I recently received an enquiry which got me thinking, How do you book a wedding photographer? The enquiry was a simple one asking for help, they said they loved my work but had no idea how any of it works. Thinking about it... you've probably never asked a wedding photographer to photograph your wedding day and probably have no idea how to go around it. So I thought I would write out a way to help you book your perfect wedding photographer.
Look at their blogs / portfolio
Like me, a lot of photographers blog about almost every wedding that they photograph. If you’re looking at a photographer’s work who doesn’t blog, they will have a portfolio page for sure, where you can check out a selection of their work. If it doesn’t grab you or make you wish you were in the photos, move on. Honestly, there is no point in wasting time on a photographer’s website whose photos you find ‘meh’.
Look at prices
Once you have narrowed down a few photographers whose work you like, now you can start looking at prices. Doing it this way around means that you're not price dependant on who you choose. After all, I would rather have an incredible photographer I could only afford for a few hours, than waste money on a photographer for the entire day and hate all of the images.
Look at what each and every photographer is offering and for how much. Some photographers, like me, have their pricing out for all to see, whereas some you may have to contact, but feel free to contact them and just say you’re interested in their work.
If you have a budget in mind for your photography, you can now start to whittle down the photographers you have shortlisted even further. That said, you may have stumbled across a photographer whose work you love and you just “have to have” them photograph your wedding, because you went work first, not price first. It may be your best decision ever!
I am always shocked when clients change wedding dates for me to photograph their day or they say that I was twice their original budget, but instead of that chocolate fountain, they decided to book me instead, for everlasting memories.
Make contact
Ok, so you’ve found a short-shortlist of photographers, now is the time to get in touch.
Try to be as descriptive about your day as you can with your initial ideas and plans, alongside where you’re getting married.
Honestly, a simple “hello”, “please” and “thank you”, go a long way. I actually cannot tell you how many times I get a blunt, “how much are you?” in my inbox. Often this comes with no other information like where in the world the wedding is or how long they want me for.
It comes across as a copy and paste email that has been sent to about 30 other photographers, and sadly make us feel like you don’t appreciate our work in any way, shape or form.
Have a chat
You may be talking to a few photographers now or you’re talking to just the one. It’s really simple at this point, just make sure you’re on the same page with them. Make sure you get along and there’s nothing that’s alarming you about them. You can talk by email, phone calls, Skype or even meeting for a drink in the pub if they’re local!
If at any point you decide not to go with a certain photographer, then please do let us know. Honestly, we will not be offended but man it hurts to put so much time and effort into an enquiry, just to be ghosted, which seems to be a growing trend. It’s just plain rude and you wouldn’t do it to anyone else, so please don’t do it to someone you’re enquiring with about your wedding day.
Get it booked!
Sign contracts and pay the booking fee.
Now I'm sure many different photographers may do this differently but this is how I do things.
If you wish to go ahead then let me know and I will then send you a quote which you can customise and add on extras if you wish. Next is the contract, which you digitally sign, and finally, you pay a booking fee to secure your date. Most photographers will not count your date booked until the deposit has been paid.
It’s quite important to get this done as soon as you can - as you can probably imagine, we get a lot of enquiries. I average about 200 per year and seeing as I only photograph 35 weddings a year, your chosen date may get snapped up by somebody else.
If you liked this and found it useful on how to book a wedding photographer. You may also like to read 5 tips on choosing your wedding photographer Or, if after reading this and following the above steps you would like to Contact Me about your upcoming wedding day or elopement please feel free. I would love to hear your story!
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