A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER’S WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
Planning your wedding can be a lot! I know, I have been there! This is why I want to share with you what it was like for me as a bride when it came to finding our wedding photographer!
In all honesty I don’t find this planning business daunting. I have been to 10-15 weddings a year for the last 4 years and over that time I have been taking it all in! The number of guests, the food, the dresses, the music, the wedding party, ALL of it! I knew where I wanted our wedding, what type of food I wanted, what type of reception I wanted and who I wanted to stand up with me long before Sean asked.
Now having said all of that I guess I didn’t know who was going to capture our wedding day. The number one response I get from people when they find out I’m engaged is “Congratulations! But who is going to be your photographer?” Generally my response was something along the lines of “Ha! That’s the million dollar question right there!”
I follow the work of a lot of photographers in Niagara, Ontario, Canada and the world. There is a lot of talent out there and many who have a similar aesthetic as me. But as corny as this may sound I needed to feel the warm and fuzzies for someone before I was going to take the plunge and write that all important inquiry.
They needed to be approachable, down to earth and be in love with love! I also wanted someone who was going to be a calming presence on my day. I truly hope I’m laid back and one of those “go with the flow” brides but you never know!
I belong to a couple photography groups and I have followed many of my fellow members on social media. Soon after we moved into the condo we had in Burlington, I got a simple message, just a “Welcome to Burlington” from one of my fellow photo group photographer’s. The thing was I had been admiring her work for a while and just that simple greeting really made me take notice. So for about 2 months I read what she wrote, followed her travels back home to South Africa and laughed out loud after reading parts of her website. When I finally worked up the courage to contact her (It felt a bit like I was applying to school… PLEASE ACCEPT ME!!) I made it clear that even if she wasn’t available on our date that I would love to meet up for coffee and a chat one day.
Well… when I saw her name appear in my inbox my heart stopped, this was it, the moment! The email wasn’t generic or automated. Her response was warm and full of personality and the best part was that it included very good news. After a little happy dance I sent it to a few of my coworkers and friends and of course Sean who was thrilled for me.
We met with Christine and things felt as right as they did when I met Sean!
I’m a photographer, the pictures mattered to me but I also drew from my many days spent with brides. I love working with people who love to work with me and that is one of the reasons I was so set on not only loving our wedding photographer’s work, but also loving them as a person. My biggest piece advice is to meet a perspective photographer, follow their social media and learn about them! Don’t rely solely on a price brochure to make your final decision. You are spending a large part of your day with this person, make sure you actually want to. You’ll be more comfortable overall and your pictures will benefit from a genuine connection!
SOME ADVICE FROM THE OTHER SIDE!
Don’t google a bunch of photographers in your area and send the same “What are your prices?” email to all of them, without even checking out their site!
Do your research! Find what style suits your tastes before you reach out!
Once you find your style, do a more in-depth dive into photographers who have that style – follow them on instagram, facebook and check out their website.
Photographers aren’t corporations. When you email, most likely you’ll be connecting directly with the photographer. Be personable! Sell yourself! You want them to want to work with you as much as you want to work with them!
Whether you want to proceed with a meeting or not, let the photographer know. No one likes to hear they aren’t the one but it’s good to know either way! IE. Ghosting isn’t cool!
