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Wedding Articles and Information - Articles Main Page |
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As
a recruiting manager for a photography agency that specializes in
weddings, I spend most of my day searching for great photographers. I
feel a special bond with the thousands of brides-to-be who start their
own search every year. I don’t mean to brag, but its tough work. For
this reason, I want to share my own experience and ideas on how to avoid
the three most common mistakes people make when looking for a wedding
photographer. Don’t be ashamed if you’ve already made one… or all
of the mistakes I’m going to discuss. That’s the reason they’re
COMMON mistakes. Lots of people make them. Whether you’re just getting
started, or starting to give up, we hope these tips will help ease the
pain. Tip
#1: Know what you’re looking for before you start the process. Now,
you might be asking; “how do I know what I’m looking for, if I
don’t do a little window shopping?” I agree completely. I encourage
window-shopping, but in this case, that window should be your computer
screen, a friend’s wedding album, magazines… anything that you can
use to get an initial sense of the visual style that appeals to you.
Look at the tone of the images you like. How emotional are they? How
intimate? How visually creative? Use this to define what you’re
looking for in a photographer. Look
through photos in the comfort of your home, and focus in on the style
that really moves you. You may find a few different styles of
photography that appeal to you. Try to limit your search to no more than
2 or 3 styles, to avoid image overload. You’ll never find one
photographer who is an expert at EVERY style, so prioritize your
favorites. Pick one style you care most about, say photojournalistic, or
editorial or traditional and look for photographers who can specialize
in that style, while maybe having some experience shooting your second
and third choices. Armed with this information about YOUR preferences
upfront, you will avoid this common mistake and save yourself a lot of
headaches. The
process that you shouldn’t jump into right away is making phonecalls,
sending emails and setting up in-person meetings with photographers. The
time for that will come very quickly, but, believe it or not, starting
that too early can do more harm than good. Think about it this way:
meeting with a photographer will take you between 2 and 3 hours,
including emails, phone calls, traveling to and from the studio, and the
meeting itself. If you do this five times, without having a clear idea
of what you want, not only will you be susceptible to being sold into a
package that may not be right for you, you will find yourself exhausted
and probably more confused at the end of 15 wasted hours. Tip
#2: Don’t take friends’ referrals blindly. Again,
this may sound crazy. Referrals from friends are great at telling you
about a photographer’s professionalism, their communication style, and
how they follow up on issues that come up before, during or after the
shoot. That kind of information can take a lot of the pressure off of
the interview process. What a referral cannot do is guarantee that the
photographer’s visual style or approach is exactly what you are
looking for. That is the kind of information you will get from READING
the photographer’s portfolio and looking out for the kinds of images
you want to see in your own wedding album. A
quick side note here: photographers are no more and no less honest than
you or I. They aren’t out to lie to you, but they may be eager to get
you as a client. As such, the questions you ask them about their style
and approach should be much less important to you than what you actually
SEE in their portfolios. And there is no right answer here. Only you
know what images will appeal to you. You SHOULD know what you’re
looking for… if you followed my advice from tip 1. Friends
are a great way to get help in your search for a photographer, but be
sure to use your own eyes to make the final decision. Cousin Mabel may
be sweet and smart and charming, and have some great advice for you, but
if you don’t share her exact taste in clothing, furniture, or food,
you may not share the same taste in photography. Tip
#3: Don’t meet with too many photographers. You
probably didn’t expect a science lesson but unfortunately you’re
gonna get one. Studies have found that the typical human brain cannot
hold more than 7 pieces of information at one time. So if you’re, say,
walking to work AND chewing gum at the same time, you can’t possibly
be comparing 10 photographers on top of that. In fact, try it, and
you’ll be lucky not to end up walking into traffic. Speaking
seriously, the one word I hear from brides most often is
“overwhelmed”. You all know there is a lot of planning to be done,
and far too little time, no matter how much you’ve set aside. Some
people try to rise to the challenge by OVERbooking themselves. They have
to quit their jobs and hire personal assistants just to schedule all the
vendor interviews. What
I do for a living is interview dozens of photographers throughout the
year. I haven’t gone crazy yet, but remember, it IS my fulltime job.
Your fulltime job is something else, and you really do have a limited
amount of time and brain power to devote to this. Limit
your meetings to a very short list of photographers whose work has wowed
you online, or in a brochure. Also, keep the meetings brief. They’re
not job interviews or lie detector tests. Most of what you need to know
about a photographer will be found in their photos. How they deal with
people can be seen in the level of comfort you see on people’s faces
in the portfolio. How hands-on they are will be seen in the amount of
posing you see in their work. How intimate they get with the subjects
can be seen in the closeness and emotion of the photos. Their technical
ability and visual creativity will make itself known right through the
quality and artistic style of the images you see. Use the interview just
to get a sense of personality, and rapport. Can you connect with this
person? How do they deal with questions and follow-up? Make sure you
express your thoughts to the photographer, and take note of how he or
she responds to your ideas and suggestions. Finding
a great photographer doesn’t have to be the most serious task of your
life. There are agencies like my own that help brides manage the work it
takes to find the right person, but with a little patience and an
adventurous spirit, you can do some of the work on your own. Know
yourself, don’t overdo it, and have fun.
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