Congratulations! You’re engaged!

But that means you have a wedding to plan. * nervous gulp *

You’ll need to find a venue, a caterer, a cake baker, a dress, and the list goes on.
But, perhaps one of the most important people you’ll need to hire is a Photographer. They will capture your big day and provide you with photographs that you will show your children and grandchildren years from now. These images are priceless treasures, so you’ll want to make sure you hire someone who is qualified for the job.

In this article, I’ll lay out the best tips for hiring a qualified photographer for your special day and avoid getting scammed.

1. Ask to meet them in person or via zoom.

This is especially important in today’s world where we do the majority of our shopping online and anyone can pretend to be someone they are not. Scams are everywhere, so it’s important to be cautious. And, of course, when meeting people from the internet, meet in a public space, just to be safe. When you meet with the photographer, it will give you chance to verify that they are who they say they are and to get a feel for who they are as a person and whether or not you “click” with them as a person. Remember that this is a person who you will be working with a lot as your wedding day approaches, and who you will spend a good portion of your wedding day with. You want to make sure this person is someone you like.

2. Ask about equipment.

Not all cameras are created equal, and weddings are highly specialized jobs that require highly specialized equipment.
Many people are under the impression that a “nice” kit camera from Costco will do the job, but it’s simply not true. Entry level cameras simply don’t have the low light capabilities that professional grade cameras do, which makes them unsuitable for weddings.

Bear in mind that the brand of camera doesn’t matter as much as the capabilities of the camera. Canon, Nikon, and Sony are popular brands, but the important part is asking the photographer if they have at least two full frame cameras and lenses with good low light shooting capabilities, additional lighting for low light scenarios (flash or LED), and dual memory slots to ensure the images are protected in the event of a corrupted SD card.

Keep in mind that if your photographer doesn’t have the right gear, your once in a lifetime photos could end up being botched.

3. Ask about photo backup

In the digital age, having proper photo backup is paramount. SD cards and hard drives crash and corrupt all the time, meaning that your wedding photos could easily be lost if your photographer doesn’t have a good backup strategy. Cameras should have dual memory slots and photos should be backed up to multiple hard drives as well as to a cloud based storage service. Some photographers even go as far as to store hard drives in fire safe boxes or in different locations just to be safe. Your wedding photos can only be taken once, so you don’t want to roll the dice and hire someone who hasn’t thought backup through.

4. Ask to see their portfolio and ask about experience level

Many photographers have their portfolio posted on their website, but because websites usually only show the best of the best images, it doesn’t hurt to ask to see more. I recommend asking to see an entire wedding gallery from a past wedding so you can see the photographer’s work from start to finish on a wedding.
This will give you an idea of what you might expect to receive as the finished product from your wedding, and will help to ensure that what you’re seeing isn’t just portfolio images from a styled shoot (a styled shoot is a fake wedding that wedding vendors set up to help advertise their services and build their portfolios- they usually produce very pretty, Pinterest-worthy images, but they’re not from real weddings, and may not give an accurate view into the skills of the photographer on an actual wedding day).

5. Remember that cheaper doesn’t mean better

I know that weddings can be very expensive and that everyone has a budget, but it is important to remember that cheaper doesn’t usually mean better when it comes to things like photography. It may be tempting to go with a $500 photographer, but it is highly unlikely that a $500 photographer is a -legitimate tax-paying business, or that they have the experience and gear necessary to deliver quality images from this once-in-a-lifetime event.
If you are hiring a professional photographer you can expect to pay around $1500 on the low end for smaller, shorter ceremonies or elopements, to $10,000 + on the higher end for larger weddings with longer ceremonies.

Hi. I’m Cheyenne.

I’m a homeschooling mom, gardening enthusiast, animal lover, and portrait photography located in the small town of Belen, New Mexico. I proudly serve the families of the greater Albuquerque Metro area and create beautiful, unique, and timeless portraits for families, children, and pets, as well as weddings.

If you and your family love having fun and showing up as your uniquely awesome selves, then I think we are going to get along great. I can help you create memorable portraits that stand out from the rest, and that you will treasure as the days turn to years and the years turn to decades.