Please make sure you have read Part 1 of this Blog Series, you can see that post here:
Considering Your Options
After you have created a list of your favorite photographers, take a close look into their service offerings to start paring down which are not a good fit for you. Some Questions to ask:
Do they fit in our budget?
Will they be a good fit for our wedding location?
(For example, if you are throwing a destination wedding, it makes sense to find a photographer who is familiar with that specific location or general area.)
Which photographers photos do you like the best?
Of course, this should be a priority in your decision making process. If you don’t love the examples they show you, how happy do you think you will be with your wedding photos?!
Which photographer fits your personality the best?
This becomes really important based on the tone and and the style of shots they take.
Remember, you only get one shot at your wedding day photos, feel free to ask questions and make sure they are the right fit for you on your special day.
Interview Your Favorites
After reducing your list to 2-3, set up meetings to meet them in person and see how they treat you from a customer service level. In most cases, you will be investing thousands, its important to make sure you feel like they will deliver an outstanding final product. Review their photo albums, be sure you see at least one album of a whole wedding, from start to finish, preferably something that relates to what your wedding will be like in geographic setting and a similar style and tone. After examining all the examples closely, ask to see another album from a more recent wedding. This will help you see both their best work from the albums they want you to see and just more recent versions. Some ideas to think about:
- Review the work for color quality, definition, composition, “wow shots” and overall emotional tone to make sure all are up to your standards.
- Make sure the style is a good fit for what you want to see done at your wedding.
- Check to see if the photos are natural, organized and a good fit for all the types and classic shots you are looking for before, during and after your reception.
Before leaving the interview be sure to know the best vs. “Just OK” quality of their work, their visual focus, overall style, and if they can give you what you are looking for specifically. Their responses to your questions, concerns and requests will tell you a whole lot about them and their level of professionalism. We will go deeper into this on Part 3 of this series…