Hendrick Moy Photography
Many folks will tell you to, “Cherish every moment of your wedding day, as it will pass before you get a chance to take it all in.” This is absolutely correct, and if preserving these memories is something that resonates with you, you already understand the importance of hiring an experienced professional wedding photographer who can make sure you and your beloved can relive your wedding day forever.
Finding the right photographer is one of the top priorities during the wedding planning process for most couples, as it’s truly one of the very few things that last after the day is complete. Choosing the ideal photographer can seem a bit daunting in an extremely saturated market, especially for those who don’t have any technical knowledge of photography.
It’s important to choose wedding vendors you trust and love, but this is all the more important when it comes to hiring a wedding photographer. Your photographer (and videographer, if you choose that route) is the only vendor who will be with you for almost the entire day (likely even more than your maid of honor or best man!) so it’s essential that you find someone you feel comfortable with, and whose style you love.
Below, we’ve listed out 10 wedding photography hiring tips to consider while seeking out the perfect wedding photographer for your wedding.
Top 10 Wedding Photographer Hiring Tips
TLDR: A quality wedding photographer should have an expansive portfolio that matches your vision, maintains a great reputation, and uses professional equipment (including backups). They most definitely need general insurance coverage for your chosen venue as well. It also goes without saying, that they’ll need to fit your budget as well. Those are simply items for the bare minimum. Read below to learn in detail about the 10 things to look for before deciding to find the right wedding photographer-
- Do Your Due Diligence
To kick off the search for your perfect wedding photographer, start on a micro-level by seeking out recommendations from friends and family who are newly married. Check out photos from their social media posts and, if possible, their actual wedding albums too! This will give you a good idea of the options you’ll have for your own wedding. Whether or not you love their shots, you can still ask them regarding their experience, just to get an idea of what worked and didn’t work, so you’re prepared with questions to ask your prospective photographer as well.
Once you’ve gotten an idea of the wedding photography landscape, you can then move onto a macro-level search, utilizing Google and various wedding websites (WeddingWire.com and TheKnot.com are the most popular). These sites all offer unbiased reviews from real couples to give you an important sense of how they operated during their day.
It’s obviously also essential to examine the photographer’s website to see examples of their work. Blogs are your friends! The most recent work shown is a great indicator of what you’ll receive as well, since photographer’s work can tend to change and evolve over time.
- Hire a True Professional
It may be tempting to hire a friend or family member who may offer their photography services, but we always suggest hiring a professional who isn’t part of your wedding.
Truly professional photographers aren’t professionals just because they have a big expensive camera, or post some nice pictures on Instagram. Experienced professional shooters are equipped to handle unexpected changes, inclement weather, and have backup equipment in case the unspeakable happens. Hiring a pro also prevents potential conflicts and preserves personal relationships! Avoid potential drama. It’s one less thing to worry about on your wedding day.
- View their Portfolios and Full Wedding Galleries
Galleries on a photographer’s website showcase what they deem to be their finest work for prospective clients to view, so this is important, but only up to a certain point! This is their very best work over the course of their career. If you know yourself to be pretty picky, you can also ask them to show you one or two recent full wedding galleries so that you can see the actual finished product that previous couples have received.
Any photographer with a thriving business, will also have at least Facebook or Instagram to show off their recent work. Of course, take it all with a grain of salt, as no weddings or their relative situations are completely alike, even at the same venue, with the same type of weather. That said, checking out their latest photos can give you a decent indicator of the type of quality you’ll also receive.
- Read Reviews and Talk to Former Clients
It’s 2023, and everyone knows the importance of maintaining an impeccable online presence. This is especially relevant for small businesses like wedding photographers. Reading reviews and feedback from previous clients on Google Business Pages, and review sites like Yelp, TheKnot, and WeddingWire are extremely helpful in determining not only quality of work, but also their demeanor and ability to handle different situations during the wedding day!
These insights will give you an idea of the photographer’s strengths and overall reputation compared to others in the industry. By taking the time to research and finding out experiences from former clients, you can make a more informed decision to ensure you’re not dealing with a weirdo for 10 hours on one of the most important days of your life. 😉
- Identify the Style You Prefer
These days, when most people speak about photography “styles”, they’re usually referring to the look of their editing. Typically, they fall into varying levels of 3 types –
- True to Life (moderate and neutral, ranging from a classic, natural feel, to a punchy boost in color/contrast)
- Light and Airy (usually reliant on natural light, sometimes shows off a film-like quality)
- Dark and Moody (usually a dramatic look, and utilizing more edgy lighting)
Keep in mind that while certain looks may seem unique now, trends tend to come and go every few years. I may be biased, but personally, I feel like “true to life” editing is the most likely way to achieve a timeless result, since it’s what has been around since the inception of color photography. But everyone is different, so just go with what you feel is right for you!
- Meet Your Photographer and Get a Sense of Their Vibe
Setting up an in-person or at least an online meeting with your shortlisted candidates is important, as it’s the truest way to make sure your personalities will mesh on the day of your wedding. As explained earlier, your photographer will be with you for most of the day, so just be sure they will be a help to you, and not an annoyance! This is the opportunity for you and the photographer to see if your personalities and expectations match. It may also help to make a list of questions to ask before you meet with them as well, and make use of their (hopefully) vast experience.
- Ensure They Offer High-Quality Books/Prints
Your wedding photographer should have a specific company they use to print albums and other mediums. If these are professional companies, they should only service professionals, similar to the way only restaurants get the best cuts of steak, over your typical supermarkets.
During your meeting with the photographers, ask to see their offerings! Understandably, post-COVID, in-person meetings have declined significantly. However, this is the best way to inspect and feel the quality of workmanship in the albums. Make sure not to overlook this, as your wedding album becomes your very first family heirloom! A good question to ask your potential photographer is if the book comes with any sort of guarantee as well, to ensure it will last to show to your children, and your children’s children, etc.
- Make Sure They Use Professional Equipment
Professional photography gear isn’t expensive without purpose. In addition to letting in more light for darker situations (which are frequent during many wedding ceremonies and receptions), Pro-level cameras and lens are weather-sealed and made of extremely durable material, to withstand countless stresses during hundreds of hours of use.
Making sure your photographer isn’t using cheaper consumer-grade equipment (don’t forget backup equipment too!) is vital for you to rest easy, knowing those fleeting moments won’t be missed due to this. Everyone knows one or two photography nerds who would be happy to help with ascertaining if a potential photographer’s gear list is up to snuff. If not, simply shoot me an e-mail, and I can personally find out for you too. 🙂
- Ask About Turnaround Time
We’ve all heard the horror stories. Someone you know may not have received their photos for years after their wedding has taken place. Some may even still be waiting! The variance for turnaround time in the wedding photography industry is notoriously vast.
During the busy wedding seasons, photographers may be shooting triples and doubles, weekend after weekend, so editing often becomes backed up. As a frame of reference, our own turnaround time averages about 4-6 weeks to deliver all finished edited images. That kind of speed is not typical of the rest of the industry, however. Just make sure your potential wedding photographer is up to the task of delivering your images within time frame that’s reasonable for you. This is also where those reviews become uber-important in making sure you don’t see any red flags of couples waiting an unbearable amount of time for their delivered photos!
- Set Your Budget and Ensure You’re Happy with Your Package
As with most things in life, budget dictates what you can receive. Just make sure you’re not only happy with the photographer’s work, but also keep in mind your deliverables, and if you’ll be happy with that as well.
Comparing the packages can be challenging as they often vary. For our own personal wedding, we had to decide between a photographer that offered amazing quality, but less “stuff” vs. a photographer team that showed decent work, but included a lot of “stuff”. We went with the former, and never looked back. Better to have a fantastic photographer whose work you can always purchase more of, at a later point in time, over one who will give you lots of items showing OK work. Make sure that the package covers all essential aspects that work for you, and choose the one that serves what you prioritize the most!
Considering Hendrick Moy Photography?
Let us put our money where our mouth is! With over 600 weddings photographed over the course of a decade+ experience, we’ve seen it all. Choosing us to capture the most important moments on your most important day is something we never take for granted, and we love it! Consider our –
- Experience: Having over 10 years of experience in wedding photography allows us to anticipate and capture your special moments with stealth and creativity. And our passion for it only grows each year.
- Style: We’re renowned for capturing both those emotional moments, as well as our signature epic portraits, making sure to reflect your personalities in each and every shot. We do this while staying out of the way, and letting your natural moments happen organically.
- Reputation: This speaks for itself. Perfect 5-star reviews across the board, and testimonials from all of our previous clients can attest to the consistency of the work we provide, and the utmost level of customer satisfaction which we always prioritize.
- Equipment: We shoot all professional-level Canon gear (full gear list can be found on our FAQ page), including backups, and of course, are insured as well.
- Flexibility: Meet with us, and you’ll see. We’ll work with you seamlessly to create a customized collection that perfectly accommodates your specific needs. Reach out to us, so we can prove it to you!
Final Thoughts
Selecting a wedding photographer is important, but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Using these industry pro-tips, you’ll have no trouble find the perfect photographer for your dream wedding! Congratulations, and good luck!