Choosing a photographer can be daunting at the beginning because people are not aware of the parameters on which they should be judging a photographer. This guide consists of all the necessary information you need to choose the best photographer for your upcoming memorable occasion. This guide discusses five main aspects: technical expertise, creativity, deadline management, people-friendly, and budget.
Table of Contents
Technical Expertise
It does not matter if the photographers have the best camera, lens, and other equipment if they don’t know how to use it. Modern-day photography includes a plethora of features and options, a lot more than required for a basic wedding photography session. One thing you need to understand as the hirer is that if a photographer has the best equipment, it does not necessarily mean he/she is a good photographer.
Imagine hiring a wedding photographer with the best equipment in the town who ends up spending 15 minutes on getting the color balance right. Therefore, before selecting a photographer, make sure to check their portfolio. Don’t limit yourself to looking at wedding photos only but find different shots at different angles and different occasions.
Moreover, don’t forget comparing various portfolios to figure out which samples look the best. If the photos look blurry, dull, or overly processed, you should probably look for other photographers.
Creativity
A creative photographer can turn an average photo into an amazing one. When choosing the best Edmonton wedding photographers for your wedding, you should always look for a photographer that is creative.
Creativity is not a skill, but a quality that is developed with desire, knowledge, and experience. Photographers lacking any one of these qualities will fail to produce exceptional photographs. But how to determine whether the photographer is creative or not?
While looking at a portfolio, if a few pictures just catch your eye in spite of being ordinary photographs, you can consider it is a positive sign. Creativity, unlike technical expertise, is not something you can analyze by merely looking at colors and contrast in the photos.
If you find images that are as normal as a couple kissing in a garden, but looks unique and exceptional, you might have found your photographer. Creative photos don’t usually have a significant differentiating factor. Small details like a naturally laughing bride instead of a posing one can make a huge difference.
Deadline Management
Deadline management is the most crucial quality to look for in a photographer. Technical expertise and creativity will be of no use if the photographer does not show up on time. Just like any other occasion, weddings can have their problems.
What if there is a problem with the light? What if the bride was not feeling well and had to disappear for a while? What if you had to use the washroom and took a good fifteen minutes? Anything can happen on a wedding day, which can eventually delay the proceedings, including wedding photography.
An expert photographer is always ready and prepared for such situations, and always carries a plan B to cover the lost time. A wedding is a special occasion; an expert photographer knows that. The last thing you want at your wedding is the photographer taking group photos hastily, which will completely ruin the wedding photography experience.
To make sure your wedding photographer is good at time management, you should put up a few questions like:
- When will you arrive to ensure everything ensues on time?
- What if the bride comes late or the ceremony runs late?
- What if it rains or anything out-of-control happens? Do you have a backup plan?
Asking these questions helps you get a vague idea about the time management skills of the photographer.
People Friendly
Being a people-friendly photographer does not necessarily mean being friendly. However, a photographer needs to stay in a good mood to keep control of the running order.
Wedding events can be stressful for a photographer, especially if the guests are annoying and not coping up with the photographer. The last thing you want on your wedding day is your photographer getting pissed off and ruining the whole wedding environment. A good photographer understands the importance of wedding photography and acts accordingly.
To make sure your photographer is people-friendly, ask about how he will deal with some possible annoying scenarios that can happen. Additionally, you can check their portfolio to look at the faces of the objects in the wedding images. Do they look naturally happy or forcefully posing?
Budget
Consider finding an excellent photographer with great creativity and time-management skills but is out of your budget. Of course, you have to look for other options. The higher your budget, the more of the above qualities you can expect. But, the wedding is a special day for you, and you don’t want to spend a whole week after that in a financial crisis because you hired a photographer that was too expensive.
On the other hand, you don’t want to hire a cheap photographer to end up receiving shoddy photos. Certain photographers are expensive because they invest in themselves, their equipment, and training. But spending too much can drain your wallet. Therefore, before starting your search for a wedding photographer, specify the amount you can spend on your wedding photography.
After selecting your budget, start browsing for photographers around your decided budget. Sometimes, you might get astounded by the high-quality photography services some photographers can offer at low prices.
Conclusion
A wedding is a memorable occasion, and you need a photographer that can capture these moments. However, choosing an excellent photographer that is technically sound, creative, agile, people-friendly, and affordable can be a tedious task. Therefore, the best way to go is to prepare for your wedding photography beforehand, at least a few weeks before the wedding. Last hour photographers are challenging to find and can be more expensive and less cooperative.
