after" in a state of eternal bliss! You have been waiting for this moment your entire life and now (FINALLY!) it has come and you will want to recapture it for years to come. Obviously, it is an event that will forever live in your memory, but you will want to be able to look back to show your grand kids the day you married their grandfather.
With that in mind, the selection of a wedding photographer becomes crucial to the planning and process of your wedding. So, here are some tips and tricks from a romantic who also happens to be a wedding photographer.
1. Ask around. No doubt you have friends and family around that may know of a good photographer; they can refer you to the good and steer you away from the bad. Social networks like Facebook and MySpace are also good places to find photographers.
2. Check out photographers portfolios to find a style that you like. A good, up-to-date photographer will have an established website that looks professional. If they don't have a website with a gallery, they probably aren't worth your time.
3. Get pricing estimates. You should budget about 10% of what you plan on spending for the entire wedding on photography. Make sure to ask about rights to the photos, albums, prints, editing and if they hire second shooters.
4. If at all possible, set up a meeting with the photographer in person. A photographer may be genius at their work, but if you don't feel at ease and like you can work with them, you might want to consider looking elsewhere.
5. Repeat step 4. You do not have to book the first photographer you find, however, good photographers do get booked fast so, don't wait too long.
6. Book your photographer. If at all possible, try to book your photographer at least eight months before your wedding. Some photographers require a down payment so ask about that.
7. If you want any particular shots, now is the time to ask. Some photographers appreciate knowing what kind of photos like, so ask if they are willing to let you show them clippings from magazines.
8. Wait for your magical day!
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6 comments:
I really appreciate this information Kristin, seeing that I will be getting married in the near future. I knew the part about allocating 10% of the overall wedding budget towards photography, but it's nice that you told us how to find the perfect one that fits our needs. You definitely have given me a few pointers to write down. This was a very generous thing of you to write seeing that you are a photographer yourself. Thanks!
That was a very informative blog. I will probably not be in need of that information for a long time but it was interesting to see what how one would find a good wedding photographer. I have a friend that does wedding photography but i had no idea that it was that expensive.
Very informative! I love that you can speak from experience and give us the insiders scoop on wedding photography. I'll be sure to check this back out when I need a photographer!
I see through your master plan.
Your hoping that everyone will read this, and think its super advice.
It is.
But then, ring by spring, oh no, clutter clutter clutter, someone's getting married to fast, we need a photographer!
And then they will remember you.
Even when you're not advertising, you're advertising.
You know, you kind of scare me.
Not only is this a HELPFUL article, but it's SMART. Yes, you're a "poor starving college student" (as my mother so lovingly refers to us as), and you have your own business. The need to survive- to make the cell phone payment, the car insurance payment, the whatever payment- prevails over the need for unnecessary discretion.
Way to advertise- I support it!
:-)
Hey! I didn't know about the ten percent thing. I do now! But I'd like to see more of your work. I'm not getting married or anything but I like to look at wedding pictures. I'm a hopeless romantic...sometimes. :)
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