How to Choose the Best Wedding Photographer for you

It can be really difficult choosing the best wedding photographer for you.  How are you going to work out who would be the best wedding photographer to capture your special day?  To help with this dilemma I have put together some simple steps.

Photographs are very important and are one of the few parts of your wedding that will last longer than the wedding day alone, and are something to pass on to your grandchildren, in the same way, that you probably look at your parents’ or grandparents’ wedding photos.

A bride and Groom Kissing Outside St Cuthbert’s Church, Carlisle

Price

There are so many things to juggle in budgeting for a wedding.  One of the first things to do is grab something like the Keltic Rose free wedding planner giveaway and put some numbers in to work out your budget.

• The price of wedding photography varies greatly, and the price doesn’t always reflect how good a photographer is.  Some of the questions you need to ask about the wedding photography prices are-
• Can you find the prices on a photographer’s website or are they hidden?  I have always felt it is useful to be transparent, as such you will find all of my prices on my website.
• Does the price include everything you want, more than you want, or do you even know what is included?  Sometimes wedding packages include things you don’t want, so it is best to check through what is included.

How long do you need a photographer?

Think about how long you require the wedding photographer for

• Are photos of you getting ready important?
• Are photos of you and your partner dancing beautifully together for your first dance important to you both?

Answering the questions above will help you decide how long you need a photographer.  You will see from the Keltic Rose wedding prices that we offer photography from 1 hour up to several hours, for example, 5 hours, 10 hours or more.

How many photographers do you need?

• Do you want recorded memories of both yourself and your partner getting ready for your wedding?
• Do you want your wedding ceremony memories captured from different parts of the room?

If so you may want to consider a second photographer for your wedding.

Do you want an album or wall art?

Most photographers will supply you with your wedding photographs on a memory stick but make sure you can print these photographs.

• You might also want a wedding album to treasure.
• Would your parents also like to have a copy of the wedding album which they can look at time and time again and relive the day their son or daughter got married?
• Can your photographer also take one of your beautiful wedding photographs and make it into a special piece of wall art for you to see each day in your home.

All of these questions here help determine the cost of your wedding photography, but this isn’t the only factor in choosing a photographer

Bride and Groom at Heather Glen County House near Carlisle

Style

A really big question is do you like the style of the wedding photographs being shown by the photographer?  Have a good look through a wedding photographer’s photographs, looking at images from all parts of a wedding, the getting ready, the ceremony, group shots, couples’ portraits, first dance.  Is the standard consistent.  Photographers should be willing to show you full wedding galleries or real customer albums.

There are several different styles of wedding photography

• Reportage – also known as photojournalistic or documentary.  This style usually consists of the photographer following the couple and the guests throughout the day capturing the events of the wedding as they happen.  Often guests are unaware of who the wedding photographers are as they unobtrusively capture the day.
• Traditional or Classical photography.  This style is often seen as a more structured approach to wedding photography with the photographer taking lightly posed photographs for example group shots often alongside candid photographs.
• Contemporary or fine art photography.  The main aim of this photographic style is in creating high impact photographs such as you would see in a fashion magazine.  This style usually consists of paying attention to the lighting, background and composition.

Some photographers merge a few styles when asked I describe the aim of my photography it is “to capture beautiful classical images that reflect reality.  I love to capture natural candid moments, real emotions and reactions in an unobtrusive way.  I love capturing the tears, the laughter, the expressions and the details of the wedding; the moments and people that you will remember forever along with the things that you may have missed in all the excitement of the day.”

Wedding couple married at Crown Hotel Wetheral

Personality

Photographers are a big part of your wedding day and as such it helps to find someone that you get on with and that you feel understands and can capture your vision to produce beautiful photographs.  Find someone who puts you at ease and whom you feel will work well with yourselves and your guests on the day, even at the end of what might be a stressful day.  Your photographer should ask lots of questions but also listen to what you are saying.

Hopefully, these questions will help you decide upon the type of photography that you would like for your wedding.  This should then aid you in choosing the best wedding photographer for you.  If you are looking for a Carlisle Wedding Photographer, then please get in touch by calling 07971746733 or by using this contact form.

If this article was useful then do have a look at my article on choosing your perfect wedding dress.