Selecting a Photographer

Portfolio is undoubtedly the most important aspect of selecting a photographer.  If you don't like the photographer's images then there is no point in going any further. That's not to say that you will love every image in their portfolio, but you must like the feel of the images.  Review several wedding portfolios from different weddings. Every couple and wedding has its own style/flavor and looking at multiple weddings will give you an idea about the photographer's breadth, and how they adapt to different situations.

My online Portfolio 

 

Personality, the photographer's personality will be a critical part of the your wedding day. After all, on your wedding day you will likely spend more time with the photographer, than anybody else, even your fiancé. Your photographer will be when you are getting ready, during pre-ceremony pictures, during the ceremony, during post-ceremony pictures, at the reception, and sometimes beyond that.  You want someone who you will get along with and who will blend in with your friends and family, someone who isn't pushy, but is efficient.  

To learn about a photographer's personality talk with the photographer.  Read online comments made about the photographer, sometimes on the photographer's site, and sometimes on independent sites.  Finally, when you have narrowed down your choice to a single photographer, talk to at least 2 of his brides or grooms.  They will provide you with insights on how the photographer actually performed at their wedding.  Things you might want to ask a bride about the photographer are:

1. How well did you like the photographer at your wedding?
2. How well did they blend in with your wedding?
3. How well did they interact with your guest and family?
4. Were the relaxed and calm or frantic during the wedding/reception?
5. Were they dressed professionally?
6. Were they efficient taking pictures?
7. Did they leave early or sooner than you would have liked?
8. Did you get your proofs, prints, or album in a timely manner?
9. Would you hire them again?

Feel free to call and talk with me or set up a meeting, 425.402.7000, and as you narrow down your search to one or two photographers, I am happy to provide you contact information for my past couples, so you can talk to them and learn about their experience with me. 
You can also read here about what brides think about my services. 
Read what brides said about me on an independent web site

Professionalism, refers to how the photographer approaches, shoots, and handles the prints or album for your wedding.  Many factors are part of professionalism, quality of photography, good communication,  equipment the photographer uses, working personality, and their efficiency at the job.

You will learn a great deal about a photographer professionalism by talking to their references and learning how the photographer handled themselves before, during, and after the wedding.  (See the questions above)

Other factors that can contribute to a being a professional photographer and which you may wish to consider are

• Is the photographer a member of a professional photography organization?  Although belonging to a professional organization doesn't make you a good photographer, it generally does show that the photographer is committed to their profession and interested in staying abreast of the latest in issues in photography.
  
  I am a member of the "Professional Photographers of America, PPA",  "Wedding and Portrait Photographers International, WPPI", and "The Professional Photographers of California"
   
• Do they participate in regular training to keep fresh and updated?  Right now photography is in a major state of flux with the transition to digital photography, staying up on the technology is a difficult task and is probably best done in a training environment.  Plus photographers getting together with other photographers and seeing their work exposes the photographer to new ideas and fresh styles.
  
  Every year I spend 6 days in industry specific training
   
• Do they use professional grade equipment?  Unlike when you go the grocery store and can buy "Professional Grade" drain cleaner for a few pennies more than the "consumer grade", with photographic equipment professional grade really does mean huge differences in the quality of the images, the durability of the equipment and the price.  Photographers who are serious about the quality of their work will only use professional level cameras and lenses.
  
  I use only professional level equipment
   
• Do they carry backup equipment?  This is important because your wedding will only happen once, and the pictures from your wedding can never be recreated.  If the photographer doesn't carry backup equipment and something goes wrong who will take the pictures of your wedding?
  
  I carry backup cameras, lenses, and flashes - short of getting hit by a truck nothing will stop me from getting you great images for your wedding
   
• Is the backup equipment the same caliber as their primary equipment?  This is at least as important as having backup equipment.  Two things come into play here, you probably wouldn't want a photographer who carried a cheap camera as their "backup", because you want the quality of your wedding pictures to be the same from start to finish.  Ideally the photographer's backup camera should be an exact duplicate of their primary camera, this insures that the quality of the images will be good from beginning to end.  Plus the last thing you want in a fast moving wedding situation is a photographer who is trying to learning how to use their backup camera that is different than their primary equipment.
  
  The backup equipment I use is exactly the same as my primary equipment, yes this cost a little more, but if I have to switch cameras for some reason you get exact the same quality images.

About the equipment I use 

Price - Price is important, however, my advice is to spend as much money as is required to hire the photographer with the portfolio/style and personality you like the most.  You can always get prints and albums months or even a year after the wedding, however, if you try to save a few dollars and the photographer doesn't capture the images that you want, you will never have them - no matter how much you spend after the wedding or get as part of a wedding package.

Learn more about my packages