What to Do When You Want to Choose a Really Good Photographer for Your Wedding or Another Event, but You’re Not a Visual Arts Expert?
Or maybe you want to hang beautiful wedding photos in your living room, but… you’re not quite sure which ones are truly beautiful?
It can happen that you need exceptional photos (wedding or otherwise) but haven’t yet developed an ideal sense for what makes a great picture because you’re a doctor, IT specialist, or some other kind of technocrat by day. If that’s the case, this article is for you, and don’t worry—it won’t tire you out because you won’t even need to use your right, more “artistic,” brain hemisphere.
How to (and How Not to) Choose a Photographer Using Only Numerical Data or “Boolean” (True/False) Criteria
Avoid These Pitfalls Because They Are Subjective and Can Be Misleading:
- Friends’ Recommendations
When it came to my own wedding, for some mysterious reason, my wife’s family decided that a certain Mariusz would take our wedding photos simply because he was the local photographer in their area. My attempts to resist (I’m a photographer myself and don’t endorse choosing a photographer based on the “Are you Mariusz?” criterion) were dismissed. Fortunately, I eventually stood my ground. Forget about friends’ recommendations! - Price
Price alone is not the best criterion, especially when considered separately from a list of features. It’s better to spend 5,000 and get great photos than to spend 4,000 and end up with subpar ones. Additionally, photographers who work once a month can be more expensive than those who do it weekly. And those who do photography as a side gig can be pricier than professionals because they don’t rely on steady bookings. So, it’s better to focus not on how much someone charges, but on how often they work. It’s also wiser to consider not just the price, but something more specific, like “the cost of a 10-hour wedding reportage with a 3-hour session on another day, plus a 20-spread album in a velvet cover.”
3. Number of Photos Delivered:
For me, this is the most foolish criterion that couples use when choosing a photographer. The aforementioned Mariusz would deliver 2-3 thousand photos. These were series of shots taken with professional equipment, but without any editing or selection—most of them were unsuccessful (and I’m not talking about the technical aspects but rather the expressions on the “young couple’s” faces). Such material is a mess, and if you choose a photographer “because they give a lot of photos,” you’re willingly falling into a trap. The result of a wedding photographer’s work should be photos you can proudly show to your friends—unique and creatively arranged; and one of the things you’re paying for is the selection and rejection of the bad ones.
4. Portfolio:
The portfolio is important, but make sure you evaluate it properly. Don’t just focus on whether the photos impress you (remember, right hemisphere off 😝). Many photographers have in their portfolio styled shoots with professional models. Unfortunately, this only means that your photos won’t look like that. Look at photos from real events. If you see photos from a civil ceremony hall—do you see any people besides the couple? Because the reality is that weddings often involve other people too (in fact, it’s the rule), and if they’re not in the photos, it’s smoke and mirrors—quite literally, in this case.
5. Likes:
Zenon Martyniuk has 4,000 followers, one photo on his profile, and it’s a bad photo. Don’t be like Zenon! Unfortunately, the most “liked” content on Instagram is often the most controversial, featuring the most nudity, the brightest colors, and posted by people who frequently upload, thereby feeding the platform. Meanwhile, the accounts of the most outstanding photographers (and I’m not talking about myself but truly renowned figures in global photography) have fewer followers than some party girls from your noisy neighbor’s school.
Time for Positives: Here Are Five “Non-Obvious” Digital Criteria to Recognize a Good Wedding Photographer, Even if You’re Not an Experienced Visual Content Consumer:
Portfolio Once AgainFirst and foremost, a professional photographer must have a portfolio. A part of the contract should always include the guarantee that the photos will be consistent with the photographer’s portfolio. When viewing the “folio,” check if the photos are varied—are there close-ups and wide shots? Are the photos from different stages of the wedding? A portfolio filled only with session photos can be dismissed without regret. This usually indicates that the photographer is still at the stage of paying for opportunities to shoot weddings, not earning from them. You can also count how many different couples you see in the portfolio for your own reference.
Are There Moments?
Not to be confused with “momenty.” Make a list of important moments at a wedding. For example, makeup, family portraits, walking down the aisle, exchanging rings, the third toss of the bride during the first dance (kidding) or cutting the cake (not kidding). Visit the photographer’s blog or invite them for coffee and ask to see 2-3 complete wedding reports, then check if and how these moments are captured.
Exiting the Church, Flying Bouquets, Flying Grooms, Confetti?
If you were to judge “full sets” on blogs by just one type of shot, the best choice is the exit from the church. It’s one of the most challenging moments to photograph, and those who know what they’re doing—have it! Due to the rapidly changing lighting conditions, it’s difficult even for those who rely on automatic settings (Auto ISO, AV, TV). Other technically challenging moments you might want to cheekily focus on include flying bouquets, confetti, airborne grooms, and fireworks.
“Complete Set”
It’s worth asking to see the complete set of photos that the couple receives on a medium. The best approach is to look at 10 consecutive photos and see if they are varied and maintain the quality of those in the portfolio. What does “varied” mean? It means containing different types of photos:
- Wide Shots vs. Close-Ups
- High Key vs. Low Key (in simpler terms, bright vs. dark photos)
- Posed vs. Genuine Emotions
- Preparation, Ceremony, Reception, Session—it’s good if all stages are represented, and this can be noticed even with an untrained eye.
Auto vs. Manual
In wedding photography courses, photographers are often taught to work in auto modes (Auto ISO, AV, or TV). However, after a few years of experience, you will eventually realize that this approach is limiting and impractical. So, auto—out. You can check if someone relies on automatic modes by simply asking, but it’s much better to see what settings are on their camera.
Flash vs. Ambient Light
When it comes to wedding photography, unfortunately, you either shoot without a flash or you shoot well. Dance floors simply cannot be photographed well without mastering flash lighting. So if someone claims that they “only work with ambient light,” it means they still have their flash lighting journey (on the right) ahead of them.
Photography Skills
Many shortcomings in a photographer’s skill set can be noticed with the naked eye, even if you’re not very well-versed in photography. Of course, this is true if you know what to look for.
What to Look For?
Overexposures – A successful photo should not contain overexposed areas, which are spots that are completely uniform due to excessive exposure, making the camera unable to capture tonal differences.
Out of focus – If the focus isn’t where it should be (like the eyes in a portrait), such a photo cannot be considered acceptable, let alone worthy of being published
Uncropped Photos – Photos that include cut-off parts of people on the sides are also not recommended. Proper framing is essential, and such mistakes indicate a lack of attention to detail
Photographer or Wedding Photographer?
Here’s the crucial question: is it better to choose a wedding photographer, someone who specializes exclusively in weddings, or a general photographer who goes beyond wedding themes? I admit I’m biased because I photograph everything: weddings, female portraits, business sessions, and events. For me, versatility is a big advantage. In my opinion, shooting lookbooks of wedding dresses and bridal fashion shows broadens one’s perspective and sharpens sensitivity to the beauty of wedding gowns. Likewise, experience in female portrait sessions helps in capturing beautiful portraits of the bride.
On the other hand, a photographer who focuses solely on weddings may have more time to keep up with the latest trends in weddings and wedding photography.
To stay true to the spirit of this post, my answer is that a versatile photographer who has shot 200 weddings is better than a “wedding photographer” who has only photographed 20. That’s the bottom line. Now, a discreet glance at the “weddings” folder when you’re having coffee with the photographer, and you’re good to go. That is, good to go at their place.
What do you think—can you choose a wedding photographer entirely objectively? It’s possible that the advice above won’t give you a 100% solution, but with a list of many wedding photographer candidates, you’ll easily eliminate 90%. And when only 2-3 remain standing, don’t hesitate to forget about hard data and listen to your intuition.
The rest is entirely subjective. Here you can read about my approach to wedding photography and check out my wedding portfolio
For more information about wedding photography services, visit the “Wedding Photographer Warsaw“
Workshops
If you’re just starting out in photography, you can find more information about individual photo workshops and wedding photography workshops, organized in collaboration with well-known companies in the industry. The workshops are listed on my photography training page.
What do you think? Can you choose a photographer or a professional in another artistic field based on more measurable data, or is it impossible without “looking with your heart” 💖💖💖? Perhaps you have your own tips on how to choose a wedding photographer or experiences in this area? Feel free to leave a comment under the post!
