Picking the Best Wedding Photographer

When Lisa walked down the aisle toward Scott, it was not to be the tradition path. She would not walk the long, narrow church aisle but instead she would journey down a garden pathway, lighted by votive candles. Overlooking Utah’s beautiful mountain scenery, with all her friends and family looking on, this bride was creating one of the best of all memories. To help capture this memory on film, Lisa had painstakingly researched Salt Lake City wedding photographers. She would visit a number of Salt Lake City wedding photography studios before selecting the one she would use for her big day. There were a few deciding factors Lisa used to make her decision.

The first thing Lisa did when interviewing potential studios was to view available portfolios. Taking the time to view images taken by staff is so important. Do you like the style of the pictures? Are they traditional poses or more contemporary? Do the images create the sense of style and mood that you hope to capture? Seeing examples of a persons work can help a bride decide if those are the type of images she is drawn to. Every bride is different and has different expectations for what they want to eventually see in their picture album. In Lisa’s case, with her plans for an outdoor ceremony, she was particularly interested in viewing images of landscape and scenery. She also noted the many bridal party pictures, specifically those shots which had been taken outside.

The second thing Lisa felt important was to bring along a list of the specific people, events, and items she wanted pictures of. By bringing a list of her required pictures she was able to ask each studio if they were willing and able to comply with her wishes. She was impressed by those studios who valued her ideas and also offered additional suggestions of picture opportunities they had successfully captured at previous events. She was turned off by those whom she felt ignored her list in favor of their “usual” way of shooting the ceremony and its participants.

The final thing Lisa asked for from potential hires was several references. Being able to talk to former brides would give Lisa a sense of how this studio performed. Did the references get all the pictures they were hoping for? Were their enough candid snapshots to compliment all the posed pictures? Did the pictures capture the spirit of the ceremony? Were the pictures completed and delivered in a timely fashion? Did the studio effectively manage to do their job without taking attention away from the events of the ceremony? Getting a firsthand accounting of a studios performance is an extremely reliable way to get a sense of their quality.

Lisa was happy to do all the advanced planning, but when her big day arrived, the last thing she wanted to worry about was whether the right pictures were being taken. She wanted to select someone she could trust and someone who could artistically and skillfully capture and save all the big moments from her ceremony. Finding someone who could understand the importance of their job, as they documented this day for all of time, was Lisa’s primary goal.