HOW DO WE FIND THE BEST WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER FOR OUR WEDDING DAY?

What should you consider when choosing the best wedding photographer and your perfect photography/videography package….. from an insider who knows it all! Why do I know? Because I am a wedding photographer based in beautiful San Luis Obispo and I am going to share with you some essential information all couples needs plus some best kept secrets about the wedding photography industry that will help you make a great decision for your wedding photography.

Your photographer is one of most important vendors of your wedding day because: we are with you a lot of your day, and our photos and videos capture your memories so you can hold onto them and relive your best day for the rest of your lives together, and we are also the vendor you will need to keep working with long after your wedding, who will deliver you photos and help you create something beautiful out of them. A photographer can either be an incredible resource and trusted friend through this process or a stressful distraction on your wedding day and drag their feet in giving your photos- and you do not want that!

Choosing the best vendor team is the way to ensure your San Luis Obispo wedding is all the fun you’re dreaming about. Weddings are so much amazing, and they pass by way too quickly. Your wedding photography and videography, on the other hand, lasts for the rest of your lives. Think how many times you’ll open your wedding album or pass by those beautiful images on your wall? Every anniversary you will want to sit down and rewatch your wedding video… So choose wisely, these images are priceless.

1. WHAT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE DO WE RESONATE WITH?

All wedding photographers are unique in the way we see the world. There are many variations and blends out there and often a photographer can use more that one style in their work. But there are some predominant styles you will often see talked about and it’s good to understand which ones you connect with the most. Ask yourself: what do I envision hanging on my wall after my wedding? How would I like my wedding photos to feel? What to I care about them capturing?

Exploring the Three Primary Wedding Photography Approaches

The realm of wedding photography encompasses three predominant styles: photojournalistic, fine art, and traditional.

1. Photojournalistic Style

In the photojournalistic style, the primary focus is on narrating the unfolding story of your wedding day. Comparable to a news reporter at a significant event, photojournalists aim to capture genuine moments with minimal interference. This approach seeks to authentically depict the natural progression of your special day.

2. Fine Art Editorial Style

Fine Art photographers aspire to craft visual masterpieces within their images. Carefully considering elements such as subjects, backgrounds, lighting, and composition, they strive to create a stunning visual narrative. These photos often exude an “editorial” feel and may even grace the pages of high fashion and bridal publications.

3. Traditional Style

The Traditional style strikes a balance between allowing events to unfold naturally and providing the photographer with the opportunity to orchestrate ideal settings for photography. This doesn’t necessarily entail rigid poses or artificial scenarios but involves guiding individuals into situations that result in visually pleasing photos, considering factors like lighting and backgrounds.

While not every photographer strictly adheres to one specific style, there is often overlap depending on individual preferences. Whether leaning towards photojournalistic, fine art, or traditional, the chosen shooting style significantly influences how each photo is composed, staged, and contributes to the overall narrative conveyed in your final gallery.

Exploring Wedding Photography Editing Styles

In each of the types of wedding photography, you will also see different editing styles – the three main styles being dark and moody, light and airy, and true color.

1. Dark & Moody

Dark and moody images lend themselves to a more emotional vibe – with deep shadows, higher contrast, and richer colors. Dark and moody photographers are quite edgy, and often use flash and hi-key lighting in their reception photos. It’s a more trendy modern take on wedding photography but also reminiscent of 1970’s film and super 8 fashion photographs- this style challenges the traditional thoughts on what wedding photos should look like. They will often do intentional blurry photos and use filters and other artistic things to get unique but unpredictable results. If you’re a hip and edgy couple and know you’ll always be that way, this might be for you!

2. Light & Airy

Light and airy photos are more romantic, soft & whimsical – with lighter tones, bright blown out skies, and pastel colors. These are going to be airy and dreamy, classic and timeless, unless they are too blown out in which case they can become a bit trendy. Sometimes these photographers will go too far and los important details such as the lace of brides dresses.

3. True Color

True to life colors without a lot of color editing. It will reflect how your wedding looked and a more realistic representation of your wedding day. Using mainly natural light, these photographers will be focused more on composition.

MY STYLE AS A SAN LUIS OBISPO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

My photography style is a combination of photojournalism with fine art editorial photography and traditional family photos. Weddings have a place for all of these styles to be used.

Weddings need a photographer who knows how to document a day without imposing themselves upon it, but also directing and wrangling groups for great family portraits, and taking a regular couple and helping them know how to pose and guiding them to get beautiful candid feeling romantic pictures that bring out there best features. I use my skill as a wedding photographer to bring all of these to the table and more.

Your wedding photogs from me will be candid, natural, and romantic, and timeless. They will be fun and capture the real emotions and feelings of you day, and be flattering and feel like they could be in a magazine. They will be based on your unique vision for your day and feel personal to you.

Go with the photography style that speaks to your heart- but also consider how those photo will age with time.

2. How much money do wedding photographers in San Luis Obispo cost?

It’s time to talk together about your budget for photography, wether you need a more affordable wedding photographer in SLO or wether you are looking for a luxury wedding photographer and budget isn’t much of a concern. Most couples will delegate 10-15% of their wedding budget for their photography, and another 10% or so for their videography.

There are photographers of all sorts of styles and also experience levels and they all charge different amounts depending on their experience and how in demand they are.

a. Beginner Wedding Photographer: typically has 1-3 years of experience and is mainly second shooting and growing their portfolio. Has done 2-3 small weddings or friends weddings by themselves and is starting to invest in better equipment, but like still has basic camera gear and lacks back-ups in case of emergency. Has a few connections in the photography community but would struggle to find a replacement last minute if they became ill or unavailable. May not understand how to properly back up their photos and lacks essential retouching and advanced editing skill. Doesn’t offer help with planning your day and lacks experience making timelines, etc. If your day went off plan for some reason they would struggle to adapt.

They are usually charging lower than others, under $3000, and will be willing to negotiate on price in order to gain portfolio.

b. Professional Wedding Photographer: typically has 4 or more years of wedding photography experience and at least 20 weddings by themselves under their belt. Is a full time wedding photographer and has invested in the essential high quality camera gear and backups. Has extensive portfolio, connections in the community in case of emergency, and advanced retouching, support during your planning stages, extensive backups, and is fully able to adapt to various situations that may arise at a venue.

They are offering much more in terms of service and support and have resources to help you have the best wedding experience possible. They are open to working many types of weddings from back yard events to ballrooms, and are more down to earth when it comes to the type of style and couples thye like to work with. they will appreciate a DIY wedding as much as an elegant affair, and can elevate a simple decor to something much more beautiful in the photos.

They will be charging anywhere from $3000 on the low end up to 6-7,000 on the higher end depending on how high in demand they are.

c. Luxury Wedding Photographer

A luxury wedding photographer has a lot of overlap with a professional level photographer- the main difference is that they will be charging quite a lot more and take a lot fewer weddings per year. These photographers usual work directly with planners and they are very discerning in which couples and weddings they work with. Their experience level can vary and they can often have less experience than a professional photographer but they have invested a lot of time and money developing their portfolios. You will often see more stylized shoots on their portfolios than real weddings.

They should provide a high level of customer service, come recommended, have a remarkable portfolio, and may be selective about which venues they will work at. You won’t see them doing the cheesy Pinterest photos- their photos will be unique and deeply aesthetic or emotional. They will offer products like heirloom albums and many of them shoot film, which is part of why they charge such high prices.

Pricing for a luxury photographer in San Luis Obispo is between $8000 and $15000.

You can always find cheap photographers who charge less and thats ok if thats all you can afford- but be careful of who you hire and check out their reputation, gear, portfolio, and have a back up plan just in case. Weddings take a lot of learning and equipment to shoot well so it’s always best to hire the best photographer you can afford, since photography is the only part of your wedding you take with you.

JUST REMEMBER YOU’RE ONLY GOING TO LIVE THIS DAY ONE TIME

D. Wedding videography costs the same as a wedding photography, if not a little more. Wedding videography packages can cost from $3000-to $15,000 or more.

If you can find a hybrid photographer like me who offers bundles on her photo and video packages, that can save you a lot of money on videography. I have videography packages, just ask!

What sort of wedding photographer am I? I am a professional wedding photographer with 15 years of full time experience and over 400 weddings in my portfolio. I love shooting diy weddings and luxury high end weddings, and have a lot of experience with every kind of wedding you can imagine. I just love working with down to earth couples but I also provide a luxury level of service to my couples without such a high price tag. I work with many planners and am extensively connected in the photography and wedding community, and I create beautiful, emotional images that feel like they came from a magazine but are still YOU.

3. FIND SOME SAN LUIS OBISPO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS NEAR YOU AND REACH OUT

Once you have figured out what style of wedding photography you want for your wedding (light and airy, moody, editorial, etc) and you decide which level of wedding photographer is going to be the ideal fit for your budget and your needs(beginner, professional, or luxury) gather a list of 3-4 wedding photographers whose work speaks to you.

Where do we FIND these photographers? I would say start right here- I would love to chat with you and see if we would be a great fit for your wedding day- I travel all over California for weddings! If you want to search around, your best places to find wedding photographers is going to be Instagram, Wedding Wire/The Knot, and good old Google searches.

I like sites like The Knot for finding a wedding photographer because they have reviews that are very likely to be real reviews and not falsified. Look for reviews that have names and pictures attached. Beware someone who only has a million great reviews but none of them say any real information or attach photos of the day. Look for reviews that feel genuine and read what they say to get an idea of what this photographer could do for you.

You can also ask your wedding planner, if you have one, and venues often provide vendors lists. You can ask friends who were recently married for recommendations, and that could help you find the perfect fit. Reach out to any that you feel you like their work and see how long it takes them to respond to you. The ones who respond right away are going to be the ones you want to work with because that is how they will treat you the whole time you work together. Don’t work with anyone who takes a week to respond to your inquiry. You can reach out to me right here and I will be back to you today.

Reach out to them and get some information about their pricing and level of experience and determine wether they would work with your budget. It’s important to ask for pricing because you want to make sure that they are in the ballpark of what you can afford before setting up a time to meet.

I think it is super important to set up a zoom call with your prospective wedding photographer, to get a feel for their personality and see wether you guy would mesh well on the wedding day. When I get on a zoom call with a couple that feels right, we all just know it. It feels like chatting with old friends and its so important to have the connection with your photographer, just as much as loving their work.

Ask how long they have been shooting weddings, what their style is, and look through their portfolio. Check out how often they are putting out new work and how busy they are to get a sense of their experience level. A truly experienced and succesful professional will be able to demonstrate that professionalism- they will also respond to your inquiry in a timely manner and have a lot of experience and knowledge to offer you. It will be easy to view and understand their pricing and they will have a lot of options and services to provide.

BE WARY OF PHOTOGRAPHERS ONLY SHOWING STYLED SHOOTS

There are ways now where new photographers can pay to go on a styled shoot of a fake wedding or fake engagement with a bunch of other photographers and be hand held by a more experienced professional photographer to get amazing photos- but they cannot reproduce this on their own at a real wedding or engagement. They will fill up their website with these photos and it will appear they are Uber talented but they will likely fail at your real wedding with real people who don’t know how to pose like models.

Look for a photographer posting mostly REAL weddings (its ok to have a styled shoot now and then for content) but MOST of their work should be real events because you need actual experience at weddings in order to create consistently beautiful work and capture candid moments. You can often tell a styled shoot because the wedding will look extremely expensive and the couple insanely attractive, but their real weddings wont match the styled shoot photos.

LOVE THEIR PERSONALITY

Your photographer will be with you both a lot on your wedding day, and it’s important they know how to gently give direction, they are friendly and easy to be around, they are invested you and your day, and are running a professional business that is not a hobby. It’s important you feel good talking to them and they seem like someone you can enjoy getting to know and work with for the next year of your lives. My couples often become long term friends because this is such a special event for them and we develop a closeness ad I am very hands on in helping them have a great wedding day.

Look for someone you feel a kinship with and feel trust in their ability to capture your most important day.

Once you find the best photographer for your San Luis Obispo Wedding, it’s time to decide what you need in your wedding photography package.

4. WHAT DO WE NEED IN OUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGE?

Should we do an engagement session?

If you can, do an engagement session with your photographer.

It allows them to get to know you, you to get to know them, and both get used to and comfortable with each other. It’s a great time to fill them in on all the details of your wedding, and to make sure you feel relaxed and  get used to having your photos taken together.

During my engagement shoots I get to study all my couple’s best angles, how they vibe as a couple and teach them how to move and use prompts and posing to make their images amazing and to feel natural. My couples are often nervous at first but by the end they are having so much fun they don’t want it to end.

All before the actual wedding…

How many hours of wedding photography coverage do I need?

Each wedding has it’s own unique timeframe. Your wedding photographer should help you choose a package that has enough hours of coverage to capture all your main events, without feeling rushed. A good photographer will know how many hours it will take to ensure you aren’t wordily glancing at your watch before the cake is cut.

Make sure you give them all the details of your ceremony and reception, wether you would like getting ready photos, are having an end of night send off, a church ceremony with a break before your reception, etc.

The general rule of thumb is that elopements and very small weddings work with 4 hours, small weddings without many getting ready images or a long reception, lunch time weddings or courthouse weddings with a simple dinner can use 6 hours, and everything else needs 8 or more.

If you’re having a full sized wedding and want to capture all the special moments of your day, it’s a good idea to book at least 8 hours.

Do I need one or two wedding photographers on my day?

Not all weddings need a second photographer, but all weddings benefit from them.

Having another professional photographer there is an insurance policy that ensures nothing important ever gets missed, as things tend to happen all at once. My second photographers are also highly experienced professionals who have full time wedding photography businesses of their own. I try to hire second shooters with a unique eye in order to give my couples more variety, especially for candid photos of their guests having a great time.

They are especially useful for church ceremonies that allow for limited movement or weddings with multiple locations that require I be two places at once, Plus, you get the unique artistry of two different photographers.

Should I invest in a wedding photography album?

The last thing you want to do is let your gorgeous wedding images sit on your computer forever. Imagine showing your photographs to your granddaughter- on your computer!

Having a printed, tangible collection of your memories to hold is incredible and worth the investment- it may be the favorite thing you take away from your wedding.

I create custom designed wedding albums that perfectly showcase the images from your day.

Should We Invest in Wedding Videography?

I used to think videography wasn’t that important and wasn’t as special as still photos- until I began shooting videography and I can to see that is is so incredible to be able to rewatch your day, especially your wedding ceremony, vows, and speeches. Being able to hear what people said and the sounds of your day, see all the gestures and movements and emotions of your wedding day is a priceless gift.

I truly feel that every couple should have videography of at least their ceremony. I think it completes the package and it is something that you will never regret buying but you may surely regret not investing after the fact. In five years that couple thousand dollars won’t matter as much but it will always matter not to have your memories.

If you have the budget, absolutely invest in wedding videography. If you don’t consider moving something around like doing diy flowers on your tables or giving up the Photo Booth- because videography of your day is going to make you so darn happy. I offer some great deals on videography as I am a hybrid photographer- just ask and I will tell you all about it.

I WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU CROSS FIND A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER OFF YOUR TO DO LIST

I am an experienced professional wedding photographer with so much to offer and a deep level of care for my couples. I would love to know about your wedding and explore wether we would be the perfect fit. I do take a limited number pf weddings each year and I do fill up pretty far in advance- so reach out asap and lets jump on that zoom call so you can tall me about your day. My wedding packages begin at $3750 and I offer beautiful engagement sessions, heirloom wedding albums, skilled second photographers, videography and more.

If you think I could be the one for you, Inquire on my contact page or you can set up a zoom call with me right here.