Booking your Wedding Photographer

I often get asked when should i booking a Wedding Photographer so I thought I would write about it, along with some key things to think about whilst planning for your big day to give you the best photographs possible!

I will be doing a series of posts like this where I have invited other wedding suppliers to also speak about their process, this will hopefully ease the wedding day planning a little for all you brides and grooms to be.

Booking your wedding photographer

When is the ideal time for couples to get in contact with me?

Firstly every photographer works differently so I will be speaking for myself only.

I already have bookings for summer 2015 so the sooner the better really for those peak summer months but I have in the past also taken on a wedding just 17 days before the wedding day! Yikes! Although this is not ideal for several reasons, you can always ask and you might get lucky! Generally though 10-12 months before your wedding day gives you the best chance for your date to be free.

 

Does the time of year make a difference to how my service works?

Yes absolutely!  This is something not everyone is aware of at first. Photography is painting with light so if there is no light or too much light for that matter, you’re not going to have great wedding images!

Summer months is great as we have lovely light evenings so often time is more on our side than in the winter but the harsh sun light can often become a problem in the midday sun. You will often find me hunting down some shady areas to take portraits or formals.  I have sometimes seen quests giving me puzzling looks over this! I’m sure nobody would like their photograph taken with squinty eyes and harsh, contrasting shadows. =)  

 

I would always recommend an earlier ceremony in the winter months. In winter, the sunsets at around 3.30pm so if your ceremony is at 2pm, for example, this will only give us approx. 30 minutes to get all those beautiful portraits of the two of you and any formals you would like! Eek!  

Yes, I can use flashes or go inside if need be but honestly NOTHING beats natural light for this important section of the day.

The same goes for when you start to plan all your beautiful details for your ceremony and wedding breakfast inside. Candle lit dinners, those magical twinkly lights to set the ambiance, gorgeous right!! BUT if we think back to photography is painting with light, it can be very tricky for your photographer. Yes, we can get those ambient detailed shots and they will look stunning but I recommend that you make sure you have additional lighting also to ensure we can capture those great moments when you enter the room or when the speeches are happening etc.

Also (trying not to get too technical here) the less light there is, the higher the ISO the photographer will need to go, which results in a very grainy looking image. Some photographers love to shoot like this and it is there style and some do look amazing but you will not get a clean, sharp image if there is not enough light, so this would also  be down to your personal preference.

Are there any other key things that couples would need to think about when planning?

Other than what I have mentioned already, talk to your photographer. Keep them in loop with any changes, ideas, concerns. Communication is  valuable and your photographer should know all the ins and outs of a wedding day timeline, they will be able to advise you for what will work and what will not.

I care about my couples and their wedding day, I want to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible  for them so we are on the same side! We need to work as a team and this will result in amazing photographs!

Booking your wedding photographer

 I hope this helps a little and I look forward to sharing with you what other wedding suppliers say.

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