Couples ask me how to choose a wedding photographer more often than they ask about anything else. It makes sense. The flowers wilt, the cake gets eaten, but the photos stay. Yet most couples have never hired a photographer before, so they compare prices and hope for the best. In this post I want to give you a better way. These are the things I would look for if I were choosing a photographer for my own wedding.
How to choose a wedding photographer: start with the work
The first step in how to choose a wedding photographer is simple: look at full weddings, not highlight reels. Anyone can show ten beautiful photos from ten different weddings. Ask to see one complete wedding from start to finish. Then check a few things. Are the family photos sharp and well lit, not only the sunset portraits? Does the dancing look alive? Are there photos of the grandparents? A full gallery tells you what you will actually receive.
While you look, pay attention to the style. Some photographers shoot bright and airy, others dark and dramatic, others more documentary. None is wrong, but you should love the one you pick, because that is how your wedding will look forever.
Make sure they know your kind of wedding
A photographer who has never shot a Jewish wedding may not know that the bedeken lasts a minute, or that the glass breaks once. The same goes for any tradition that matters to you. So ask directly: have you photographed a wedding like ours? Ask them to walk you through how they would cover the chuppah or the hora. A good answer is specific. For example, I tell couples exactly where I stand for the glass, and why I ask them to start the chuppah forty minutes before sunset.
How to choose a wedding photographer: the questions to ask
Here are the questions I would ask any photographer, including me.
- Will you personally be the one photographing our wedding, or might you send someone else?
- Do you bring a second photographer, and when do you recommend one?
- How many hours are included, and what happens if the party runs late?
- How many edited photos will we receive, and in what form?
- When will we get them? A sneak peek within a few days is normal; the full gallery usually takes a few weeks.
- Do you back up the photos during the wedding? The answer should be yes, on two cards at once.
- What happens if you are sick on the day?
- Do you have a written contract? You want one.
- Can we see a full wedding from a venue like ours, or in similar light?
- Have you worked with our venue, rabbi or planner before?
Write the answers down. Afterwards, compare them side by side, and notice who answered clearly and who dodged.
Meet them, even for ten minutes
Your photographer will be next to you for twelve hours, in the most emotional moments of your life. Therefore you need to like them. A video call is enough, and a coffee is even better. Do they listen? Do they ask about you, or only talk about themselves? Are they calm? On a wedding day, calm is worth a lot, because something always goes wrong, and you want the person with the camera to be the one who does not panic.
How to choose a wedding photographer: the red flags
When you are working out how to choose a wedding photographer, some signs tell you to keep looking.
- They cannot show a full wedding gallery.
- There is no contract, or the contract has no delivery date.
- Every photo on their site looks like it was taken at golden hour on a beach. Ask about indoor halls and evening light.
- They promise “thousands of photos” without talking about editing. More is not better.
- They are vague about who will actually show up.
Book early, and book the person
Good photographers get booked a year in advance, especially for Thursday weddings in the spring and autumn. In Israel the wedding season peaks between Pesach and Sukkot, so those dates go first. So once you find someone whose work you love and whose answers make sense, book them. Do not wait for a cheaper option. Choosing a photographer is a decision about trust more than about price, and the right one will give you photos you keep for the rest of your life.
If you want a longer checklist, The Knot has a sensible list of questions to ask a wedding photographer, and most of it applies anywhere in the world.
One more tip
This is the part of how to choose a wedding photographer that nobody mentions: help them do their job. Hand your photographer a short list of the family photos you want and the names of the people in them. It takes you ten minutes and it saves twenty on the day. Also, tell them about anything unusual: a surprise, a grandmother who cannot stand for long, a custom from one side of the family. The more we know, the better we photograph.
Let’s talk
That is my honest answer to how to choose a wedding photographer: look at full galleries, ask real questions, and pick the person you trust. If you are getting married and want to see whether we are a good fit, browse my weddings first. Then message me on WhatsApp at 050-9540853 with your date, and ask me any of the questions above. I will be happy to answer every one of them.