Tips: How to choose your wedding photographer in Adelaide | Adelaide Wedding Photographers | Adelaide Wedding Photography

Tips: How to choose your wedding photographer in Adelaide

Planning a wedding in Adelaide? One of the most asked questions will be how to choose a wedding photographer in Adelaide. There are so many things to think about when planning a wedding. The extensive choice of wedding photographers in Adelaide can be overwhelming for some. 

Being a Professional Adelaide Wedding Photographer, I would like to share a few tips.

Style

I find that style is one of the most crucial points when deciding on a wedding photographer. Each one of us has a unique style of taking photos. For example, mine is photojournalistic which allows my images to tell a story. Apart from the photography style, we also have different editing style and photography techniques such as use of external lighting. I would suggest you look through a few photographers' work and decide on the style that you like. Hope I have not confuse you too much here :) 

Budget

This is also an important factor when deciding your Adelaide Wedding Photographer. I would strongly suggest you do not only consider budget as the key in choosing your wedding photographer. It is important that you have a good look through his/her portfolio before jumping into any commitments to avoid disappointment later. Being in the wedding industry for a few years now, I have seen many brides who want their wedding photos retaken. It can be very nice post wedding photos, but they will never be the same. Apart from the pricing, it is wise to look through what's included in their packages, for example whether high resolution images which you can print at your own leisure is included. So I urge that you do your research to find a photographer's style and check out their pricing rather than choosing one entirely based on the pricing. If they are expensive, find out why!

The photographer

I see this point quite important too. You don't want to have a photographer whom you are uncomfortable with throughout your wedding day. If you are uncomfortable with him/her, I suggest you keep looking. There's nothing worse than seeing your own uncomfortable expressions in your wedding photos. I strongly advise brides/grooms to arrange a face to face meeting if possible with the photographer before making a decision. 

Wedding Industrial Recognition

It is nice to know that the wedding photographer of your choice is also recognised by other reputable wedding suppliers, such as wedding venues, celebrants etc. This gives you an indication that they are familiar with the wedding venues or other wedding suppliers that they have worked with, or they have done a good job as they have been recommended by other wedding suppliers. We are proud to be the preferred photographers for a few prestiges wedding venues such as Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Ayers House, Utopia Waterfall Gully and the list is growing. Have a look at our Adelaide Wedding Venues.

The business

It is a good idea to learn a bit more about their business before you sign anything. Common questions like: How long have you been doing this? Do you have insurance? Do you have an ABN? What back up system do you use? Any accreditation? I will try to elaborate on each point.

When you ask "How long have you been a wedding photographer?", it gives you an idea whether you are getting a professional wedding photographer or an experienced wedding photographer or an amateur photographer. This of course does not determine how good they are or how satisfied you are with the photos, but at least it can assist your decision-making.

Why is insurance important? Accidents and theft can happen anytime and anywhere. With insurance in place, you know that you have one less thing to worry about on top of the big wedding planning.

If they have ABN, they are a registered business in Australia. It doesn't mean that they won't run away with your deposit, but at least you know that it is less likely compared to someone who just advertise privately online with no ABN. It's down to the point of the photographer again, make sure you meet them at least once to check their reliability and whether you are comfortable with them and trust them.

I cannot stress enough the importance of a good back up system. What happens when the photographer accidentally drops the camera in the water? Does he/she has a back up camera that is equivalently good? Where are the images stored while they are being edited? You can say I'm paranoid, but better be safe than sorry :)

Accreditation. Well, this is interesting. I often find that some brides/grooms have little understanding or being misled by advertising companies. When you see a photographer who claimed that they have accreditation and awards, it is a good idea to see what sort of awards/accreditation that is. You need to find out whether it is a reliable organisation or just some advertising companies that could be biased towards the photographers who advertise with them. In Australia, we have Australian Institute Professional Photography (AIPP). This is national not just South Australian. Anyone who wants to be part of AIPP has to comply with their strict criteria. Photographers need to submit their photos and there are professional photographers in there that decide whether they get accredited based on the images that they submitted. I agree that there might be good photographers out there who are not in AIPP, but it's always reassuring when you see the AIPP logo on their website.

In summary, plan ahead, take your time and do your research. 

Hope the above have not made your decision making more complicated and I wish all brides/grooms to be HAPPY WEDDING PLANNING! 

Feel free to see our wedding blog posts below.