Advice for couples choosing a wedding photographer in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and beyond.
Choosing your wedding photographer can feel surprisingly difficult.
There are loads of brilliant photographers out there, all with different styles, prices and ways of working. And unless you regularly organise enormous parties where everyone you love turns up dressed nicely, gets emotional and then spends ten hours being photographed, you’ve probably never had to make this decision before.
So where do you start?
I’ve photographed hundreds of weddings and, based on that experience, these are the five things I’d concentrate on when choosing the right wedding photographer for you.
1. Find a photography style that actually suits you
Wedding photography can look very different depending on who’s behind the camera.
Some photographers take a more traditional or editorial approach, with plenty of direction, carefully arranged portraits and time specifically set aside for photographs.
Others work in a much more documentary way, concentrating on real moments as they happen rather than setting things up.
Neither approach is right or wrong. What matters is finding the one that suits you.
Think about how you actually want to spend your wedding day.
If you’re looking forward to spending most of it with your friends and family and the thought of disappearing for an hour-long photoshoot fills you with dread, a photographer who specialises in heavily posed portraits probably isn’t going to be the best fit.
Equally, if you’ve always dreamed of dramatic, fashion-inspired portraits, make sure the photographer you’re considering actually creates those regularly.
When you’re looking through someone’s work, don’t just ask yourself whether the photographs look impressive.
Ask whether you can imagine yourselves in them.
- Do people look comfortable and natural?
- Do you like the way the photographs are edited?
- Does the photography feel timeless, or is it heavily influenced by whatever editing trend happens to be popular at the moment (like all the editorial stuff and flatlays you see on Instagram)?
Most importantly, do the photographs actually make you feel something?
My own approach is documentary. I photograph weddings as they really happen, without constantly stopping things, staging moments or telling people what to do.
Basically, I document the wedding rather than directing it.
If that sounds like your kind of thing, you can see more of my work as a Nottingham wedding photographer.
2. Look through a complete wedding, not just Instagram
This is probably one of the most useful things you can do before booking anyone.
Every photographer’s website and Instagram account will naturally contain their favourite photographs. There’s nothing wrong with that. Mine does too.
But photographing an entire wedding consistently is very different from putting together 30 brilliant photographs from hundreds of weddings into a single portfolio.
A wedding photographer has to deal with pretty much everything.
Dark churches. Tiny hotel rooms. Bright midday sunshine. Rain. Speeches in dimly lit tipis. Guests moving unpredictably. Children sprinting around at full speed. Dance floors where the lighting appears to have been designed specifically to make photography as difficult as possible.
And they still need to produce good photographs throughout all of it.
Ask to see a complete wedding gallery.
Have a look at the morning preparations, ceremony, drinks reception, speeches and evening party.
Pay particular attention to the bits that aren’t obviously glamorous.
Are there plenty of photographs of guests?
Are reactions being captured during the ceremony and speeches?
Are there interesting pictures when nothing particularly dramatic is happening?
Can the photographer consistently spot those little interactions that you might otherwise completely miss?
For me, those photographs are often the ones couples end up valuing the most.
A wedding isn’t just the ceremony, confetti and a few portraits.
It’s your dad quietly practising his speech. Your mates laughing at something ridiculous during dinner. Your niece stealing cake. Someone’s nan unexpectedly taking over the dance floor.
Those things can’t be recreated afterwards.
Looking through a full gallery is the best way to find out whether a photographer is genuinely good at capturing a whole wedding rather than just producing a handful of standout images.
Want to see what that actually looks like? Have a look through one of my complete wedding galleries.
3. Make sure you actually like the photographer
This one gets overlooked surprisingly often.
Your photographer is going to be around for a fairly significant chunk of your wedding day.
They might be there while you’re getting ready. They’ll be close by during some very emotional moments. They’ll meet your parents, friends and probably at least one relative who’s already started drinking before you’ve finished breakfast.
So liking someone’s photographs isn’t quite enough.
You also need to feel comfortable having them there. All day.
I’d always recommend having a conversation before booking.
It doesn’t need to feel like a formal interview. You’re basically trying to work out whether this is someone you’d be happy having around on one of the biggest days of your life.
Do they listen to what you’re actually planning?
Do they seem interested in your wedding rather than immediately trying to sell you a package?
Do they understand what you want from the photography?
Do you feel at ease talking to them?
Your photographer doesn’t need to become your new best mate, but they should feel like someone you’d happily have around your friends and family.
This is particularly important if natural photographs are important to you.
People behave differently when they’re uncomfortable around a camera. The more relaxed everyone feels with the photographer, the easier it is to capture people genuinely being themselves.
4. Understand exactly what you’re paying for
Wedding photography prices can vary enormously, which makes comparing photographers difficult.
Don’t just look at the headline price.
Find out what you’re actually getting.
- How many hours will the photographer be there?
- When will they arrive?
- When will they leave?
- What’s included afterwards?
Some photographers describe eight hours as full-day coverage, while others might stay from morning preparations well into the evening.
Neither is necessarily wrong, but it’s worth knowing what you’re booking before the wedding rather than discovering on the day that your photographer is packing their bags just as everyone starts dancing.
Think about which parts of your wedding matter most to you.
Personally, I think some of the best photographs happen later in the day.
Once dinner is finished, the speeches are out of the way and everyone properly relaxes, weddings tend to become slightly less predictable.
That’s often when the really funny stuff starts happening.
You should also check how your finished photographs will be delivered, whether high-resolution downloads are included and roughly how long you’ll be waiting for your gallery.
And try not to compare photographers purely on price. You’re not just paying someone to own a camera for a day.
You’re paying for their experience, judgement and ability to consistently photograph something that can’t be repeated.
You’re paying for someone the unique way in which they will capture your wedding, so they can give you photos that will make you laugh, smile and cry and help you remember how your wedding felt years after your memories start to fade.
5. Ask what happens when something goes wrong
Wedding photography involves a lot of equipment and a lot of photographs.
Professional photographers should have backup plans because eventually equipment will fail.
Cameras can stop working. Memory cards can fail. Lenses get damaged. Hard drives die.
The important question isn’t whether something could go wrong.
It’s whether the photographer is prepared if it does.
I’d want to know that the photographer carries backup camera equipment and isn’t relying on one camera body for the entire wedding.
Professional cameras can also record each photograph to two memory cards at the same time, which means there’s already a second copy of the image before the photographer has even left your wedding.
Afterwards, your photographs should be properly backed up rather than sitting on one laptop somewhere until your gallery is finished.
It’s also perfectly reasonable to ask what happens if your photographer becomes seriously ill and can’t attend.
Experienced wedding photographers tend to know a large network of other professionals who can help in an emergency.
Hopefully none of these backup systems will ever be needed.
That’s exactly the point.
You shouldn’t have to think about any of this on your wedding day.
Be sure to check out this post on How NOT to book your wedding photographer– it hits things from a different angle 🙂
A few questions worth asking before you book
You don’t need to interrogate your photographer under a bright lamp, but there are a few things worth finding out before you make a decision.
Ask if you can see a complete recent wedding.
Find out how they normally work during the day and how much direction they’ll give you.
Ask how long they’ll be with you, what happens if the timings overrun and when you’ll receive your finished photographs.
And if you’re someone who really doesn’t like being photographed, tell them.
That’s useful information.
A good photographer should be able to explain how they’ll make the whole thing feel comfortable rather than simply telling you not to worry.
If you want to know more questions to ask your photographer before booking you might like to read my 10 things to ask you wedding photographer on video calls post.
So, how do you choose the right wedding photographer?
Start with the photographs.
Find work that genuinely feels like how you’d like your own wedding remembered.
Then look beyond the highlight reel.
See complete weddings. Talk to the photographer. Find out how they actually work and make sure their approach fits the kind of wedding you’re planning.
And don’t get too caught up trying to find whoever has the longest list of awards, the most expensive camera or the biggest Instagram following.
The right photographer is the person whose work you love and whose approach fits the kind of wedding you’re planning.
If natural, documentary photography sounds right for you, you can see how I photograph weddings here.