Photographer's Tips for brides

Should I have a Second Shooter for my Wedding? | For the Bride

You every have one of those days where you cannot concentrate on anything to the point where you are just frustrated at yourself? That was me, yesterday and that is why you are getting this today! I think it is so important so I just had to share!

I wanted to start off with letting you know a second shooter is not a necessity on your wedding day; I shoot weddings by myself all the time and I capture everything. But there are benefits from having a second shooter that i want to bring to your attention! I know your wondering if a second shooter will be worth it. I just want to encourage you to go for it for a couple of reasons. 

Your wedding gallery will be more rounded out. At the start of the day lead shoots the bridal party getting ready. With a second shooter the lead photographer can focus primarily on the girls and the second shooter can focus on the boys!  This helps give both sides of the story the equal focus they deserve! That does not just apply to the morning but the whole day ! The second shooter will give you different vantage points and more candids of friends and family.

Second shooter are also awesome if you have a tight timeline. I have seen multiple times where grandma is missing for the family formals, so the second photographer can go track her down while the lead is able to continue photos while we are waiting, which keeps everything going smoothly! If the lead photographer needs to go shoot details the second shooter can stay with the wedding party while still documenting the day when the lead is else where. It is wonderful when timing calls to have one photographer in two places at once. ( As much as I would love that ability I am not yet equipped with that particular skill)

How To Choose Your Wedding Photographer | MW Photography | Minneapolis & St Paul Wedding Photographer

 

At this point you have man, ring, and the date set! Now you are here trying to figure out what to look for in a photographer. A lot of people search google and pinterest for the top questions to ask each vendor they are considering for their wedding. But here are four tips photographers secretly want you to consider when choosing a wedding photographer!  

1) Love their Style. A photographer's style is something they have worked on and polished to be something that really speaks to them as an artist.  If all the pinerest photos you are pinning are dark and moody but all the photos on your photographers website are light and airy, you are looking into the wrong photographer. Take a good look at the photographer's work and know that is what your wedding photos will look like. If you do not like their style you will not like your wedding photos. At that point it is time to move onto a photographer whose style matches one that speaks to you!

2) Have A Connection - your wedding day should be one of the happiest days of your life! To help you feel comfortable, make sure you have a human connection with your photographer! On your engagement shoot and your wedding day it will feel more like having a friend there with you the  a complete stranger, which will make the day more enjoyable and make you and your groom be more comfortable! 

3) Make sure they are specialized in Weddings. Just like cooking has people specialize in pastries, appetizers, or main courses (anyone else craving a cupcake?) Photographers will have specialties - fashion, food, conceptual, portraits, landscape, urban, new born, and wedding photography. As each style of photographer is a beast of a different nature, it is wise to find a photographer who specializes in weddings. They will know from experience the equipment and skills needed to capture your day completely and know how to hand any problems that pop up. 

4) Have the same photo values.  This is something I do not get asked a lot yet it is so important. When you look back on your wedding photos what are the photos you want the most to have. Each wedding photographer has a part of the day they looooooove shooting over everything else. Is the same piece of the day that you are most excited for match the photographers niche to shoot? My favorite part of the wedding day to shoot is the bride and groom portraits. Bride and groom portraits are seriously the biggest things that drew me to wedding photography and they regularly take me breath away. I want my MW couples to value those portraits as much as I do. 

These are just simple tips to help you choose a photographer that is the perfect fit right for you!