The 10 Biggest Mistakes Brides Make When Hiring Wedding Photographers

06 February 2008

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Picking a wedding photographer is fraught with risk and making the wrong choice can ruin the one thing that creates a lasting, material memory of your big day.

Most of us only get to make this decision once, and selecting the right photographer can be confusing and stressful. You would be surprised how many people can regret not spending more time on it, and often the people who do have fallen into the same traps.

This article will help you pick the best wedding photographer for you. You only have one chance to make the right decision.

1. Thinking All Photographers Are The Same

No two people are the same. We all have our own ways of working, our own strengths and weaknesses. This also applies to photographers.

There are many different kinds of wedding photography, such as candid, groups, traditional, and bridal portraiture. And within each field there are many disciplines to excel at, or not.

If you want family group shots and formal pictures of the bride and groom, look at photographers who show great examples of that type of work. Don’t waste your time talking to a photographer who only shows reportage.

There is nothing wrong with any approach, as long as it fits in with the day you want. So give it some thought and research to find photographers who offer that.

2. Buying Based on Price Alone

Buying the cheapest or most expensive is not necessarily the best way to go. In any market, you will find companies at both ends of the scale, and plenty in between.

The key word when it comes to any purchase is value, and the same is true of wedding photography. You want to get good value for money.

Going for the cheapest photographer may cause more problems than it solves:

Cheap wedding photographers don’t stand behind their work if they make a mistake. You could end up with no pictures because they messed up. Or maybe you only get a few photographs when you were expecting dozens.

You get what you pay for. How much are you prepared to pay for a bad experience and pictures you don’t like?

Secondly, low price usually means low quality. The best wedding photographers charge in the region of £10,000 per wedding. The guy who charges £250 does so because he knows he’s not worth £10,000.

If he values his products and service this low, who are we to argue?

Quality is also important not just for the presentation. If you don’t want your wedding photographs in a £4.99 supermarket album, you need to think about investing more.

Then there are the added extras. You could end up paying extra for things you hadn’t considered, like having a weekend wedding, paying in instalments, or even getting your choice of wedding albums.

A cheap £300 deal can end up costing £1000 or more. So make sure you know what you’re paying for.

3. You Think Just Having The Right Gear Is Enough.

Many photographers have state-of-the-art equipment, but that does not mean they know how to use it.

A photographer friend of mine met a guest at one of his weddings who was using a £25,000 Hasselblad H3D Camera, but openly admitted he had no idea how to change many of the settings!

Without the knowledge and creativity to use it they may as well be using a disposable camera.

4. You Ask a Friend/Relative to Take Your Pictures & Expect Professional Results.

When it comes to family and friends offering to photograph your wedding, you can become a little blinkered. These offers have to be turned down if you want great wedding pictures.

Have you been to a wedding and thought, “the photographer makes it look so easy”? That’s because he is a professional. He has photographed countless weddings and got his system down to a tee.

In reality wedding photography is tough, stressful and very fast paced. Most if not all inexperienced wedding photographers would have a hard time keeping up and getting the desired results.

There is nothing wrong with booking an amateur, just don’t expect professional results from them.

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