I'm no photographer. In fact, I haven't had a digital camera at all for the past four years or so, since my old 2 megapixel (ha!) camera died. I only acquired one recently when Eddie got his DSLR, so he gave me his point & shoot. But I do know what I like (and I've done quite a bit of research), and we knew that photography was super important to both of us. We're lucky to live in LA, where talented photographers abound, and I looked through dozens of photographers' portfolios and blogs before deciding on a photographer (sorry, I won't reveal that to you quite yet!). I even looked through nearly all of the websites of the photographers on this incredibly thorough spreadsheet that I found via the Weddingbee boards (and guess what? This list doesn't even scratch the surface of the all of the photographers in LA! Looking it over, I see at least ten right off the bat who aren't on there!).
1. Decide what style you like.
Do you like hip and edgy photography, i.e. The Image is Found? Or are you a fan of soft and romantic photography, like *drool* Jose Villa? (I think you know where I stand on this issue.) Do you want shots that look good straight out of the camera, or is post-processing important to you?
2. Know your needs.
Are you going to have a full Catholic mass, two tea ceremonies, a five-hour banquet AND a huge after-party? If so, a five or six-hour coverage package probably won't cut it for you. Additionally, if you are having a larger wedding (over 150 guests), you will probably want a photographer who works with a second shooter to make sure everything is covered. However, if you are having a relatively simple wedding (i.e. 50 guests in the backyard), you don't need all of those extras and they will probably just be going to waste.
3. See a full wedding
Don't book a photographer after looking only at their blog or portfolio or a "greatest hits" album. These show only their best work. Ask the photographer that you're interviewing for the password for one of their online client galleries. If they don't have those set up (and they really should!), ask to meet with them and see a full album. This will give you a good idea of 1) how many proofs you can expect when they shoot your wedding and 2) the consistency of the quality of images you will receive. There was one photographer I e-mailed back and forth with for a while who posted gorgeous images on her blog. But when I asked her about portraits and posed pictures (a necessity, no matter how boring/tedious they can be!), she said that she didn't really pose pictures at all! Sure enough, after viewing a full album of hers, I saw that the bride and groom portraits were pretty much the standard look-at-the-camera-and-smile type, or just walking from one place to another. Don't get me wrong, I still think she's a great photographer, but I knew she wasn't for me because I needed great portraits.
4. Meet with your photographer.
For me, this was important, because I wanted to "click" with my photographer. After all, you will be spending more time with your photographer than almost anyone else at your wedding, so it's important to have someone who you get along with, and who gets your vision for the event. She also showed us some sample albums (we wanted to see the quality and layout of the albums she does), which we obviously wouldn't have been able to do over the phone or online.
*note: all images in this post (except the Christian Oth image at the top) are from Junebug Wedding's "Best Weddings Photos of 2009" feature. Check it out from some serious eye candy. :)
In my next photography post, I'll share the questions to ask your photographer!
Holy moley, that's one huge spreadsheet. I actually started making my own list a week or two ago, and while there is a lot of overlap, I don't think I see some of the photographers that I found on your spreadsheet from the Weddingbee boards. If you'd like, I can share it with you. Email me at loveliz(at)gmail.com.
ReplyDeleteDo you know Jacob and Hanna in the last photo? Fun to see them on your blog!
ReplyDeleteCharissa
@Liz--just emailed ya!
ReplyDelete@ Charissa--Oh wow, you know them? That's so cool! :) Actually, I wonder sometimes whether any images of me will end up in random places on the internet. That's a really great pictures of your friends--so cute and whimsical! I really like Max Wanger's work, although I think he's a bit too artistic for me. :)