Advice to the Newly Engaged on Wedding Photography

From Jackie and Miguel’s recent elopement in the Great Smoky Mountains Naitonal Park. Did you know most wedding photographers love overcast days if shooting outdoors? The light may be a little flat but it is even and we are not dealing with bright highlights and dark shadows.

Having done some 100+ marriage proposals, I jokingly say to couple afterwards that I have one word of advice for them regarding their wedding: 

Elope.

Now, I am not faulting anyone who wants a large wedding and sometimes there are circumstances that warrant it, be it cultural norms or large families.  Frankly, if you want to go all out, do so.

But this post is not a criticism of big weddings.  Rather, this post is the content that I will be using to send a follow up to my marriage proposal clients.  It is about my advice on choosing a wedding photographer.  So, here we go . . .

As soon as you have booked your venue, book your photographer. 

A wedding photographer cannot commit to doing a wedding unless there is a specific date.  Keep in mind that a photographer almost always does just one wedding for any specific date, so once that date is booked, it’s gone.  A caterer, on the other hand, often services several weddings on a given date.  The same applies for your DJ and videographer.  Unless they have enough staff – and usually photographers, DJs, and videographers are solo owners or maybe a small team to cover AN event – they can only do a wedding a day.  Let me also add that while a hair and makeup team is only needed for a few hours, chances are every bride wants them at the same time.  So book that group of people right away and then go cake tasting or looking at florists.

Ask to see an entire gallery of images for one wedding from a photographer, and even better if it was a wedding that is either at the venue you chose or under similar circumstances, e.g., a night wedding. 

Wedding photographers populate their websites and social media usually with the best images and a lot of times that means portraits of the happy couple.  But you will want to remember the whole day so ask to see ceremony images, reception shots, etc.  Sometimes a photographer has to work with conditions that they cannot control, such as harsh shadows during an outdoor ceremony so you want to see how they can handle that.

So often I heard couples say to me, “That day was so rushed and we really did not get a chance to take in what our guests were doing - your pictures let us appreciate the whole day!”

Avoid photographers marketing themselves as “natural,” “natural light, or “ambient light” photographers. 

I know I could get a lot of hate from other photographers for saying this but hear me out.  Poop happens.  I have photographed weddings where the skies opened up and the ceremony was moved into a dark room indoors.  I have photographed weddings where the expected room for a courthouse ceremony with floor to ceiling windows was undergoing renovations and so the staff made everyone go to an alcove in a narrow hallway.  I have photographed weddings where the videographer caused a one hour delay which meant the timeframe for certain pictures was now pushed past sundown.  In all of those cases, I was okay because I know how to use flash and set up lighting.  Now, when the ambient light  (that is, the light naturally occurring in a space whether coming from window light or lamps) is lovely, heck yeah, I would use just that.  This is not hating on ambient light but if that is the only thing a photographer is relying on, they are taking a chance with your wedding.

T’ain’t nothing wrong with ambient light when it’s beautiful and lends itself to a certain feeling.

Ask the photographer about their gear. 

No, you don’t need the specific make and model but a wedding photographer should always be shooting with at least TWO camera bodies and a variety of lenses to handle situations where the photographer has to remain at a distance.  Preferably, the camera bodies will also have dual slots for the cards that capture the images, so if the main card fails, there is a backup.  One body with just a 50mm lens is simply not enough.  Can a shutter on a well-maintained camera fail without warning?  Yes.  Can you imagine a photographer telling you, “Oops, sorry, things like that happen, so imma go home now – enjoy the rest of your wedding!”  I hope you never have to.  Even if a photographer can only afford one camera body, they can rent another one to cover your wedding.

Bokeh is what we call the effect where the background goes all creamily blurred and makes the subject stand out. To achieve that look, a photographer has to have a lens with a longer focal length and a wide aperture. A 70-200mm lens with an aperture of f/2.8 is expensive but it’s a workhorse of a lens!

Keep it business only.  

As with your caterer, say, your photographer should be all about business and providing you with professional services.  They do not have to be your friend.  You should feel comfortable asking questions.  “How would you handle the situation if we had to move the ceremony to another location?”  “Do you have experience with LGBTQ weddings?”  “Are you okay with having dogs present for the ceremony?”  Make sure they offer you a contract and READ IT.  Look for specifics in it such as how many images they will deliver or the timing for delivery (and ranges are okay there, e.g., “delivery of images 6 to 8 weeks after the wedding date”).  And if there is a special term, such as you do not want them posting your images on their social media, say so – pre-written form contracts can be modified.

When shooting outdoors, I tell my couples that while I have “ideas,” we may suddenly come around a corner and I yell, “Stop! We’re shooting here!” - such as this spot alongside a backroad just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. If Nature suddenly offers you a gift, you’re a fool not to take it.

When quoted a price, ask whether that includes sales tax. 

I have heard from brides that this is often overlooked by them.  Sure, we are all used to paying sales tax but for my local area, the sales tax on a $3500 wedding package is another $323.75.  For a young couple working with a budget, that can start adding up among vendors and bring unwanted surprises when it is time to write checks.

For my marriage proposal clients, I wish them the very best for their future together.  I know that for many of them that when it comes time to start planning the wedding, they can expect not just sticker shock but the realization that there is a lot they have to learn.  I hope my advice to them can help if only a bit.

What say you?  What would you add to this list? Sound off!