There's a difference between taking
photos and being a photographer. I can take photos. Heck, anyone with
a camera on their phone can take photos. That doesn't make you a
photographer. A photographer has an artistic eye that I just don't
have. I like to think I take great photos, but then I look at shots
from a professional and it puts me in my place. I just don't have the
eye or expertise that a professional photographer has.
We talked about photography this week
at #BridalBabble and I got to show off photos from our wedding taken
by the incredibly amazing
Derick & Christy Photography. I'll end
up writing a whole love letter to them eventually because I'm just in
awe of what they captured. But this post is just a helpful guideline
so that you can pick the best wedding photographer and be as
enthusiastic with your photos as we are with ours.
1. Decide on your style and find
someone who meshes with that.
When Pete and I go out, we take a ton
of photos. That's the reason I can't upgrade to iOS 7. With over
3,000 photos on my iPhone, there's just no room for anything else. We
are constantly taking photos of everything and everyone … but no
one knows. I mean, yes, people will see us with our phones out, but
we don't ask people to pose. Everything we shoot is very candid.
That's what we like. And that's what I feel are the real moments, the
times when people are smiling because they are genuinely happy, not
because there's a camera bulb in their face.
So when we were looking for a
photographer, we needed to find someone who shared that thought. It
was important for us to find someone who focused more of their time
on candid photos than posed ones. We wanted family shots, yes, but we
wanted someone who would understand how to capture the feel and
emotions of the wedding rather than a slew of photos of us in the
middle of groups of families.
When we sat down with Christy for a meeting, she let us know up front that they don't take
many staged photos. Most of what they take are candids. That's what
we had gauged from looking at their albums, but it was nice to hear
her say that. It was exactly what we wanted and was a great selling
point for us. Whatever your preference, be sure to find someone who
specializes in that type of photo. If you want portraits, don't book
someone who only shoots candids, and vice versa.
2. Compare, compare, compare.
There's a good chance there are
multiple photographers in your area. And through expos, there's a
good chance you will meet many of them. They will all have portfolios
of their work available for you to review (and if they don't, run).
Each photographer we encountered had hard copies of wedding
albums available for review at the expo but also had slideshows
posted online that we could view at our leisure.
We met Derick & Christy at the
first expo we went to and I just absolutely fell in love with their
photos. But I didn't book them right away. We went to tons of other
expos and I met many other photographers. Each time I found someone
new, I opened up
Derick & Christy's website and queued a
slideshow. I then went to the new photographer's site and queued up a
slideshow. I went back and forth between the two, checking out
photos. And every single time, Derick & Christy won the battle.
My at home slideshow battles were also
a great way for me to familiarize myself with Derick & Christy's
work. I really got to know their style and really appreciate it.
These battles made me get a feel for what our wedding album would
look like and made me feel really comfortable that we would be
getting what we paid for. Because that's the thing. You pay for your
photographer in full but you don't see your photos for weeks. And you
don't get a second shot (no pun intended). You can't return your
photographer if you don't like your photos. You can't restage your
wedding. You have one chance to capture the moments you want in the
way you want them. Be sure you know what you are getting before you
book.
3. Hire someone who will give you the
rights to your photos.
When you hire a photographer, you
obviously have to pay them. That's how these things go. But, with a
photographer who retains the rights to your photos, you will have to
pay them from now until the end of time (well, until you stop
ordering wedding photos, anyway). If a photographer retains the
rights to your photos, you must go through him or her every single
time you (or someone else) want to order a photo. Thinking about an
album with 100 photos? You have to purchase those photos through the
photographer, at whatever price he or she sets. Grandma wants a photo
of you in the veil? Pay the photographer. Want a canvas print to hang
on the wall? Pay the photographer. Want to scan a photo to print a
copy for mom? That's actually a violation of copyright law.
The upfront cost of a photographer who
retains the rights to your photos may be lower than one that releases
the photos to you, but in the long run, that will end up costing
you a ton of money.
If you fall in love with a photographer
that keeps the rights to your photos, ask if you can work out a deal
where you can buy the rights. A photographer should be flexible and
work with you and if they won't, my advice is to find someone new.
4a. Remember, you get what you pay for.
There's a good chance your photographer
will be the second biggest expense of your wedding, trumped only by
the venue. And that's a scary thought because it is a lot of money.
If I'm being completely honest, our photographers cost us more than
our six-piece band.
And they were worth every penny.
Our photographers (yes, plural: Derick
& Christy Photography is, you guessed it, both Derick &
Christy shooting) were with us for twelve hours. They took a couple
thousand photos, then spent I don't even know how many hours editing
over 1,300 for us. Plus our package includes a photobook, which means
we'll have a nice wedding album that is professionally put together (and that will mean they'll spend more time with our shots).
We could have picked a cheaper package
where they were with us for less hours, but it wasn't an option for me. We were starting to get ready at 11, our ceremony was at 2, our reception was at 6, and it ended at 11. I wanted every shot from getting ready until getting ready to leave.
4b. And be sure to get what you pay
for.
If you hire a photographer with the
understanding that you're getting that photographer, you don't want
someone else to show up at your door on your wedding day saying, “Hi.
I work with XYZ Photography. I'm here to shoot your wedding.”
That's not okay.
Larger photography businesses will
employ more than one photographer. And that's great for them. But you don't
want to sit down for a consultation with one photographer, go over
your plan for the day, pay a deposit, and then find out that you will
get any photographer who is available, regardless of who you
originally spoke with.
If you see an album of someone you
like, make sure you get it in writing that you will have that person
shoot your wedding. If not, you could end up with someone who has a
completely different style and you'll be really disappointed.
5. Make your photographer your top
priority.
Your flowers will die. You'll never
wear your dress again. A year later, you won't have the food. Two
years later, you won't have any cake. But you will have photos of
your flowers, your dress, your food, and your cake. Your pictures are
basically the only tangible thing you will actually have
post-wedding. So don't skimp on your photography. It absolutely needs
to be a bride's top priority. You can skip programs at the ceremony
to save yourself some money. You can nix a shuttle from the hotel to
the reception. You can decide against an
action station. But you
absolutely should not skimp on photography.
As soon as we booked the
venue and had a wedding date, I called Derick & Christy to set up a meeting. We booked
them on the spot. There was absolutely no way we were getting married
and not having them as our photographers. I was that in love with
their photos. I didn't have a clue where we were getting our cake; I
had no idea what food we were serving; my dress was not even on my
radar yet. But we had our photographers set.
Truth be told, I'm pretty awful at
doing anything right away. I'll always get things done (and done on
time), but there's a good chance they won't be done immediately. If
you invite me to a party, there's a good chance I will RSVP on the
last possible day. If I have to go out early in the morning, I will
sleep until the last possible minute and be ready with no time to
spare. But I knew that if I wanted Derick & Christy, I couldn't
wait. I had to book them right away because I would be devastated if
I slept on it and they were booked our day. So I did and it worked out better than I could have imagined.
BRIDAL BABBLE: What other tips would
you give brides who are booking photographers?
