5 Tips to Select Your Wedding Photographer
Selecting your wedding photographer is kind of a big deal (okay, definitely a big deal, I just like quoting Anchorman). So, how do you choose the right wedding photographer for your wedding? Consider these five tips.
// 1. STYLE
First and foremost, your wedding photographer’s style must match your taste and preferences. Style ranges widely in the way your images are captured: photojournalism, documentary, candid, lifestyle, fine art, the list goes on. Will your photographer know when to step in and control a moment to create a compelling photograph? You might ask yourself what's more important in your photographs -- authenticity or looking good?
We balance posed-photojournalism (for a natural look and feel) with art-focused wedding photography to create the best pictures possible for you.
During the Getting Ready stage of your day, we select visually compelling backdrops with great light to record natural-looking moments, such as you with your dress.
// 2. PERSONALITY
Your wedding photographer should be someone that you connect with and enjoy, and whom you trust. You will work with your wedding photographer over the course of a year or more leading up to and after your wedding (from inquiry to consultation and booking, engagement session, pre-wedding planning, wedding day, post-wedding album design, and beyond). Will your wedding photographer be your photographer for life, continuing to serve your family portraits? Also, consider your wedding photographer as a guest at your wedding and by your side all day, interacting with your family and friends, and ultimately playing a roll in how you remember your wedding day when you look at your wedding album.
// 3. SERVICE
Service includes responsiveness and turn-around time. When will your wedding pictures be ready for viewing?
We prepare your entire wedding for you to view at the studio within two weeks after your wedding. Two weeks! No silly waiting games. And we prepare a sampling of your wedding within days for you to share online. In addition, we strive to respond to all messages within 24 hours, often much sooner.
As a full service photography studio, we offer a complete line of genuine leather wedding albums, wall-art (acrylic, metal, and canvas), modern acrylic blocks, gift size prints, custom save the date cards, and much more.
// 4. YOUR WEDDING ALBUM
When your wedding is over, how will you remember your wedding day (hint: the answer is not on a USB drive or a social media feed). Your wedding album is the heirloom of your wedding. Be sure you have a wedding album. We professionally design your wedding album in-house for you to review shortly after your wedding. You will then customize it with your choice of over 40 genuine leathers, types of paper, and various sizes that we will guide you in selecting for your wedding album.
A 10"x10" genuine leather wedding album with the "Rustic Denim" leather and custom debossing with complimentary slide box.
// 5. POST-PRODUCTION
World-class post-production is time intensive and demands attention to detail. Will your images be carefully color corrected, sharpened, cropped, and organized, or will you receive images straight out of camera? Color correction is essential! See below.
Example of basic color correction:
Color correction (left) and straight out of camera (right). See the difference -- color correction provides adjustments to overall exposure, shadows, sharpness, noise reduction, and more that the camera just can't do itself.
In addition, we digitally remaster a select number of your portraits for you to enjoy as art in your home. This is what world-class post-production looks like (note the beautiful and dramatic sky):
After (above) and before (below, straight out of camera). This edit included an authentic sky swap, removal of distracting elements in the background, tonal adjustments, and intensive dodging and burning.
The final installation of the finished art piece created a beautiful accent to this room.
// A WORD ON PRICE
Lastly, price may play a roll in your decision. Price can be a good indicator of quality, experience, and level of service. Wedding photography priced at less than $3,000 will likely get you someone who is new to wedding photography, or does wedding photography part-time and does not provide printed products. $3,000-$10,000: likely someone who is experienced and photographs weddings full-time year-round and who has undergone wedding-specific training (most professional wedding photographers are in this range). $10,000+: mainly industry veterans and professional educators.
So, how will you select your wedding photographer?
After you decide you like their style, setup your wedding consultation to talk with them more about your wedding to determine if you are a good fit for each other. Would you like to setup a consultation with Chris Keeley Photography?
