3 Things to Look for in a Wedding Photographer

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If you are looking for a wedding photographer, you have probably already scoured the Internet. You have looked at several wedding photographers on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You have likely talked to your friends. You have looked at some photographers who fit in your budget and some dream photographers who you can't afford but will keep on standby just in case you win the lottery.

 It can be stressful trying to plan your own wedding, and it can be stressful to try to find the right person to capture it. You want to be able to look at the photographs they take and remember what your wedding felt like on that day.

You don’t want to just find a good photographer. You want to find a photographer who is the right fit for you. You could have wedding photos that are beautiful and that are the envy of all your friends. But they might not capture you. The following are three tips for finding the right wedding photographer in Minneapolis.

Look at Their Entire Wedding Gallery

The way that you see your wedding and how your wedding photographer sees it is different. For you, your wedding day is a series of events involving people you love and locations that are important to you, or that will be important to you in the future. These include the wedding venue, the reception, photographs with your family, and photographs in the buildup to the wedding.

Each of these locations has a variety of lighting. Your wedding photographer needs to be fast so that they can get the right equipment, posing strategies, and framing techniques for each one of these locations.

Now, there are some photographers who can work magic regardless of the location. But they are few and far between. You need to look at a photographer's entire wedding gallery to get a feel for how they do with outdoor photos as opposed to indoor photos. How does he do with group shots as opposed to portraits? How well does he capture the cake, the rings, candid photos, etc? If the photographer you are considering does not have these types of photos on their website, ask to see everything.

Find Photos That the Two of You Can See Yourselves in

Wedding planning has become stylized. As you are going through the planning process, you will see hundreds of stunning photographs featuring the groom wearing the perfect suit or the bride wearing the perfect dress with the perfect smile in the perfect venue. These can be attractive, but you have to ask yourself, do I see myself in the photo?

 Are you looking for the perfectly stylized, ecstatically happy photographs? Or are you looking for something that is authentically you? It’s good to think about this in advance because photographers specialize in certain wedding types. For example, you are going to be happy if you are having a small hometown wedding in Bemidji, MN, in your parent’s backyard and you hire Minneapolis wedding photographers who specialize in photos that capture the moments that go unseen by many but will mean everything to you.

A photographer who works a lot with models may not do their best work with you. They may capture something stylized, but they will not capture the essence of your relationship. Hire someone who shows the kind of work you want to see yourself in.

Your Photographer Should Make You Feel Comfortable

Before you book a photographer, meet them in person. Tell them how you and your soon-to-be spouse met. You should be able to click with your photographer.

You will spend a lot of time with your photographer during some of the most stressful events of your life. They will be around your friends and your family members. They will be there when you break down and cry and when you have that pre-wedding spat with your mother-in-law. They may spend more time with you on your future wedding day than you spend with your new spouse. You need to feel like you can trust them to be a source of calm during the storm as opposed to adding kindling on the fire.

Photography is powerful. Your wedding pictures may play a more important role in your life than you realize. They will be what reminds you of the delightful times when relationship challenges arise. They will be the memories that you show your children and grandchildren. Take your time, do your due diligence, and find the wedding photographer who is right for you.