Deciding Between Photographers

manicpixidream

So I have a specific problem with choosing our wedding photographer. We have two options. One my fiancé likes and was recommended by a friend of his. She is a great photographer with lots of experience and is very artistic. Unfortunately, she completely creeps me out and I don't really want to work with her. She would also use up our entire photography/videography budget. Our second potential photographer is an old friend of mine from high school who I don't see often (i.e. I can tell him "no" and it won't ruin my social life). He is very sweet, excited about the project, and I know I could work well with him. However, he is not anywhere close to as experienced as the first option. His work is good, but nowhere near as extensive or refined in style. He is also considerably less expensive than she is. My fiancé has tired of the argument and gave me the deciding vote. I want to make an intelligent decision about this, but I'm completely torn about it. I want good wedding photos, but I also want us to be able to get along with the photographer and feel comfortable. Plus a thousand or more less looks pretty nice considering our limited budget. HELP!

charlotte989875

manicpixidream said:

So I have a specific problem with choosing our wedding photographer. We have two options. One my fiancé likes and was recommended by a friend of his. She is a great photographer with lots of experience and is very artistic. Unfortunately, she completely creeps me out and I don't really want to work with her. She would also use up our entire photography/videography budget. Our second potential photographer is an old friend of mine from high school who I don't see often (i.e. I can tell him "no" and it won't ruin my social life). He is very sweet, excited about the project, and I know I could work well with him. However, he is not anywhere close to as experienced as the first option. His work is good, but nowhere near as extensive or refined in style. He is also considerably less expensive than she is. My fiancé has tired of the argument and gave me the deciding vote. I want to make an intelligent decision about this, but I'm completely torn about it. I want good wedding photos, but I also want us to be able to get along with the photographer and feel comfortable. Plus a thousand or more less looks pretty nice considering our limited budget. HELP!

Are these the only two options? What about looking for a third candidate?

if these are the only two; what "creeps you out" about the photographer? Is there something she did or said that you could speak with her about? You really want to be, at the very least, comfortable about your photographer especially if they are around while you're getting ready, you're doing any individual shots, and spending the whole day with them. 

If its something you can't get over id look into another photographer. 

glasgowtolondon

I'd definitely save the money and your sanity and go with the cheaper-but-still-good option. Yes you want your photos to be the best quality they can be, but you also want to be relaxed and happy on the day. You could end up dropping a ton of $ for photos that don't work because you have a creeped out face on all day. From what the married ladies on these boards tell us, chances are you won't even look at your photos half as much as you might think you will. Hope that helps!

photokitty

If go with the cheaper option or keep looking. In my experience, if youse uncomfortable with the photog it will show in your photos. Comfort level is just as important as experience and equipment IMO. GL!

ernursej

Look for a third or fourth option and then decide from all of them put together. I would not go with someone that creeps me out. I personally have no problem with inexperienced as most people really only display a few of the photos. I'm sure that most photographers could produce a few decent photographs.

SaintPaulGal

charlotte989875 said:

manicpixidream said:

So I have a specific problem with choosing our wedding photographer. We have two options. One my fiancé likes and was recommended by a friend of his. She is a great photographer with lots of experience and is very artistic. Unfortunately, she completely creeps me out and I don't really want to work with her. She would also use up our entire photography/videography budget. Our second potential photographer is an old friend of mine from high school who I don't see often (i.e. I can tell him "no" and it won't ruin my social life). He is very sweet, excited about the project, and I know I could work well with him. However, he is not anywhere close to as experienced as the first option. His work is good, but nowhere near as extensive or refined in style. He is also considerably less expensive than she is. My fiancé has tired of the argument and gave me the deciding vote. I want to make an intelligent decision about this, but I'm completely torn about it. I want good wedding photos, but I also want us to be able to get along with the photographer and feel comfortable. Plus a thousand or more less looks pretty nice considering our limited budget. HELP!

Are these the only two options? What about looking for a third candidate?

if these are the only two; what "creeps you out" about the photographer? Is there something she did or said that you could speak with her about? You really want to be, at the very least, comfortable about your photographer especially if they are around while you're getting ready, you're doing any individual shots, and spending the whole day with them. 

If its something you can't get over id look into another photographer. 

Ding ding ding!  These are not the only two photographers in the world.  No way should you pay a bunch of money to be shot by someone who "creeps [you] out."  (Why exactly though?  Nosy/inquiring minds want to know.)  But that doesn't mean you should go with an inexperienced old friend.  Friends as vendors are almost always a bad idea, and that goes double for someone whose portfolio of work is what you yourself would describe as minimal and unrefined.

As it happens, I have a very close friend who went the "old chum" route and deeply regrets it.  The situation was almost identical: old friend from school, smallish body of work, fine-but-not-amazing quality, somewhat lower priced than the competition but not ultra discounted.  When they got the photos back, the majority of the shots were of old mutual friends from "back in the day."  None of these people could currently be described as the couple's nearest and dearest, and most are people they virtually never even see anymore.  The actual VIPs were barely featured.  The quality was also not what they had been hoping for.  In the end, it tainted the relationship between the bride and an old friend and left a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

manicpixidream

So I'm still deliberating. UGH. It's coming down to a pros and cons list. Big pro for the friend photographer: he's super excited about the project. Con: still inexperienced. Big pro for creepy lady: experienced and good photography. Con: still makes me uncomfortable.

To the question of finding other photographers: our area is very expensive and it's hard to sift through the singular ones. Honestly, neither option is my dream option, but these are the two we've come down to.

photokitty

manicpixidream said:

So I'm still deliberating. UGH. It's coming down to a pros and cons list. Big pro for the friend photographer: he's super excited about the project. Con: still inexperienced. Big pro for creepy lady: experienced and good photography. Con: still makes me uncomfortable.

To the question of finding other photographers: our area is very expensive and it's hard to sift through the singular ones. Honestly, neither option is my dream option, but these are the two we've come down to.

I'd try looking harder. I never suggest hitting a friend. I also never suggest hiring someone you are uncomfortable with. There are other options out there, stop wasting your energy worrying about these two, and start emailing and getting other quotes.

[Deleted User]

I'd look for another photographer who isn't a friend, or a friend of a friend. Pick someone neutral.
There are a lot of wedding photographers these days, for every budget and every style.