5 Tips for choosing your Lafayette Indiana Wedding Photographer
Wedding Pictures are what you have to look back at for years and years to come!
Your Wedding day is so special and choosing your wedding photographer is a big decision. This article will discuss 5 key tips to help you choose the best wedding photographer for your big day!
I am a Lafayette Indiana and surrounding area wedding photographer. I might be the perfect wedding photographer for you! But- I might not be, and that is OK. It is so very important that you choose the photographer that is best for you. This post has 5 tips for helping you choose the best fit for your wedding day photographer.
Tip #1: Know what wedding photo editing style you like. Choose a photographer that delivers pictures with the style you love.
There are lots of different editing styles and it is important to know what kind of style you like so that you choose a wedding photographer that will deliver that kind of pictures.
There are a handful of primary photography editing styles:
“True to Life/ Classic” - This style stands the test of time. This editing style keeps colors and tones true to life and is neither overly bright or dark. This is my style of editing. It is not a trend that will go out of style. Classic and timeless.
“Light and Airy” - This editing style is bright and light and colors are not deeply saturated. This is currently a very popular trend in wedding photography. There are ranges in how light and airy photographers edit. Some edit much brighter and lighter than others.
“Dark and Moody” - This editing style is rich in shadows and embraces the richness of contrast. It is known for dramatic. While it isn’t as popular of a wedding edit as the more trendier light and airy, it is still a trendy editing style.
“Bold and colorful” - This editing style focuses on the depth of color and light. They are often full of high contrast and can be “Bright and colorful” or “Dark and colorful”. The focus on this style of editing is in the color tones.
It is very important when choosing a wedding photographer to look at their social media and their website to see how they edit their work. You want to choose a photographer that will give you a style you love and will enjoy having for all the years to come.
All of the pictures in this post are edited with my “True to Life/ Classic” editing style.
Tip #2: What type of photos do you love? What type of wedding pictures are most important to you? Know what you want!
Do you want primarily posed traditional, everyone smiling at the camera pictures? Would you prefer more candid and interactive pictures? Maybe you want a good balance of both of those types of pictures.
Do you love outdoor pictures or do you want photos inside the church?
Are you fun loving and want lots of energy or are you more quiet and reserved and want more serious pictures?
Wedding photographers have their own posing style that they specialize in.
Some love the traditional poses and others primarily focus on candid and interactive ones.
I focus on getting many of both. I believe everyone needs some traditional wedding pictures of everyone smiling at the camera! Traditional poses tend to be the ones people choose to frame and hand on the walls. However, it is also nice to have fun and have interactive poses that capture the authentic emotions of the day. It is great to create albums with a mixture of both traditional poses and interactive poses. My wedding day galleries will be full of both traditional and interactive pictures.
Know what is important to you so that you can choose a photographer that will give you the types of pictures that matter most to you!
Tip #3: Choose a photographer with a personality type and professional style you enjoy. Your wedding photographer will be with you most of the day.
Some photographers will be your personal “hype girl”, others are so quiet you hardly know that they are there. Some are very formal and others will feel like part of the family by the end of the day.
What kind of personality would you like your wedding photographer to have? There is no wrong answer!
I am pretty quiet, definitely not a “hype girl”, but am not shy and will guide you through the pictures and I’m not afraid to take charge when needed, such as during family photo time! There are parts of the day you will hardly realize I am there as I quietly capture pictures as the day unfolds. During other parts of the day I will help guide the process and facilitate the interactions. I am friendly and outgoing but do not like being the center of attention. The bride and groom are the stars of the wedding day and I want them to shine!
Know what kind of personality you prefer for your wedding photographer and choose accordingly. You can schedule meetings with several photographers to get to know them. As wedding photographers we know we are being hired for a big job and don’t mind being “interviewed”. Remember, you will spend a lot of your wedding day with your photographer so their personality and professional style does make a big difference!
Tip #4: Understand what is included in a photographers wedding package options. Choose the package that provides the services that are important to you!
Most photographers offer a few different packages to choose from and packages differ from photographer to photographer. The length of coverage, engagement sessions, print packages or albums and inclusion of a second photographer are examples of package options.
I believe that having physical prints are important! Framing pictures from your wedding day and hanging them on the wall is a treasure. For that reason all of my wedding day packages include print credit. You will be able to order prints right from your own online photo gallery. Of course you will also receive all of the digitals, but physical prints are important!
Tip #5: Choose a wedding photographer that includes (or offers) a “second shooter/photographer”.
What is a “Second shooter/photographer”? A second shooter is a second professional wedding photographer that works alonside the lead photographer. The second is more than an “assistant” to the lead- the second is a fully working second photographer there to capture pictures of your wedding day.
Why is a second shooter/photographer so important?
The lead photographer cannot be two places at once. Wedding days are full of activity and if there are two photographers working they can divide up to capture more moments.
Different angles- for example the lead photographer can take pictures of the bride as she walks down the aisle and the second photographer can focus on the groom watching the bride as she comes down the aisle. Both angles are treasured pictures. Throughout the day there are many opportunities when having pictures taken from a different angle is important and special.
Back up- What if your photographer wakes up on your wedding day and is sick? If your photographer uses a second photographer you will not be left in an emergency situation! You will have a photographer at your wedding! A quality second shooter/photographer is more that capable of stepping into the role of lead photographer. This fact provides you with peace of mind!
More pictures! Two photographers capturing pictures will give you a larger gallery than if just one photographer is shooting.
Choosing your Lafayette IN wedding photographer is a BIG decision!
Look over websites and social media, schedule to meet with photographers in person or over the phone. Ask around and get referrals from friends and other wedding venders.
I would love the opportunity to chat with you to see if I would be a good fit for your wedding day.
I believe that marriage is a treasure and that Classic and Timeless wedding pictures will be cherished for all the years to come!
To learn more about Heather Corbin Photography Wedding packages visit my WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY page.
Reach out! Contact me today to learn more or to schedule an “interview”- a chat! :)
I hope that you have found these tips helpful as you choose your Lafayette Indiana wedding photographer. Your wedding day will be one of the best days of your life and you want the day preserved with high quality pictures for you to enjoy for years and years.
