Choosing your destination wedding/elopement Photographer in Paris, France
You’re engaged and you’ve decided - the wedding will be in France. Once the venue is chosen one of the next things you’ll likely be researching is ‘wedding photographer in France’. Type that into Google and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of photographers and styles on offer.
So…
How to choose your destination wedding photographer?
1. Settle on a style of photography
With so many styles on offer such as photojournalistic, fine art, editorial, light and airy, dark and moody, settling on one will greatly narrow down the selection.
How to settle on one style? A great way is to use Pinterest. Create a wedding inspiration board and begin pinning images that you’re aesthetically drawn to, you’ll notice over time one particular style will begin to become more apparent than the others. Don’t worry if there’s a slight mix of styles, most photographers mix things up a little as well.
If someone were to ask me my photographic style I’d describe it as photojournalistic with an editorial touch. I’m trying to tell the story of your day in the most beautiful way with elegant, emotional photographs. I steer away from stylish ‘trends’ and ‘fads’ that often age badly, I create for you a timeless set of images that you’ll be proud to show to your children.
2. Availability and budget
Both these points will further narrow down the selection. Good photographers are generally in high demand and dates begin to fill up well in advance so the sooner you begin your search the better chance you have of booking the photographer you want.
Wedding photographers’ pricing is an area with as much, if not more variation than photographic styles. For a full-time professional photographer here in France the costs can vary from around €1,500 all the way to €20,000. So many variants effects photographers pricing such as reputation, experience, deliverables, location, and of course demand.
3. What’s included and deliverables
Find out exactly what the photographer offers in their packages. Things to take into account are roughly how many images you can expect to receive, are the hi-resolution images included, how are the images delivered, and does your photographer make it easy to share your photos with family and friends? Are all the images edited, do you have the ability to order quality prints from a professional lab, and what about a wedding album? Most experienced photographers should have a system in place that makes it easy for you to order deliverables such as prints and albums from high-end manufacturers.
My couples receive their photos through a beautifully presented online gallery. From here they can not only download their images but easily share them with family and friends, order prints from professional print labs as well as design and order beautiful hand made albums.
4. Ask to see a full wedding
Any photographer can show an impressive highlight reel of the best images on their website/social media feed. However it’s important you get to see the bigger picture, particularly regarding certain aspects of the day that may be important to you. Do they capture genuine moments? A wedding is an emotional event - is that emotion evident in their work? How does the photographer deal with less than ideal light in environments such as a dark church? What about family photos and group shots? Are the bride and groom portraits natural looking with beautiful light? Do they take time to photograph reception details? Have they managed to capture the feel of the party?
Many photographers (myself included) feature wedding stories on their blog/portfolio that should give you a good idea of how they go about creating the story and what you can expect. However, if you want to see, even more, don’t be afraid to ask if it’s possible to view a full wedding gallery.
5. Arrange a chat over Skype/Facetime
By this point, you should have whittled down your list of potential photographers to a handful. Now is the perfect time to set up some online (or in-person if possible) meetings. Think of it as an informal chat over a coffee, getting to know the person behind the business and in turn letting them get to know a little about you and your vision for your day. Photographers should have an FAQ page that answers the majority of questions, such as turnaround time, images rights, deliverables, etc, however the meeting is the perfect time to put forward any questions specific to your day as well as ask the photographer for his or her advice regarding any aspects of the day you’re unsure about…this meeting also brings me onto one of the most important points…
6. Ensure there’s a good feeling between you and your photographer
I cannot state this enough. Your photographer is going to be a huge part of your wedding, you’re essentially inviting a stranger to be an integral part of one of the most important moments of your lives. They’ll be close to you the majority of the day, they’ll be witnessing and documenting you (and your family) at extremely emotional moments, they’ll be around your loved ones and closest friends. It’s essential that you trust and have a good connection with your photographer. They could have the best portfolio in the world, however if you don’t have a good feeling about them as a person it’s going to affect the quality of the photos. Go beyond their portfolio and ask yourself, does this person put me at ease? Do they have good social skills? Do they come across as positive and flexible? Do I trust this person with my friends and family and to tell the story of one of the most important days of my life. The more comfortable you feel with your photographer the better the photos will be.
Let’s wrap up with a few do not's
I mentioned above using Pinterest as a tool to create an inspiration board for your wedding. Pinterest is a wonderful resource (one I often use myself), full of inspirational images, however, please, don’t ask your photographer to ‘re-create’ that inspiration board. Your wedding is as unique as you and your photos should reflect that. Asking your photographer to re-create images you’ve stumbled across on Pinterest is a sure-fire way to rob your day of real moments as well as robbing your photographer of his/her creativity. Let your photographer do their job and tell your wedding story through images that truly capture your day, along with the emotions and moments that went with it.
Shot lists. A timeline of your day as well as mentioning anything unique to your wedding that may be slightly out of the ordinary is a huge help, a list of family group photos is also extremely useful (shared with a member from each family), however, you really shouldn’t have to supply your photographer with a shot list containing such things as ‘photo of bride and groom walking down the aisle’, ‘photo of the first kiss’, ‘photo of wedding rings’, ‘father and daughter dance’ etc. If you’re feeling the need to supply your photographer with such a list it points to a lack of trust in their ability to capture your day. If that’s the case are you sure you’ve chosen the right photographer?
Asking your photographer for a list of equipment they’ll be using. If you’re a camera geek and love talking gear I’m going to let this one slide, in fact, I’ve written a blog post that lists in detail the contents of my camera bag which you can read here. However, I will say this - I’ve seen amazing wedding photos taken on old point and shoot film cameras, I’ve seen amazing wedding photos taken on the latest, greatest, state-of-the-art digital cameras. Honestly, the gear doesn’t matter if the images in the photographers portfolio resonate with you.
Conclusion
When all is said and done finding your perfect wedding photographer boils down to two things, finding someone whose style you love as well as someone you connect with as a person. Connection and trust in your photographer will in turn lead to better photos. Photos that years from now will continue to provoke real feelings and emotion each and every time you look through your wedding album - surely a worthwhile investment.
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