Last time we spoke about why wedding photography costs as much as it does. As promised, today we are going to talk about how to choose your wedding photographer for your big day!

You can spend literally hours looking at wedding photographer’s websites or flicking through real weddings on blogs and buying up all the latest wedding magazines from WHSmith, and still not be able to narrow down your choice! Instead you are more confused than when you first started! And since there is so much choice how are you going to pick just one out of thousands of photographers?

Well to narrow down your choice, does your photographer have their own teeth?

Huh? I hear you ask.

I am just kidding about the own teeth bit, but if you remember the ‘teeth’ mnemonic acronym below – you will be well on your way to shortlisting your ideal photographer!

Teeth – talent, experience, ethical, three, happy with the price.

Talent

It goes without saying that a photographer must have skills, but you have to like their photographs! Do you like whimsical faded colours and vintage processing? Or do you like high fashion type editorial? Do you want someone to follow you round all day but not not be noticed photojournalist style? Or do just want a traditional photographer to capture the formal ‘Hello magazine’ type of group shots?

Once you know the rough ballpark of what you like, your search will become a lot more focused and clearer.

Experience

You want to have a wedding photographer that is experienced as this is a one off event, that cannot be easily reconstructed (especially if you have guests attending from overseas). Have a look at their work in person. Do the people in photos look relaxed?  Are they good with people? Can you imagine yourself in the photos?

Ethical

Now I am not necessarily talking here about the wedding photographer being green or operating a green business, but does s/he conduct their business in an ethical way? Do they run their wedding photography business professionally with back up equipment and all the necessary paperwork?Are they professional in all their business dealings with you? Do they respond in a quick and timely fashion? Do they issue contracts?

Three

Don’t try and meet with every photographer in town. Narrow your shortlist down to 3 photographers. It will be much easier to remember who is who and what their work looks like in the flesh. It will also be remember the photographer’s personality as s/he will be with you all day on your wedding day so you want someone that you like having around!

Happy with the price?

If you notice I didn’t put the price first. I believe that the price is not always the first deciding factor in choosing a wedding photographer, though sometimes due to budget constraints it is the final one.  Try to get the best photography you can afford. Don’t be swayed by getting more product, if you don’t like the photography and it is not up to scratch. You can always purchase albums later, but you can’t reshoot your wedding again or add another hour of photography after the fact. If you have found a great photographer, who is professional, takes great photography and you are happy with the price, then book them… because another bride will!

I hope that this helped… if it did share your thoughts in the comments box below. Till next time!

Louisa