Photos are among the most cherished keepsakes from a wedding in a married couple’s possession. The floral arrangements will decay and the cake will go bad, but photos will last a lifetime, allowing you and your spouse to reminiscent on this life-changing event. But with so many different photographers vying to service your wedding, how do you know which one to choose?
Check Reviews
Before booking a photographer for your wedding, do some investigative work to see what past couples and clients have said about their service. Yelp is an excellent tool for this reason, as it features real client reviews of many professional photographers. If a prospective photographer doesn’t have a Yelp listing — or if there are no reviews posted — try searching on Google for his or her name.
Portfolio
One of the most important steps in choosing a photographer for your wedding is looking at his or her portfolio. Ask prospective photographers if you can see examples of their past work at weddings. Most professional photographers maintain a portfolio of their clients’ work, which you can view to determine if they are right for your wedding.
Number of Photos
Of course, you should check to see how many photos will be taken by the photographer. The author of OffBeatBride says that most photographers deliver 50 to 100 photos for every hour of service during a wedding. That may seem excessive, but having hundreds of photos will give you a greater variety of perspectives that would otherwise go unnoticed. You don’t have to necessarily purchase copies of them all — unless stated in your contract — rather you can pick and choose the best photos.
Guarantee
A good wedding photographer should place a guarantee on his or her service, giving you peace of mind knowing that he or she will appear on time and ready to shoot according to plan.
Cost
You’ll also want to consider the cost when choosing a professional photographer for your wedding. According to TheKnot, couples can expect to pay roughly 10-12% of the total cost of their wedding on photography/videography. If your wedding costs $20,000, for instance, you can expect to pay approximately $2,000 to $2,040 on photography. This includes the cost of the actual “day of” service, as well as the individual photos and/or packages.
Equipment
What kind of equipment does the photographer use? Even if you are unfamiliar with the nuances of professional photography, you should still ask prospective photographers about their equipment. If a photographer only uses a single DSLR camera with no “backups,” it’s probably a good idea to skip him or her and move on to the next.