{"id":113,"date":"2016-02-16T16:31:21","date_gmt":"2016-02-16T16:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/?p=113"},"modified":"2016-02-22T13:17:57","modified_gmt":"2016-02-22T13:17:57","slug":"how-to-choose-a-wedding-photographer-top-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-wedding-photographer-top-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"How to choose a wedding photographer – Top Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How

How to choose a wedding photographer<\/p><\/div>\n

There’s a lot of information out there on this topic but it’s not easy selecting the right person to photograph your wedding,\u00a0so as a full time professional photographer I thought I would help by\u00a0sharing\u00a0my thoughts on how to choose a wedding photographer that’s right for you.<\/p>\n

1. Where to start?<\/p>\n

First, think about the style of photographs you want. Consider whether you’re after posed pictures, a reportage style or a mixture of the two and then look for photographers whose images match what you are looking for. My photography style combines reportage photographs with some posed images. Posed images don’t need to look posed though and most of my clients book me because they want natural-looking images of their wedding day. In my opinion, a combination gives you the best of both.<\/p>\n

\"How

A moment captured forever, naturally<\/p><\/div>\n

2. Make a short list of photographers<\/p>\n

When you know what style of photos you want, start to make a short list using the internet, wedding fairs and friends’ recommendations. When you\u2019ve narrowed your selection to a few wedding photographers, arrange to go and visit them so you can see more examples of their work and get a feel for their personality.<\/p>\n

3. Choose a photographer you can get on with<\/p>\n

Your photographer will be spending many hours with you and your guests on your wedding day and so it’s really important that you like them as much as you like their images. You might think that this is less important than the photographs they take but the two things are linked – if you are relaxed when being photographed, this will show in your images. For this reason, make sure you’re meeting with the person that will be photographing your wedding and not simply a representative of the company.<\/p>\n

\"How

When couples are relaxed, like Kendal and Michael, it shows in their photos<\/p><\/div>\n

4. Look at examples of their work<\/p>\n

Ask to see images from several different weddings. Don’t base your decision solely on what you see in a photographer’s online portfolio or a few highlight images on their phone or tablet. You should expect to see at least two or three full albums from real weddings they’ve personally photographed so you can get a good idea of what your own collection of photos might look like after your wedding.<\/p>\n

\"How

One of my favourite images from Rachel and Scott’s wedding.<\/p><\/div>\n

5. Choose a photographer with experience of poor weather<\/p>\n

A competent, full time professional photographer shouldn’t struggle to produce great looking photographs indoors or in bad weather so make sure that you see examples of photographs that have been taken inside or outside in poor weather and check that you are happy with the results.<\/p>\n

\"How

Look for examples of how the photographer copes with bad weather<\/p><\/div>\n

6. What to look for when you look at a sample wedding album<\/p>\n

Choosing a wedding photographer is a personal matter so as you look at the wedding albums, you will know whether you like the images in them. Beyond that, you should look for albums that contain a good selection of images. There should be a variety of photos of the bride and groom, and the photographer should have images that capture the details such as the flowers, dress and\u00a0cake. I strive to include lots of detail images as these help to tell the story of the day.<\/p>\n

\"How

Images of the flowers, dress detail, cake and venue help to tell a story<\/p><\/div>\n

7. Pre wedding shoot<\/p>\n

A pre wedding photo shoot is a chance for the couple to get together with their wedding photographer in the run up to the big day. Some, but not all, photographers offer this and I find that it’s a great way for us to get to know each other and for me to find out more about the kind of images you like before<\/em> your wedding day. If you are anxious about having photographs taken, a pre-wedding shoot can help you overcome your nerves before your big day. Paul Holland Photography weddings include a pre wedding shoot in the package, at no additional cost.<\/p>\n

8. How do you want your wedding photographs?<\/p>\n

Decide how you want your photographs in advance of booking. Each photographer will offer a choice of different wedding photography packages and the prices can vary enormously. Think about whether you want a wedding album and if you do, do you want an album produced for you or would you prefer to create your own? Do you want all of your images as digital files (essential if you want to create your own album)? Do you want smaller albums to give as gifts to parents, grandparents and friends? If you are going for the option of having digital image files, ensure the photographer will edit the images for you before handing over the files. This can be a time consuming task when there are hundreds of image files so some photographers\u00a0will make an extra charge for the work. All of our packages include the digital image files from your wedding, fully edited and ready for you to use. Knowing what you want in advance means you can choose the package that best suits your requirements.<\/p>\n

9. Insurance<\/p>\n

Finally, don’t forget to find out if\u00a0the photographer is insured. Professional photographers should have public liability insurance and it\u2019s important to check that this is in place before you sign a contract.<\/p>\n

10. Planning your wedding photographs<\/p>\n

So, you have booked your wedding photographer, now you can start to plan ahead. Think about the photos you want and discuss these with your photographer. For example, you might want a\u00a0large group shot or photographs of specific groups of relatives if they don’t get the chance to get together very often. Or, there might be areas at the venue such as a staircase, gardens or lakeside that you want photographed. If these are the reasons\u00a0you chose a particular venue you\u00a0want to\u00a0make sure they are included in\u00a0your collection of photos! If you want photos away from the venue then it’s likely that extra time will need to be allowed for this.\u00a0How much time\u00a0obviously depends on distance but this is definitely something to discuss with your photographer (and your venue) in advance.<\/p>\n

\"How

The bride and groom had told me they wanted this view on their wedding day so I was able to plan this in advance, allowing enough time in the schedule for travel and photos.<\/p><\/div>\n

I hope\u00a0the article\u00a0helps to answer the original statement: how to choose a wedding photographer. Visit the web site to\u00a0see\u00a0more examples of my wedding photographs<\/a> and get in touch if you have any queries about wedding photography or comments on the article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There’s a lot of information out there on this topic but it’s not easy selecting the right person to photograph your wedding,\u00a0so<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[34,25],"tags":[26,29,28,27],"class_list":["post-113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","hentry","category-top-tips","category-wedding-photography","tag-how-to-choose-a-wedding-photographer","tag-kendal-wedding-photography","tag-lake-district-wedding-photographer","tag-wedding-photography","post_format-post-format-image"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7cStv-1P","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":441,"url":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/heritage-railway-wedding-photography\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":0},"title":"Heritage Railway Wedding","date":"31 July 2017","format":"image","excerpt":"I had the pleasure of doing the wedding photography for\u00a0Grant and Sarah's wedding earlier this month.\u00a0Shortly after their wedding\u00a0I spent\u00a0a day with them photographing them again at various heritage railway sites in Cumbria. I hadn't visited the locations until Grant and Sarah mentioned to me their ideas for having a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Heritage railway"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/steam-train-wedding.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":93,"url":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/photography-for-domestic-appliance-centre-kendal\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":1},"title":"Domestic Appliance Centre Kendal photography commission","date":"27 February 2016","format":"image","excerpt":"A few weeks ago I was\u00a0commissioned by Domestic Appliance Centre Kendal to create some images for their new web site (which went live recently). They wanted photographs that showed the huge range of appliances and parts they stock as well as their vehicles, the shop and members of the team.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commercial Photography"","img":{"alt_text":"Domestic Appliance Centre image 01","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Domestic-Appliance-Centre-01a.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":176,"url":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/personalised-photo-jigsaw-puzzles\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":2},"title":"Personalised Photo Jigsaw Puzzles","date":"9 March 2016","format":"image","excerpt":"Personalised Photo Jigsaw Puzzles We love Jigsaw Puzzles so offering personalised photo jigsaw puzzles seemed like a good idea! It doesn\u2019t matter if you are new to jigsaw puzzles or if you are a seasoned puzzler we have a photo jigsaw size for everyone. We can create your personalised jigsaw\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Photo Products"","img":{"alt_text":"Personalised photo jigsaw puzzles 01","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Personalised-photo-jigsaw-puzzle-01.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":199,"url":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/fantasy-art-photography\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":3},"title":"Fantasy Art Photography","date":"25 March 2016","format":"image","excerpt":"Fantasy Art Photography - unique digital art Last year I was asked by an art gallery to exhibit some of my portrait photographs. I didn't want to simply take images\u00a0that were on\u00a0the walls of my studio and\u00a0use them\u00a0in the exhibition so I did something a little different. I blended unique\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fantasy Art Photography"","img":{"alt_text":"Lifted - an original work of fantasy art photography by Paul Holland","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/1418-600x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":347,"url":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/lakes-international-comic-art-festival\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":4},"title":"Heroes and Villains – fantasy art photography (Comic Art)","date":"30 September 2016","format":"image","excerpt":"Heroes and Villains - my\u00a0Comic Art window trail display Every year, Kendal hosts\u00a0the Lakes International Comic Art Festival with workshops, films, talks\u00a0and demonstrations by some of the world's leading comic artists and writers. One of the event's attractions is the town's comic art window trail where shop and office windows\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","img":{"alt_text":"A selection of images for the comic art window trail","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Comic-Mix-600x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":467,"url":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/fairy-art-photography\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":5},"title":"Fairy Art Photography","date":"10 January 2018","format":"image","excerpt":"Fairy art by Paul Holland I thought I would start off the New Year by sharing some of the images from\u00a0recent fairy art photo shoots. The images here are from shoots which all took place in the studio late last year. I do a lot of fairy art photography and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fairy Art Photography"","img":{"alt_text":"Image of girl dressed as a fairy, blowing fairy dust","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Fairy-art-photography-3921.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136,"href":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113\/revisions\/136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holland-photography.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}