the Most common And Concerning wedding fears
7 Serious Concerns Of Every Bride
Practically every bride will have to face these 7 critical concerns when it comes to their wedding photography!
I know you're probably thinking - okay, what are they? And how do I find the right wedding photographer for my wedding? Professional photography is much more than taking beautiful photos. We are going to take a close look at these issues and by the time we're done, you are going to be armed with a lot of knowledge!
What Are The 7 Critical Concerns?
Trust
Communication
Direction
Poorly Edited Photographs
Something Different
How To Tell If A Photographer Is Great
Avoiding The Creepy Photographer
Okay, we've taken the first step. We've identified the issues in which brides are most concerned. Now, what exactly does it all mean?
1. Trust
When it comes to hiring a professional photographer, especially to photograph your wedding, the most important detail to consider is their personality!
You might be surprised that I didn't say it's their images, but it's like a first date. You find someone visually attractive - it peaks your interest, so you agree to go out to dinner with them. Typically, you'll decide whether or not you want to take the relationship further as you learn about their personality.
The same holds true for hiring a wedding photographer. If you don't like their personality, you're never going to feel comfortable with them and you're never going to trust them. It's a doomed relationship.
However, if you like your photographer's personality it's a completely different story. You will now be in a situation where you can feel comfortable and relaxed. These are the feelings that lead to a trusting relationship and beautiful photographs.
2. Communication
Brides who were previously married often express having a lot of frustration with their photographers because of their poor communication.
Their photographers were poor at explaining details, they clearly didn't listen to a word the bride said, and the bride was lucky if she any sort of response to her emails, phone calls, and text messages.
Obviously, these behaviors and business practices are inexcusable, and unacceptable.
Good communication is essential in any relationship and that's why we place such a heavy focus on making sure our couples understand the information we communicate to them. We also take steps to show that we understand the information they have communicated. It's essential that we are both on the same page.
When it comes to emails, phone calls, text messages, etc., we respond to most requests within 4 hours or less. However, our policy is to respond to all messages within 24 hours. If for some reason we are unable to meet this commitment, we will at the very least let you know why there is a delay and when you can expect a response.
As consumers, I think we all understand there will be situations that cause delays, but many companies fail at customer service because they don't keep the customer in the loop - they leave them guessing. You must keep your clients informed.
3. Posing Direction
Most people hate posing for pictures. They're not models, they've never had model training, and they have no idea what they're supposed to be doing with their bodies. It makes them feel vulnerable and self-conscious.
The majority of brides will tell you, while they hate posing, they definitely rely on their photographer to make them look natural, relaxed, and beautiful.
Posing has become a bad word. I think it's because the word "pose" makes our minds automatically envision pictures that look rigid and awkward. Unfortunately, there are many photographers out there who are uncomfortable with giving direction and/or are uncomfortable with how to pose their clients. This fear will reveal itself in their work.
So, how do we "pose" our couples? It's pretty simple really and when our couples see how we handle it, they feel much more at ease. They realize we aren't working them like mannequins and they aren't going to look ridiculous.
First of all, we like to use as many backdrops as possible to deliver our clients photographs that are unique and diverse. After we place our couples in front of a backdrop we will simply give them some basic direction on what we want them to do. For example, we might tell them that we want to achieve an image that looks intimate, so get close and place your heads together. We then let them take their positions naturally. A lot of the time our couples naturally find a great position. If something looks strange we will tell them it looks strange, and then ask them to find another position. This resolves most "posing" issues at this point, however, if they still can't find a good position, then we will step in and actually place them in the right position.
While we use the word "pose," our style is really about "directing" or "coaching." It's a much more effective way of achieving photographs that look natural and relaxed.
4. Poorly Edited Photographs
A lot of brides were disappointed with their photographs because they were so poorly edited. It was obvious their photographer cut a lot of corners or didn't have a lot of retouching experience. This was especially true for those couples that hired a "cheap" photographer. Unfortunately, by the time they realized why they got such a good "deal," it was too late to do anything about it.
As a professional photographer, post-processing is just as important as capturing an amazing image. Editing is also a large part of a photographer's style and brand. No matter how talented of photographer you are, poorly edited images will make your pictures look cheap and inferior.
All researching photographers, all couples should ask to see images from different weddings that aren't part of their portfolio. It doesn't really matter which images, but you want to compare the editing of these images to those found on their website. Many photographers spend a lot more time editing their website images compared to the images they deliver their clients.
Every image you see on our website is the exact image we delivered to our client. You certainly don't want to find yourself in the situation where you're expecting one thing, but ultimately get something completely different.
5. I Want A Great Photographer, But Don't Know How To Tell If A Photographer Is Great
Most people/couples looking to hire a photographer place most of their emphasis on the photographers pictures. Makes sense, right?
Right?
It does to a degree. We're back to the first date again. The initial attraction comes from their appearance. But do good looks alone make someone great? Absolutely not.
Personality! There's no question this is the most important detail to consider when hiring a wedding photographer. Their ability to earn your trust and form a meaningful connection is essential. Even the greatest wedding photographers in the world will struggle to create beautiful images if they can't connect with their clients.
I always compare it to having a conversation with a close friend versus a complete stranger. When you speak with a close friend your body language shows you're engaged in the conversation and you're likely to share the intimate details of your life. What about the complete stranger? Chances are your body language and topic of conversation is much more guarded. Why?
Trust! You don't trust them, so you naturally don't feel comfortable enough to form that connection and open yourself to them. Any relationship, including your photographer, that causes you feel "shut off" will never advance very far.
6. We Want Something Different From Our Photographer
Many photographers approach each photography session with a cookie cutter approach. Often times, you can't tell the difference from one client to the next. Sure, the faces change, but every picture tends to look like the next. Their work is borderline predictable.
We've just discussed the importance of connecting with your clients. Establishing a connection with our clients plays a huge role in the diversity of our work because it allows us to better understand them. Their likes, their dislikes, their interests, etc.
It's these details about our clients that we strive to incorporate into each session in order to create photographs that are original to that couple.
[Magnolia Photography Wedding Gallery - Wedding Photographers Near Me]
7. We Don't Want A "Creepy" Photographer
I was actually a little surprised to see this was such an issue for brides, but ughhh, we couldn't agree more! Who wants a creepy photographer? It's similar to a slimy used car salesman. Their pre-rehearsed jokes are not funny, often inappropriate, and make you sick to your stomach.
When choosing any of your wedding professions - DJ, photographer, videographer - it's a good idea to ask yourself one simple question - "Can I imagine being friends with this person?"
This is especially true of your photographer because they will be spending almost your entire day by your side. If you don't care for their personality or they "creep" you out, it's going to make for a long and miserable day!