Picking a Photographer!

We did our research when looking for a photographer. I spent a lot of time looking at different photographers as well as their websites. I actually came across the photographer that we decided on through Instagram in the explore feed. Once I came across her Instagram profile I looked at her website as well as her Facebook page for reviews on her. From there, we met up with her to see if we liked her and as soon as we left her we both agreed that we loved her!! We live in Toronto and she lives in Kingston but it's well worth it because her pictures are beautiful and she is so sweet! Looking forward to working with her!

I sent the same email (roughly) to a bunch of photographers, and then I read the replies. I ended up choosing an old coworker of mine who does photography. Shes amazing and we connect well together.

View quoted message I wouldn’t be able to deal with that either!

I have not booked a photographer yet but I know I will need to meet with them. I met with one and although here pictures were amazing she was very pushy and I knew I couldn't deal with that on my wedding day.

View quoted message I think it’s because the second photographer is her husband. Lol. We are having a photo booth for the entire reception, so I figure she wont have to stay too long into the night, so that should hopefully cut down costs of needing her longer!

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I was glad I asked the question, because if they don't have a back-up plan, then you could end up without a photographer, day-of the wedding! Yikes!

That sounds like a great photography package. Jeez, I wonder why BC is so bad for the cost of photographers? I could not find a second shooter cheaper than $800... we only have 100 people, so our photographer assured us she would be able to manage it.

View quoted message I never thought of the emergency question! That’s brilliant! And a definite need to know. I decided no videography, it’s another $2500. Forget it lol. The photographer we are meeting with gives us 600+ edited photos in 5 weeks, best photos printed out, a USB of all photos and a calligraphy board with our initials. It’s $300 for a second shooter, so we are definitely doing that!

We are going with a family friend who is a photographer. Before choosing her though I was pretty get on another company as I’d meet them at the wedding show and they were a good price at $899 plus engagement photos. I think speaking with them is really important and a bonus if they have done weddings at your venue before. It helps.

I thought photographers were mostly similar, aside from some having bank busting prices... I was wrong. You'll want to consider: 1 photographer or 2? (Usually based on # of guests you have) Do you want a videographer? (Often better to deal with someone who provides both, so they know how to work together) What's your style? Not all photographers share your vision! I was set on one guy, and then I realized as we were asking about woods/mountains engagement photos, he started telling me about a "beautiful pier downtown".... Not what we wanted at all!

Definitely meet with the photographers first. Ask important questions, such as how they like to set up their day, what they recommend for time, how they edit their photos (we met with one person who guaranteed 600 photos in 14 days, and one who said 1-2 months... the difference in quality was extremely apparent), what their policy is in case of emergency (**make sure their contract includes them finding an equivalent replacement!!!)... etc.

I have about 100 guests, and do not have the budget for videography, so we went with one photographer, 8 hours, engagement session included, about $2000 (just under), and her entire portfolio is greens and trees and mountains, very natural looking and exactly what we want.

Also, she had shot at our venue before, in the month of December (we are getting married in January), so she knew all the great places to avoid rain (if necessary), and other unique spots for backdrops, etc.

Before you pick your photographer, do you know if you want videographer? If so find a company that does both. It'll have best package for both than doing separate photo and video company. I wanted both and found $1250 package for all day video and photo.

If you just want photo, then do top 3 according to quality of work, affordability, & flexibility of the person. Then meet with them see which person you feel more ease and comfortable taking your photos. I did this and right away i knew who i wanted by just how easy going the person was and how i felt comfortable just sharing ideas with them.

View quoted message $600!!!! That’s amazing!!! We are looking at between $2800 and $3300 depending on if we want 6 or 8 hours! But I found most photographers in our area were around the same price point. getting someone who is still building a portfolio is a great idea! I bet they will do an amazing job and work really hard to make sure you’re happy!

I picked our photographer based on price and flexibility. We are having a super small/short wedding, and we are also doing a surprise wedding, so it was important that we had two photographers, one for guest reactions when they arrive, and bride/groom reactions when they arrive. We decided on a husband/wife duo that are great photographers, but still developing their portfolio, so it didn't break the bank at $600. It includes two photographers, for 5 hours. We didn't nee photos for the reception, because it is really just going to be a sit down meal with close family and friends. Not much to photograph (I think it would be pretty boring! hah!)

We didn't meet before signing a contract and sending in our deposit. We will be meeting with them shortly to discuss our needs on the day! I always rely on local facebook groups to hear about who is good, and who is... not so great.

Good luck!

View quoted message I have no idea for a price point. But most photographers I have looked at are the same price. I fell in love with one, but it was over $8000... I clicked off the webpage and decided to not even look at it again. Haha. She was amazing.

View quoted message I need a lot of guidance when it comes to the photographer helping. Lol, I hope I can find someone who gets back to me fast and has ideas of what to do as far as photos go as well!

View quoted message Who did you go with if you don’t mind me asking? I have a meeting with one photographer, a husband and wife team. She seems amazing!

View quoted message If you picked everything before her, then you know she’s the one! I love that!

I picked my photographer because my cousin used them and the pictures turned out very nice. The price was approximately what I was looking to spend too, so just decided to go ahead and get it done.

I checked out the photographers both on here and just through google search. I checked out their online galleries and then contacted the ones I liked.

From there we met with the one that was super helpful for us. We told her that we were planning our wedding from out of town and she offered to stay in contact whichever way was easiest for us (email, text, etc) and has always been very quick to reply.

When we met with her we asked her if she had experience at our venue (this was important to us because there are a lot of grounds for us to take pictures on and we would have no idea where to start), we asked if she had any experience working with our videographer, we asked about her packages and about her rough day of timeline idea. We asked to see further photos from her and about editing time, editing styles, etc.

I looked on the list of photographers on weddingwire. I checked them out for prices and ignored any that didn't list their prices! I then looked them up online and checked those pictures. If I liked what I saw (I was particularly focused on the details pictures!) then I asked to meet. We ended up only meeting with 2 photographers because we liked the first couple we met with.

I have an aquantince from my pree-teen years who is now a really talented photographer. I fell in love with her stuff just by virtue of following her on Instagram. I would say to look up photographers in your area, then go check their social media, as well as their websites. Also check any reviews of them online.

We didn't meet with ours because I already knew her, but maybe arranging a phone interview or Skype call would be beneficial. Then you don't feel as pressured to commit to someone you don't like because you spent the time and energy to meet them in person

I had my photographer picked out before I got engaged. We actually picked our wedding date based on her availability, and booked the venue and the rest of the vendors around that date. Backwards I know, but because we’re getting married on a Friday it’s actually worked out in our favour!

I ran across my photographer after she took these amazing photos at a friend’s wedding. Turns out that she’s a landscape photographer who also does weddings and has this really unique style as a result.

Ask people you know who have been married in your area for recommendations. Ask on Facebook who is best. And then check out there websites and meet up and see how they are. If you get a good vibe then definitely go for it. It is really nice when they have engagement photo sessions included then you can see how their style and how they interact works for you.

We met up with both photographers that we had been considering, and it was a really good thing we did. They both have plenty of work online for us to look at, and they both came highly recommended according to online reviews, but it wasn't until we sat down with them that we realized, personality-wise, the one we ended up hiring was a much closer match to us. To have the best pictures, you need to hire someone you're going to be comfortable with, and for us, that was the guy who could joke with us over a beer. Many people can take beautiful pictures, but not everyone will automatically mesh with you and your future husband. Good luck with your search!

We did word of mouth initially for looking at portfolios online, and then chose the ones we really liked. We met with two of them and decided based on how well we got along, their price and what they were offering in their package.

If word of mouth isn't feasible for you, I would start by looking at portfolios online and calling two or three to meet in person. I did phone a few at first through this method and there were some very friendly people and some very cocky people just by phone conversation, so you can already cross some off your list.

View quoted message Calico Cat Productions!

View quoted message Hi Jennifer, Do you mind sharing who you went with? I'm in the process of finding someone at the moment!! It is sooooo difficult to decide.

View quoted message I missed bridal fantasy when it came in January. I really wish I could have gone to see all the vendors there. I am the most indecisive person you will ever meet. I find it impossible to make decisions. So this whole venue/photographer thing stresses me out more then the average person. Haha.

View quoted message Lol yes I know can be so overwhelming sometimes!

View quoted message Ya if I can get it bundled that would be great! I “think” I want a video.... I don’t know. Haha. There is way to many decisions to make when it comes to weddings!!!! Haha.

For me it's a few things! I was lucky to go to a bridal show in Toronto and got to meet a TON of photographers in person and go through their portfolios! I think it's very important to go through galleries, if images you see of other couples can spark an emotion in you that's super important! And I also think it's VERY important to meet them in person, make sure you're comfortable with them, can talk to them easily! You gotta work with them a lot on your day and if you don't really get along well it can cause some tension when it's photo time

View quoted message Lol no problem I would do the same or use my MOH if I didn’t have FB and she was ok with it. You might be able to find someone who offers both if you’re interested in videography. I wish I looked into that before I booked our photographer and then decided I wanted video too, it’s a little cheaper for a bundled package and our photographer doesn’t do videography.

View quoted message I didn’t even think of a videographer too!!! I’ll use my moms Facebook! Thank you for the idea! How did I not think of that! Lol