5 Things to Consider When Choosing Your Wedding Photographer | Husband and Wife Team - Blog - Georgia Ruth Photography

5 Things to Consider When Choosing Your Wedding Photographer | Husband and Wife Team

February 9, 2019

Alright, you’re *finally* engaged (woohoo!!)

You’ve chosen a venue and set a date (pop the champaign!!)

And now…

You’re ready to hire your dream photographer!!

–((insert record scratch))–

But how do you know who to pick!?

If you’ve been dreaming of planning your wedding since you were a little girl, you might already have several photographers pinned, bookmarked, or followed on Instagram. But if you’re just diving into the whole world of wedding planning, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed at all the options and choices. Take a deep breath – it’ll be okay! If it feels like a big deal, that’s because it is. Your photographer will be hanging out with you all day and preserving your wedding memories for you to have for the rest of your lives. It’s an important decision, but it doesn’t have to be stressful!

Photographic Style. This is one of the most important things to consider when choosing your photographer. Do you want images that are romantic, artistic, and look like you could be on the cover of a magazine? Or do you want your wedding photos to be fun, exciting, candid images? Do you want a photographer with a photojournalistic style who will hover around capturing things as they are without too much prompting? Or maybe you’d like a mix of a few things?

Take a look at each photographers’ Instagram pages and websites to get a feel for how they pose and photograph their wedding couples. We love a happy mix of fine art posing and candid, joyful posing so you’ll see both of those styles in our portfolio. Think about which style you’re more drawn to and then weed out any photographers who don’t fit that vibe.

 

Editing Style.  Are you into light & airy images, film aesthetic, or dark and moody editing? Do you want your photos to be true to life or vibrant and colorful? If you’re visual people like us, hop onto Pinterest or Instagram and start collecting wedding images that have an editing style that makes you happy. As KonMarie says “Does it spark joy?” Once you have a good amount of images in your collection you’ll be able to see which editing style you’re most drawn to.

Engaged couple embrace for a kiss. Engaged couple walks with arms around each other

Two Photographers/Husband and Wife Teams. Okay so you’ve narrowed in on the editing you like, the photographic style you like, now do you want one photographer or two? There are good things about both, but it really comes down to how you want your coverage to be handled. A solo photographer is likely to stick close to you throughout the getting ready, portraits, and ceremony, and then bounce around the reception to get all the action. A photography team (either business partners or a lead and hired second photographer) has more room to split off and cover multiple things happening at the same time. This can be helpful if you need to have both bride and groom portraits photographed separately at the same time.

As a husband and wife team, we have a unique way of working together. Hello- we’re married! So we know each other reaaaally well. We’ve got that head nod/special look communication thing down and we know how to play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses in order to give you a balanced and cohesive gallery. Plus, we’ve been through the experience of planning a wedding so we know the struggle, and because we’ve been there, we know how to anticipate which moments are going to be the special ones on your wedding day.

When deciding whether to hire a team or a solo photographer, think about how much coverage you need, if you’ll be having a first look, and whether you think you’ll need separate portraits happening at the same time (common for couples who opt for a traditional first look down the aisle). If you’re not sure, get in touch with both options and ask! We’re always happy to answer questions and help you make a decision that’s best for your wedding day needs.

Personality. Another BIG one. Are you going to get along with these people? If your idea of a good time is being stuck with someone you don’t mesh with allllllll day on your wedding day, then I guess you can skip this part. But for everyone else, I think we can agree that personality is important.

As photographers, we’re by your side from getting ready all the way to the start of the reception at least. We’ll be spending a LOT of time together. So it’s a good idea to make sure you’re vibing with the people you hire. We want to feel like friends by the time your wedding day is here, which is why we love scheduling coffee dates before booking! Can you jive with my sarcastic humor and Ted’s dad jokes? Are we likely to bond over Gilmore Girls and our mutual love of houseplants? Get to know the photographers on your list by meeting in person or talking on the phone or over Skype. Whatever your personality is, make sure you hire photographers who match!

Investment. We put this one last because, in our opinion, it should be the last thing you consider. We know weddings are an investment and you can only afford as much as you can pay for. But how you divvy up your budget is really important. Because here’s the thing: your photos are one of the only things that will last after your wedding day. Your cake, your flowers, your hair & makeup, the wedding favors your aunt insists you need… all of that stuff is temporary. But your wedding photos are your legacy.

So when you’re looking around and chatting with photographers, do consider your budget and your ideal investment. But please consider all of the other stuff first. When you make your photography budget, set a range and leave some wiggle room in case your dream photographer is more than you had planned on investing. And consider cutting out spending money on smaller details (like wedding favors) so that you can put your money into hiring really amazing professional photographers who you’re absolutely in love with who will give you dream wedding photos to cherish for the rest of your life.

That’s all from us for now! I hope we’re sending you off ready and prepared to find and hire your dream photographer! Remember- do you love their editing and photographic style; do you want an individual or a team; do you get along well; and are you setting a budget that gives you room to invest in photos that will still give you all the feels in 50 years? Let us know in the comments if you think we forgot something, and don’t forget to share this with anyone else you know who is currently searching for their dream photographer!

Cheers!
Georgia

 

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Comments >>

  1. Katy Weaver says:

    These are SO many good points about how to choose a wedding photographer! It can be sooo daunting, even if you DO know what you want! Great article and your photos are stunning!

  2. All great points and so helpful for couples looking for their wedding photographer! Also, beautiful images 🙂

  3. Cat Dossett says:

    This is such important advice and so many things couples don’t think about when looking at photographers. And your photos are of course just dreamy!

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