CAPTURE THE MEMORIES
Regardless of how awesome your phone’s camera is, nothing beats a good, professionally taken photo. Finding a wedding photographer is an important decision. Once your wedding is over these images will hold all those memories and key moments of your special day.
It may seem overwhelming, with so many options available, but the perfect photographer that matches your personalities and wedding style is something that takes time. There are literally hundreds of wedding photographers on the Sunshine Coast, so how do you go about choosing the right wedding photographer for you?
In this blog I will be I will be covering everything to do with photography & videography.
I’m here to help walk you through my top tips on how to hire a wedding photographer & videographer on the Sunshine Coast, so you can start narrowing your search and meet with photographers that are perfect for your wedding day.
1. Photography
2. Engagement Shoot
3. Videography
4. Livestream
5. Rainy Day Photos
6. What To Do With Your Photos?
Photography
Getting to know the photographer and loving their eye for detail is something that will ensure the best photos for your special day.
Here are my top 5 tips on how to find the perfect wedding photographer for you.
1. Style
Your wedding photos reflect your personalities and style. When you look back on your beautiful images, they should feel authentic and real, and not like you’re impersonating someone else. It also makes sense not to choose a photographer that has a candid style of shooting and ask them to do glamourous posed images (and vice-versa). Every wedding photographer has their own style & that’s what drives them to get the amazing photos that connect with you. So step one is to find the style that you that connect with most.
2. Personality
This is a big one. You want to feel comfortable and relaxed on your wedding day and this means surrounding yourself with people you want to spend time with. There’s no sense hiring a photographer with a beautiful photographic style if you can’t stand being in a room with them. If you don’t feel at ease with the person behind the camera, then you’re going to look and feel awkward (which will translate into the photos). Having a good photographer that you get along well with, someone you can laugh and be silly with is ideal, because this is how you get natural expressions and smiles as well as having a really fun day.
The Sunshine Coast is a huge destination wedding location and a lot of our weddings are with couples from out of town. Meeting a photographer in person is not always possible. But if you can call them, or chat over Zoom, this should give you a good indication of whether they’re right for you and your partner. You can also get any questions answered that you might have and go through sample albums, so you know exactly what’s on offer. During your consultation is where we get to know each other better and find out what your day might look like by covering ideas for your ceremony, reception, and photography location ideas. You don’t have to have everything organised; this is where we can brainstorm to make your day even better.
If you’re happy with what they have to offer, book them early! You don’t want to miss out on having the right photographer for you because you waited to long.
3. Quality v Cost
Your wedding day is a one-off event. You’ve booked hair & makeup, have beautiful outfits, family & friends have travelled from far and wide to be there, not to forget you’ve spent months planning for this one special day. It’s not something you can redo, so please don’t risk booking someone you don’t feel 100% confident in. Experienced wedding photographers on the Sunshine Coast that are in-demand and do great work are usually priced from around $2,000 – $8,000. Yes, that’s a big range but you get what you pay for. Every photographer is priced differently based on their experience, package inclusions, day or the week, the cost of running their business and so on.
Professional photography is not for every wedding couple, so if you’re getting a friend, family member or even student to shoot your wedding, don’t expect their work to be of a professional level. That would be unfair for them as they may still be learning or do it as a hobby. On the opposite end, if you do want to get a professional photographer, it’s not fair to ask them to shoot your wedding at amateur prices.
4. What’s include?
It’s important to know exactly what’s included in your wedding photography package. Just because a package might be the same price as another photographer’s, the inclusions could vary dramatically. Every couple is different and have different reasons for hiring a wedding photographer, make sure you get what you want and need in your photography package.
For example, some wedding photographers don’t offer digital images and therefore you pay a-la-carte for your images.
* Some photographers don’t give out the high-resolution digital images and only give you low to medium resolution images (this means you can’t print them bigger than A4 or so).
* Some photographers have wedding coverage that goes by events (i.e. Bride prep to 1hr into reception) and others go by hours (2, 4, 6, 8 hours).
* Some photographers shoot predominantly on their own and others always shoot with two photographers, while others offer to add the 2nd shooter at an additional rate.
* While most Sunshine Coast wedding photographers shoot their own weddings, some photography studios have several photographers that they employ so it may be good to ask who will be allocated to you on your wedding day.
* Some photographers included extras such as engagement photoshoots, wedding albums, wall hangings, prints and more. It’s important to know what’s included and what’s not.
5. Research & Recommendations
Searching the web for different wedding photographers will start to give you an idea of what you like and don’t like. Google will help narrow down your search to location, so you can find local photographers on the Sunshine Coast, as well as being able to read their customer reviews and see what their clients say. I don’t recommend going onto the Facebook forums to find your photographer, as you’ll only be inundated with hundreds of recommendations only to make the search overwhelming.
Most photographer’s update their work these days on their website so you’ll be able to have a look at the majority of their work before even meeting them. You can also check out their Facebook and Instagram to see what they’re doing on a regular basis.
Once you’ve viewed a few websites, I recommend making a list of your top 3 photographers & contact them to see if they’re available for your day as well as getting their brochure information. This way you can rule out anyone who is not available.
6. Get the Big Picture.
Everyone is capable of achieving 1, 2 even 3 great shots at a wedding. Like all of us, photographers display and post their best work on their websites and social media. But what you want is consistency in their work. Ask to see a full wedding. You want to be able to see the overall quality of the images, including editing style, various angles, capturing the ‘big’ moments and emotion on the day. It takes a lot of experience as well as talent to be able to keep up the high standard for a full wedding coverage.
Engagement Shoot
Your wedding photos will forever be your time capsule, the tangible documentation of your wedding day and everything that it was. Therefore, it’s paramount that they truly reflect all the emotions that were felt on your wedding day. 99% of couples, have never had professional photos taken together before their engagement photoshoot, so it’s a great way to solidify your choice of photographer to be a part of your wedding day & break the ice to feel comfortable infront of the camera.
Throughout your engagement session, you have a chance to get to know your photographer, listen to their prompts and direction. Engagement sessions are so important! Most of my couples opt to include an engagement session in their package, and have said that from this session, they felt a lot more at ease about having their photos taken, and can’t wait to do it again on their wedding day.
Plus it’s a lot of fun and makes a great date night!
Videography
For many couples, wedding videography may not seem like a necessary component or added expense. But it’s worth considering adding it to your wedding day.
A wedding ceremony can go by in a blink of an eye and it’s hard to remember what was said. A videographer can offer to capture the whole ceremony, professionally capturing the audio for you to watch back at anytime.
A lot of Sunshine Coast videographers also offer short, cinematic and story-driven wedding films which are easy to watch and to share with family and friends. You can have a wedding highlight film which is typically 4-8 minutes in length to a wedding feature film which is between 10-12 minutes long. You might also like a pre-wedding film, which are about 2-3 minutes in length. The pre-wedding film is like an engagement photoshoot but in a video format.
Livestream
Livestreaming your wedding is now becoming mainstream. Whether you choose to get married at a destination location or you have loved ones who simply can't attend, there are many reasons why you may want to live stream your wedding celebration. Thanks to Covid, there’s now a variety of video-streaming apps and professional services, allowing you to share the most special moments of your wedding with loved ones near and far. I would recommend having a professional videographer livestream your event, but if budget is an issue, check out these site.
Rainy Day Photos
We’ve all heard the saying that rain on your wedding day is good luck but for so couples, it can be nerve-racking the idea of rain on their wedding day. Don't let the rain stress you out, smile for the photos and focus on enjoying your day. You might have to take your family shots indoors, or abandon plans for certain photos, but your photographer will have plenty of rainy wedding day shots up their sleeve and will be able to scout out sheltered spots, so relax and know you're in safe hands!
Let’s face it, there’s nothing you or I can do about stopping the rain on your big day if it’s forecast, but there are some easy and simple solutions to ensure you have a great day & get great photos. Here are my top tips.
1. Umbrellas. Make sure you have enough for the bridal couple as well as your bridal party. Clear and white are the best.
2. Make sure you allow enough time before your ceremony for photos in the warmth and dry of your room.
3. Waterproof makeup. This is a must even if it’s not raining. You don’t want your makeup to run with happy tears.
4. Bring a wrap. Not only will this keep you warm in the wind and rain, but your dress won’t get totally soaked.
5. Bring a second pair of shoes, you don’t want to have cold wet feet at your reception.
6. Have fun! It’s your wedding day! Don’t let a little bit of rain ruin this special moment. Have some fun with it and embrace the wet weather.
What To Do With Your Photos?
You’ve spent months planning your wedding, you found the perfect photographer who took amazing photos of your special day. You put so much time, effort, and money into this one day and have so many beautiful images to prove it, so let those memories shine! All too often, couples’ wedding photos stay stored on their computer never to see the light of day. If you’re wondering what to do with your wedding photos, turns out you have lots of options, from sharing them on social media to displaying them in various ways in your home. I recommend figuring out the best things to do with your wedding photos shortly after receiving them—if you wait too long, life gets busy, and you’ll never get around to printing them.
First things first, back them up! I recommend backing them up to a minimum of TWO places. Downloading it to your computer as well as uploading to your Dropbox or Google Drive makes sure they'll be safe and sound.
Order a wedding album through your professional photographer. They’ll be able to design up a beautiful album telling your lovestory and have it professionally printed to last generations. Albums make great parent gifts as well.
Share your photos on social media
Adorn your home with your favourite images with wall hangings and framed prints.
Create a thank-you note with a collage of your top photos.
Once you’ve choose your wedding date & booked your venue, one of the next big decisions you’ll make for your wedding is choosing the right photographer (& videographer) for you. Hopefully now you have enough knowledge to help you narrow down your decision to find the right one for you. Remember, when booking a professional wedding photographer you’re not only going to receive beautiful images you’ll cherish for years to come, you’re also hiring someone who will compliment your day and make it even more memorable.
Next week’s blog is all about the your wedding outfits, from the bride & groom, through to your wedding party and even family & guests.
Happy Wedding Planning!
If you’re looking for a photographer who is more like a friend than a stranger and one that is there to cheer you on and get excited about your wedding day, I'm your girl. I'd love to be your photographer and help make your wedding dream come true.