A quick and easy guide to choosing your wedding photographer
Congratulations, you are engaged! Now everything starts building towards that big day …. All the planning – the venue, invitations, catering, ceremony, decorations, entertainment and a myriad other things. And of course you will be wanting a photographer, so let’s start at the beginning….
“Do I need a photographer?”
“…. After all, they’re awfully expensive and these days – everyone’s a photographer.” Anyone with a smartphone, and that’s pretty much…everyone! And let’s not beat about the bush, modern phone cameras are incredibly powerful and assisted by clever processing which will do most or all the heavy lifting. Just point, shoot and bingo, there’s your shot.
So yes, you could rely on your guests to take your photos, or perhaps a friend with a camera or phone to do it for free. But you are taking a big risk. Think about it – this is your wedding day! You’re not going to have another one (hopefully) and you have invested a lot of time, energy and money making it the best ever and run as smoothly as possible. You want precious memories to endure and putting that on other guests or a friend with a camera is a big ask. Take it from me, they will not feel like guests and will feel under pressure to deliver. What if it goes wrong? Will that good friend still be a good friend if they have messed up your wedding photography? What will you do with your pictures after the wedding? If you want a permanent record which properly reflects the importance of your day, then prints or albums is the best way to go. For that you need top quality images taken by a skilled photographer with all the security and certainty that will give you.
At this point I will tell you that whilst images and video from even the best phones will look great on small screens, they will not stand up if viewed at high resolution on larger screens or if printed to any reasonable wall-hanging size. This is especially so for images taken in low light. Same for video – it looks great on a phone but may not stand the test of being viewed on a large screen, again especially if lighting conditions are not ideal.
So – yes! You do need a photographer! Decision made. But…. there is so much choice out there. It’s a buyers’ market but you need to make sure you have the right person to tell the story of your wedding day. All photographers, including wedding photographers, have their own distinctive styles and personalities. It is very difficult to make generalisations but my aim here is to give you a few tips and point you in the right direction to make the best fit between your needs and what the photographer can provide.
So here goes….
What do wedding photographers do?
Back in the day before digital cameras were widely available, wedding photographers shot on film and delivered in the form of albums and framed prints. They would only shoot a few rolls of film so nearly all of the images would have been posed groups and portraits with very little bandwidth for anything else. Have a look at your parents or grandparents wedding photos to check this out. Everything would have been in print and either in colour (mostly) or monochrome, rarely both.
We are in a digital world now and modern cameras can deliver many images of amazing quality and depth. So, the only important decision you need to make is about style. I am going to make this simple and introduce you to two extremes….
The “Editorial” Photographer.
Think of Hello/OK magazine and spreads of beautifully colourful, posed and lit portraits and group images in “destination” weddings with amazing backdrops. This will be the main deliverable. Some of these may involve intricate lighting setups and the photographer will often employ an assistant to set up lighting, deal with guests etc. as well as a second photographer/assistant to capture other parts of the day not associated directly with the bride and groom.
What you will get from this will be some beautifully crafted images, worthy of printing and hanging on the wall. Photographers who work like this will come at a price, and during the day, you and your guests will need to spend some time under their direction to get the best out of it. Sometimes that will involve more than one session.
Many photographers who employ this style will also set up and pose other shots to underline the story of the day, such as “Bride reveal to father/entourage”, bouquet throwing, and some more elaborate, possibly themed group shots such as the “groomsmen walk”.
The “Candid/Documentary” Photographer.
The stock in trade of the documentary photographer is to capture a story as it unfolds with no (or very minimal) intrusion or interference. They will be the “fly on the wall” – there but (hopefully) unnoticed. A good documentary photographer will have an eye for the unfolding story, quirky happenings and interactions as well as for the usual tropes such as first kiss, confetti run, rings etc. However, these will all occur within the context of the day and will not require the bride and groom to do anything other than what they are already doing, and certainly not spend any time away from the wedding party.
And here is the big attraction for this style of photography. Your day can be spent with those you love and value the most. I think this is much more relaxing for you and your guests, as opposed to having to be available at fixed times and being told what to do. Another bonus is that candid/documentary photography works well for couples who might be a bit camera shy or who might fancy something a bit different.
If you think this approach is cheaper/less value than the “editorial” approach, then think again – some of the best wedding photographers in the world use this approach. Check out John Dolan who has photographed some of the most high profile weddings on the planet. Also have a look at the work of Kevin Mullins who is a much in-demand UK-based photographer.
In reality most wedding photographers will shoot in a style which is somewhat between these extremes, but bear in mind that further you get towards either end of the scale, they will become more specialised and may command higher fees. You need to be sure of what you want. For many of the weddings I have shot, my “USP” has been a naturalistic documentary style, and this is my speciality. However, I, almost invariably, have been called on to do group shots and portraits. I think this is easier and more feasible than asking a photographer more in the editorial style to shoot in a candid style – it requires a certain set of skills they may not have developed.
Are “content creators” the alternative package?
Wedding photography is about as old as photography itself but has evolved and changed along with the values and mores of the time. This has also been propelled by the change to now ubiquitous digital media. Some photographers still offer some coverage using film, but this is more for curiosity/nostalgia value and very few indeed would photograph an entire wedding in this way. However, over the past few years, a “new kid on the block” has arisen – the Content Creator. For the uninitiated, a content creator is an individual who will capture “run and gun” images and video of the wedding day, mostly using a mobile phone or small device. So far not much different to what a documentary photographer/videographer will do. The content creator, however, will probably be more immersed in the story to the point of almost being part of it and will be able to publish edited images and video to social media literally the next day, or overnight.
Some things to consider though when engaging a content creator – their output is all digital and is published through social media. Therefore, it lacks the permanence and lifespan of more traditional approaches where print media will be available, and online distribution tends to be by curated galleries. Once it is “out there” you have no control over who views it, and eventually over time it will become lost as the media stream scrolls down. This is definitely something for couples who are happy about completely sharing their experience immediately and without filtering – it’s about the immediacy and the “now” – telling the world and shouting from the rooftops. Whilst content creators can and do cover weddings solo, it is more usual for them to work alongside photographers and/or videographers. They offer a different perspective, not one to replace any other though.
Some final considerations
Whoever you choose as your photographer, please absolutely make sure their shooting style and approach is in alignment with your needs, right at the outset. Spend some time chatting, explaining what you want and asking how they will deliver that for you. Ensure that the lines of communication are free and flexible. Normally, a wedding photographer is hired maybe a year or more before your wedding day and things will change or develop over that time.
This needs communication to ensure they are aware of anything that might impact on their ability to deliver a top-flight service. In my experience, the best and most enjoyable weddings I have photographed have come about because I liaise closely with the couple, sometimes with frequent meetings leading up to their wedding day, communicating also with celebrants, priests, etc and doing site visits if I have not shot at a particular venue before.
Whatever you are looking for, I hope this has helped demystify an area which is not transparent to most people. If you are interested in the documentary/candid approach, then I cannot recommend it highly enough – please hit me up for a chat if you want to know more.
Good luck on your journey!
