There is a reason why some photographers charge $500 per wedding and some charge $5,000. It takes years of practice and perfecting the craft of capturing a wedding day, as well as investing in equipment and education. Passionate, professional photographers will put every ounce of their being into educating themselves through workshops, schooling, and second shooting opportunities to become the pros they are. We all started somewhere, but chances are someone who is shooting at incredibly low prices is probably just starting out, and may not have the experience or equipment to handle different lighting situations on a wedding day. Do your research to make sure they have experience! A little breakdown of what you're paying for:

1. Education, equipment, and advertising that it takes to run a business

2. Pre-wedding consultations, questions and planning

3. Engagement session travel, the actual session, and editing

4. The wedding day (4-10 hours on their feet with little rest), and the hours of editing, providing sneak peeks, uploading the gallery and blogging the photos

So when a professional is charging a rate that gives them a livable wage, you know you have a competent business owner with experience that you can trust.

2. Get to Know Your Photographer

At your wedding day consultation, before you book, the photographer should ask you several questions to get to know you and what your expectations are. This usually takes place at an in-person meeting, a phone call or video chat. This gives you a chance to get to know your photographer a little more personally, as you will be spending a lot of time with them on your big day! Ask as many questions as you like, most professionals will be happy to spend time with you and answer all of your questions. Some common questions brides ask are:

1. How long have you been photographing weddings?
2. What kind of equipment do you have and do you have backups?
3. Do you specialize in weddings?
4. What does a wedding experience look like with you?
5. Do you have a second shooter/assistant?

Most photographers are happy to chat about their experiences, show you full wedding and engagement galleries that align with their style, and answer any of your questions.

3. Know What You Want

When you research wedding photography, you will see work from hundreds of different photographers. Looking at a photographers' work will help you take notice of their style, which can help you distinguish what you're looking for.

There are two different kinds of styles: how they edit and what approach they take to your wedding day. Some editing styles are bright and airy, some are moody, others are bright and colorful, dramatic lighting, or rich color. Search these terms and see what style you like and what resonates with you! When you look at a photographer's portfolio, you should see consistency all around, and not see work that looks like it was edited with 10 different filters by 10 different people. It should generally have a consistent mood and feel. 

 The second type of style is how the photographer approaches the wedding day. Some styles are artistic, editorial, or photojournalistic. An artistic photographer is one you will see with the most unique angles and compositions. An editorial photographer will pose, perfect every little detail with styling, and make every image look magazine worthy. A photojournalist will try to be as discrete as possible and let the moments unfold exactly how they happened, while capturing all the emotion along the way. These are all wonderful styles, just think about how you want your day captured and make sure you discuss it with your photographer, so everyone's expectations are on the same level.

Remember, photographers post on their website the work they love most and best that represents them. If you don’t see dresses hanging in trees, jumping bridesmaids, a blurred out ring with a kiss in focus in the middle, sepia tone or selective color in their portfolio, it is probably because this is not their style. Never fear though, there are so many types of photographers that work in all different ways. You should trust their style and vision to pose and create images you love, so you can relax and enjoy your day!

4. Connecting with Your Photographer

There is nothing worse that not getting to know the person you will be spending the majority of your big day with, and meeting them for the first time on your wedding day and realizing your personalities completely clash! Not that everyone has to be exactly alike, but a lot of “box store” photography studios will just send you whoever is available and you won’t even know their name until a few weeks before your wedding day. A personal interest and connection is such a huge part of the experience. Weather it’s chatting in person, on the phone or through e-mail correspondence leading up to your wedding, you want to get a good sense of their personality, and make sure you will enjoy spending time with them on your wedding day!

Takeaway: 

So don’t be afraid to do some digging and research to find a style you love and several photographers that you can meet with, that have that style, so you find your perfect match. You’ve already found your perfect partner, now finding your perfect photographer should be easy!