When Should I Book My Wedding Photographer?

You’re Engaged! Don't Wait Too Long to Hire Your Wedding Photographer!
Congratulations! When you get engaged, there are so many things to start planning for the wedding! You must pick the venues, the invitations, the décor, the cake; the list goes on. It’s not uncommon for a wedding to take nearly a year or more of planning. Your wedding photographer is going to be the person who captures all of your carefully chosen items to represent the day you get married. When the cake is eaten, the favors have gone home with the guests, and the linens returned to the caterer, your wedding photos will live on!

When to Start Looking for a Photographer
When the date is set, and the venues are chosen, the very next step should be selecting a wedding photographer. Many well-known photographers will often book a year or more in advance, especially for the popular weekends during the wedding season. We know of some photographers who book 2 or more years in advance! But even if the time is short, it can’t hurt to contact your favorite photographers because there may have been a cancellation. 

Where to Start Looking for a Photographer
The ISPWP has a comprehensive directory of professional wedding photographers in nearly every city, state, and country in the world! Our photographers are voted into the ISPWP by the other members and must submit portfolios for review, along with holding the highest standard of ethics of their profession. Our combination of high standards, a minimum of 50 weddings' worth of experience, and having other photographers review and vote for each applicant gives you a level of assurance that you will be hiring a truly talented and experienced professional.

Three is the Magic Number
We recommend looking through portfolios of at least three photographers and submitting inquiries to them. It’s likely that not all will be available for your date, and some may be outside your price range. Before you visit in person, it’s a good idea to get a general idea of the costs for professional wedding photographers in your area. Once you have a list of people to consider, make appointments with your top three. Since photography is an art and not a commodity, pricing and offerings will vary from photographer to photographer. Your photographer will be with you for most of your wedding day, so make sure you are a good match!

Ask to See Examples of Full Weddings
Never rely on just seeing a portfolio of “best photos.” Ask the photographer if you can have access to full wedding galleries online of complete wedding albums to view the whole wedding day from start to finish. Look for the photos to be a pleasing combination of staged (posed) and candid photos to your liking. The photos should also be well-exposed (not too light or dark), and skin tones should have the right color and consistency throughout the gallery. Imagine yourself in the images you look at, can you see yourself in those images? 

To find a talented wedding photographer in your area, please check out the ISPWP directory. You can feel good about choosing an ISPWP photographer because we’ve done the preliminary review for you!

(Photo by Roberto Panciatici)