With so many great wedding photographers in Arkansas, it can be a difficult process to make a selection and still stay within budget and schedule constraints.

Meredith Melody at Meredith Melody Photography shares these tips for making sure your big day's photography needs are met. Read her full blog post here.

1. Ask around
Your friends will give you an honest review of photographer(s) they've worked with. Ask a handful of people who've recently gotten married. You may find that a few names will be repeated, and checking out those photographers who come well recommended is a great way to begin your search.

2. Be selective
Don't take the shotgun approach to finding the photographer for you. It's best to do some research and narrow down your search to two to four photographers. Take some time to look through their websites. Make notes of their pricing, styles and anything else that's important to you -- such as if they provide a DVD of images and offer an array of albums. 

Once you make contact with them, good wedding photographers will want to take the time to e-mail you, talk with you on the phone and set up an in-person consultation. Don't waste your or the photographers' time by e-mailing a dozen studios. Be selective and your decision will be quicker and easier in the long run.

3. Be honest
If you find that a photographer you've contacted is outside your budget or has a style that doesn't work with your plans, let him or her know sooner than later. We won't judge you if your budget can't accomodate our services. We won't be angry or upset if you like another person's work better than ours. All we ask is that you are honest with us and respectful of our time.

4. Be polite & respectful
Most photographers are individual business owners and have about a hundred things on their plate at any given time. Our time is valuable to us, so if we've committed an hour to meet with you, please arrive on time and be prepared to have a meaningful conversation.

Please don't start the meeting by going over a list of questions you printed off a wedding planning site. Most photographers are invested in their client relationships. We want to get to know you, chat about your plans and talk about what's important to you in regard to your wedding photography. Yes, we'll answer all of your questions and are happy to do it, but please understand that hiring a photographer isn't as black and white as a bullet point list may suggest. Your consultation should be warm and friendly, not just Q&A.

Additionally, don't book back-to-back interviews at the same location. I've heard too many stories of photographers arriving early to meet with a potential client at Starbucks only to find another photographer there chatting with that client and discussing album options. That's just plain uncomfortable for everyone involved. If your schedule is tight and you really need to meet with everyone on the same day, at least allow 15-20 minutes between each meeting so awkward moments are avoided.  

5. Ask important questions
There are a few questions that are important to ask during a consultation. The answers should weed out the professionals from the rest.

  • Insurance: What kind of insurance do you have? Some venues require a minimum of $2 million in liability insurance to shoot there.
  • Contract: Can I review your contract before I sign? Don't ever book a photographer without a contract.
  • Worst case scenario: What happens if you get in a car wreck the week before my wedding? There should be a clause in the contract protecting both you and the photographer, who should should do everything possible to find you a suitable replacement.
  • When will I receive my images/products? Turnaround should be anywhere from 2-8 weeks -- any longer than that and you're waiting too long for your images.

6. Don't Compare
Wedding photographers and photography packages cannot be compared apples to apples. Wedding photographers are like apples and oranges.

There are far too many variables to compare one photographer and his/her services to another. For example, you’ve selected three photographers, “A”, “B” and “C” to interview for your wedding. You like the work of all three, but they have different packages with similar pricing, or their packages are similar and the pricing is different. Why? How do you compare?
 
Photographers A, B and C all have very different resumes with different values associated with their knowledge, experience and product offerings. With even a few variables, such as years in business, number of bookings per year, overhead/operating costs (studio vs. home office), you can see that there is no way to compare these photographers apples to apples. If one photographer books 50 weddings per year and has a studio, you can’t compare his cost to another photographer who books 15 weddings without a studio. 

The best thing to do when hiring your photographer is to interview photographers A, B and C and view your consultations with them as completely unique interviews. I know it's hard to do, but think about each photographer individually. If you don’t like the products they offer, if you don’t feel a good connection with them on a personal level or their work doesn’t resonate with you, move on (but don't forget to politely let them know that you won’t be hiring them!). Eventually, you will find that there is one photographer you will love more than the others. Go with your gut, trust your instincts and you’re sure to hire the best person for the job.

xo,
Meredith