Wait…wedding photographer? Haven’t we told you that PWP Studio only does corporate events now and after we finished up with our last few clients, we said goodbye to weddings forever? Yes, but having been one of the premiere wedding photography studios in the greater Atlanta area means that we still get requests from time to time. Recently, our head honcho (that would be Patrick Williams) got an email from a friend, wondering if Joe Schmoe* would be a good choice. And since PW is a real nice guy, a former amazing wedding photographer, and loves to give folks quality advice, he highlighted 3 important considerations when choosing your photographer:
1.) Pick someone with experience.
“Joe Schmoe’s* website looks thin on weddings: I see two weddings and a handful of wedding-related-but-not-his-photographs blog posts in the past year. His Portfolio section doesn’t have a wedding gallery, and his wedding slide show has about 10 images and half of them seem to be from the same wedding.
My advice for dealing with him and every other wedding photographer she interviews is simple: people are still people and portfolios are useless these days. Ask to meet in person AND to see an entire wedding the person has shot in the past six months.”
Which brings us to the next point.
2.) Ask for proof of comprehensive coverage.
“Entire wedding. Not a slide show. Not a movie. Not an album. Not a highlight gallery. Certainly not a portrait session as a substitute. Ask for an ENTIRE 300-500 image wedding from start to finish. You may want to ask for this and deal with the delays, ho-hums, “it will be a couple of days”, and such BEFORE you meet in person. No need to fall in love with someone that can’t prove their proficiency in their craft.”
And speaking of meeting in person…
3.) Hire someone you like.
“The personal connection is vital – if you can’t sit and talk with your photographer for an hour and enjoy it, think about what it will be like to spend the entire wedding day within 10 feet of this person. Even if you have to meet their assistant for the consultation, insist on meeting the actual camera toter…You should ‘click’…instantly and famously. If you do ‘click’, you will enjoy the hell out of your day with this person! “
So, in conclusion…
“You can fudge 20-40 strong portfolio images from a wedding for a highlight of some sort and hire someone to relate to your clients better than you do, but it is much harder to fudge ‘start to finish’ coverage and a personality in person!”
And if you’re looking for a corporate photographer… we can assure you that PWP is an experienced studio, that offers full coverage, and has VERY likeable photographers! Those of you looking for a “like”-able wedding photographer, send us a message on Facebook (or comment with your e-mail address) and we’ll refer you to some of our favorites.
“Hope this helps!” — Patrick
*Names have been changed to protect the innocent