5 Tips to Get the Best Wedding Photographs for You
We're honored to have Kelley Spurlock, a rad photographer writing for us today. Kelley and her husband have a taste for adventure but have recently settled in the Delaware Water Gap area. I am looking forward to working with her in the near future as she captures the genuine moments of offbeat weddings.
5 Tips to Get the Best Wedding Photographs for You
Pretty much the worst thing that can happen to your wedding photos is that your photographer totally butchers them and they’re basically unusable. Besides that catastrophe, the next worst thing is when you actually get nice photos but they don’t reflect who you are or the vibe of the day. You look at them and you say, this could have been anyone’s day, they don’t seem personal to me at all. NOT COOL.
These are the only physical reminders of one of the best days in all the land – the day you marry your best friend!!! Seriously, I can attest that marriage is hard, but it is the BOMB. Ideally you want your pictures to truly capture the moment so when you look back on them, you’re brought right back to that moment.
That’s what you want right?? Freaking awesome pictures for a freaking awesome day. You guys are cool, so you deserve cool pictures. So let me lay down 5 tips that will help you avoid photos that just aren’t you. No lame photos allowed.
1. Figure Out Your Budget
Okay, stick with me. I know this is the yucky part, but you have to get through this to get some kick ass pictures! As a wedding photographer I’d like to tell you that you could never spend too much on the only tangible memories you’ll have of your day. But let’s be real… for the majority of us peoples, money doesn’t grow on trees (damn that elusive money tree and its wily ways). Budgets are a good thing. I promise. But what you have to decide is what % photography will hold in your budget. Remember, don’t kid yourself and think that you’ll get high quality photos of your day, that completely reflect who you are, if photography is just an afterthought in your budget. It’s not going to happen. So decide what’s important and from there you can move forward.
2. Know What Kind of Wedding You Want
Understand who you are and what you want. Weddings often times become about everyone else – moms, dads, siblings, friends, co-workers, great aunts, that weird kid down the street… who knows, the list goes on forever. Be true to you!!!! Pleasing everyone else will only lead to a stressful day for you. Also, don’t be swept up in what the wedding industry is telling you to do. If a backyard wedding is true to you, do it. If an intimate mountain top wedding is true to you, do it. If a huge, elegant vineyard wedding is true to you, do it. A wedding doesn’t have to fit into the small, prescribed box that people force on you. DO YOU. And don’t look back.
3. Find a Photographer That Does That Well
When you figure out what is right for you, THEN (and only then) start looking for a photographer. Pretty pictures can be distracting, take it from me. You stand a much better chance of surviving this Pinterest world we live in if you already have an idea in your mind. You’ll be able to bypass everything that doesn’t fit you (even if it is beautiful). Find a photographer that makes you think… wow, they just get it.
4. Make Sure They’re Cool
I’m serious guys!! Make sure you vibe with them. They’re going to be with you through this whole journey and for the ENTIRE wedding day. In fact, you’ll spend more time with your photographer on your wedding day than with anyone else. You better like them. Aren’t things way more fun when you’re with people that you really like? Well… make your wedding day fun!!! DUH.