This is the first in a series of blogs giving inspiration and advice to couples looking to book the perfect wedding photographer for their ‘big day’.

How to look for a wedding photographer

When you start looking for a photographer to tell the story of your wedding day it can seem like an overwhelming task. One of the main concerns you’ll almost certainly have is ‘trust’. How do you know that you’re going to get emotional, fun, beautiful and well-composed pictures? Here are 3 tips to get you started:

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1. Look at professional wedding photographer’s blogs

First of all, jump in. It’s true, there are lots of wedding photographers out there, but they are NOT all the same. If you want interesting, well-composed wedding pictures you’re probably going to have to invest in a good professional photographer and not just ask a friend to do it and cross your fingers! So spend some time having a look at the images in photographers’ blogs on their websites. These blogs usually contain lots of images from individual weddings and will give you a good idea of how a photographer will shoot your wedding and the type of images you’ll get. The best photographers show lots of interesting images in each wedding blog.

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2. Storytelling wedding photography

Are the pictures varied in the way they are composed – some wide-angle and some close-up or telephoto? It’s important that any set of pictures has a mix of composition. Do the pictures show a range of feelings – emotion, beauty, fun, humour, poignancy? Do they ‘tell a story’?

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3. Are they you?

Perhaps most importantly, ask yourself if you can imagine being in the pictures? Do they move you? Do they feel natural? Do they make you smile or intrigue you? Would you be happy to receive a set of pictures like this?

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What style of wedding photography?

By this point your scrolling finger might be ready to fall off, but you should have a better idea of the style of photography you like. Do you prefer lots of more traditional, posed or formal images? If so, I’m probably not the photographer for you. Of course, nearly all my clients want a few formal groups pictures and some of just the two of them together (and even these I photograph in a very natural and relaxed way). But around 90% of the pictures I create are in a candid, documentary style. Sometimes this is called reportage or photojournalistic style, and is the subject of my next blog!

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or what to check my availability please get in touch!