I want to share with you all that I’ve learned about choosing a wedding photographer. For Matt and I, this was our number one priority. Our photographer was the first vendor we booked, and we booked them 1 year and 9 months before our wedding. That’s how high of a priority it was!
I am proud to say that the photographers we chose were the amazingly talented Josh and Jenny Solar (who, by the way, just had their third beautiful child! Definitely go check out the cute baby pictures on their blog!). Unfortunately we haven’t even gotten to work with them yet, since our engagement pictures won’t be until March. I am so excited for our pictures though, and I know they will be able to capture our love. I also love that they like trying things out of the box. Matt and I play tennis together, so we’re thinking about going to a court for some pictures. What do you think? We’re not sure if we will yet, but we know that the Solars would be up for it.
We actually met with a lot of great photographers. Out of the five we met with, there was only one that was an absolute no for us. Some other photographers I love, based on meeting with them, recommendations from other brides, and loving their blogs, are Jason Domingues Photography, Heather Cole Photography, and Kelley Photo and Design. Although these are my favorites, I know that there are many great photographers in the Kansas City area. Once you find ones whose work you like and who are in your price range, here are some tips that I was so thankful I was given:
1. Make sure you see an entire wedding. It’s pretty easy to get a couple of good shots from each wedding, but you want to know that your photographer can get many good shots when it’s your wedding. If proofs are up on their website, look through those (or ask for some passwords if they are locked). Otherwise, make sure when you meet with the photographer that you can see a whole wedding.
2. Once you narrow it down, meet with as many photographers as you need to in order to find “the one.” Just because you love their work doesn’t mean that you’ll click with them. I learned this when I met with a photographer who was completely my style according to the pictures, but who Matt and I just didn’t think we could picture sharing in our day. Since we wanted a full day package, it was really important to us that we found a photographer who we would be comfortable sharing such an important day with.
3. Think about your needs for photography. We really needed somebody that we could forget was there. We are a very private couple, but we didn’t want our pictures to show that. We needed photographers who we could really be ourselves in front of. Also, Matt is about a foot and a half taller than me, so we needed somebody who could work with that!
4. Think about your wants for photography. We wanted two photographers (one male and one female), a copyright release, and a professional album. We got a package that included both the first two and credit for the last one. Our photographer also makes great albums, so that was a plus for this as well.
5. Make sure you ask all your questions so you understand everything. Take time to make your decision. It’s a big one! Photos are what you’re going to have to remember your wedding forever. I know that I bombarded Jenny Solar with questions through e-mail. She always told me what I wanted to know even though I was convinced I was driving her insane! But I was so glad that I knew everything I need to in order to make a decision.
I hope that helps you in your journey to find a photographer! It can be pretty overwhelming, but once you decide, it’s such a relief! Now if only I had the secrets to choosing a videographer! Any tips for me?
I’ve finally gotten organized, and I will share pictures next time! I think you’ll be impressed. My 5 year anniversary (of dating) with Matt is coming up next Friday (October 10th). I’m so excited for it! It will also be our -1 year wedding anniversary, since it will mark exactly one year until our wedding. I can’t believe it’s almost a year away!
Have fun planning and please let me know if there’s anything you want me to blog about!