When it comes to any event or wedding there is only one thing that will last decades past your big day. Want to know what that is? PHOTOS!! To get those photos you have to have the perfect photographer for your event or wedding.
No matter how good your dinner menu was. How impressive the fireworks where. No matter how grand the cake was. How many celebrities wished you happy birthday. You will not remember all of that if not for photos.
Because photos are so critical to you recalling such monumental moments, picking the perfect Photographer is critical.
However, you don’t want to pick just any random photographer near you. You want someone who will meet all of the basic requirements for your special event or wedding. Here are a few photographer duties that you should look out for.
6 Ways To Pick The Perfect Photographer
1 – Don’t Focus Solely On What You See Via Social Media
Instagram – Andrew Roby Events
Each day we are inundated by imagery. We get on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest and are bombarded by images of all sorts. We love them, but can forget that these should not be the only thing we base our decisions on.
When looking on social media, it’s important to understand that most good photographers in DC or your location are only going to show you their very best. Could you imagine a Photographer trying to book you by using a really blurry or horribly lit photo? Only use social media as your starting point to narrow down who you want to reach out to.
2 – Ask To View Full Galleries
Now that you have narrowed down your list of potential DC wedding or event photographers, you now want to see more. Ask your list of photographers for access to 2 or 3 galleries. The reason you want to see full galleries is because you want to:
Identify consistent photos
See the quality of work done for an entire event and not just a few images
Make sure the photographer has quality photos that you can expect to get in your gallery
Galleries are a photographer’s resume and you can quickly tell if you’ve found a good one by looking through photographer images.
3 – Talk About Your Wedding or Event
Concert -Andrew Roby Events
Just because someone is a Photographer extraordinaire doesn’t mean they are a good fit for your engagement session. They may be great at shooting a birthday party, but are they good at shooting a dinner engagement?
Explain to your ideal vendor what type of event or wedding you plan to have. This helps them understand if they are a good fit for you. If you want a beach wedding with a sunset atmosphere, ask if he or she has experience with that. Should you plan to have an outdoor event, ask if he or she has experience with natural light. Maybe they have tons of experience with indoor shooting and not as much with outdoor. That’s something you want to know that. You want to see galleries of similar weddings or events.
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4 – Check For Emotion And Key Moments In Images
Balloon Release – Andrew Roby Events
It’s critical that you look for emotion in photography galleries. When you look through any gallery does everyone look upset? Does everyone look like a deer caught in headlights? If so, this is not the person to hire. This person struggles with capturing great emotional photos that highlights you and your guests.
You also want to make sure whoever you hire, captures the best key moments. When you are getting married or have an important corporate event, there are no do overs. You need a photography agency that’s experienced enough to capture the story as it happens. So look for those key moments when looking through a photo gallery. If they are missing, ask where they are.
5 – Ask About Manpower And Equipment
When creating your event budget, get the most bang for your buck. You must consider who is taking the photos and what equipment they have available. You’d be surprised to know how many people think all a photographer needs is a camera or two.
Ask your Photographer what type of lighting equipment comes with their photography packages. If they have shot at your wedding or event venue before. Ask them if they have second shooter. A second shooter is an additional person that is able to take photos in places and of people where the initial Photographer cannot. If you have a large fusion wedding or event with a lot of moving parts, there is no way that your main person is going to capture all of this. You need a second shooter.
6 – Focus on the Details
Blurry Concert Photo -Andrew Roby Events
If the images you are looking at look distorted, blurry, or grainy, ask why that is. I know it might sound obvious, but looking at images close up can really highlight errors. Did you see a image of someone in motion and it looks like they have multiple heads? You can expect your images to be the same way. You want crisp images that you can identify from any distance.
You also want a person that will capture everything at your event. The focus should not just be on people. You want images of the decor, the food, and anything else. Your goal is to remember everything and not just the people who attended.
In Conclusion
I hope these few tips help you in picking out the perfect Photographer. Of course these aren’t the end-all-be-all, but they are a good start. Have more tips for this post? Share them in the comment section below.