The moment I have been dreading - how does a photographer pick an unknown photographer?

[Massive Si]

I'm getting married next year. Very happy about that
The wife-to-be is running around thrusting all kinds of 'discussions' in my direction; number of guests, venues, dates, decor and then.... we need to pick a photographer!

We're going to be married back in her home town, so its not like I can just go chat with them to check them out.
Now, I am not a professional photographer (in the sense that photography is not my main job) but I kind of know what I am doing. Which is what makes this task so much harder.

Of the 5 local (to the venue city) photographer's websites I have been shown so far, I've had issues with each.
They seem to be split into two camps:
1) All the promo wedding images are highly staged, beautifully lit and managed. Now the wife-to-be thinks that's how they'll turn out. But unless they are bringing multiple large softboxes, reflectors and skrims etc to the venue, you are going to be disappointed with our results darling.

2) awfully lit and posed images. bad use of natural light and terrible photoshopping on some

I know I am hyper sensitive to this, and I need to get over myself. But if I am dropping many thousands of $ on photos, I am going to be taking an interest.

Anyone else faced this dilemma? any advice to offer?
thanks

 

[JeffK]

elope.

Use the money for a new Hassy.

 

[buildbot]

For me, it’s actually easier if you are a photographer, I know what I like, and I feel like I got to pick someone who matched that exactly. I could trust they would deliver better results than I could, since they are an actual professional

All the promo wedding images are highly staged, beautifully lit and managed. Now the wife-to-be thinks that's how they'll turn out. But unless they are bringing multiple large softboxes, reflectors and skrims etc to the venue, you are going to be disappointed with our results darling.

Not necessarily the case, when I got married I searched out someone who I thought did natural light photography really well, and was considered one of the best in the area period. Expensive, but worth it!

Though, he did get covid the day of our wedding! So he sent us his favorite photographer, she was also a perfect style match/great natural light photographer.

 

[darr]

I spent 15 years capturing weddings in Atlanta during the era of Hasselblad film photography.
Over time, I worked my way up the ranks, catering to the carriage trade.

My advice to those seeking a wedding photographer is to request to see a complete wedding album.
If the photographer is experienced and a savvy businessperson (which is crucial), they should readily provide a sample for your review.

I often found myself booked solid with signed contracts 18 months to 2 years in advance.
I maintained a discerning approach when selecting my clients.

Most of my clients came through referrals, predominantly word-of-mouth (previous clients) or recommendations from various wedding-related venues such as hotels, bridal boutiques, wedding coordinators, caterers, musicians, etc.

If someone came across as a photography know-it-all without demonstrating an understanding and appreciation for the hard work involved in capturing a wedding, I would tell them I was already booked. If you have never photographed weddings, you can throw most of what you know about lighting, timing, and photographing people out the window.

Wishing you the best wedding photography possible.

 

[tcdeveau]

@darr gave great advice! I’d even ask to see a couple of albums. When I shot weddings, I realized one of things that separated great wedding photographers from mediocre ones were the ones that could get consistent results across the board. Every wedding is different and there are so many variables to account for, and if you see consistent results across albums, I’d feel confident that they could do the same for our wedding too. Reproducibility is key for me (could also be scientist in me).

My wife is/was a photographer at one point, I didn’t have much a preference for a photographer but she did. She knew who she wanted to use so I just took the approach of “that sounds great honey, let me know if there’s anything else I can help out with.”

Our pics turned out great and the photographers (my wife’s cousin and her husband) did a great job. Ironically my fav pic from the whole event was a portrait I snapped at the rehearsal dinner after a few too many drinks of my wife with her Fuji X-T1 we had laying around. Noticed the light was nice, grabbed the camera, and there you have it.

 

[getscreen]

Look for someone with a balanced style— not too staged or too casual. Ask for client testimonials and full wedding albums. It's a bit of a hunt, but when you find the right one, it's golden.