You jump on social media and you post a message, something similar to this:

“ISO of wedding photographer, blah blah blah…..”.

Chances are if you did that, you literally have a sea of people dropping their name in your feed in hopes that you will connect with them.

Your reaction to that is something like this:

If you can relate, then today’s blog is for you.

Let’s figure out how to best weed through them, how you can better ask the right questions to get better results, and what to look for when searching for a wedding photographer.

Ask Better Questions when Seeking Wedding Vendors

The problem is that you are not asking the right questions, they are generic and vague. Our solution is to be specific in your online queries and know how to ask the right question to begin with.

I want you to think about this sentence for a moment.

“I want food.”

What does that statement say?

It simply says that you want something to eat, but it’s not specific enough. Look at the next sentence.

“I want Mexican food.”

Great, you now are being somewhat specific, but go a step further.

“I want beef tacos at the Mexican restaurant for lunch that under $10.”

From the first to the third statement, it’s a huge difference and that’s my point, when you are seeking a wedding vendor, be as specific as you can, when you do you will get better results that are more in line with your needs.

That being said, stating a date, location, style of the photographer and price range is very important.

What is less important, the number of hours you need them for the day, that’s because of the post-production or editing that goes into their pricing. Typically, for every hour onsite, a good photographer spends 3 hours editing.

_Wedding photographers will spend 3 hours editing for every hour onsite. Pricing is based on post-production hours plus the hours onsite, typically..png

Why do I get a ton of replies?

That’s a bit of a loaded question, but I can help answer it some, it’s because the marketplace is over-saturated and that’s because of the lower price of technology.

Anyone with $500 can buy an entry-level, educational camera like a Canon Rebel T7 at Best Buy for example, but that doesn’t make them a great photographer.

A good professional will have upwards of $10,000 or more in gear. .png

It’s common for a good wedding professional to bring $10,000 or more in equipment to the wedding day.

It takes prograde equipment, a level of experience with the gear in manual mode, a good eye for imagery, lots of wedding experience, and a good persona.

The main reason that you’re getting tons of unqualified leads is that there are far too many photographers than even wedding venues in most markets. That means they NEED work and will many times post a reply in an effort for you to contact them. We’re guilty of doing this at times too, but only if the criteria are right.

What most vendors don’t understand is that it’s a turnoff to many couples if what they are asking for doesn’t match what the vendor offers, it’s like sharks circling a rowboat.

I like to use Washington, DC as an example, according to WeddingWire, there are more photographers than venues, which means some people will not be working on a given weekend.

790 wedding venues compared to 1,210 photographers, that’s a 1.53 ratio or 1.53 photographer for every venue, each weekend.

In this example, there are just too many to choose from in Washington, DC, in short, if you live in that area and ask about a photographer, you will get tons of willing pros.

Again, being specific will help narrow those results and get you the vendors that match the criteria your seeking.

What things should I look for when seeking a wedding photographer?

Regardless of the wedding budget, there are a few things to look for when booking a professional, they should all have these things in common.

_Ask about cameras with dual memory card slots. When the pro takes an image it records it on two memory cards, making a backup. .png

Having a second camera and backups
- Any professional you hire should have a second camera system and should have cameras that dual memory card slots. That means when they take a picture, it records it onto 2 memory cards at the same time.
Having lights or flashes
- Make sure they have all the essentials like extra batteries, lights, or flashes for the wedding.
They need to have a decent wedding portfolio
- Look for people that have done weddings specifically. Many photographers have done family sessions, portraits, and the like, but little to no weddings. The more weddings under their belt, the better they will be able to capture the day.
Someone with a good personality
- You will want to meet with the professional either in-person or via video chat (like Zoom) and get to know them. People with good personalities are important as you will be working with them during your wedding day, so make sure they are knowledgeable, yet fun to work with too.

Someone with a good personality will speak volumes about who they are plus it will show you how well they are likely to be at your wedding. .png

How Much I should Spend on a Wedding Photographer?

Again, that’s based on your wedding budget, not what others paid for with regards to their budget. For example, just because someone paid $5,000 for their wedding photos doesn’t mean you also have to spend the same amount.

Spend what your budget allows, NOT what others paid for their wedding. .png

You need to look at the overall budget number to get an idea of how much to spend, use our online tool below to get that range where you should be looking.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to spending money on your wedding day, but setting the budget is an important key to making your wedding day a great success.

Other than Being Specific, How Can I Find the Photographer that is Right for our Wedding Day?

Sure, so we have a very simple process that can help narrow your search down to 2-3 to choose from.

First, set your criteria for what you want. This includes how much you want to spend, what you are looking for with the end result (online images, USB, prints, or a combination) as well as the style of images you like.

Next, research.

Using Facebook wedding groups, Google searches, and the like, start a spreadsheet where you can start to track roughly 10-15 photographers that strike your fancy with their work.

We’ve put together an Excel Spreadsheet below that you can download and use.

Wedding Photographer Spreadsheet

Next, you will take the 10-15 and start inputting the information onto the spreadsheet. Using that, you should be able to start to filter through which best matches your criteria. You should have about 4-6 good companies to work with.

At this point, you will want to check out our article on the 5 steps to booking your wedding photographer, it’s a guide on how best to connect with them, some important questions to ask, and things to seek when looking at a wedding contract.