You’ve just begun your search for a wedding photographer! Woohoo! Unfortunately, you’re filling out form after form to get pricing info, and you’ve just realized you have no idea what you’re supposed to be looking for!
In this post, I’m going to share everything you’ll want to consider in your search. The info is goooood and the few minutes you spend reading this will cut hours off of your search, because you’ll know within seconds if a photographer is a right fit or not.
Table of Contents
Questions to ask yourself (& a pro tip I’m begging you to note)
Is the editing style in line with what you like?
Does the photographer take candid photos, posed photos, a mix?
Setting your budget & picking a package
How many hours do you need a photographer for?
What to expect to spend on your wedding photographer
Wedding Photography Calculator
Questions to ask yourself when considering a wedding photographer
If photos are a larger priority for you, here are some questions to ask yourself to identify the style you like as well as be able to identify the right photographer for that.
Ask to see full galleries
Some people are freakishly good at curating their work, which means they can pull their best photos forward and make you believe that all of their work looks like that. Even as an experienced photographer, I’ve fallen for this, so none of us are free from this rule! The only way to see a photographer’s work fully is to ask for a full wedding gallery.
Click here to open a full gallery of mine
Before a client books with me, I send them a full gallery where they can see photos from the getting ready room with all orange lights that I had to edit around, to the ceremony with harsh light that I had to photograph creatively, or to the poorly lit reception space where I used flash. I want them to see my work in all kinds of lighting scenarios, not just the couple’s portraits where I have a lot of control over the elements. Unless you’re having a 2-hour elopement on a perfectly sunny day, you really want to make sure that the photographer you choose for your wedding day knows how to both photograph in different lighting, as well as edit for different lighting scenarios.
Here’s an example of a photo without flash vs with flash!
Click right to see a photo of an orange-lit room and how I edited it to balance out, while still maintaining the look of the venue.
Is the editing style in line with what you like?
If you like super warm photos, the couple’s skin may be more orange-tinted. If you like a really bright white look, the couple’s skin might be a lot lighter that it looks in person.
Personally, I edit to enhance how the day looked, not to change it. I’m super intentional about keeping the colors accurate to what they looked like to honor all of the hard choices you made when picking them! Also, make note of their work in different lighting/weather situations. Feel free to drag your mouse across the photo below to see a before and after of my editing style!
Do I see photos of guests?
I got married before I became a wedding photographer and this is probably my biggest regret. I didn’t even know to look for this, but when I got my own wedding gallery back, I realized how important those photos are when it’s your wedding and your family and friends in the photos (or in my case, not in the photos.) Thinking back on it, if I wanted photos of just me and my husband, we would have eloped! So I always let couples know to look for this in all of the photographers’ galleries that they’re considering. Of course, this is something I prioritize for all of my couples.
Does this wedding photographer take candid photos, posed photos, a mix?
All of the answers to these questions are whatever your preferences are!
Candid/Documentary-only Photographers
If you prefer a more candid/documentary approach, the fly-on-the-wall photographer may be your preference. This photographer will be less hands-on with posing so if you’re someone who thinks, “we’re going to need some help with posing” or you plan to have a huge group for family formals or wedding party photos, this photographer may not be for you.
Editorial-Style Photographers
If you prefer a posed or editorial look, you’ll want someone who is confident being hands on and guiding you two, your wedding party and family. You’ll also want to make sure they are comfortable with flash and getting that editorial/clean look in all different lighting! The perfect portraits will make you want to sign the contract immediately, but if you want candid photos too, make sure you see those photos in their full galleries.
Candid & Classic Photographers
Personally, my style is a mix of the hands-off and hands-on approach. During all portraits, I’m hands-on with guidance as needed, and then with other parts of the day like getting ready/cocktail hour, I back up and get a lot of candids!
Pro-tip: Consider Personality
You’ll be hanging out with this person all day so it’s best you connect on some level!
Setting your budget & picking a package
Photographers have been sending you pricing lists, but it’s hard to know what’s covered with 8 hours vs. 10, or how the different hours changes the price of your package.
How many hours do you need a photographer for?
So so many factors go into this beyond style, so I’m going to do my best to set some accurate expectations with you here!
If you’re going to be at one location from getting ready to your final exit, 8 hours may cover everything! But if you plan to have 3 different locations for getting ready, ceremony, and reception, 10-12 hours would be a better fit for you.
On another note, if you’ll have everything at one venue, but you don’t really care to have photos taken for hours while you dance, 6 hours could be your sweet spot!
What to expect to spend on your wedding photographer
Wedding photographers can range from $1500-$15000+ depending on experience, offerings, location, and what kind of coverage you need.
I’ve photographed ~200 weddings in the last 8 years of my business and my packages average $5000-$6500 for full day coverage and a second photographer. This price range is what you can expect in DFW from experienced photographers for a mid to full day package.
Because I fall pretty in the middle pricing-wise, I have a calculator below where you can get an idea of what your package would cost with me or someone with comparable experience. Check everything you want to get the high end of what you can expect, and if it’s over your budget range, uncheck the things that aren’t a big priority for you to see where the low end would be for what you’re looking for.
Let me know if this helps!
Wedding Photography Calculator
I hope you feel empowered now in your search for a wedding photographer!
Whether these questions lead you to decide that I’m the photographer for you, or if you realized you want something different, I’m so glad I could help you confidently decide.
