Your wedding day can be the accumulation of months, sometimes years, of detailed planning. Without a doubt, it will be one of the most special days of your life, where moments of love and laughter will be shared with your closest friends and family. With so much happening in such a short space of time, it’s important to capture these memories as you remember them, while also ensuring all the special moments you didn’t see are documented, so that you can relive and cherish them for years to come.
Selecting the right wedding photographer will not only ensure you’re left with beautiful photographs, but also ensure you’re feeling relaxed and reassured from the first time you meet them. In this blog post, we’ll explore five key considerations of choosing an experienced wedding photographer for your special day.
1. Expertise and Experience
Expertise and experience should never be underestimated. Professional photographers have spent years perfecting their craft, learning what works and what doesn’t with regards to camera equipment, lighting, composition and editing. They have photographed countless weddings in different locations from the most intimate to the most grand, in sunshine and rain. Whilst every wedding is unique, experienced photographers will anticipate what’s going to happen before it does while always being prepared for the unexpected. Overall, they should give you confidence that your wedding photography is in the best hands.
2. Equipment and Editing
Professional photography equipment isn’t cheap. Over the years, professional wedding photographers will have invested in high-quality camera equipment and editing software with the sole aim of ensuring the final results are the best they can be . Equipment will include, but isn’t limited to, multiple camera bodies, different lenses for different shots, external flashes and multiple large capacity memory cards while not forgetting backup equipment in case of any rare technical issues on the day.
In addition to capturing your wedding day, a considerable amount of time is spent on post-production, carefully selecting the best images and editing them using industry-leading photography applications. This process ensures that your final photographs will match how you remember your day, have been consistently processed and are ready for printing or sharing online.
3. Creative Vision
An experienced professional wedding photographer will have built up a creative vision over the years and developed a unique style to their photography. Some will lend themselves towards a more documentary or reportage approach, while others will prefer traditional or contemporary staged photographs. Whatever your preference, an experienced wedding photographer should capture candid moments and stunning portraits that are important to you, ensuring your day is reflected as you wanted.
4. Customer Service
Your wedding photographer needs to be reliable and professional throughout the entire process. This means being there for you before, during and after your wedding day. Despite photographing many weddings throughout the year, your photographer should always make you feel like your wedding is the only wedding they are covering. They should make time to listen to you, ideally meeting you beforehand to get to know you both and to understand what and who is important to you. They should absorb themselves in your wedding with the aim of being both inconspicuous and in the right place at the right time.
5. Customer Testimonials
If a wedding photographer has dedicated their time to achieving the four areas above, then they should be able to easily showcase the most effective type of marketing material – genuine and positive customer testimonials. Customers will know and appreciate where professionals have gone above and beyond during your wedding. Have they made you feel special from start to finish? Have they listened to what you have said and do they appreciate what type of people you are? If they get this right, customers will offer to promote the supplier and their work without asking.
In summary…
We all hope our wedding days are a once-in-a-lifetime event which needs to be captured in a way that does it justice. While it may be tempting to cut corners and ask a friend or family member to take photographs, the benefits of hiring a professional wedding photographer, in our opinion, far outweigh any potential cost savings. An experienced professional photographer understands the importance of your wedding day and will treat it with the respect and care it deserves. You can relax and enjoy your day, knowing your photographer will do everything they can to provide you with both the photographs, and the customer service, that will exceed your initial expectations.
If you’re looking for an experienced professional wedding photographer, Meachen & Shorey Photography offer natural and documentary-style wedding photography. Please feel free to get in contact if you would like to learn more about what we offer.
