What to Look for in a Good Wedding Photographer?

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There are not many occasions in your life that demand that level of planning as a wedding does. With all the tough decisions to make in such a short amount of time, it’s a wonder how some soon-to-be-weds even have the time to have second thoughts.
One of the most important decisions you’ll have to make is who to hire as your wedding photographer. As a person in charge of preserving the memory of your most wonderful day forever, the pressure is enormous.
Wedding photography is not an easy trade. It demands a lot of careful planning, time and equipment. Worse off, plans tend to change so a wedding photographer has to be flexible. That is why not everyone who calls themselves a photographer dares to try their luck shooting weddings.
In order to be successful, a wedding photographer needs to have a particular set of skills, qualities, and traits specific to this field of photography. In this article, we are going to list what those traits are in order to make it easier for you to determine whether the wedding photographer you’ve had in mind is the right person to capture your wedding on film forever.

Portfolio

​This is probably the most important aspect. If you don’t like a wedding photographer’s portfolio than all their other traits cannot help repair that first impression. Make sure to ask for a complete portfolio, not just a best-of compilation of several wedding photo shoots. Make sure the impressive pictures they have shown you are not a stroke of luck, but experience. A lot of wedding photographers nowadays tend to have a website with a portfolio or a blog documenting different wedding they’ve shot. For example, take a look at this website: http://sandiegoartweddingphotography.com/. The portfolio section includes detailed examples for different types of photography, so you can be sure that when you’re hiring a photographer, you’re not just hiring someone who’s good at shooting close-ups.

​The Business Side of Things

​Often neglected or seen irrelevant by many other photographers, wedding photographers need to have this aspect of their business sorted out. They need to have a good practice of invoicing, management, transparent prices and good communication, otherwise, many wedding planners are not going to want to deal with them. Planning all the other expenses is a tiresome task on its own, but if your wedding photographer can’t deliver an invoice or doesn’t return your calls, it can really make or break the deal. Getting the business side of things in order can be difficult, but it will make doing business much easier for both parties later on.

​Communication Skills

​We did briefly mention communication in the previous entry, but this aspect of the trade is so important we feel it needs to be covered in more detail. Working as a wedding photographer meaning you will have to coordinate large groups of people. It also means that the wedding photographer knows how to listen. There’s nothing more annoying than an in-your-face photographer who doesn’t listen to their client’s input. After all, it is your wedding he is shooting.

​Professional Equipment

​It’s not unheard of for an amateur photographer to take up the title of wedding photographer simply because he has a professional camera and sort of knows how to use it. A real wedding photographer has so much more in their inventory, starting from the spare camera, a set of lenses for every occasion, flashes, light diffusers, tripods and a backpack worth of other gear. A good photographer knows not to take too much equipment and lose mobility, but strikes a balance and is prepared for anything.

​Knowing How to use it

Similarly, with wedding photography simply knowing how to take pictures is not enough. The photographer needs to be a storyteller, needs to have a unique style and edge, something that will make your photos stand out. A good wedding photographer knows how to shoot portraits, landscapes, and even the food to make everything look perfect, just as you will want to remember it. Finally, a wedding photographer will know how to make you look your best in the wedding photos