5 Tips For Booking Your Wedding Photographer

Are you recently engaged and have been scouring both Instagram and Pinterest for wedding inspiration? Overwhelmed with all the different options for photography? Take a deep breath! Here are 5 helpful hints to pick the best wedding photographer for you.

1. Make sure their style matches yours.

Most likely, you have already viewed their gallery before reaching out. At its core, photography is art. Therefore, every wedding photographer has their own style. Do you want a photographer that only does staged poses or do you prefer one that captures your candid moments? Maybe you prefer a little bit of both? There is no right answer to this question! Take some time to think about what you want out of the photography experience and ensure that matches with the photographer.

2. Schedule a call or meeting and get to know them!

The best way to find out if you vibe with a photographer is talking to them. Most photographers, including myself, will schedule some time to learn about your needs and your wedding story. Chatting over a a cup of coffee, some drinks or even a Zoom call will dramatically help in your decision to see if he or she is the right photographer for you!

3. Ensure they use contracts.

Reviewing and signing a contract can be very intimidating at first. All of your vendors should have one, especially your photographer! The contract is there to protect both sides, especially you. The main details covered will be the cost of the services, expectations of both sides in case of any emergency, copyright around sharing the photos and schedule of deliverables. There will be other topics covered but these are the main points you ensure are included.

4. Read the testimonials.

Thoroughly read the photographer’s reviews or testimonials on Wedding Wire, Thumbtack or their website. Assuming they have positive reviews, make note of the reasoning behind them and see if those align what is most important to you. If having posed photographs are important, did the photographer ensure they took the photos the past clients wanted? If flexibility is high on your list, did they wow past couples with their ability to go with the flow? Reading past reviews can give you a looking glass into their experience in capturing weddings!

5. Book an engagement session.

As with everything in life, the best way to improve at something is practice. Unless you have a background in modeling, you probably are not super comfortable in front of the camera. Guess what? That is totally fine! Having an engagement shoot allows you to get to understand your photographers workflow better and most importantly practice being affectionate in front of the camera. During the engagement shoot, a good photographer will make mental notes about what makes you laugh or what type of photo situations you most enjoy. Once you have the engagement shoot under your belt, by the time you start taking photos on your big day you will feel right at home!

Wedding Chicks vendor, Mike Jahn Photography created this post. Email mike@mikejahnphoto.com with a link to the post and any credit changes or additions.