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Ours were crisp, clear, very vibrant colors, had a variety of focal points (some closer, farther, off to the side, faces, full body, etc), and had a personal feel to them. You'll find that some work just draws you in while other styles just aren't 'you' as a couple. We happened to find a great photog that clicked with us and we loved her work. To us, it's honest (not too shnazzy/artsy), couple-focused, clean lines, nothing out of focus/blurry/washed/vintaged (some folks like that, it's just not our style), and great colors and contrast.
There may be some other threads on here re: what makes good photos, and I know we have some bees on here that are photographers as well. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable on the topic can help you out more :-) Welcome to the hive, and happy planning!
Stick will the well known pro's who have been servicing your area for many yrs, you will find out who they are once you start researching and asking venues for rec's.
@DocT: I asked to see full weddings of every single photographer I talked to. The less experienced photographers had lots of bad shots (i.e., backs of heads, awkward angles, bad lighting, etc.). There were some really nice shots, of course, but lots of clunkers.
When I looked at the photographers I ended up choosing, I loved nearly every single shot they had, out of 700+. The lighting was good. They got the shots I want at my own wedding. We just got our engagement pics done and I really like them, so this method worked for us!
I think this is a great resource for consumers: http://www.takeoffyourmommygoggles.com/
It's written from the perspective of a portrait photographer (telling mom's to take off their mommy goggles and recognize that just because it's a picture of their kid doesn't mean it's a GREAT picture) but she discusses wedding photographers too and much of the advice applies to the wedding photography field as well.
judging photographer's websites: http://www.takeoffyourmommygoggles.com/consumers/judging-photographers-websites/
what are fauxtographers? - http://www.takeoffyourmommygoggles.com/consumers/what-is-a-fauxtographer-2/
I absolutely recommend reading through each of the little articles in the "Good the Bad and the Ugly" tab - she goes into how to spot over and under exposure (with photo examples and explanations), focus issues, poor business practices, whacky skin tones, etc. I especially like the part where she explains the taxes issue and how fauxtographers are ABLE to price the way they do because they AREN'T paying taxes on what you pay them - http://www.takeoffyourmommygoggles.com/2011/03/08/i-owe-i-owe-paying-taxes/. If they were all legit businesses they wouldn't be able to charge what they charge and not lose money on each wedding/portrait session they do.
@USER876: I have to disagree with this. Sure, the most popular photographers are probably great but there is still a lot of talent out there that won’t show up on the first page of a google search. Our photographer was fantastic and he’s not one of the most well known in my area. In a few years he very well may be but he recently relocated to my area so he’s still setting up shop. If I would have gone with one of the well known pro’s, I would have spent thousands more on my pictures and received the same caliber of work.
OP, decide what kind of feel you want for your pictures and go from there. We knew that we wanted a photojournalistic approach so we opted for someone who specialized in that. Before meeting with our photog, we spent hours looking at his online galleries for not just his weddings but also everything else that he shoots (engagements, babies, nature, maternity, portraits, etc). His pictures were crisp, the colors were vibrant and the quality was there. When we met with him, we saw hundreds of additional pictures which were equally as great so we booked him. We got our pro pics back about a week and a half ago and we couldn’t be more thrilled with how they turned out. They were exactly what we were looking for and considering how much we paid ($900 for everything), we got an incredible deal. Had we gone with one of the “populars”, we would have spent thousands more for virtually the same thing.
@UpstateCait: $900? Sounds like they might be a new photographer, perhaps with talent, who's not running a legit business/paying taxes. USER is suggesting finding someone established because it's the safer route to go.
@UpstateCait: This isn't good advice for the OP, who admitted is having trouble evaluating the quality of work. I gave the OP "safe" advice so they don't take any chances.
@BeeM: Not new at all actually and I assure you, his business is very much legit. There are great deals out there. Not everyone had to pay thousands of dollars for wedding pictures.
@USER876: Maybe going with a well known (i.e. expensive) photographer is the “safe” way to go but it's not always the best. I couldn't be happier with my professional photos and I didn't go with one of the "populars". To be completely honest, our pictures are leaps and bounds better than some of our friends and families who opted to go with the well knowns and spend a fortune.
@UpstateCait: Perhaps running a legit business now, but no photographer can stay in business (legit business) charging $900 for 8 hours coverage. Income tax and self employment tax take about 35% of that right off the top. With all of the post-processing work that goes into it, your photographer made about minimum wage to do your wedding IF he's a legit business paying taxes, and that's without considering the cost of equipment and other business expenses. Would you do all of that work for less than what you could make working at the mall?
I saw your recap - not the worst I've seen from a $900 photographer, so you somewhat lucked out, but it's not the best advice to give to someone who is saying they're having trouble differentiating a pro from someone who isn't. The OP said nothing at all about budget so I don't think suggesting she look for someone cheap on craigslist is the most sound advice.
Beyond what everyone has said here, I think you can tell a "good" photographer by his/her references. I chose 3 random Saturdays of the previous fall season, and asked for the contact information for those brides. All 3 brides gave glowing recommendations of our photographer, and said that they would not hesitate to use her again. That, coupled with the fact that so many of her brides have become repeat clients (maternity photos, family photos, love shoots, etc.), helped reassure me that not only was her quality good, but that her personality and business practices were good as well.
@DocT: Sounds like you're getting a lot of advice. Mine isn't very technical - basically, I just looked at a pile of different websites (most recommended by friends) and chose based on how I FELT. Like, how the photos made me feel. Some felt posed and stiff and fake, and some actually made me tear up because the photographer had captured the people's emotions so beautifully.
I agree that you absolutely need to look at pics from a FULL wedding, though, and not just a "best of" portfolio. That really does make a lot of difference! Good luck. :)
@BeeM: We booked our photographer when he had just relocated to the area. That’s the only reason we got such a good price. His packages now start at $2,000 and go up from there.
As for craigslist, nowhere in this thread did I mention that. Yes, we ultimately did find him through craigslist which happened to work out for us but that wasn’t my suggestion to the OP. She asked what to look for and I told her...
"we spent hours looking at his online galleries for not just his weddings but also everything else that he shoots (engagements, babies, nature, maternity, portraits, etc). His pictures were crisp, the colors were vibrant and the quality was there. When we met with him, we saw hundreds of additional pictures which were equally as great so we booked him."
The fact of the matter is, there’s TONS of talent out there that may not be the most popular. Just because they don’t pop up first in a google search or aren’t at the top of a recommended vendor list doesn’t mean that they’re not worth looking into.
@UpstateCait: Again I never said that, I am giving the OP advice to best fit their situation. You may of lucked out and found a good photographer that was willing to shoot your wedding at a financial loss, but this is not common.
Hi,
Just want to clarify-- I am asking about the quality of photos but am really thankful for all advice regarding a photographer. I think part of that involves how to make sure I'm not getting someone who says they are a pro (and is expensive) and takes crappy shots. I absolutely appreciate all the advice you all have given, and I will definitely take it all into consideration--both the technical piece and emotional pieces are important to me, so thank you all so much!!!
@DocT: Definitely check out the link I posted originally - it'll show you examples of technical issues you might not pick up on otherwise that would certainly separate someone who says they're a pro from someone who actually is a pro. Good luck!
@DocT: If it would help, feel free to message me links to some of the photographers you are considering and will give you some feedback on the technical quality of their work. (I am a photographer and also help artists in my area create their ideal portfolios, so I do this often)
@BeeM --I just checked out the website. It's awesome, and just what i was looking for. Thanks a ton!!
@atomic, I'm taking you up on your offer--I'll PM you in a bit. Thanks so much!
Quality-wise... any photo that is in focus (the focus should be on the subject's eye), and doesn't cut people off in weird places is technically good.
But if you're looking for beyond just good... if you're looking for GREAT, then you need photos that bring something out for you emotionally. You should ask to see full wedding coverage from a photographer that you're considering. You should be able to get a complete picture of the wedding day from seeing those photos. Make sure there is nothing major missing... first kiss, first dance, cake cutting, etc.
You mentioned "photos that have a focal point and are blurred in the background". That's a shallow depth of field. It's takes more technical knowledge for photographers to produce a large amount of photos that look like this because it can be difficult to get the focus dead-on.
Make sure you also look for photos that are taken in low light. Make sure they look correctly-exposed, and make sure they aren't insanely grainy.
Good luck!
@KellyBentonPhotography: thanks for the advice! Also good to know that it's called "shallow depth of field"...I'm starting to get the feel for this and can't wait to pull out these fancy names when I actually hire someone :)
@lovekiss: great suggestion. I have always looked up reviews for everything (businesses, restaurants, everything! It's a little compulsive, I must say...), and have found that it's really helpful!
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Hi bees,
I'm looking into photographers, and...I don't know if I just don't have a good eye, but I'm having some trouble distinguishing what makes a quality picture and what makes a bad one. I've definitely seen websites of photographers I liked and didn't like, but beyond "photojournalistic" and those pictures that have a focal point and are blurred in the background, I don't know what else I like, and I can't tell what makes photos bad (aside from the obvious--completely unfocused, arms/legs/face cut off, etc.). Any suggestions from you all? I'd especially love a photographer's viewpoint. Thanks so much!