Narrowing down on your Wedding photographer is not an easy task. Weddings today are grand events and wedding photography plays a crucial role in the entire experience.

You have invested enough time in searching for the best wedding venue but now for choosing your photographer, you need not wait any longer.

Here are some key tips to check before finalising your Wedding Photographer-

The physical location of your wedding photographer

It is important for your wedding photographer to have a physical location which makes it easy for you to conduct a face-to-face meeting before making the arrangements. A physical location helps you develop a certain level of trustworthiness and makes the work easier.

Identify your style

Just like both your thumbs don’t have the same prints no two couples will have the same desire when it comes to their wedding photography. You might not prefer a particular trend and that is absolutely normal. Similar to your dislikes you must be confident about your likes too.

Candid Wedding Photography V/S Traditional Wedding Photography- Confused?

• Candid wedding photography is spontaneous. While traditional wedding photography is usually staged.
• It captures peoples’ natural emotions in a much realistic way. I the case of traditional wedding photography a large part of the wedding is captured without missing any moment.
• Requires a more skilled & experienced photographer to handle the technicalities.
• Candid wedding photography is a bit costly since candid shots are slightly difficult to shoot. Traditional Wedding Photography costs less.

Discuss their payment policy

• While you have shortlisted your choice of photographers do not hesitate to ask them about their payment policy cancellation and refund policies.
• Or what would be the cost of extra services like drone photography, Live photo station or LED screens?  Or what would be their take if deliverables are delayed?

What do you want from your wedding photographer?

Do you want your wedding photographer to cover just your wedding night or all the pre and post-wedding rituals? You need to be clear about that and convey the same to your photographer.

Sevices offered by your wedding photographer

Before diving onto anything you must have a clear idea about the entire package to make clear choices. Photographers today offer multiple components which include pre or post-wedding pictures, candid wedding photography, save-the-date pictures, e-invites, getting ready shots and more. When choosing a wedding photographer you need to keep all of it in mind.

Wedding photographer’s budget

No matter how you want to celebrate your wedding- in an intimate event or an extravagant wedding you must set down on a fixed wedding budget. Setting a budget will help you streamline your expenses devoid of all unnecessary expenses. But yes remember to do a little market research to set your budget accordingly.

Schedule interviews with your shortlisted wedding photographers.

Your wedding photographer’s potential cannot be judged simply on their online portfolio. Do not hesitate to meet at least the potential photographers whom you have shortlisted. Talk in length about your needs and requirements, what style you desire, the choice of your venue, your ideas and more. This would help your photographer have a clear idea and plan his work accordingly.

The wedding photographer’s flexibility

When finalizing on a wedding photographer one of the most important things you cannot miss out is your photographer’s flexibility and creativity to see how they can add a creative end to your wedding photography.

Find references for your wedding photographer

Depending on references for your wedding photographer is an old yet great idea. Your friends or cousins who got married recently can lend you first-hand experiences of their respective photographer’s work. This would turn much easier to shortlist a photographer.

Ask who will shoot your wedding

A lot of photographers have various photographers as staff members and there are high chances that the lead photographer might be busy on your wedding day and won’t be shooting your wedding. You should clearly know who will be shooting your wedding- the lead photographer or assistant photographers.

Destination wedding photographer

In case you are having a destination wedding you can do two things either reach out to local photographers around your destination or go for the one who takes up destination wedding photography projects.

Comfort with your wedding photographer

It is important for you to establish a comfortable bond with your photographer for amazing wedding photography. Though reviews and comments are important your choice must not be based solely on them. Your friend or relatives can also help you in this matter. Also meeting your photographer prior to the event can help break the ice.

Wedding photographer budget

If you want your photographer to cover all your functions apart from the wedding or reception. All photographers do not come cheap and you must know their budget clearly.

Back up wedding photographer

I understand you have your mindset on your favorite photographer to cover your wedding but life does not always go as per our wishes. It could happen that the photographer you chose has some other commitments and cannot shoot your wedding. Have ample options for photographers as a backup.

The professionalism of your wedding photographer

You definitely do not want to hire a photographer whom you have to keep directing every moment, right? Your wedding photographer must understand what needs to be without any directions from you. A good photographer should be able to capture every special moment without any interruptions.

The portfolio of your wedding photographer

Curious to know how this is relevant in choosing your wedding photographer? Well, it is. You definitely do not want to hire a photographer who shares only a few selected images from each wedding for his portfolio, rather you would go for the one who have a few individual weddings in his/her portfolio.

How consistent is your wedding photographer?

This comes across as one of the most ignored aspects while shortlisting a photographer. Wedding pictures are undoubtedly mesmerizing but if there is no consistency in the quality of pictures, for instance, the wedding day and the pre-wedding events, the entire cause of the photography is lost. Also, you must notice how your photographer’s pictures turn out to be for day and night events.

Reach out your wedding photographer personally

Don’t think twice before reaching out to your photographer with your preferences and budget. There are a lot of couples who would not share enough details with their photographer on the initial meeting or conversation but that is not what you should do. Share your ideas and excitement on the very first conversation with your wedding photographer.

You can drop a mail simply keeping it formal yet casual. But remember to make your mail special for your photographer who otherwise takes up only a limited number of wedding assignments in a month or year.

Again, if you have zeroed on one photographer make sure you inform the same to those whom you had shortlisted and had a talk with.

Don’t let social platforms fool you 

Remember, you can do your research on social media but don’t let the results fool you. The number of Facebook likes is never proportional to your wedding photographer’s potential.

What about the post-production details

You know that your wedding photographer’s work stands beyond your wedding day. Working with large and high-quality files, it would take at least 5-7 weeks (post your wedding) to prepare your wedding album and film.

For clear ideas, you should proceed with asking the few questions-

• How many images would be delivered?
• What would be the duration of the wedding video?
• What would be the resolution of the wedding images?
• How many albums would be provided? And many more

Signing the contract with your wedding photographer

Last but not the least, always remember to seal the deal with a contract. Whatever be the terms and conditions, they should be written and signed by both parties. This would reduce a lot of misunderstandings and ensure smooth work.