Planning a wedding can be a stressful whirlwind. In the chaos of finding and booking venues, choosing color schemes and tasting food, it can be easy to make quick decisions and miss some details. Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. It’s understandable that you want everything to go just perfectly. Unfortunately, things seldom go perfectly according to plan, but you can minimize major hiccups by avoiding these pitfalls when hiring your wedding photographer. I can’t save you from disaster with other vendors, but I can offer up my advice as a wedding professional.

DON’T HIRE THE RELATIVE WITH A “NICE CAMERA.”
Unless they are a professional wedding photographer by trade, steer clear. For starters, they are a relative. I would imagine you would want your relatives to be present and attentive during your big day, and not have the burden of shooting your wedding. Unless the person shoots weddings for a living, it is a risky move to hire someone who has a “nice camera” and some photography experience. Keep in mind that a nice camera doesn’t always make nice photos.

Avoid this problem by: Doing your research and find a professional’s work you like. Meet with them. Talk to them. Hire them.

One of my “nice cameras.” A nice camera only means that someone can spend the money on it. It doesn’t mean they know how to use it to shoot your wedding.

DON’T HIRE THE SUPER CHEAP PHOTOGRAPHER BECAUSE THEY’RE SUPER CHEAP.
There are a few snags you can hit on this one, but first let me say that there are many good photographers out there who are capable of shooting your wedding and delivering a phenomenal product, who are priced relatively cheap. Some reasons for this may be that the photographer is new to the area and is trying to drum up new business. They may also be new to working as a professional after years of perfecting their craft and gaining experience, also trying to drum up new business. These are valid reasons, but you need to study their portfolio and make sure the work is consistent.

The first snag you can hit is spending time looking at their portfolio only to realize that the product they deliver doesn’t match the quality of their portfolio. In this case, you may be dealing with someone who has stolen images from another professional. It’s a really shady thing to do, and unfortunately, it’s all too common.

Avoid this problem by: Asking your photographer something about the photos. Some good questions to ask them might be:

“This venue looks beautiful! Where is this?”
Pick a fairly memorable photo from their portfolio. “They look like a really fun couple! What did you love about working with them?”
If you spot something unique in their portfolio, reference the photo and ask them “What was it like shooting that photo?” or “How did that photo come to be?”

In a portfolio, low light may not always look like low light. When it doesn’t, it often signals that the photographer understands how to light an image and edit for the conditions. This was taken in a hotel ballroom.

These kinds of questions are perfectly normal to ask. They show interest in the photographer’s work, they show you’ve done your homework, and you’re asking them questions that they might not know if they stole the images. I get asked things like this all the time even by people who aren’t potential clients, so they aren’t questions that should make your photographer feel like they’re on the hot seat. I, personally, love answering these questions! I have the urge to go into detail about some of my favorite couples, venues, and overall experiences right now, but I’ll spare you.

LACK OF EXPERIENCE
The second snag you can hit is someone who just doesn’t have the experience of shooting a wedding. They may not realize some shots need to get taken, get stressed out and miss shots, or take too long on certain things and throw the timeline off. Heck, they may not even know they need to work on a timeline. Other problems that may arise are lighting situations that they aren’t familiar with, being unfamiliar with the venue and finding the setting is beyond their skill level. Photos aren’t always a fun part of your wedding day, but they don’t have to be a point of stress.

Low light, great image. A professional should be able to work with a variety of lighting situations.

Avoid this problem by: Asking them about their favorite venues, their favorite lighting scenarios, and what their experience is like shooting in dark places. This may be a more pointed conversation but a professional will understand why you’re asking. You’re asking not just to sniff out a person who doesn’t do the quality work you want, but mainly to know they are comfortable with any potential challenges your venue may present. Again, these are questions that I am not only used to fielding, but ones that I love answering.

The third snag is that you prioritize price to the point where you are sacrificing quality. The photographer is upfront about their work and you have done your homework. But, when you’re booking your photographer, you may feel so good about the price point that you book not considering the fact that you may not be the getting quality images you expect. Weddings are expensive and the cost is only rising it seems. I get it. When you get your photos and you hate them, it’s probably going to sting. It might make you angry or fill you with disappointment and regret. I have had friends go through this and it was hard to watch. It’s a bittersweet thing to hear, “I wish I would have hired you to shoot my wedding.” I will never take delight in words like this.

Avoid this problem by: Hiring the “expensive photographer.” Be prepared to pay at least $2000 for your photographer. I know you can’t help but stare down the dollar signs. Money is stressful at any point in life but especially with planning a wedding. Save money. I wholeheartedly encourage it. But your photographer is not a place to cut corners. Your wedding photos are the longest lasting item from your day. Your food will get eaten, flowers wilt or collect dust, dresses get stored, even video formats become obsolete. Your wedding photos will last the longest and that’s why photographers call it an investment.

YOU DIDN’T SIGN A CONTRACT
This is a doozy. A contract protects you and the vendor, outlines what you can expect and what each parties’ responsibilities are. If your photographer doesn’t have a contract or doesn’t seem to know why you should have one, RUN. Run for dear life. If they screw up, you have no recourse. If you screw up, you have no recourse. You should never enter into any kind of business deal without a contract.

Avoid this problem by: Asking about a contract if you are not presented with one. If they say they don’t have one, find another vendor. If they present you with one, read over it, ask any questions, make sure you understand everything and after you and your photographer sign it, make sure to get a copy. I always bring two copies of my contract to a booking: one for me and one for my client. This ensures we are on the same page, and that both of us have something to reference in case questions arise.

Why yes. this is a shot list for my website. I use a shot list for even minor projects and work that isn’t for clients. Why wouldn’t a photographer use a shot list for a wedding day?

YOU DON’T ESTABLISH A TIMELINE OR A SHOT LIST.
This will prove to be the most helpful thing on the day of your wedding. A timeline will keep your wedding party accountable and your shot list will help photos go faster. You may even be able to finish photos early and have some downtime. A wedding day without a timeline is just asking for chaos. Photos may be missed, things may run behind, and your families and wedding party may lose track of where they’re supposed to be.

Not having a shot list is a guarantee that shots you want won’t be taken. It opens the door for every guest and their mom to be constantly asking for photos, and the photographer doesn’t have a timeline or a shot list so they don’t know where we’re supposed or what they’re supposed to be doing. So they take every photo requested of them and miss the most important moments. A professional knows what needs to be done, and knows to work with a sense of urgency. The shot list fills in the specifics and helps us move quicker. The quicker the photos go, the happier you are.

Avoid this problem by: If your photographer doesn’t work off of a shot list, avoid this problem by making sure they can talk about what shots they take, but to be safe, I would ask them to work off of a shot list that you provide. If they do work off of a shot list, take a look at it and add anything to it that isn’t on there that you would like. As for your timeline, start with the block of time you hired your photographer for and determine how much time will be needed for each portion of the day. Work with your photographer on establishing both your timeline and your shot list and make sure you are both on the same page about what needs to be done and when. Pro tip: run your timeline by your DJ and make sure they are able to work with it. Be open to changes made by other vendors, and make sure you communicate those changes to your photographer and clear up any time conflicts.

Hiring a professional and going through this process can be expensive and draining, but stick through it. Hiring a professional is worth it because the photos last forever. Those photos will be even more satisfying if you communicate your desires with your photographer. In anything creative, you get what you pay for and you get what you put into it. If you pay $400 for a wedding photographer and don’t sign a contract, submit a timeline or shot list and you don’t communicate, expect to be disappointed. If you pay $3000, you research your vendor, understand and sign your contract, you communicate and establish your timeline and shot list, chances are you’re going to love what you receive. In addition, you will have a great experience with your photographer, and that’s all any of us wedding professionals want: happy clients.