You’ve said yes to the love of your life, your dream wedding venue and now you’re on the hunt for your perfect wedding photographer. When choosing your wedding photographer, there’s a few things you should consider to ensure you find ✨THE ONE✨

Step 1) Identify the photography style you’re drawn to. Photographers typically fall into several style categories. Some of the most popular styles are:

light and airy

dark and moody

vibrant and colorful (hey that’s me!)

natural/true to color

muted/vintage

dramatic/flash photography

film photograhy

Step 2) Once you’ve identified the style of photography you like, you can start your search! There are so many platforms to explore from Google to Instagram to Pinterest, it can be a bit overwhelming. Most of my clients tend to find me through instagram. I suggest using location hashtags like #socalweddingphotographer or #losangelesweddingphotographer to start to hone in on your options.

Google is another great place to find local vendors simply by using local search terms similar to the hashtag strategy.

If you have friends or family members that were recently engaged or married and have chosen a photographer whose style you also love, you can ask them for their photographer’s information.

Step 3) Start reaching out ASAP to see if the photographers you like have your wedding date available and set up an introductory call to get an accurate idea of how many hours of coverage you need and what their pricing will be. I highly recommend connecting on a call to get a sense of the photographer’s working style and make sure your are comfortable talking to them as they’ll be around you the entirety of your wedding day!

Step 4) When we get on an introductory call, you won’t need to come prepared with too many questions – it doesn’t hurt if you are prepared with questions, but there’s no pressure to have anything prepared in advance! It’s a casual conversation to walk you through my process and I’ll ask you questions about your vision and your timeline to help curate a custom experience.

Some things you can ask while on an introductory call are:

what’s your approach to photographing the wedding day?

do you include a 2nd shooter?

is an engagement session included?

do you have a full wedding gallery we can see?

do you offer prints and/or albums?

what’s your backup process like?

do you have business insurance?

how many photos can we expect to receive?

when can we expect to receive our photos?

Step 5) After the call, you’ll receive a customized proposal to review. If you have questions or package modification requests we’ll cover that at this stage and finalize the details.

Step 6) Signed, sealed, delivered, it’s time to celebrate! Sign the contract and put down your retainer to lock in the photographer you love. I always recommend going with a photographer whose work you feel strongly connected to rather than settling for a photographer whose work you feel is okay and can get the job done.

I’ve personally had friends and family who really wanted to save on their photographer, which I totally understand – it’s not cheap! But they’ve consistently been disappointed and it’s the one regret they have from their big day. Everything else about the day will fade away and wither including our memories about the details and moments throughout the day, but photos are your legacy, your one callback to those beautiful memories. You don’t want to take a gamble when you can hire a professional photographer who will guarantee good photos that you’ll love for years to come.

Ready to lock down your date?! Contact me by filling out the form on my contact page today!