Pam Sutton from Leaves of Grass Photography www.leavesofgrassphotography.com/blog
was truly a perfect match. I had known her for years and always admired her work.
All wedding enthusiasts can give you their opinion about what matters most on your wedding day and while there are a lot of elements that are important, in my opinion the most significant is your Photographer. You won't have a suspended cake or perfect rustic table numbers to hold onto for the rest of your life, but you will have your photos. It's the one thing you can hand down to your children that captures the entirety of your big day.
I've read some really helpful articles on this subject, specifically:
www.rocknrollbride.com/2013/06/want-great-wedding-photographs-follow-these-ten-simple-tips/
She hands out some great advice and some that I may echo a tiny bit but for me this aspect of your wedding is what counts.
1.Set Your Budget
It might not be the most romantic part of the wedding planning process but it's crucial. Having a budget for your whole wedding is going to show whats most important to you both. It also promotes communication and compromise, something every couple should be learning early on.
My fiance and I knew we were going to put a huge chunk into photography. We made that decision early and it helped us see where we were going to have to cut back and DIY or where we could spend a bit more.
2.Research like Crazy
Looking into dozens of photographers is truly vital to finding your perfect fit. I was exhausted by the end of the vendor search but I knew finding a great photographer was going to be worth all the hassle.
When it came to making a final decision I felt completely comfortable picking Pamela. I had known her for years and her photography clicked with me immediately but that didn't mean I still didn't research for pricing and availability elsewhere. While I did end up finding cheaper photographers and better deals here and there I couldn't give in to lesser quality.
I'm sure you all have friends and family offering you great discounts and offers if you let them photograph your wedding. And while those deals generally can't be beat you want to make sure their photography style fits yours. You can't expect a natural light journalistic style photographer to be able to take extremely formal photos in a darkened ballroom or be able to insert a dinosaur into your photos through the magic of Photoshop. You have to decide what you want out of your photos and then go out and find the artists that fits otherwise you might come out extremely disappointed. With Pam this was her art work. I felt so honored to know how seriously she took every single photo for our engagement session and wedding. She treated each moment like she was creating art and it left me incredibly at ease.
When I was looking for photographers I personally knew a few photographers and loved all their work but the fit just wasn't for me. I knew Pamela was my photographer when I kept comparing other artists work to hers. I felt like they were all missing something but when I would look at her work I just felt it was the complete package.
4. Read Their Contract Before You Sign It
Once you've chosen your photographer it can be a whirlwind of excitement and pure joy to think the search is finally over. But before you sign the dotted line make sure to read the small print.
I forgot to really think through what I wanted to do with my photos. I wanted to be able to post the full album to Facebook and social media sites due to a lot of our friends and family living out of state and country. When I received my photos I e-mailed my photographer about posting them, out of respect and she directed me back to the contract I had signed stating that I was not allowed to post them on social media. I was crushed. I also understood that this was her standard and I hadn't researched and thought out enough to look ahead to when I would receive my photos and what I wanted to be able to do with them. Some photographers are more lenient on this matter then others and some are far more strict than others. She allowed me to post my photos after I pleaded ignorance. I still do not fault her one bit for initially telling me no due to the fact that I DID sign the contract and these were her art work.
Make sure what you're signing fits in with your future wants. Do you want to post them to Facebook? Do you want to be able to print them yourself privately? Do you want to share your DIY planned wedding on Pinterest? Make sure you and your photographer are on the same page
5. Trust Your Photographer
RockNRoll Bride's Kat Williams covers this wonderfully in her article above but I did want to add some
For me I trusted my photographer implicitly. I didn't have one care in the world in that field and it made my day fantastically simpler. I know I had that trust because I researched the heck out of every other photographer and I knew she was the one who would capture what I envisioned.
Pam, my fiance and I sat down over coffee two or three times and went over what we wanted and what she could provide. I had a Pinterest board with some inspiration for the big day, not shot for shot inspiration but general aesthetic. And she was totally on board with it and got me. I know I might have been a bit controlly here and there but overall I fully trusted her.
While I do encourage you to go over a shot list with your photographer (formals with family and bridal parties) I wouldn't advise you to give him/her more than 10 shots you specifically need ( You know what I mean too, the crossing of hands to make the word "LOVE" in the air or the specific moment he puts the ring on your finger) once you start tallying up the requests the more your photographer can feel you're not trusting them and that puts them on alert.
Having a Pinterest with some general ideas that you'd like is fine but the expectation that you'll have every single one of those shots recreated is total chaos waiting to happen.
6. Take A Risk
Now this one is a bit out there but hear me out
A lot of photographers have seconds. Those are the people they trust to catch the smaller details or events from a different angle. Generally these people are hoping to branch out at some point and start their own photography business and wouldn't you be the genius person to be one of their first branch out clients. This can be known to go over extremely successfully or can crash and burn. Again, this is where their portfolio and your research can come in handy.
7. Uncle Ted is NOT a Real Photographer
Listen, I'm all about free stuff. Free stuff makes my bank account happy and generally my financially finicky husband. But, when it comes to your wedding photos don't trust Unclea, Aunts, Cousins or Siblings to take your photos unless they have a professional portfolio and a working knowledge of their equipment. Treat them like you would any other vendor hoping for your business, ask them tons of questions and ask for their work. Ask them about their equipment (lenses, type of camera, the cameras abilities) you might not know what they're talking about but if they don't even know- you've got a problem.
I have seen far too many brides in tears over the atrocious photos they were given all because they trusted a family member or friend to cover their day. I've heard of brides having to do a complete re-shoot with their entire wedding parties and families months later due to the ghastly results of the first go round. This ends with unnecessary spending after the wedding that you shouldn't have to struggle to budget into your first few months as husband and wife.
These are the things that for me really came to the surface as I planned my wedding and have planned the wedding for others. If you have any extra tips, please leave a comment below!
All Photography Credit- Pam Sutton at Leaves of Grass Photography
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