CHOOSING A GREAT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!  If you have been shopping for a photographer you are probably overwhelmed, our goal is to help you learn what sets us apart as professional photographers. It is important that you make an educated choice when choosing the one and only person in charge of capturing memories of your special day.

Please note that these tips are what the not-so professionals don't want the bride to know.

Photography is an unlicensed profession
There are very few professions that are open to anyone instantaneously.  In order to become a lawyer, doctor or teacher one must get an education in these fields.  Photography is different because it is an unlicensed profession, so anyone can claim to be a professional photographer; and a lot of people do just that. Although some people think that wedding photography is an art that has no good or bad side to it, that is just not true for professional wedding photography. There are many posing and lighting issues that the photographer must be knowledgable about since everyone has a different shape body and face. This along with a multitude of other factors play a huge role in making the couple look beautiful. You can't just learn this stuff online, you have to mentor with a qualified photographer that is constanly instructing while shooting real clients to get the real tricks of the trade. Both Jeff and Sabrina at JS Photography were mentored by some of the great masters before ever opening up a studio. At the same time they were mentoring in the commercial world they were also going to college for photography to get their BFA and MFA in photography.

A great way to know if you are hiring a professional is by choosing a photographer with formal education in photography from a university (to learn about our educational background please visit the about page on this site).  Having taken a few courses here and there as electives in college is something that amateurs and enthusiasts do.

Experience
Following education, nothing is more important than experience.  Experienced photographers have hundreds of weddings under their belts, have seen it all, and can handle any situation on your wedding day.  An experienced photographer knows corrective posing for various body and face shapes, they also know how to make you look your best. Lighting also plays an important role in shaping someones body features, you have to do a whole lot of portraiture to know how to deal with all shapes and sizes of people. Some studios are fairly new and charge top prices, so keep your eye on the quality because expensive doesn't always means good.
You are encouraged to ask for references!

Portfolio
This is a very touchy subject for me. While portfolio is a factor in choosing a photographer it should not be the only factor. In my opinion every photographer should have a nice portfolio now with all the options for digital enhancements. Breaking down a portfolio requires the viewer to first strip away all the gimmicky camera tricks, special effects, over saturation and photo-filters. Ask yourself a few simple questions. Does the photographer know how to photograph someone of my body shape and size? Does the photographer shoot from flattering angles or do you see a lot of up the nose shots or butt enlarging going on in the images? Is the lighting soft and pretty or is it hard and ugly? Do the skin tones look right or is a bad color balance masked by random unnessesary color filters? What is the contrast level of the images, do you see a lot of competing tones that make you want to look away from the image, for instance white sky competing with dark skin tone? Does the image really capture the moment or could your friend have taken that candid?

Uncle Charlie vs. a professional photographer
If you are considering a family member that has a cool camera and loves photography to be responsible for your lasting memories please remember that untrained photographers have never developed a consistent style or workflow (file processing, post-production, and back up) and lack all the proper professional equipment and lighting gear.  Knowing how to make people look their best is also part of being a pro, your buddy or uncle won't know all the tricks and certainly can't find them all out online.

Value
Running a professional photography business even from home is quite expensive. A real professional photographer is usually only about 20% more than someone that just got started and has some nice equipment. Someone without nice equipment can do it for much less but then you have to suffer with out of focus images, slow autofocus which misses candid moments, camera malfunction, poor lighting, not enough memory cards etc etc. The list can go on forever, the good gear costs a lot of money, go look it up on Nikon or Canon's website, you want your photographer to be using the $5000 camera with the $2000 lenses anything less is,.......well.....a loss on the bride's part.

Fall in love with your photographer
We joke about this around the studio but it really is true.  Since wedding photography is so involving you will see your photographer more than any other wedding vendor you hire.  So make sure you fall in love with the one you choose!

Style (Photojournalism, Candid, Romantic)
Over the past 10 years or so a style of wedding photography coined as "Wedding Photojournalism" sprung up and is currently moving out of trend.  The reason is because couples end up missing crucial shots such as family arrangements that don't happen on their own  and are an important part of the family history.   At JS Photography we cover the wedding in multiple stylistic perspectives.  There will be times when we pose you, times for candid or "photo journalistic coverage", romantics and creative shots.  This truly allows us to create a full flowing storybook wedding album.

Natural Light Photographer
I am seeing this title being tossed around almost as much as the people that used to call themselves natural photographers or photojournalist wedding photographers. While natural light is beautiful for sunset and sunrise photography it must be understood that using only natural light at your wedding will result in poor quality lighting and poor images in general. A wedding photographer actually must be well equipped to handle various lighting situations. If you want nice photographs made at any other time during the day other than 15 minutes at sunset and 15 minutes at sunrise you had better get someone that knows how to make their lighting look like natural light. A good wedding photographer will have all the gear and know how to handle any lighting situation.

Bridal Albums
Choosing a photographer based on album prices is a really bad idea. Bridal albums have varying degrees of craftsmanship which dictate the prices.  The album brand, page count, paper style, various cover options and quality is what changes the price.  We can match the price of almost any professional photographer's album prices.

Business License
Make sure your photographer has a business license; anyone who does not is operating illegally.

Liability & Indemnity Insurance
Insurance is very important to help protect you and your guests.  Employing a photographer without proper insurance can expose the bride and groom to liability.  In fact, most venues require proof of insurance.

Backup Equipment
Digital cameras may malfunction and can crash just like a computer.  True professionals have plenty of backup equipment and merely pick up a replacement and continue shooting.

Original Creation
A professional will guarantee that every image was created by their studio for their clients. Unfortunately some photographers show images that were created at workshops under instructor supervision, where no original creation was done, and pass them off as their own work.

Low Pressure
Don’t be pressured into signing a contract immediately.  With whom you entrust your memories is an extremely important decision and you need to complete your research.  Professionals are confident with their abilities and products and will never coerce you to make a decision that you are not comfortable with. Be wary of high-pressure sales tactics. 

To ensure you will get the most out of this special event, it is important to develop your list of goals before or while you meet with photographers.  While a professional might have great advice on how to make certain situations better on your day, they should not pressure you to do something you don't want (such as see each other before the ceremony).

Accessibility
Since photography is their full-time career, professional photographers are available daily to take care of all of your questions and needs.

Full Service
Because a true professional photographer has an established reputation in your community, you can rely on them before, during, and after your wedding.  In fact, they may well become your family photographer for life!

Professional Lab
Your photographer should only use professional labs.  This ensures that your images are printed on archival materials to the highest standards of quality, unlike drug store and homemade prints.

Personality
Since you cannot tell personality by a website, you should meet with the person who will be photographing your wedding to make sure you have good chemistry. 

Archiving 
Whether you purchase your files or not, make sure that your images are properly archived.  While it is costly, professionals will store your images on multiple media formats and place duplicates in safes and/or offsite locations.

Referrals
Get recommendations from brides and wedding vendors who actually work with photographers. 

Can anyone join professional photographer's organizations?
Although anyone can join professional organizations such as the Professional Photographers of America just by paying the dues, these organizations provide photographers with valuable continuing education opportunities. Just having a PPA or WPPI logo on a website gives very
little information to the consumer and does not indicate the level of dedication a photographer has. Once again, choosing a degreed professional with education in photography from a university is the best way to ensure your memories are in the hands of a true dedicated
professional.

When interviewing photographers, don’t be afraid to ask them to be specific when accounting for their experience and qualifications.

True professional photography is not expensive, it's priceless!

There are many more topics to cover.  We would love to have you at our studio for a free consultation where we can get in depth with any additional questions as well as your wedding plans.

Call our studio today to schedule your consultation!
(352) 372-4462

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