When it comes to finding a wedding photographer in your area, there are typically hundreds of options to choose from. To find the right one for your wedding, read Photographer Central Pro Evan Chung’s five helpful tips. 

Your wedding planning checklist is finally getting some action. You’ve booked the best venue and reserved the perfect caterer. Now you are looking for the right wedding photographer. But with so many professional photographers to choose from, it’s difficult to know where to start. Most of us can pick out the photos that inspire us, but actually hiring a photographer is an entirely different animal. Don’t let it worry you though. Here are a few tips on how to hire the right wedding photographer.

Before you can hire a photographer, it’s important to know what style of photography you like. Every professional photographer has their own style. By looking at tons of professional photographs, you can decide what style fits you best. Hiring photographers based solely on budget almost never ends well. Make a short list of your favorite styles so you can see which professional wedding photographers match your style preference.

Side note: Pinterest has become a great way to see all your favorite photos in one place, and you may see some style trends in the photos you pin. Check out this Style Article [link to style article] that talks about various photography styles.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and hiring photographers is no different (OK maybe it’s a little different). It’s helpful to check out different wedding photographers and see what services they offer. Photographers for hire will sometimes put their packages and prices right on their website for all to see, while others will require you to ask for it. Don’t let this stop you from getting their package details—it may be well worth it. Figure out different price points that are typical for your region and be sure to compare apples to apples when weighing different packages.

If you’ve ever asked yourself “why hire a professional photographer?” this exercise will give you the answer. A photographer’s portfolio should include their best of the best. If you’re not impressed, just imagine the photographs that didn’t make the cut. This sounds a bit harsh, but when hiring a wedding photographer, there’s a lot at stake. Suffice it to say, you should look through lots of different portfolios to make sure the professional photographer you choose has a track record of solid work that resonates with you.

To find a prince, you may have to kiss a few frogs. Set up a few consultations with your top choice wedding photographers in your area. Meet in person to gauge their personality and see if you get along with them. Since your wedding photographer may be with you more than anyone else on your wedding day, make sure you like their company. Use the consultation to communicate your style preferences and define your expectations clearly. This also gives the photographer a chance to show you sample albums or prints so you can see what they have to offer after your photos get edited.

While the last four tips are geared toward how to choose a photographer, this last tip is about how to hire a photographer. This should be pretty straightforward if you are working with a professional wedding photographer. There should be a contract outlining all the agreed upon services and dates, no hidden fees or extra costs, and a clear payment schedule for reference. While mostly common sense, this should be the general practice for any photographer for hire. If not, insist upon having it all laid out in writing before paying a deposit.

Photographer Central is a great tool to define your style, do research, and review portfolios, set up a consultation and go from there. Once you have hired the right photographer, you should be able to let go of any worry on the big day. All of that research and prep beforehand will have paid off and you’ll be in your wedding photographer’s trusted hands.