At some point before we book a wedding with a new couple, I always want to know the answer to an all-important question:

What is it that makes you interested in having Danny and me, specifically, there to photograph your wedding?
To me, that question is incredibly important, because the way a couple answers will help me help them determine whether we’re a good fit. I will never, ever allow a couple to book with us if I think we’re not a great fit, because there are no do-overs when it comes to a wedding. If we don’t share the same vision for a couple’s wedding, we probably aren’t going to be able to produce the images they want, no matter how proud Danny and I might be of our work that day. So I want to make sure a couple is sure we’re the right photographers for them, and I want to make sure Danny and I feel we’re the right photographers for each couple, too. Here is the criteria I think every couple should look for when they’re searching for the perfect wedding photographer.

1.) Does the photographer have a real, professionally-run business?
As someone who shot her first several weddings for friends for free, before getting a business license or establishing an actual business, I am the last person to tell any couple that they must hire a photographer who is an established professional. But I think if you’re going to hire a “professional,” you should make sure you’re getting exactly what you anticipate when it comes to the “professional’s” professionalism. Does the photographer have a licensed business? Does the photographer have a history of happy clients? Does the photographer have enough high quality equipment to get the job done? Does the photographer have a good reputation among her peers and fellow wedding industry professionals? Does the photographer have liability and equipment insurance (required by many wedding venues)?

These are all questions that you can often find out with a bit of sleuting. Check a photographer’s reviews online, check for positive comments on their Facebook page and blog, and be sure to read the photographer’s F.A.Q. page, if they have one. But then don’t be afraid to ask. These are questions that photographers sometimes roll their eyes at — “The bride wanted to talk about whether I have insurance! She probably got a whole list of questions from a wedding magazine.” — but they’re questions that couples need to have answered before they invest in something as precious as their tangible memories.

2.) Does the photographer have a shooting and editing style that matches your vision for your wedding?
There are a lot of photographers out there whose work I truly admire, but who I wouldn’t hire if I were getting married now. Why? Because, while I think their work is fantastic, it isn’t the style I would want hanging on my walls for the next fifty years, and it isn’t the way I want to remember my own wedding. Think about this very carefully: The way you remember your wedding will be determined by the way your wedding photographer captures it. If a photographer edits her photographs in a way that you don’t particularly care for, or if she composes her pictures in a way that doesn’t resonate with you, be very cautious in hiring her. If a photographer’s aesthetic does speak to you, that’s a sign that you might want to move forward with booking this photographer. Photography quality is largely subjective, so it’s essential to find what you love. I have heard so many stories about couples complaining to their wedding photographers that they don’t like things such as how “blurry the backgrounds are” in their portraits — in other words, aspects of the photographer’s style, which were clearly evident in the photographer’s portfolio when the couple booked her. So take a very objective look at a photographer’s body of work. If you want your wedding photographs to have that same look at feel, you’re in good shape; if you don’t, it would be a mistake to hire that photographer, and it would be a mistake that you and the photographer would both regret.

3.) Does the photographer have a personality that makes you comfortable?
Often overlooked, a photographer’s personality should be a key ingredient in whether a couple chooses to hire her. Brides, on your wedding day, you will spend as much or more time with your photographer than you will with your groom. So choose a photographer who makes you comfortable, who makes you feel relaxed, and whose presence will add to your enjoyment of the day.

Are there any secondary things you should consider when it comes to hiring your wedding photographer?
In a word, yes.

1.) Price
Nine times out of ten, price will have to factor into a couple’s choice of wedding photographer. Quite honestly, if I were getting married now, I’m not sure where I would come up with the $8,000 or so I would need to hire my dream photographers. But I would do what I could to rearrange my budget to make it work to hire the photographer I truly wanted, because after the festivities are over, the photographs are what is left to transport you back to the wedding day. On the flipside, if spending $xxxx on a photographer is going to negatively impact the start of your marriage, I would definitely whittle your budget back to a number that you feel comfortable with. You need to strike the balance that works for you.

2.) Logistics
Does it make sense for you to bring a photographer in from out of town or out of state for your wedding? Maybe. Maybe not. You might find a great photographer at a lower price point if you expand your search radius, or you might find a photographer you absolutely have to have travel to your wedding.

3.) Experience
It’s well worth noting that wedding photography is considerably different from photography. So if you’ve found a photographer who shoots portraits of children that you love, don’t assume she’ll be an excellent wedding photographer. Make sure any photographer you’re interested in hiring has a well-rounded portfolio of weddings. If she doesn’t, you might still want to hire her, but understand that you’re taking a chance on someone who hasn’t gotten into the rhythm of wedding day photography and hasn’t yet learned how to anticipate, facilitate, and capture the moments that make wedding photography so heart-stirring.

And is there anything that you shouldn’t factor in to your decision making process?
In two words, heck yes!

1.) Relationship
Please, please, please do not hire a photographer simply because that photographer is a friend of a friend or an acquaintance of yours. If you absolutely love a photographer who happens to be a friend of your future in-laws, that’s a different story. But it’s never a good idea to base your choice of photographer on something so truly irrelevant. I’m sure you know plenty of people in all sorts of professional fields — but would you blindly hire them to do a job for you without vetting their credentials and getting a good feel for their work? Don’t hire a photographer that way either!

2.) Years in Business
I once lost out on booking a wedding when the mother of the bride decided she wasn’t comfortable hiring me since I would have only been in business for two years at the time of her daughter’s wedding. She told me that “it just made sense” to hire someone who had been working in the industry for twenty years . . . after she and her daughter had both raved over how much they loved my work and the way I captured weddings. There are photographers who have been in business for a dozen years but still produce sub-par photos, and there are photographers who have just started shooting weddings but who create images that stir your soul. If everything else about a photographer feels right to you and their work is consistent and what you want, the number of years a photographer has been in business shouldn’t really make a difference; if a photographer is the right photographer for you, there is no such thing as too many years in business, or not enough years in the business.

3.) Flashiness
There are some things that, when it comes right down to it, simply will not matter one bit when it comes to deciding if a photographer is right for you. A snazzy studio, lots of associate photographers, shooting dozens of weddings each year, flying to exotic locations for destination weddings, hosting workshops, and having publications in major wedding magazines and blogs are all fun and exciting things for photographers. But will any of them actually make a photographer a better choice for you? No. Don’t get caught up in glitz. Keep your focus on what matters to you and your wedding, and choose your photographed based on that criteria alone. A photographer who shoots lots of faraway destination weddings or gets featured in magazines every month might be the perfect photographer for you — but not for those reasons.

Happy photographer hunting, brides-to-be!

~ Laura