Capturing Your Big Day: How to pick the right photographer! 📸 💌

Hi Bridal Diaries Fam!

It’s Karman here! How are you doing? 🤍 

Let’s talk photography as it’s such a highly requested topic! I can’t stress enough how important it is to properly vet and pick the right photographer for you, they really do make or break your day. I am someone who loves to look back at my memories and photos play a huge part in capturing one of the most important days of your life. Photos are really the only thing left beyond your memories after the wedding. Hopefully these 5 tips will really help you narrow down and find the right match for you so you have no regrets! (P.s a lot of this applies to videographers too!)

One of the most important factors is that you need to get along with your photographer and feel comfortable with them. I would highly suggest scheduling a zoom call or even meeting in person with the actual photographer(s) you’re considering for the day. This will help you gauge how you bounce off them as you tend to spend a big chunk of your day with them so they need to get your vision and you. You really don’t want someone on the day who you don’t get along with. I’ve seen it first-hand, where couples have become “annoyed” at their photographers for spending too long on photos or having them do poses the couple were not comfortable with.

If you’re a chill bride/groom and just want to enjoy the moment without feeling exhausted or bombarded with tonnes of photos, then consider someone who has a natural documentary style of photography and a chilled personality.

If you’re a shy bride then avoid a photographer that usually does dramatic model-like posed photography.

If you want Instagramable, magazine like photos then look at photographers who are flexible and often can take the trendy poses you’re looking for. A lot of times many of the cool pictures you see on Instagram don’t just happen, they’re planned out with the right person. Make sure your photographer is on the same page as you.

Before you even start looking at different suppliers you really need to sit down with your partner and decide what type of photography style you want and what your vision is. There are several photography styles to think about such as documentary, traditional, fine art or even creative. Have a think about the type of photos you want and whether you prefer the bright and airy style or dark & moody aesthetic. I would suggest you create a mood board with inspo so you both know what you want to achieve and this is something you can use throughout the process. You could also add poses so they aren’t missed out on the day and can speed up the process. These could include couple poses, bridal party, groom squad, family poses or even individual shots that you fancy.
Top Tip: make sure to share any finalised poses/ shot ideas with those involved in advance so there are no surprises on the day as this will make the process much smoother for everyone.

Do your research! Check out their website, their Instagram and their reviews from previous brides and grooms. The last thing you want is to pick someone unreliable who will leave you feeling on edge during or after your big day! Once you have a list of ones that have reliable reviews and you like the look of their work, start enquiring to gather more information, prices and their availability for the day. I would highly recommend you look beyond just the few highlighted images on their website or Instagram, you need to delve into full wedding galleries of real couple weddings. Start doing this as soon as possible as the good photographers will be booked up in peak season! After this, you can narrow down to your top 2 or 3; don’t have any more than this as that will only make it harder to pick!

Make sure to ask all the key questions. Ask about the number of photographers on the day, I would recommend 2 if possible to capture all aspects! Ask about the delivery timeline of receiving the full gallery so you aren’t having to chase them up after. Ask about their schedule for the day and consider whether this aligns with your wedding timeline. Ask about their extra hours policy, most will have an additional hourly fee you have to pay if you want them to stay later than the agreed time. Ask them about any specific requirements they may have, whether that’s food, travel or space! It sounds obvious but make sure you read the contract carefully to avoid any hidden costs or further additional costs. One thing couples tend to miss is about copyright, are you comfortable for your photos to be shared publicly? If privacy is important to you then discuss this before booking.

Last one is simple. When you know, you know. Just like when picking your life partner, if your energy matches them, they understand your vision, you love their work and you have a good feeling then don’t overthink and go for it. Trust them for beautiful results. ❤️ 

Let me know if you found this helpful! Good luck with your search to find the right photographer match 🥰

Happy Planning!

Love,

Karman 🤍

Team Pristine 🖤