It’s that time. You've selected your color scheme, picked out
the invitations, reserved the venue and date; maybe you've even found your
dress. Now is the moment that you hope
will be a breeze but secretly are inwardly hoping won’t be the source of a
pre-wedding nervous breakdown: choosing your wedding photographer.
It’s no secret that planning a wedding is a bit daunting, but there’s certainly no reason for it to be the source of any pre-mature hair loss, or other similarly anxiety-driven catastrophes. Picking your perfect photographer, like planning your wedding, simply requires that you take a moment and really plan out a vision for how you want to document your big day.
It’s no secret that planning a wedding is a bit daunting, but there’s certainly no reason for it to be the source of any pre-mature hair loss, or other similarly anxiety-driven catastrophes. Picking your perfect photographer, like planning your wedding, simply requires that you take a moment and really plan out a vision for how you want to document your big day.
As with any
major element of your wedding, the first thing you want to think about is what is the aesthetic you’re going for? Knowing the overall motif for your wedding may help you to have an easier time deciding
what direction to take the photography portion.
This can range from wanting to capture a hint of romance in every image
to wanting to see the more playful, funny elements. Depending on what aesthetic you are looking
for, you may want more black and white photographs than color. If you’re aesthetic calls for more candid,
“Kodak moment” shots, take a look at some of Del Sol Photography’s images. For you fashion forward readers
out there, try a photographer like Joseph Llanes,
whose images exude that mod fashion feel,
with heavy color contrasts and sharp direct viewpoints. Perhaps you’re looking
for your wedding photos to have a bit of an artistic edge, a cohesive blend of
artsy uniqueness and raw emotion, in which case I might suggest VisioPhotography.
I would recommend that you establish this
first, since you probably want to make sure you coordinate the photographic
style with the overall theme of your
wedding. It will also help you to know what
to look for in a given photographer’s images when you finally begin your search.
Next, will you
be doing engagement photos as well as
wedding photos? If so, will you want
the same kind of photograph for each set of images? Take a look at some of JasmineStar’s engagement photos to get an idea of some other photography styles you might want to
use. In some cases this may require that
you consider using two distinct photographers, since every photographer has
their own personal style. I find that
it’s great if the engagement photos are a bit more personal, and elicit a bit
more romance than the actual wedding photos.
Take a look at some of Elizabeth Medina’s photographs from her Trash the Dress collection to see what I mean.
While, yes, these
are wedding photographs, they capture that romantic intimacy between bride and
groom that I believe is a bit harder to capture on your Big Day when surrounded
by all of your friends and family (because, while we all know the day is about
you, let’s not pretend that there isn't a certain amount of obligatory mingling
and entertainment that inevitably goes on – particularly during the reception).
Don’t forget to
specify who (or what) you want the subject of your photos to be. Any bride would hate to go through her
wedding photos after returning from an amazing honeymoon somewhere in the south
of France, only to discover that her photographer dropped the ball and forgot
to catch a photo of Aunt Lucy because they were so focused on capturing you and
your new husband canoodling through the flower arrangement. So don’t forget to
ask yourself: do you want photographs only of you and your beloved, or a
mélange of family, friends, and decorations?
If you’re stumped, maybe you’re asking yourself the wrong question. Try
thinking instead, what memories do I want to capture, what emotions? There
really is no wrong answer here.
In the end,
finding the right photographer is about knowing what you want and finding the
person that best understands whatever that may be. Like they always, and I mean always, say, a photograph is worth a
thousand words—which is good, since you’ll probably be too emotionally charged
to formulate words enough to cover everything you’re feeling on your wedding
day. But that’s as it should be, don’t you think?
Read previous post: Tips for Finding the Perfect Wedding Dress
Read previous post: Tips for Finding the Perfect Wedding Dress
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