How many photographers did you talk to before booking?

Knottie78205185 · October 2014

How many photographers did you talk to before booking? We've met with 3 already and are still struggling to decide. It seems important but maybe we just need to pick one at this point....

dharmabunny · October 2014

Maybe 2. Price was a big factor, that left not many to talk to. Most of them had websites that made triage easy.

I'll be honest, this may help you decide. Forget the hawing over artistry. Truthfully, as long as they are there and ready at the right time, produce a high quality final product and are not crooks/bad photogs, it's at the right price point...no matter what superlatives they use in their preview blog, they're all virtually the same.

Everyone's "artistic" are the same tricks every last industry photog does in their sleep because it's expected of them.

hmonkey · October 2014

i respectfully disagree.

we looked at a photographer that looked great and got great reviews. they actually photographed a wedding at the same two venues we had booked, and i knew the couple. they let us look at their proofs. the photos were genuinely awful.

we looked for a particular style and person that matched what we wanted -- lots of candids, interacted well with us and our family, and had photos looked like he had caught intimate moments, like our parents whispering and smiling.

MesmrEwe · October 2014

We looked at one ... I was lucky in that I already knew who I wanted to book. Don't be afraid to ask for a look at their current work, NOT a portfolio of the "best of the best" prints that don't show the million tossed out pics.

That said - really do your homework, and DO NOT be afraid to read their reviews online with a critical eye! (you can tell those with an agenda and bunk) A friend skipped that step and ended up with a crook who took her money and never even got a good picture of her with her groom! She discovered after the fact there were at least 10 couples SUING her because of breech of contract!!! (check the circuit court records for your state)...

PMeg819 · October 2014

We only talked with one. I knew people who had used them and I saw their finished photos. It helped that they were reasonably priced, and had a large online portfolio. We actually ended up going to a bridal expo and booking them while we were there as we got a discount for doing that.

dharmabunny · October 2014

They're proofs. Dirty little secret about candid photography. It's ALL about quantity. Quality comes in at the back end, whether with Photoshop or a cruel triage system. Out of thousands of pictures that are taken, you may get 10 stellar ones, 20 pretty good ones, another 30 or so with important moments, but just a little "off" not irretrievable bad. If your photog was the only one doing the selecting, that number might be 5.

I mean it's important to see their portfolio and current work not just the best few pics they put on their website. Consistency and overall proficiency.

Yeah, and no crooks :-/. No matter how brilliant their work.

klk111415 · October 2014

Be sure to ask one question that a lot of people forget- Do you get the copyrights to your images after. Some photographers (a lot are starting to do this now) will post your images on a website and make you purchase the images online. Find a photographer who will edit your images and give them all to you in the end and will provide a flash drive with you images. Also, ask to read their contracts before signing with anyone. Sometimes vendors throw in really absurd rules in their contract. One of the DJs I looked at had in his contract that my fiance and I would be liable for all of his equipment if anything is to break. Absurd since I can't take out an insurance policy on his equipment- but he can.

klk111415 · October 2014

Also, ask for references. Pictures only tell half the story.

hmonkey · October 2014

thanks for the mansplanation, dharma.

6fsn · October 2014

One. It was a small town and he's the best

AuntFlo · October 2014

hmonkey said:

thanks for the mansplanation, dharma.

Don't buy your puppy from a puppy mill, either.

I kid, i kid!

thejucheidea · October 2014

We only interviewed one.

Peaseblossom55 · October 2014

We looked into 5 met 3 in person. The one we chose was amazing. His pictures were wonderful and we owned all of the images too. With the photographers we looked, we compared images, and my H & I also discussed who we felt comfortable with. One of the photographers we met just because his prices seemed good, but his work was awful. Another was recommend to me by a friend b/c she did her wedding, and the photographer we booked I heard about on my local tk board who had received a lot of great reviews. He was worth every penny.

tawillers · October 2014

I emailed with several. Date-availability narrowed it down. We met with one and hired him.

AddieCake · October 2014

Just one b/c I procrastinated on it and didn't have a lot of time. I had heard of them before, their prices were decent, and they were available on our date. And when I contacted them, I found out they take the photos for the brochures for our venue, so I just decided to go with them and not shop around any further.

VarunaTT · October 2014

3, I think. Based off of reputation, meeting with them, and prices, we picked the one we wanted. She wasn't the most expensive and she wasn't the most experienced, but I knew she was the one that would mesh the best with the party. People complimented us all night on how much they liked her and how well she worked with everyone.

There was one photographer that did amazing work and had so much experience. When we met with her, she actually had an outline, that planned our wedding times for us. While it was amazing, I knew her style was not going to mesh well with ours.

mego2708 · October 2014

Price narrowed down quite a few for me. For the remaining ones I looked at their websites, then scoured their professional Facebook page for pictures and reviews. I met with one photographer and felt like I had good chemistry with her (is that weird?), asked for a copy of the contract, looked that over, and then booked within 48 hours. They're a husband and wife team and we're incredibly comfortable with them. Our engagement pictures turned out great, and she has been an enormous help with wedding ideas and logistics input for our wedding this weekend.

Heffalump · October 2014

Probably 3. Three is usually my magic number when hiring vendors of any type: wedding stuff (back in the day), house stuff, whatever.

I chose our photographer because one of her packages included all of our digital proofs, which I desperately wanted. I am old, so this is back when professional photographers were either doing a hybrid of film and digital, or were in the process of converting over to 100% digital.

MegEn1 · October 2014

A couple. I was dragged to a wedding show and met a bunch there after I was 'sure' I knew who I wanted. Found a guy with fantastic photos and with the wedding show discount of 20% we could afford him. The show was okay, but the fact that all the vendors were offering discounts to those in attendance really made it for me!

lilacck28 · October 2014

I emailed with MANY. I finally decided to up my budget for one of my favorites, and then she was booked. After that blow, I met with one photographer in person who met my requirements (in budget, number of hours, number of photographers, rights to photos, etc), responded promptly, was fun and kind and professional in person, changed her contract to suit my picky needs (mother is a contract lawyer), and had amazing photos as well as a master's degree in photography. So, I only met in person with one photographer, and I booked her. The bulk of my work was done before meeting with anyone (emails.)

I was VERY picky. I am an artist ( I know that sounds pretentious.. but it's also the truth. It is my profession, and I have the terminal degree in the field.) I have style/ composition preferences, and I can tell the difference between a good photographer and a bad photographer. There are many bad photographers out there, as well as many amazing photographers. They are not all the same within the same price point, and it is not just a quantity game or something that can be fixed with Photoshop. I'm not really sure what was meant by those comments? I'm very sensitive to bad cropping/ poor composition/ cheesiness (the last is obviously subjective), all of which many, many "professionals" still practice.

Most of the photographers I bothered emailing with had lovely websites and portfolios. If their prices were in line with my budget and they responded promptly, I then asked for the entire shoot of one or two weddings (just as PP have suggested doing).

Some were like "huh? just look at my website" -- crossed off the list! Some emailed me back and about an eighth of the bunch (800-1500 shots on average) were very good (including the winners that would make their way to the photographer's website), an eighth were good, and the rest just okay/ acceptable. Two photographers that I emailed with had around 800-1500 photos, every one of which was well shot, well lit, and looked like a finished product that I would be happy to hang in my house. Those are obviously the photographers you want to book. Good luck!

How many photographers did you talk to before booking?

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