Sister wants me to help pick out a wedding photog

I can throw my hat in the ring for that price. I've shot weddings in upper NJ before (Grounds for Sculpture was the venue). I will cover travel expenses.

Jim nice shots.

Wondering about how anyone who shoots weddings, chose someone to shoot their own wedding. Anyone have any insight to the way they made their decision or did you already have someone in mind prior?

tats wrote in post #13471846
Jim nice shots.

Wondering about how anyone who shoots weddings, chose someone to shoot their own wedding. Anyone have any insight to the way they made their decision or did you already have someone in mind prior?

I was married 30 years ago. We could not afford a photographer. In fact, we could not really afford a "nice" wedding. My wife made her own gown and prepared all the food for the reception. The only thing we bought (besides our rings) was the cake. We were married in the clubhouse of the apartment complex where we lived. I think we spent maybe $200-$300 total on the wedding.

As for photos, I had a friend snap a few with her point and shoot. But when my oldest daughter got married three years ago, I recommended a friend of mine to shoot the wedding. It was a destination wedding and he was paid about $2400 plus expenses.

Jim (jcolman) is another outstanding candidate. Your sister will have outstanding photos with either.

I think wedding photographer or not, the search process is probably going to be pretty similar. Of course as photographers we are more in tune with the technical aspects of things and we probably know what we want more than a non-wedding photographer as far as style is concerned, or at least know what specifically to look out for rather than just feeling things out.

I don't think it has to be that complicated. I understand that potentially a lot of money is going to be exchanged so that makes the decision a bit more challenging, but I think, first and foremost, you have to find a photographer who's style you like. A person you get along with helps as well. You'll also want to find someone who's consistent and reliable. The rest is common sense stuff like pricing, experience, gear, being able to see some sample weddings, etc.

I was married back in 2004. We had our wedding in Hawaii so our search was done remotely from NYC. We looked through tons of portfolios and picked a photographer we really liked who had a great reputation and a big presence over there. Of course we paid a huge premium for it, but everything came out great and there are absolutely zero regrets.

Red Tie Photography wrote in post #13472177
Jim (jcolman) is another outstanding candidate. Your sister will have outstanding photos with either.

Agreed. Jim is awesome.

nicksan wrote in post #13472210
but I think, first and foremost, you have to find a photographer who's style you like. A person you get along with helps as well. You'll also want to find someone who's consistent and reliable. The rest is common sense stuff like pricing, experience, gear, being able to see some sample weddings, etc.

I absolutely concur. Find someone who's style of photography fits what the client is looking for and the rest will take care of itself.

nicksan wrote in post #13472212
Agreed. Jim is awesome.

Aww....thanks Nick. There are a lot of really talented photographers on this forum, including yourself, so the couple should have no problem finding one that is the right fit for them.

nicksan wrote in post #13472212
Agreed. Jim is awesome.

jcolman wrote in post #13472242
Aww....thanks Nick. There are a lot of really talented photographers on this forum, including yourself, so the couple should have no problem finding one that is the right fit for them.

I'm with Jim if his checks don't bounce.

I always thought POTN could be a potent way to validate a choice of photographer.

I recall a talk on NPR about how to know whether or not a restaurant was good -- the guest simply said "...look at the parking lot [Uk: car park]. if it is full, it is probably good."

So, what's a photographer's parking lot equivalent?

Recommendations.

They can't be faked.

Thanks for the advice guys, loving the third party recommendations. Its good to see who other people have chosen and get real feedback.

Anyone else have to pick a photographer for their own wedding? Any experiences?

tats wrote in post #13502790
Anyone else have to pick a photographer for their own wedding? Any experiences?

I just picked a photographer for my wedding a few months ago. My fiancee and I admired his work for a while so the decision had really already been made that he'd be shooting for us...it was more about picking a date and making sure that he was available.

We still met to go over the details and make sure that our personalities meshed...but needless to say the meeting was probably 15% business and 85% photography talk. Regardless it was still interesting (and a great learning experience) to sit on the other side of the table...I think that my own consultations have gotten better because of it.

I agree with all that has been said so far. First step is to find someone who has a style that you are drawn to and connect with...next is to look at their pricing/packages/exper​ience and then schedule a meeting to make sure that their personality is a good fit. The photographer will be in the same proximity of the bride and groom ALL day...so they are one of the most important people to make sure that you get along with.

I picked a photographer I second shot for. I actually second shot for her because a friend of mine wanted me to shoot her small (30 ppl?) wedding and have never done it before.

After seeing a variety of weddings she did, i was hooked with her style. So I asked her if she would shoot mine and she said yes. Even though we had her booked for 4 hrs, she stayed for 6 and even helped my wife with her dress occasionally.

I would look at a variety of photographer's portfolios and see which style your sister likes. Inquire about packages/prices. Make a list and then work it from there

On a side note, because I knew our wedding photographer, it was easy to work with her and she loved that I knew what she was thinking for shots etc. Made her day easier too.

My wife and I picked our photographer by finding someone that was similar in our style/tastes. We wanted someone that would take pics like we take pics, with their own little twist on it of course. So we got that person, and price wasn't an issue really to a point. So yes, we just got married two years ago, and had already been shooting weddings for years at that point.

And yes, we're available to shoot for your sister at that price point as well, and we can throw in a few extras for that price, including hi-res images on disc.

best of luck

So we have spoken with a few photographers and one thing that has come up a few times is the delivery of RAW files. What do you guys think about asking for the RAW's?

I can see both sides since a SOOC camera shot, is in most cases not the photo I intended to take/show (meaning that if I was to give someone my RAWs I would not feel they were an accurate portrayal of my work) but as a customer buying a service I feel like there is an argument to be made that I while I am paying for a your creativity in part, I am also paying for the taking of the photo not just the final vesion.

Any thoughts?