How to Tie-Break Your Wedding Photographer Choice

Kristin Gulledge
Jul 24, 2017 · 4 min read
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Because my oldest brother knows I’ve photographed weddings, happy couples, and events for almost a decade (am I old enough to say that now?!), he wanted my advice on which photographer to go with for his upcoming wedding. They are deciding between two, and wanted my opinion for the tie-breaker. (As a disclaimer to the obvious, he made sure to tell me they didn’t choose me because he actually wanted me to enjoy his big day… of which I was appreciative.)

After few email correspondences, I realized that there are some things I’ve learned as a photographer over the years that could be handy for any bridal couple to look for as they get ready for their big day. So below are some bits of wisdom that may or may not be wise, but hopefully helpful.


  1. First: Make sure you like the photographer’s WORK. Each photographer has a style. Regardless of whether they give you a great deal, they’re your best friend’s sister, or whatever…if you don’t like their work you shouldn’t go with them. This is your day, and photography is their business. So don’t worry about hurting your best friend’s little sister’s feelings; these are your memories you’re talking about. You have the right to be choosy in picking your photographer.
  2. Make sure they have enough consistent work. Sure, the best-of gallery is a great sample. But that’s just it: a sample. If you’re deciding between which photographer to go with, a good idea is to look at some of their entire collections of work, so that you’ll get an idea of the collection you can expect from them on your day. It’s helpful to see what work they have created from similar lighting situations as your venues have and similar ceremony types.
  3. Look at what their indoor shots look like — Indoor venues can be gorgeous, but often times have multiple light sources which throw color temperatures and skin tones off. The photographer should be very skilled in post-production editing, specifically with temperature and color to deal with these.
  4. …As well as what their bright daylight shots look like. Outside has its difficulties too. For the majority of the day, cities that have sun (just ignore this, Portland), will mean that the sunshine will be super harsh, casting unflattering shadows on the wedding party (read: your mother-in-law is gonna be so mad at you for making her look wrinkly). Bright sunlight also makes it easy to overexpose the photos, which isn’t ideal either. Your photographer will need to prepare well for that, and know how to play the sun to their advantage, or how to corral your wedding party into the shade.
  5. Don’t just go with what is cheaper; understand what you are paying for. It’s not just someone snapping pictures with a nice camera; you are paying for a crucial element of your wedding day experience. Amongst other things, you are paying for: the skill to know which moments must be captured and ability to capture them well (you typically don’t redo stuff on your wedding day), a needle-in-haystack attention to detail while not neglecting the big picture (literally, har har), the ability to create compositions on the go, and the ninja skills to maneuver around crowds to get the right shots with the right camera settings that will work with the composition / lighting / focus — capturing all the right moments…without being obtrusive. not to mention the years and years of photographing events that they have gone through to craft these very specific and particular skills.
  6. Oh and don’t forget post-production. We’re still talking about what you’re paying for — it just takes at least two bullet points to get through this list. Post-production includes managing millions of files, picking out which moments best tell the story of your day, and editing each photo with incredible patience. This can take hours and hours and hours. Well, I guess it takes hours and podcasts and maybe a swear word or two upon finding something like a perfect moment caught on camera that, on further inspection, was an inch out of focus. **curse words**
  7. Personalities matter. The photographer can have a calming or stressful influence on the entire wedding party, and therefore your entire day, so make sure your personalities work well together. A good photographer will know how to direct a crowd without stressing them out. Just like eating at a restaurant, your waiter can totally make or break your experience.

So get out there and get choosy! But after you choose a photographer, remember that you chose them and their style. So after you choose, no micromanaging. You have to trust them to do their thing.

I guess it’s kind of like choosing your partner. I’ve been in this game (both the dating game and the wedding photography game) long enough to know that you can’t Mr. Potatohead people together as you date, and you can’t do that for photographers either.

Kristin Gulledge

Written by

brand strategist, graphic & web designer, fine artist, photographer, writer, music lover. industry: digital marketing. occasionally clever.

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