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| How To Hire A Wedding Photographer |
How To
Hire a
Professional
Wedding Photographer
Should you hire a professional photographer or not? That is the question. Considered this, How important are photos of the most important day of your life?
There is plenty of info on how to find your perfect photographer on Pinterest. As a professional photographer I’m partial with saying yes… you should!
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| How To Hire A Wedding Photographer |
Here’s a list of things you should considered when hiring a wedding photographer:
- Not hiring a professional “Wedding” photographer could mean, you will end up with low quality photos or no photos at all.
- Hire a photographer that has a style you love. Johnny and I have a distinctive style, most professional wedding photographer’s do. We love vivid realistic magazine portraits and a journalistic style combined. I like to keep things simple and beautiful and our pictures reflect that. Other photographer love the high definition images and some like the very ethereal pale look. Find your style and you will end up loving the end results.
- Don’t waste your time if you don’t feel comfortable with the photographer/s you are considering. The idea here is that you and the photographer feel comfortable with each other, it works both ways.
- When you start planning your wedding, ask friends and relatives about referrals. I think it's one of the best ways to find a good photographer. About ½ of our work comes from referrals. If you don’t care much for who they recommend it, search online or try websites like WeddingWire.com. It's a great place to find wedding vendors.
- One thing we pride ourselves on is that we respond to our new and current clients immediately (in most cases). We don't want you to wait for an answer or response. It also sets the tone for the entire wedding and the way we work.
- Also remember the busy wedding season when looking for your photographer. Let me give you an example... We are busiest (in the Phoenix area) during the months of October, November, February, March, April & May. Every month fills up, but the the beautiful weather months in the Phoenix area always fill first. If you are getting married on a weekend, during peak time, book at least 1 to 2 years ahead.
- If you are sure you want to work with a particular photographer, here's what you will need to do. If your date is available and you have done your homework, first set a phone meeting to ask basic questions about pricing, payments and wedding package details. Then if you decide, Yep I want them to shoot our wedding, set up a face to face meeting. It’s also a great time to schedule your appointment for your engagement photos.
- I’m going to point out that there are many questions you will want to ask. “Pinterest” is a great place to find the right questions (for your situation). Ask questions that will help you get to know what is truly going to happen on your wedding day. Do your homework, and check out the photographer's website before heading out. Many questions can be answered by looking at the website and reviews.
- Many photographer spend a lot of time and money adding info to their websites to help you. Check it out to get a feel for what they are offering. Many of the questions we get asked are posted on our site, to make it easy for you!! As a photographer, I like to know (if I’m sitting down with a potential client), they at least know what we do and like our photography style.
- One question we get asked is, do we give all images in RAW format? The answer is No. Giving RAW images is compromising the photographer and the work they do. Professional “wedding” photographers generally will not provide RAW images of the wedding, so please don’t ask. It sets a tone to the photographer and you may lose them. You should receive between 75 - 100 photos per hour, touched up and ready to print.
- Prices! well in our case we post prices on our site, some don’t, call them immediately for info on that. Simply put, if you can’t afford it and they are not willing to work with you, then it’s a waste of your time.
Check out our prices, to give you an idea. As one of our clients said to us once, you are super affordable for the work you do. We believe in being fair, not cheap, just right.
Check out reviews.
Listen... there’s so much out there about this subject and as a Professional Wedding Photographer I know its not easy, but you need to be super happy with your decision. Don’t settle for less than what you deserve.
Good luck!
