A Comprehensive Guide for Choosing Your Wedding Photographer like A Pro!

Wedding planning can be cumbersome. Choosing a good photography team is even more challenging. But it ultimately boils down to your personal style and whom you can build a genuine connection with.

Apart from your friends and family, your photographer is who you’ll be closely spending your day with. Ensure the team is honest, friendly, organized, and knows their stuff well.

Finding someone you’re comfortable with, who understands your vision, and whom you can count on to capture the most precious memories of your life is a win-win for everyone.

But there’s more to finding an NYC wedding photographer than the emotional side of it. Years later, your photos will be all you have to reflect on these memories; make sure you consider the following and invest in the right team of professionals. 

Do Your Research

Before anything else, go into research mode and list the best wedding photographers in NYC or around. It gives you a good idea of your local pros, what they are charging, how they charge, and the trends that are going around. You may already have someone in mind; explore their services, any listed packages on their website, and what they can or cannot offer apart from photography services. 

Set Your Budget Right

Once you have a general idea of what things cost, you can have a realistic point of start. This can help you get your numbers together and help you understand how much you are willing and required to spend when finalizing your wedding photographer.

Your final quote can vary on factors like adding a second photographer, requesting videography services, full/half day coverage, etc. So think through all these details and be ready to make tough decisions. Also, many wedding photographers in NYC can work along your budget. So, discuss how they can help tailor your wedding photography experience. 

Know Your Style

Regardless of your budget, you could find wedding photographers in NYC shooting candid wedding photography reportage, traditional, or contemporary styles. Know what appeals to you, not just now but even years later. Find your unique style. Look beyond crazy trends and discover your true taste.

We know you might have a collection full of screenshots of other weddings. Ask yourself what is it that’s common among them and what appeals to you the most. Is it the location, the editing style, or the emotions that are captured? Find a wedding photographer that aligns with that vision. 

Look Beyond the Portfolio 

A photographer’s portfolio is the first step to determining whether or not you’d like the team. But we suggest you also look beyond the highlights. Request a more comprehensive range of shots. View the full gallery of at least one real wedding, and look for the intimacy, joy, fear, and love in those portraits, candid, staged, and group photos. Look for what resonates within you in those photos and choose your wedding photographer accordingly.

Ask Questions

There are just so many questions you’d want to ask your photographer. But which ones would yield the most meaningful and desired answers?

• Approach to the wedding day photography? 
• What styles do they specialize in?
• Do they even give directions?
• Inclusions and exclusions?
• Their pricing structures?
• Can they accommodate your budget?
• Equipment and liability insurance?
• How many hours will they shoot for?
• Who else will be on the team?
• Is there a backup plan?
• Examples of shooting venues similar to yours?
• A look at the less shared images?
• A look at every team member’s work?
• What about rescheduling criteria?
• Costs to be covered in case of travel?
• Rights to use the photographs?
• Editing timeline?
• Final delivery?
• See one or two wedding galleries from the entire wedding 

Couples must ask everything they have in mind, and your wedding photographer should answer all your questions.

Make a Venue Visit 

No matter how familiar you and/or your photographer are with the venue, visit the location together. Assess the different corners of the venue, its lighting setup, and indoor and outdoor ambiance. Surprisingly, details like these can make or break your experiences. A true professional should easily be able to structure different situations and outcomes, helping you with the best throughout the final event. 

Understand Costs 

Photography isn’t a day rate. A large portion of your quote will depend on how long the team will be present at your wedding. Besides, the costs will also include additional services, add-on photographers, traveling, insurance, equipment, software, time spent on curating the album, prints, etc. These expenses stretch much beyond one day of work. Keep this in mind when they present the estimate to you. 

Compare Quotes & Shortlist

Now that almost everything seems sorted, time to compare quotes and finalize your NYC wedding photographers. Sit together with your partner, family, or friends and compare the experiences you’ve had talking to different photographers. 

Look at their quotes and offerings. Strike off the names of any that don’t feel like your vibe. Understand how willing and competent the remaining ones appear. The correct choice would be someone who can do things right even if everything else goes wrong. 

Finally, no matter whom you choose, be careful when signing the dotted line. Until you aren’t 100% satisfied, do not move ahead – it’ll be in the best of you and the service provider. 

Trust Your Photographer’s Vision

In the end, remember you hired only this particular wedding photographer for a reason. So, be open to their creative intuition, and allow them to work with your wedding planner to draft your timeline accurately. 

After all, the success of your wedding photos will depend on all the wedding vendors operating in perfect coordination. The lighting, background, decoration, your event details – the photographer will be able to utilize all these aspects to devise the right plan to capture your celebrations successfully.

Like you’d want them to align with your goals, they’d expect you to also trust their vision.

Ask your photographer to see a snake peek from the entire wedding day.

Haring off or just an Instagram feed might be risky in my opinion.  Photos presented on social media are just the highlights of a photographer’s work. Before you select a potential photographer, ask to see one or two completed galleries to see the full range of work to make a more informed decision. This is the way to set expectations and also to ensure the photographer is the right match for each other. 

Looking For Professional NYC Wedding Photographers? Matthew Sowa Photography Has Your Back!

Weddings are an emotional affair. Each event is full of different intricate details – some anticipated, some unexpected, some exciting, and others overwhelming. But every moment comes together to make for an extraordinary overall experience.

If you are looking for a team well-versed in documenting these details skillfully, then you are at the right place.

At Matthew Sowa Photography, we can artfully capture each moment of your special day as it unfolds. We are an award-winning NYC photography team bringing passion, expertise, and experience to the table.

We know how special a day it is for you, so we capture your wedding photos with love and attention to every minute detail, so you have an album full of memories to look back on even years later.

Confidently plan your dream wedding, and leave the storytelling to us. Get in touch with our incredible team at info@matthewsowaphoto.com, or set up a call at 917-488-1989 

Matthew Sowa – Wedding Photographer 265 Canal Street Suite 206 New York, NY, 10013.