The wedding is a special day and the celebration is an unforgettable experience. A wedding photographer ensures that your memories will not fade over time. If you want it, he will accompany you throughout the day and not just at the registry office or in church. Beautiful pictures are created, which the wedding photographer gives you in an album and/or as image files. Finding a wedding photographer in your area is not that easy. We have therefore put together valuable tips on how to find a suitable wedding photographer.
Searching for a Wedding Photographer on the Internet
If you have friends and acquaintances who just got married, finding a wedding photographer is often not a problem. You can save yourself the hassle of getting quotes and choosing a wedding photographer yourself. That can be good, but it doesn’t have to be. Everyone has different requirements for their wedding photos and what was good for your friends may not be right for you. If you don’t want to rely on friends’ recommendations, you’ll have to do your own research. The best research tool is still the internet. In order to find a professional wedding photographer in the area, rating portals or service provider directories help to find a good provider.
View the search results
In larger towns, the results quickly become confusing. It makes sense to create a list of possible wedding photographers. Sort out offers that are out of the question because they are too far away, the offer does not meet your needs or the prices are too high. In the search results you will usually also find reviews of the providers. These can give you an indication of the quality of the work, but this does not necessarily have to be true. A single bad review means nothing, because it could also have been written by a competitor or former employee. If there are several entries that evaluate the provider in detail, this can very well be an indication of performance and quality.
What services should a wedding photographer provide?
After weeding out a few offers, you should take a closer look at the remaining wedding photographers. Their websites provide initial important information. First take a look at the range of services. A good wedding photographer should offer:
- Detailed preliminary discussion
- Services at a fixed price
- Be present throughout the celebration
- Photograph not only the wedding couple, but also the guests
- Give the couple a beautifully designed album
Be sure to check out the reference photos taken by the wedding photographers. Every wedding photographer has their own style of post-processing photos. As far as that is concerned, they don’t let themselves be talked into it either. If you don’t like the reference photos, then he’s not the right wedding photographer for you. Also make sure that you like the posing of the bridal couples. He will also motivate you to do similar poses. By the way, you can find many more tips on what makes good wedding photos in our blog article “Perfect Wedding Videos and Wedding Photos”.
Is the wedding photographer reputable?
When searching for a suitable wedding photographer on the Internet, the question arises again and again as to whether the provider is reputable, after all fraud is widespread on the Internet. With a wedding photographer, the probability is very low if he lives nearby and direct contact is possible. The information in the imprint is important, if the company is not located on site but abroad, caution is advised. Under no circumstances transfer money as a deposit before you have personally spoken to the wedding photographer.
That’s what a wedding photographer costs
The prices for your wedding photographer depend on the number of hours. If you only want a few pictures of the civil wedding, then a wedding photographer only costs a few hundred euros. For a longer booking, prices up to 3000 euros are common if you need the wedding photographer all day long into the night. For a videographer you have to estimate a few hundred euros extra. In most cases you will not find any price information on the website. If you want to compare the prices, ask several wedding photographers and describe your wishes. You should get an answer within a day or two and be able to compare prices.
The briefing before the wedding
If you have shortlisted one or two wedding photographers, it is best to invite both of them to a personal meeting on two different dates. It makes sense to make a list of questions beforehand. Inquire about the process of the service and the price. Most wedding photographers have been doing this for years and have a precise schedule. If you have special requests, tell him, in most cases he will take them into account. You should set aside a few hours for the preliminary discussion. Take notes and compare them later. Do not just take the cheapest provider, but at least let your gut feeling decide. During the conversation, be sure to ask how the wedding photographer would like to use your wedding photos later. He will want to feature them on his website and possibly feature them on social media. Think about which uses are okay for you and clarify beforehand whether they take your wishes into account in this regard. Then there are no nasty surprises later.
This is how a day with the wedding photographer could go
If you have booked the whole day, the wedding photographer will come early in the morning and accompany the bridal couple in getting ready. Then he will be with you at the registry office and take pictures of you saying yes. Afterwards he is present at the agape and the wedding party. He or she makes sure that as many of the guests as possible can be seen in the pictures. Sometimes even two wedding photographers work at the celebration. This is practical if the wedding party separates temporarily, as is sometimes the custom in Bavaria, for example.
Choosing the Wedding Photographer: Conclusion
Preparing for a wedding takes a long time and is time consuming. Several months pass between the search for a suitable wedding dress and the invitation of the guests. A wedding photographer should be at the top of your list as most – especially the good ones – book up months in advance. Look for suitable providers on the Internet and make an appointment for a preliminary meeting with some of them. If you have a good feeling with a provider, you like their pictures and the price-performance ratio is okay, then this is your wedding photographer.
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