How Wedding Photography Works

If you’ve never had a wedding, you probably have some questions about how wedding photography works.  Here is a quick and easy breakdown about wedding photography.

Step One: Pick Your Wedding Photographer This step is generally the hardest.  There are a lot of wedding photographers out there! Why are there so many? There's are a lot of different reasons but mostly it has to do with being an easy field to step into.  You don’t need a lot of equipment to get started and it seems like it is really easy (spoiler - it’s not!). This tends to split the market into two types of wedding photographers: Part Timers/Hobbyists and Professionals.  Generally, you can pay $0 to about $1500 for a Part-time wedding photographer and $2000 on up for a professional.  There is a lot of overlap in between there depending on the market and the individual photographers.  The best way to pick your photographer is to first decide on your budget, and then find a photographer whose pictures you love. After you put together a short list of 2-3 photographers, set up meetings, see what each photographer offers, and decides on who you really want to spend the day with. Your photographer will literally follow you around the entire evening - so they better be someone you want to hang out with for the night.

Step Two: Once you pick your wedding photographer you can take advantage of any engagement or boudoir shoots they offer before the wedding.  We strongly recommend booking an engagement shoot. It is a test run between you and the photographer. You can make sure you enjoy working with your photographer, and that you like how your images turn out. It also gives your photographer an idea of how you feel and react to being in front of the camera which can help them plan out pictures and get to know what kinds of pictures you like the most.

Step Three: Make a list of the formal pictures you want. Professional photographers know you want pictures walking down the aisle and of the first kiss, but they don’t know your guest list or family members. The list you should make should be a list of family pictures you want. A list of no more than 20 formals is a great way to keep things moving quickly.  Bonus tip: Nominate a friend or family member who is not afraid to be heard and knows almost everyone, to call out, and hunt down, family members for each picture. If you are self conscious about any part of your body, now is the time to make sure your photographer knows so they can do their best to minimize your body fears in your images.

Step Four: Get Married! Your wedding photographer will be the fly on the wall all night. Don’t hesitate to ask for advice (Do you know how to bustle this dress?!) and ask them for a special picture with your Great Aunt who surprised you at the wedding! Your photographer is a resource, use them!

Step Five: See you pictures! A few weeks after the wedding you’ll see your images for the first time. Depending on your photographer and what you ordered, you may be selecting images for your wedding album at this meeting. Pick out your favorites and be sure to ask your photographer for help filling out your album’s story.

Step Six: Print your pictures, share them online and enjoy them! Most of all, enjoy each other and the life you’ll build together.