What makes a professional wedding photographer?

You’ve got engaged and set your date, now comes the task of finding a wedding photographer. You’ve probably Googled ‘wedding photographer near me’ or similar and been presented with a bewildering list with wide ranging prices. How on earth do you choose? Obviously you want a professional, but what makes a professional wedding photographer?

This isn’t an advert for my services, although obviously I’d love you to enquire, hopefully it will provide some helpful advice for selecting your photographer. I think we can divide the list in two, the actual photography and the technical side.

The photographer you’re looking at should have a good portfolio of varied images from genuine weddings. There’s nothing wrong with photographs taken at workshops or courses, but, bear in mind these will have been taken under guidance with professional models and no time constraints. It might be worth asking to see a gallery from a real completed wedding. You should also see a distinctive style, you don’t want to select a photographer with a bright, bold portfolio and receive light, pastel images. Meet your short listed photographers, they’ll be with you as much as anyone in your wedding party, you need to get along! You need to feel relaxed in their presence.

Now for the boring technical side! I’m sure you will have found a wide range of prices for your wedding photography. Weddings are expensive and everyone has a budget, you’ll find some briliant photographers who don’t charge very much. I would bear in mind that extremly cheap photographers can’t possibly be making a living from their photography and be offering a professional service. Those starting out will probably be charging less, and if they’re upfront about it and you want ot give them a chance why not? I was very grateful to those couples at the beginning of my wedding photography career.

So far as your photographers equipment is concerned don’t get caught up in brands, modern camera are more than capable. What does matter is back-up! The camera should have two card slots, so each time a photo is taken it is recorded to two seperate memory cards. The photographer should also have at least two cameras in case one breaks or stops working. I shot with two camera and have another complete system in the car in case of emergency. You might also want to ask your photographer what happens after the wedding, they should have a comprehensive back-up system in place.

Finally, is your photographer insured? They should have liability and indemnity insurance, if the very worse did happen what measures do they have in place to resolve any issues. As part of their professional service you should have a contract in place with them. You should also ask them what happens if they’re too ill to attend your wedding?

I hope this rather long winded post provides a little guidance and helps you choose the right wedding photographer for you, you have a wonderful day and receive wedding photographs that capture your day perfectly.