What questions should you ask when searching for the right photographer?

I think photos will stand out and feel like your style. You would pick the photos you could imagine yourself in. Experience is so important, I would pick someone with at least 6 years as you cant buy experience. 

There are many many questions that you should ask Photographer but the most important ones are:

How long you have them for

Do you like their work

Do you get on with their personality

I know most of these are not questions to ask but if none of those three are all answered yes then don't even bother going further

Hey Rebecca,

Your wedding day is super fun, emotional and sometimes stressful day - you want to surround yourself with people you like, who will be supportive and fun to be around!

I would choose a couple of photographers who's work really resonates with me, if you love their work you are half way there. Make time to meet or chat on the phone with them, make sure you click... they end up spending a LOT of the day with you - you want it to be as relaxing and fun as possible.

Good luck! I'm sure you will choose someone fantastic.

Best regards,

Allie x

Most good wedding photographers have an incredibly creative eye, years of experience, a huge variety of professional lenses, backup camera’s (with dual card slots) and know how to (and when to) use their flash. They also know how to tell the overall wedding day story. If you are wanting night images and well lit first dance and reception images, they need to know how to work their flash system well Basically your photographer needs to be skilled and capable to adapt to any scenario and you need to be able to trust that they will beautifully capture your wedding story. Check their reviews, websites, instagram & facebook and any memberships (I am a member of the AIPP which means I have passed an accreditation process, maintain industry standards and continuing professional development).

Secondly, love their style……look at their whole online folio, there should be a lot of variety of weddings as well as images from various times and sections of the day. There should also be a consistency to their photography & editing style. Every photographer is different and would capture your day in a different way depending on their creative eye.

Be sure to meet up with photographers and make sure you actually like them (personality wise)….you have to spend a lot of time with them on the day. And lastly read through the packages to make sure you know what you are getting & read through the contract before signing - which should outline timeframe for delivery of images, booking fee policy, unexpected events (ie. if the photographer is unable to photograph your wedding due to illness or accident), dates for final payments, and other responsibilities of each party. Also the extent of editing (post processing and editing are two different things) and whether permission is given for images to be shared by the photographer on social media and websites and with other vendors.

make sure your photographer understands your story so they can capture you being you

How many years have they been in the industry and approximately how many weddings have they covered.
Aske they to show you a few wedding albums so that you can see how well they document the day with images. Good photographers don't just get a few good shots they tell the story of your day!

If you want a photographer who's going to tell your story well. One of the most critical things that sadly isn't always present is their ability and excitement to really listen to your story. No one's going to tell your story well if they haven't first heard and understood it. You want someone who cares about your unique story and isn't going to just give you the exact same thing they gave to the last couple. Because your story is unique and the way they should approach it is unique. 

I think it's also important to ask photographers WHY they love what they do. So you can sniff out the genuine people from those who just want to take your money. 

Another good tip for picking any vendor really is to clearly talk about what you think you'll need and see if they have been listening and care about what you're after or are still just trying to sell you their biggest package. Just because their good at sales doesn't mean they won't do an awesome job for you... But I think I speak on behalf of most people that you don't really want to be sold to as much as you want the opportunity to get what you need.

I think you'll prob need to chat with your photographer and understand his/her philosophy of photography which is the most important part of the photo style. And definitely watch the whole photos of a real wedding gallery instead of just the highlight that shows on homepage.

Hi Rebecca!

Love the personality of your photographer and what their photos look like! Ask them whats included and what isnt. Also leading with budget can be the solution to a lot of questions also.

Best

Heather

www.heweddings.com

Just love the style they shoot. That's the most important thing. And make sure theyre the sort of person you'd want to hang out with for a good part of your wedding day.