Wedding Photography and Videography Forum

Down to 2: Go with the proactive one? Or the journalist one?

OK! After interviewing a ton of photographers, we've narrowed it down to 2!


Any photo experts out there can look at these photos and judge which ones are "better"?

Here's the pros and cons that we've come up with so far:

Why choose Candidate A:
  1. Super professional. Very polished personality. He's like the Apple of wedding photographers. (And has Apple-like prices... more on that later)
  2. Will use the 1.5 hour engagement session to "train us" on how to pose and have our photos taken.
  3. Will be more instructive than Candidate B (who described themselves as photo journalists).
  4. Amazing album layouts and story telling. This guy really nails it.
  5. Has taken photos at our venues.
Why choose Candidate B:
  1. Costs less, but isn't cheap... In fact, Candidate A costs 40%(!!!) more for a comparable package.
  2. Very laid back people. But this is also potentially a negative.
  3. My other half thinks Candidate B has better / more interesting pictures on the website. I can't tell.

About us:
  • We're not very inspired / spontaneous people. We're both of engineering / financial backgrounds, and it shows in our public personas.
Any photo experts around can take a look and assess the work of these two studios?

Thanks!

Re: Down to 2: Go with the proactive one? Or the journalist one?

  • I prefer the second one, but only bc I went tot he effort of searching through their blog. I am concerned with giving that suggestion since most of their really good images are of people laughing - are you those kind of people? They are probably going to tell you to laugh, will it look forced or like these images. I like Photog B - It's hard to tell for sure without being able to see a full body of work.

    On the other hand I'm not impressed with Photog A at all. Very boring and straight forward for such high pricing. E pics are $1K? That's just plain crazy if you ask me.

    If you get 2 photos with B, and only 1 with A - just based on my assumption from reading their website - I would definitely go with B. 

    Below is may canned response for people when selecting a photog. GL!

    Here's my quick suggestions…
    - Look for a number of wedding, not just one good wedding. Look at the composition of the photos. 
    - Take a good look at group photos, everyone LOVES the photojournalistic poses of the B&G - but they often overlook the group images...You know, the ones of your whole family that you mom will want on the mantle. Don't get caught up in the still life pics - anyone can put a ring on a heel of a pretty shoe or take a photo of a dress in a window - just tell them you want it.
    Ask about back up cameras. What type of lenses do they prefer and why. How do they deal with lighting. 
    - Do they have experience at your venue?
    - Do they offer a second shooter?
    - Do you get the digital rights? Do you get ALL the photos or how many? Are they edited? What does edited mean to them? How big will you be able to print them/ how large will the files be?
    - What's the turn around time?
    - What happens if they can't be there on your wedding day? Dot hey have a backup plan?
    - And above all - are you comfortable around them??

    When you look at their portfolio pay attention to the average looking couples with average venues. Some people are so gorgeous every photo looks amazing, I'm not one of those people so I like to look at images a more real couple when critiquing. I also look at photos of a location isn't over the top gorgeous, like the couple, a location that is so stunning that every photo looks like a postcard isn't going to help unless you are getting married at the same location- KWIM?

    Consider these things to start when selecting a photog and ask on your local board for recommendations. Also search for reviews of ones your considering. GL! :)
    :kiss: ~xoxo~ :kiss:

  • dcbride86dcbride86 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment First Answer
    edited March 2015

    1 thing about photojournalists - they tend to prefer more organic candid photos, and therefore are sometimes actually less instructive.  We almost went with a photojournalist (his photos truly are amazing), but I heard that he, like many photojournalists, don't like to do posed photos, so it's sometimes up to you to instruct them where/what photos to take, because they'd rather just snap photos of you being natural.

    But maybe your photojournalist is totally different than the one I looked into.  Good luck!  I'm sure your pictures will be beautiful!!

     

    EDIT - I clearly can;t read today.  I completely misread that as saying you thought the photojournalist would be more instructive.  Sorry!!  Carry on.

  • Disclaimer - I didn't look at either of the links, but I do know that one of the things that drove me absolutely insane was that my photographer didn't give us a single instruction. The last thing I wanted to do in the hours before my wedding was have to tell him where each photo should be taken and who should be in it. After each photo he would literally turn to me and say, "So now what?" DROVE ME INSANE. Thus, I would suggest go with proactivity. 
  • I like the photos from photographer B.

    Photojournalistic isn't a bad thing by any means.  It pretty much means they will tell the story of your wedding day through photos.

    My friend has this approach and she is still able to tell clients how to pose.  

    If they are laid back, you will feel relaxed.  My photographer is a former coworker, and is extremely laid back.  I feel absolutely comfortable around him.  My friend's who used him raved that being laid back made them feel more comfortable in their photos, and their photos came out beautiful.

    Have you asked photographer B if they will be able to give you direction?  You can't just assume that they only will be able to take candid photos.   Just because it's a style to capture emotion, doesn't mean they won't pose you.  It's just more natural.

    You shouldn't have to "learn how to pose". Do you want your whole wedding day to be posed? Or do you want organic moments to be captured?  

    Honestly, photographer A has no 'wow' factor.  Their images look generic.  

    I would talk to photographer B before you make any assumptions.  I doubt all of the people in the pictures on their site came up with those poses all on their own... 




  • Just so you know what photojournalistic means: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_photojournalist


  • Huge thing to check out what is turn around time for providing proofs?
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