Pacific Northwest Wedding Photographers Littlejohn Photography offer Portland couples the very best in Wedding Photography
Are you getting married in Portland or the surrounding Pacific Northwest? Who will be your wedding photographer?
Below is a list of things you should be considering when looking for a wedding photography team.
-Price-
Price is typically the first thing that comes to mind when selecting your wedding photographer. However we could tell you one horror story after another from brides who selected their wedding photographer based solely on price, including our own wedding, and were extremely disappointed with their results. A wedding is a once in a lifetime event that cannot be repeated, once the moment is missed it is gone forever. You will spend countless hours on planning and creating the atmosphere you have always dreamed of, and trust me the hours in that one day will fly by so fast you will not believe it. After all that effort and expense the only thing you will have to remember the day by is your wedding photos. The honest truth is today's wedding photography market is oversaturated with amateur photographers willing to offer you their services at a much cheaper rate than an actual professional.
Your wedding photography will be all you have to remember the most important day of your lives, don't fall into the trap of shopping based only on price.
-Personality-
You are not just selecting a wedding photographer to hide in the corner on your wedding day. You are hiring a photographer that will be with you and your family all day. Personality is a critical aspect in the selection process and should not be discounted or overlooked.
Your photographer's personality can have a dramatic effect on the tone of your entire wedding day as well as the attitude of your wedding party. In most cases you will be working with your photographer for the better part of a year or more when you factor in your engagement session, wedding day and post wedding sessions along with the Album design. Choose someone that makes you feel comfortable so you can establish a trusted bond.
-Number of Photographers-
How many dedicated photographers will be covering your wedding? A wedding needs a minimum of 2 dedicated photographers, this ensures that there is always one photographer focused on you and your group while the second is grabbing details, guests and additional angles. This also allows for breaks to be alternated between shooters to ensure nothing is being missed, and yes your photographers will need a quick break here and there throughout your day.
Be cautious of photography teams that say they can focus on photos as well as video. While yes modern camera bodies can capture both, they require different support gear and approaches throughout the day. If you have a team of 2 that plan to do both, there will be shots missed, it’s simply unavoidable. If you're seeking photography and video we recommend hiring a dedicated videographer whose sole purpose is producing an amazing video for you and not switching back and forth.
-Coverage-
How many hours is a photographer offering you? Typically you will want your photographers to be with you documenting all the moments of your wedding day starting with hair and makeup all the way to final departure. That’s normally 8-10 hours of coverage.
Be careful when selecting your coverage, some photographers cut their prices by offering less than adequate coverage for your day. Adding additional hours to a cheap photography package can quickly drive up your final price.
-Backups and Equipment-
Yes gear is important, but not in the way that a lot of non wedding photographers think. Having the most expensive camera does no good if it gets knocked off the table by a guest and the photographer does not have another in their bag to grab. Accidents happen all the time, it's not a matter of if gear will fail or break but when. Having two photographers to cover a wedding is required because then you have a backup should something happen to one of the photographers, however only having 2 cameras between them does not equal having backups.
In short, discuss backups with your potential wedding photographer. Your photographer should be able to drop their camera, lens and flash in the ocean, reach into their bag for a backup and keep shooting. The last thing you want is to have your photos stop mid ceremony due to equipment malfunction with no backup in sight. This is a key difference between hiring a professional team or someone’s friend that has one camera and has shot a few senior portraits.
-Wedding Albums & Prints-
Your magical day is over and now it's time to view your photos. Do you want a drop box link to scroll through on your phone? Or do you want to relive your day over and over again with a beautiful wedding album? Don’t underestimate the importance of a quality album, for many it is the first family heirloom, the one keepsake you will have for generations.
Wedding albums come in all shapes and sizes, questions you should ask your photographer 1) How many pages come in the wedding album? 2) How many images will be in the album? 3) What cover options are available from leather (even vegan leather) to acrylic, your photographer should not only have a standard option but also offer upgrades too.
Do you dream of large prints from your engagement session, or dramatic portraits from a fun filled Bridal Portrait session. Make sure your photographer has experience ordering and preparing files for such large prints.
-Does the Photographer Care-
Finding a photographer that cares should be easy right? Ask them a few questions, what made you get into wedding photography, is a great place to start. If your event is out of town, will the photographer travel the night before on their own dime to make sure there's no reason for them to be late on your big day. Will the photographer extend coverage past the contracted end time if your day is running a little behind schedule without asking for additional payment? Does the photographer list their packages and prices on their website for you to review in a non pressured way. In short, make sure you talk with potential wedding photographers and pick a team whose goal is to take the stress out of your day and make those special moments last a lifetime.