We hired our wedding photographer for her personality. Her authenticity and ability to have a genuine conversation is what impressed us, not her albums. Sure, we loved her work, but we loved a lot of people’s work. There are a lot of highly talented photographers, and work alone wasn’t enough for us to make a decision. Personality was everything.
As a photographer, I know how important it is that the couple and I are on the same page. When I have clients who are like me – people I would be friends with – it just works better. The couple feels more comfortable, they relax, they have more fun. And I work better because I have more fun, and I create better images. It’s just the truth.
So if you’re out there looking for a photographer for your wedding, I encourage you to really take the time to sit down with people and talk. Not just about wedding albums and print prices, but about who they are and who you are. Make sure your personalities click, and that you’d feel comfortable having them around when you are in an emotional space on your wedding day. Make sure you like them and that you trust them. It’s the most important thing you can do to make sure you get the best images of your wedding day.
If you like the work they produce and you truly get along, you’ll want to work with your photographer after your wedding. You will build a relationship with your wedding photographer that lasts for years, just as I have with many of the couples I’ve worked with.
It all starts when you sit down for that first chat about your wedding. So take your time shopping around, and don’t base it all on price or album style. I urge you to really consider personality. The decision of who you hire to photograph your wedding is very personal, as it should be. I never take offense if a couple doesn’t quite align with me personally, because I know that someone out there will be a perfect fit for them and do an amazing job. But the ones that do click with me – the ones that feel like old friends right from the start – those are clients I’ll get to enjoy working with for years to come.
